National Assistance Act 1948
Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Short descriptionScript error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
The National Assistance Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 29) is an act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Clement Attlee. It formally abolished the Poor Law system that had existed since the reign of Elizabeth I,[1] and established a social safety net for those who did not pay national insurance contributions (such as the homeless, the physically disabled, and unmarried mothers) and were therefore left uncovered by the National Insurance Act 1946 and the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act 1946. It also provided help to elderly people who required supplementary benefits to make a subsistence living,[2] and obliged local authorities to provide suitable accommodation for those who through infirmity, age, or any other reason were "in need of care and attention not otherwise available to them".[3][4]Template:Rp The legislation also empowered local authorities to grant financial aid to organizations of volunteers concerned with the provision of recreational facilities or meals.[5]
The National Assistance Board, which administered the National Assistance scheme, operated scale rates which were more generous than in the past. The rate for a married couple before the new service was launched, for instance, was 31 shillings (£Template:£sd) a week, and 40 shillings (£Template:£sd) a week when the new service was introduced, together with an allowance for rent. In addition, as noted by Denis Nowell Pritt, "In most cases where the applicant was a householder, the rent allowance was the actual rent paid."[6]
Under Section 29 of the act, the power was granted to local authorities to promote the welfare of physically disabled individuals. The social needs of the mentally disabled were to be the responsibility of mental health departments which, being part of the new National Health Service, were to provide its services to all those who needed it, regardless of ability to pay.[5]
Application
The act applied across the United Kingdom but clauses 65-67 outlined several distinctions as to how the act applied in Scotland, the Scilly Isles and Northern Ireland.[4]Template:Rp
See also
Notes
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes".
- ↑ a b UK Legislation, National Assistance Act 1948, accessed on 30 March 2025
- ↑ a b Labour and inequality: sixteen fabian essays edited by Peter Townsend and Nicholas Bosanquet, London: Fabian Society, published in 1972
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Bibliography
<templatestyles src="Refbegin/styles.css" />
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
External links
- National Assistance Act 1948 as enacted
Template:Poor Law Script error: No such module "Authority control".