STATE PROVISION FOR SOCIAL NEED
The Beveridge Committee Report on the Welfare State
(Public Record Office Class PIN 8 and CAB 87/76-82)

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Economical and Social and Political theorist, Beveridge’s contribution and the work of the Beveridge Committee was of monumental significance in the creation of the Welfare State. There is renewed interest worldwide in the merits and demerits of welfare state policies. An historical appraisal is vital to the task and also fundamental to understanding modern social and economic policy.

The Second World War witnessed an acceleration of many trends evident in British politics and society before 1939. The war further stimulated new industries as well as reviving the old ones, and led to widespread recognition of social problems such as poverty and unemployment.

The Beveridge Report of 1942 advocated a high level of employment and the creation of a welfare state. The Beveridge Committee was spearheaded by Sir William Beveridge, economist and academic theorist, and was strongly influenced by significant individuals such as Lord Kaldor. Its proposals were examined by a committee under Sir Thomas Phillips and accepted by the Committee on Reconstruction Problems headed by Sir William Jowitt.

The major recommendations of the Report were:

- a comprehensive scheme of Social Insurance including unemployment and sickness benefit, maternity benefit, widow’s benefit and pension, guardian’s allowance, retirement pension and other grants.

- a free National Health Service

- a system of Children’s Allowances

- an Industrial Injuries Scheme

- training schemes for the Unemployed

This microfilm collection brings together all the papers of the Beveridge Committee and provides a comprehensive resource for analysis of social and economic changes in the immediate post-war years.

It features:

PIN 8 Social Insurance and Allied Services (Beveridge Report)

- The first part of this class (PIN 8/1-84) contains correspondence and papers of the Central Staff of the Cabinet Committee on Reconstruction under the Paymaster General. The Staff were drawn from the Departments of Health, Labour, Assistance Board and the Home Office. These documents provide a full insight into the considerations and planning of the administrative machinery to implement the Beveridge Report. They include Papers of Weekly Conferences, Departmental Committees, Memoranda and other background details.

- The second part of the class (PIN 8/85-167) brings together all the papers of the Ministry of Health in connection with the Official Committee on the Beveridge Report, the Central Staff and implementation of the Report. In particular, there are substantial sections reflecting both the direct responsibility of the department in the field of social insurance and allied services and departmental representation on the Beveridge Committee, the Phillips Committee and the Central Staff. Another special section of paramount importance (PIN 8/115-116) provides the Minutes, Circulated Papers, Memoranda and annotated copies of the Report of the Beveridge Committee from the working files of the Phillips Committee, December 1942 - January 1943, which looked into the Report.

CAB 87/76-82, the Minutes, Memoranda and Committee Papers of the Beveridge Committee itself. These are reproduced here in full to give a complete picture and enable researchers to study the evolution of the Report, its findings, its problems, its advantages, its implementation and its impact.

In the process of compiling the Report, Beveridge looked in detail at many early attempts to pass legislations to make provision for social need. During the 1880s, in Germany under Bismarck, after considerable controversy, the first steps were taken towards elementary provision for accident, sickness, old-age and disability insurance. In Britain, under Lloyd George in 1911, legislation was passed for sickness and invalidism insurance and then unemployment insurance. This was the result of the work of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, the Fabian Society and trade union representatives.

The US Wisconsin Plan also pre-empted Beveridge. Beveridge looked at these and other relevant plans, legislations and economic and social analysis. Particularly in the economic field, the work of the Beveridge Report is of international relevance. Welfare Statism is often thought to be contrary to Classical Economics and is still hotly debated.

Above all the work of Beveridge is best remembered for the beginning of the Social Services administration and the Welfare State in Britain, the formation of the National Health Service and the desire to tackle the difficult problems of unemployment.

Beveridge also argued for new rates of payment and intended that benefits and contributions should vary according to the cost of living, and to the number of people out of work. These arguments are still very relevant today.

< Back