Social insurance and allied services : memorandum on the Beveridge Report
1943-02-10 1943 1940s 24 pages 4. (11) It will be seen that under the "Beveridge" plan the cost in 1945 (£697 millions) would be roughly double what it was in 1938 and that the cost in 1965 (£858 millions) would be roughly double what it is under the existing la...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
10 February 1943
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/57CB7160-8A6B-4485-BE48-6C43B1A20FAE http://hdl.handle.net/10796/D8A1DAD7-B385-428D-AB3D-2C8B779D2F8C |
| Summary: | 1943-02-10
1943
1940s
24 pages
4. (11) It will be seen that under the "Beveridge" plan the cost in 1945 (£697 millions) would be roughly double what it was in 1938 and that the cost in 1965 (£858 millions) would be roughly double what it is under the existing law of today. The extent of that increase will be appreciated when it is borne in mind that - as stated in the Report (page 5) - the provision already made for these social services in Britain is "on a scale not surpassed and hardly rivalled in any other country of the world". (12) When the "Beveridge" Report was presented to Parliament on 1st December last, Sir William Jowitt, the Minister in charge of Reconstruction, made the following statement in regard to it :- "We must survey his (Sir William Beveridge's) work, not in isolation, but as a part of our reconstruction work as a whole. He covers a vast field, he proposes sweeping changes, and it would be foolish to suppose that the Government can here and now make any pronouncement of their views upon these matters. We prefer to read and consider the proposals before we make a statement about them and Members in all quarters of the House would be well advised to follow that example, to spend time in studying what he says and to consider his proposals in relation alike to finance, to industry, and to the maintenance of international security as well as to our social services generally". (13) It is obviously impossible, at this stage in the war, to give any reliable and comprehensive estimate of what this country's total post-war financial obligations will be. That depends primarily on how long the war itself lasts and also on the cost of the various reconstruction programmes which the Government may decide to undertake. (14) In order, however, to present the financial possibilities of the "Beveridge" plan in its most favourable light, the following Table of the country's post-war obligations - Table "B" - has been prepared on assumptions regarding items of expenditure which may well cost hundreds of £ millions a year more than the sums allotted to them in the Table. The assumptions on which the Table is based are :- (a) That after the war this country will not be spending on National Defence any more than it was spending in 1938, i.e. £250 millions a year. (b) That War Pensions and Civil Injury Pensions arising from the present war will not amount to more than they did at the end of the last war, i.e. £100 millions a year. (c) That Borrowing for the war or any other purpose will cease at the end of this year - thus bringing the total interest on National Debt (including War Saving Certificates and War Bonds) up to £400 millions a year. (d)/
200/B/3/2/C216/5/50 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |