A Chronology of State Medicine, Public Health, Welfare and Related ...

1930 - 1931
1930 Poor Law Act (20&21 Geo.V, c.17) set out the administrative and related changes
following the 1929 Local Government Act; reasserted the liability of near relations of the
poor to relieve and maintain them; permitted the granting of outdoor relief; and restricted
admission to the workhouses to the aged and infirm. This act, together with the act of 1929,
made possible the unification of most public hospital services under the county and county
borough councils. See 1948 (National Assistance Act).
Mental Treatment Act (20&21 Geo.V, c.23) implemented recommendations of the
Royal Commission (1926); reorganised the Board of Control; made provisions for voluntary
treatment; encouraged the establishment of psychiatric outpatient clinics and observation
wards; and replaced the terms "asylum" and "lunatic" with "mental hospital" and "patient or
person of unsound mind". See 1957.
Housing Act (20&21 Geo.V, c.39) (Greenwood's Act) and Housing (Scotland) Act
(c.40) made further provisions for slum clearance by local authorities. Implementation was
delayed by the financial crisis of 1931. See 1931.
Road Traffic Act (20&21 Geo.V, c.43) defined driving offences and set out the law
regarding accidents, insurance, use of the highway, erection of traffic signs, public service
vehicles and the introduction of speed limits. See 1933 and 1934.
Poor Prisoners Defence Act (20&21 Geo.V, c.32) followed the report on legal aid
(1926) and provided a comprehensive legal aid system for summary trial, preliminary inquiry
and trial on commitment. See 1945.
Coal Mines Act (20&21 Geo.V, c.34) set up a commission to plan the reorganisation of
the industry. See 1938.
Unemployment Insurance Act (20&21 Geo.V, c.16) removed some restrictions on
claiming benefit. See 1931.
British Medical Association issued a report entitled "Proposals for a General Medical
Service for the Nation" (Brit. Med. J. Supplement, i, 151-182) recommending the extension
of the national health insurance scheme to dependants of insured people and to all others of
like economic status; the provision of specialist services through general practitioners; and
regional planning of hospitals. See 1938.
Five birth control societies merged to form the Birth Control Council. The Archbishop
of Canterbury cautiously approved the use of birth control methods. See 1954.
Ministry of Health Memorandum (153 MCW) empowered local authorities to provide
birth control advice to limited categories of women when necessary for medical reasons.
Lubeck immunisation disaster - 72 infants died and 135 developed tuberculosis after
251 infants had been given an alleged BCG vaccine.
Fluoride in water was shown to prevent dental caries. See 1965.
Two and a half million people were unemployed. See 1932.
1931 Census (26th April) counted the population of England and Wales as 40 million, with
24 per cent aged under 15 years and 7 per cent aged 65 years or over.
Statute of Westminster formally recognised the independence of the dominions.
Housing (Rural Authorities) Act (21&22 Geo.V, c.39) extended the 1926 act by
offering assistance to rural authorities to build cheap cottages for rural workers in their areas.
See 1933.
Committee on National Expenditure (chairman, Sir George May, later Lord, 1871-
1946, financial expert) recommended, Cmd. 3920, cuts in public service salaries, reduction in
public works programmes and a 20 per cent reduction in unemployment benefits. See 1934.