The Cabinet Papers banner
 

1955 Cabinet memorandum on social service costs

Cabinet Memorandum 1 July 1955. Appendix
Cabinet Memorandum 1 July 1955. Appendix
CAB 129/76       CP (55) 57

Open the original document

This table of figures was attached to a document produced by the Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Richard 'Rab' Butler. It was produced four years into a Conservative government that had been elected in 1951. Although Labour had constructed the Welfare State the Conservatives were willing to try and uphold its main principles.

The memorandum this appendix was attached to can be seen in 1955 Cabinet memorandum on increased cost of social services.

Questions to consider

  1. What are the major areas of spending?
  2. How much was spending in these areas rising?
  3. What does this extract reveal about the scale and activities of the Welfare State in the 1950s?

Transcript

APPENDIX

Exchequer Expenditure on Social Services
(The references are to Civil Estimates, 1955-56)

Class Vote   Revised estimate (net)
1955-56
(£ million)
Actual comparable net expenditure 1951-52
(£ million)
IV. 1. Ministry of Education (excluding Sub-heads H, I, N) 270.5 204.1 (a)
IV. 14. Scottish Education Department (excluding Sub-head D) 38.2 28.9 (a)
IV. 12 Universities and Colleges 32.3 23.6
V. 2. Housing (England and Wales) 60.1 49.2
5. National Health Service (England and Wales) (excluding Sub-heads P and P P) 413.1



} 394.4 (b)</< TD>
11. National Health Service (Scotland) (excluding Sub-head P) 52.3
12. Housing (Scotland) 12.8 10.6
VI. 8. Ministry of Labour: Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (Sub-head C only) 6.3 8.5
III. 5. Home Office: Care and Welfare of Children (England and Wales) (Sub-heads D-G only) 6.9 5.5
10. Legal Aid (England and Wales) 1.6 0.3 (c)
I. 25. Scottish Home Department: Child Care (Sub-head C 2-4); Legal Aid (Sub-head F); Physical Training (Sub-head H) 1.0 0.7 (c)
VII. 10. Milk for Non-Maintained Schools (Sub-head J 3 only) 1.0 -- (a)
10. National Milk Scheme (expectant mothers and children (Sub-head J 4 only) 31.1 25.1
10. Welfare Foods (Sub-head H, part) 5.1 6.2
X. 2. Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance (mainly administration) 4.5 4.9
3. War Pensions 89.3 76.5
4. Family Allowances (Sub-head C only) 106.2 63.1
5. National Assistance Board 124.7 99.8
Exchequer Expenditure (excluding National and Industrial Injuries Insurance) (d) 1,257 1,001
Expenditure of National Insurance and Industrial Injuries Funds (e) 685 435
Total Exchequer Expenditure plus Expenditure of Insurance Funds 1,942 1,436

Original document