The first green shoots of a social policy network appeared in the twenties with the granting of self-rule by the British Government in 1921 in the aftermath of the First World War and the socio-economic hardship that came in its wake. The legislative programme included the granting in 1927 of pensions to widows and orphans of deceased public officers.
It was followed two years later by the first-ever social insurance scheme designed to compensate workers who suffered injuries on duty. Benefits were financed through a fund regulated by the Workmen’s Compensation Act. Contributions towards the fund were compulsory and equally shared by employers, employees, and the State.
Political upheavals and the onset of the Second World War cut short the legislative programme, which, however, resumed in earnest with the restoration of self-government in 1947.
The first measure in August 1948 was the Old Age Pensions Act which provided for the payment of pensions to elderly persons who had never been in employment. Unlike the Workmen’s Compensation Act, the scheme was not funded through contributions, but claimants had to undergo a financial means test. It was followed a couple of years later with the scheme of financial assistance (colloquially known as Relief) for needy families whereby person responsible for household was unemployed.
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