Unemployed Workmen Act 1905
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1905 c. 18 |
Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905.
(5 Edw. 7.) CHAPTER 18.
An Act to establish organisation with a view to the provision of Employment or Assistance for Unemployed Workmen in proper cases.
[11th August 1905]
B E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
1 Organisation for London.
(1) For the purposes of this Act there shall be established, by order of the Local Government Board under this Act, a distress committee of the council of every metropolitan borough in London, consisting partly of members of the borough council and partly of members of the board of guardians of every poor law union wholly or partly within the borough and of persons experienced in the relief of distress, and a central body for the whole of the administrative county of London, consisting partly of members of, and selected by, the distress committees and of members of, and selected by, the London County Council, and partly of persons co-opted to be additional members of the body, and partly, if the order so provides, of persons nominated by the Local Government Board, but the number of the persons so co-opted and nominated shall not exceed one-fourth of the total number of the body, and every such order shall provide that one member at least of the committee or body established by the order shall be a woman.
(2) The distress committee shall make themselves acquainted with the conditions of labour within their area, and when so required by the central body shall receive, inquire into and discriminate between any applications made to them from persons unemployed:
Provided that a distress committee shall not entertain an application from any person unless they are satisfied that he has resided in London for such period, not being less than twelve months, immediately before the application, as the central body fix as a residential qualification.
(3) If the distress committee are satisfied that any such applicant is honestly desirous of obtaining work, but is temporarily unable to do so from exceptional causes over which he has no control, and consider that his case is capable of more suitable treatment under this Act than under the poor law, they may endeavour to obtain work for the applicant, or, if they think the case is one for treatment by the central body rather than by themselves, refer the case to the central body, but the distress committee shall have no power to provide, or contribute towards the provision of, work for any unemployed person.
(4) The central body shall superintend and, as far as possible, co-ordinate the action of the distress committees, and aid the efforts of those committees by establishing, taking over, or assisting labour exchanges and employment registers, and by the collection of information and otherwise as they think fit.
(5) The central body may, if they think fit, in any case of an unemployed person referred to them by a distress committee, assist that person by aiding the emigration or removal to another area of that person and any of his dependants, or by providing, or contributing towards the provision of, temporary work in such manner as they think best calculated to put him in a position to obtain regular work or other means of supporting himself.
(6) Any expenses of the central body under this Act, and such of the expenses of the distress committees under this Act as are incurred with the consent of the central body, shall be defrayed out of a central fund under the management of the central body, which shall be supplied by voluntary contributions given for the purpose, and by contributions made on the demand of the central body by the council of each metropolitan borough in proportion to the rateable value of the borough and paid as part of the expenses of the council:
Provided that—
(a ) A separate account shall be kept of all sums supplied by contributions made by the councils of the metropolitan boroughs, and no expenses except—
(ii) the expenses incurred by the central body in aiding the emigration or removal to another area of an unemployed person and any of his dependants; and
(iii) the expenses incurred by the central body in relation to the acquisition, with the consent of the Local Government Board, of land for the purposes of this Act;
shall be paid out of that account.
(b ) No such contribution by a council shall in any year exceed the amount which would be produced by a rate of one halfpenny in the pound calculated on the whole rateable value of the borough, or such higher rate, not exceeding one penny, as the Local Government Board may approve.
(7) The provision of temporary work or other assistance for any person under this Act shall not disentitle him to be registered or to vote as a parliamentary, county, or parochial elector, or as a burgess.
(8) This section shall apply to the City of London as if the City of London were a metropolitan borough, and the mayor, aldermen and commons of the City of London in common council assembled were the council of the borough, and any contribution required for the purposes of this Act shall be paid out of the consolidated rate, but shall not be reckoned in calculating the amount of the rate for the purpose of any limit on that amount.
(9) The Local Government Board may, upon the application of the council of any borough or district adjoining or near to London, by order, extend the provisions of this...
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