| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Unemployment Insurance Acts, 1920 to 1933, and to make further provision for the training and assistance of persons who are capable of, and available for, work but have no work or only part-time or intermittent work; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 24 & 25 Geo. 5. c. 29 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 28 June 1934 |
The Unemployment Act 1934 (24 & 25 Geo. 5. c. 29) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, reaching statute on 28 June 1934. It reduced the age at which a person entered the National Insurance scheme to 14 and made the claiming age 16 years.[1] It also separated benefits earned by paying National Insurance and those purely based on need.[2] To do this, it established two bodies: the Unemployment Insurance Statutory Committee to deal with unemployment benefits earned by payment of National Insurance when in work; and the Unemployment Assistance Board to provide means-tested payments for those not entitled to such benefits.[3] The Unemployment Act 1934 also restored the previous 10% cut in unemployment benefits, brought in after the 1931 May Committee. This was due to a reduction in the number of those unemployed in the UK, which was reduced partially due to the creation of the Iron and Steel Federation in 1934 and the introduction of the National Grid in 1933.
- ^ [1] Archived October 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Cabinet Papers | 1930s Depression and unemployment". Nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ "Commentary: The context and outcome of nutrition campaigning in 1934". International Journal of Epidemiology. 32: 500–502. 2003. doi:10.1093/ije/dyg164.