National Insurance Act 1911

The National Insurance Act 1911 was legislation of the United Kingdom Parliament that created Britain's first systematic national social insurance scheme. It received royal assent on 16 December 1911 and took effect on 15 July 1912, establishing a contributory system funded jointly by workers, employers and the government. Part I of the Act introduced health insurance with medical benefits for industrial workers, and Part II introduced unemployment insurance for workers in specific cyclical trades such as building and manufacturing. Approved societies, typically friendly societies and trade unions, collected contributions and administered benefits on the government's behalf, and workers earning under 160 pounds a year were required to take part in the contributory scheme; the Act is regarded as a foundational building block of the later British welfare state.