Before 1906, the British politicians still stood for the principles of Laissez faire- Individuals were solely responsible for their own lives and welfare. The government did not accept responsibility for the poverty and hardship that existed among its citizens - and had not planned any social reforms ready to implement when in power. However, once the Liberals were in power it was clear reforms were needed on a large range of social issues. One main concern was “national efficiency”. During the Boer War the large levels of ill-health among the working-class recruits become clear to the government, with almost one third of the soldiers enlisting being rejected on medical grounds. Now there were worries that Britain’s population was not as fit or educated as her main competitors in the world. This was linked to another major issue faced by the Liberals; the extent of poverty in Edwardian Britain. Investigations by both Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree revealed that one third of the city’s population was living in poverty rather than the three percent that was previously believed to occupy the city. While Booth and Rowntree agreed that some poverty was a result of the laziness and idleness of many individuals, much of it was caused by unemployment, sickness and old age. In an attempt to reduce the high percentage of people living in poverty in Britain Acts were passed to try and limit the amount of children being caught up by the poverty cycle. The Liberals also recognised that workers needed help from the government when faced with unemployment or illness. Finally, the Liberals as a government in power were the first to acknowledge that elderly individuals suffered from poverty, and possibly the hardest, and therefore took steps in providing financial support to the worst off. On the other hand, how effective the social reforms implemented by the Liberals can be questioned, although they covered a wide range of problems none fully solved any of the problems faced by Britain in 1906. A large volume of the Liberals support came from the working class men in Britain and so, the Liberals set out to help the sick by introducing (part one) of the National Insurance Act of 1911. The scheme made it compulsory for employees earning £160 a year or less, male workers received 10s a week, a women 7s and 6d. Employees would now also receive free medical treatment from a doctor but however, didn’t entitle them to hospital treatment (unless there was a case of TB). The Act was based on the idea of “9d for 4d” as the employee paid 4d, the employer 3d and the government 2d. For the first time a government had taken responsibility to help the sick or injured workers rather than simply ignoring them. The Act there