Catalogue description Local Government Board and Ministry of Health: Poor Law Department and successors: Public Assistance, Registered Files and Papers

This series contains general subject files relating to the administration of public assistance, including poor law relief and related matters, and the formulation and operation of the National Assistance Act 1948. Includes correspondence and papers relating to poor law reform and the transfer of functions from poor law authorities to county and county borough councils, the appropriation of poor law infirmaries for public health purposes, child care, emigration, vagrancy and relief of the casual poor, outdoor relief to unemployed persons the strikers' families and liaison with the Ministry of Labour in connection with the transitional payments of unemployment assistance, 1931 to 1935 and relief of wartime distress and air raid compensation.

Also contains some papers of the Departmental Committee on the Relief of the Casual Poor, 1929 to 1930 and of the Advisory Committee on the Health and Welfare of Handicapped Persons, 1957 to 1963. Most of the files were registered in the 94001-94100 and 99027 series, but there are also files with registered numbers in the 95292, 96217, 01000, 10000, 11000, 13000, 15000 and 18000 series, and some unregistered papers.

For further material on Special Areas see:

Further poor law records are in Division within MH

HLG 11

HLG 30

MH 61

Local Government Board, Poor Law Administration Department, 1871-1919

Ministry of Health, Poor Law Division, 1919-1947

For registers of correspondence see MH 60