Business and Internal Records of the Unemployment Assistance Board and successors

Division within AST

1894-1991

Records of the business and internal divisions of the Unemployment Assistance Board, Assistance Board and National Assistance Board which also include some records of their successor body, the Supplementary Benefits Commission.

Aspects of the work of all the internal divisions are in AST 7 and AST 43 (AST 43 has a particular emphasis on occupational pensions). Representative case papers are in AST 1, AST 2 and AST 4. Records of the Establishment Branch are in AST 9. Correspondence and papers relating to training and welfare are in AST 10. Records of the the Solicitor are in AST 14

There are also records arranged by subject:

• vagrancy, AST 8
• Second World War assistance, AST 11
• non contributory old age pensions, AST 15
• Polish resettlement, AST 18
• legal aid and advice policy, AST 20
• survey of single homeless persons, AST 39
• family income support, AST 44

Public Record(s)

English

• Assistance Board, Assistance Branch, 1940-1948
• Assistance Board, Establishment and Finance Branches, 1942-1948
• Assistance Board, Establishment and Services Division, 1940-1942
• Assistance Board, Finance and Establishments Branch, 1940-1948
• Assistance Board, Finance and Statistical Division, 1940-1942
• National Assistance Board, Assistance Branch, 1948-1950
• National Assistance Board, Assistance Divisions, 1950-1966
• National Assistance Board, Establishment and Finance Branches, 1948-1965
• National Assistance Board, Establishment Divisions, 1965-1966
• Supplementary Benefits Commission, 1966-1980
• Unemployment Assistance Board, Assistance Branch, 1934-1940
• Unemployment Assistance Board, Establishment and Services Division, 1934-1940
• Unemployment Assistance Board, Finance and Establishments Branch, 1934-1940
• Unemployment Assistance Board, Finance and Statistical Division, 1934-1940

16 series

Topics

Welfare

Labour

Conflict

Pay and pensions

Poverty

Operations, battles and campaigns

The headquarters of the Unemployment Assistance Board were organised in a number of divisions, whose duties were subject to periodic alterations. By 1937 the divisions were grouped into three branches, of which two, the Finance Branch and Establishments Branch, were concerned mainly with the internal running of the department and the third, the Assistance Branch, with its statutory functions. Despite a number of shifts of functions between branches and changes in internal organisation this basic structure continued to be used throughout the rest of the Board's history.

Branch I, known later as the Assistance Branch, dealt with the application of regulations, the determination of the scope of assistance, relations with advisory committees and appeals tribunals and agency work carried out by local authorities. During the Second World War responsibility for the Board's wartime functions passed to it from Branch III, and in 1951 it absorbed the separate Polish Resettlement Division which had been set up after the war.

These branches were originally designated Branch II and Branch III. The former consisted of one division only and dealt with finance and statistics. During the Second World War some of its functions were carried out in an Establishments and Finance branch at Stockport, which moved to Surbiton after the war. In 1966 the main Finance Branch took over some of the functions of the Assistance Branch and became the Finance and Research Branch centred in London.

Branch III was concerned with establishments and services. Its work related to the organisation of the Board and its local administration, with office management and registry services and with staffing, service and salary questions. It was also responsible for premises belonging to the Board and the establishment of local offices and work centres, for the organisation of conferences and relations with other government departments and outside bodies, and for re-organisation to meet the requirements of the wartime emergency.

During the war many of these functions were also carried out at the Establishments and Finance office at Southport. Branch III was transferred to Surbiton in 1965 and both establishment divisions were then merged. In 1966 the new Establishments Branch was formed into sub-divisions dealing with personnel and manning; training and organisation and method; and operations, manpower and services.