A century of debate

The 1999 Royal Commission is not the first of its kind. More than a century ago there was a Royal Commission on the Aged Poor. Chris Ellicott reviews the reports and sees how far the debate has moved on In January 1893, Queen Victoria set up the Royal Commission on the Aged Poor. The Commission reported back two years later in February 1895. One of the commissioners was the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. By the time they reported back he felt unable to sign its report since "the subject has now to a considerable extent become one of party controversy." There were also 12 separate 'mem...