Editing Harold Wilson (section)

====Liberal reforms====
{{main|Labour government, 1964–1970#Liberal reforms}}
A wide range of liberal measures were introduced during Wilson's time in office. The [[Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act 1970]] made provision for the welfare of children whose parents were about to divorce or be judicially separated, with courts (for instance) granted wide powers to order financial provision for children in the form of maintenance payments made by either parent.<ref name="byrne1"/> This legislation allowed courts to order provision for either spouse and recognised the contribution to the joint home made during marriage.<ref name="Longman"/> That same year, spouses were given an equal share of household assets following divorce via the Matrimonial Property Act. The [[Race Relations Act 1968]] was also extended in 1968 and in 1970 the [[Equal Pay Act 1970]] was passed.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> Another important reform, the [[Welsh Language Act 1967]], granted 'equal validity' to the declining [[Welsh language]] and encouraged its revival. Government expenditure was also increased on both sport and the arts.<ref name="shorthistory"/> The Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969, passed in response to the [[Aberfan disaster]], made provision for preventing disused tips from endangering members of the public.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsUK/planning/legislation/minewaste.html |title=Legislation & policy: mineral ownership &#124; Planning &#124; MineralsUK |publisher=Bgs.ac.uk |access-date=10 April 2014 |archive-date=3 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103200113/http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/planning/legislation/mineWaste.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1967, [[corporal punishment]] in [[borstal]]s and [[Her Majesty's Prison Service|prisons]] was abolished.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oVH0fVcMx5cC&q=UK+corporal+punishment+1948&pg=PP149 |title=Seeking a Role: The United Kingdom 1951–1970 – Brian Harrison – Google Books |date=26 March 2009 |access-date=6 August 2014 |isbn=9780191606786 |last1=Harrison |first1=Brian |publisher=OUP Oxford |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417194149/https://books.google.com/books?id=oVH0fVcMx5cC&q=UK+corporal+punishment+1948&pg=PP149 |url-status=live }}</ref> seven regional associations were established to develop the arts, and government expenditure on cultural activities rose from £7.7 million in 1964/64 to £15.3 million in 1968/69. A Criminal Injuries Compensation Board was also set up, which had paid out over £2 million to victims of criminal violence by 1968.<ref name="Labour 1968"/>

The [[Commons Registration Act 1965]] provided for the registration of all [[common land]] and [[village green]]s, whilst under the [[Countryside Act 1968]], local authorities could provide facilities "for enjoyment of such lands to which the public has access".<ref name="byrne1"/> The Family Provision Act 1966 amended a series of pre-existing [[Property law|estate laws]] mainly related to persons who died intestate. The legislation increased the amount that could be paid to surviving spouses if a will had not been left, and also expanded upon the jurisdiction of [[county court]]s, which were given the jurisdiction of high courts under certain circumstances when handling matters of estate. The rights of adopted children were also improved with certain wording changed in the Inheritance (Family Provision) Act 1938 to bestow upon them the same rights as natural-born children. In 1968, the [[Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act 1948]] was updated to include more categories of childminders.<ref>''Family day care: international perspectives on policy, practice and quality'' by Ann Mooney and June Statham.</ref> A year later, the [[Family Law Reform Act 1969]] was passed, which allowed people born outside marriage to inherit on the [[intestacy]] of either parent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/overview/legitimacyadoption/ |title=Marriage: legitimacy and adoption – UK Parliament |publisher=Parliament.uk |access-date=26 September 2011 |archive-date=26 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226112421/http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/overview/legitimacyadoption/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1967, [[Homosexuality in England|homosexuality]] was partially decriminalised (in England & Wales only) by the passage of the [[Sexual Offences Act 1967|Sexual Offences Act]].<ref name="ReferenceN"/> The [[Public Records Act 1967]] also introduced a [[thirty-year rule]] for access to public records, replacing a previous fifty-year rule.<ref name="SeldonHickson">''New Labour, Old Labour: The Wilson and Callaghan Governments, 1974–79'' edited by Anthony Seldon and Kevin Hickson.</ref>