Debated in Parliament on 11 Jan 2022.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many applicants under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) have been rejected since January 2019 because of their household incomes exceeding the $7,000 monthly household income limit; and (b) whether HDB plans to increase this limit given the delays in completion of many BTO projects due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2021, HDB announced that it will increase the supply of PPHS flats by 800 units over the next two years, almost doubling the 840 flats under the scheme then. To give priority to families who are less able to afford alternatives such as renting a flat on the open market, the household income ceiling of $7,000 was introduced. As the PPHS supply remains limited, HDB has no plans to increase the income ceiling, which was only put in place recently.
From August to December 2021, HDB offered 150 PPHS flats to applicants. Over the same period, 85 appeals for PPHS from households whose income exceeded $7,000 were rejected, as there were no clear extenuating factors. Nevertheless, households with income above the income ceiling who have high monthly expenses for exceptional reasons, such as medical needs, may approach HDB if they need help with temporary housing. HDB will consider their applications on a case-by-case basis.
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