Debated in Parliament on 5 Feb 2018.
Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for Manpower (a) as of December 2017, what is the number of residents placed under the Silver Support Scheme (SSS); and (b) what is the number of SSS recipients who are also receiving financial aid from the Social Services Offices.
Mr Speaker, the Silver Support Scheme (SSS) was introduced in 2016 to support the bottom 20% of elderly Singaporeans aged 65 and above, with a smaller degree of support extended to up to the next 10% of seniors. The scheme is targeted at seniors who had low incomes through life and who currently have relatively little or no family support. It complements the comprehensive range of Government schemes that help seniors with various needs, such as housing, healthcare and retirement.
Over 152,000 seniors received Silver Support payouts in 2017. Of these, around 6,100 were also recipients of ComCare financial assistance.
Mr Speaker: Mr Png Eng Huat.
Mr Speaker, Sir, just a supplementary question. Some SSS recipients who are also Social Services Office (SSO) recipients shared with me that their financial aid from SSO was reduced by a corresponding monthly amount equal to their SSS payout. So, I would just like to ask the Second Minister, do the officers of SSS and SSO work together to determine the final quantum of financial aid paid out to these selected recipients?
Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. It really depends on what kind of support they are getting from the SSO.
For example, if they are receiving ComCare long-term assistance, then, in fact, it would not affect their eligibility for a Silver Support payout and vice versa. But there are recipients of ComCare Support who are receiving the support for only an interim period, for the short term. This is temporary relief. As a result, the SSO will take into account all of the incomes that they have, including what they may be receiving under SSS. So, it really depends on the individual circumstances.
The best way, if Mr Png has encountered specific residents with such a question, is that they can refer the question to the SSO, who would be quite happy to explain to the ComCare recipient the circumstances that are unique to him and how the payouts are determined.
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