Debated in Parliament on 10 Oct 2016.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for National Development (a) since the Married Child Priority Scheme was launched, how many buyers who applied for a BTO flat under the Scheme have been successful and unsuccessful in getting a flat respectively; and (b) whether there is sufficient help for buyers to live near their parents for mutual care and support.
The current quota-based Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) was implemented in end-2014. In 2015, about 1,600 applications for BTO flats in non-mature estates made under MCPS were successful. This translates to a success rate of about 85%. The success rate for BTO flats in mature estates under MCPS is lower, at about 47%, given the high demand for and limited supply of such flats. Nonetheless, the success rates for MCPS applicants in both mature and non-mature estates are still higher than that for public applicants.
Helping families live near one another for mutual care and support has been a longstanding priority for the Government. Today, we set aside up to 45% of the public flat supply for MCPS applicants. If the demand still outstrips supply under the MCPS quota, unsuccessful MCPS applicants will also have another chance to ballot for a new flat with other public applicants.
Besides MCPS, HDB also has other schemes and policies to help families live with or near one another. These include
(a) The Multi-Generation Priority Scheme, which gives priority to parents and married child who jointly apply for the same BTO project;
(b) The Three-Generation (3Gen) flats, which are purpose-built to cater to multi-generation living under one roof;
(c) Allowing parents or married child who are buying a resale flat to live with or near each other, to benefit from the Proximity Housing Grant of $20,000; and
(d) Setting the income ceiling for subsidised housing at a higher level for extended families who are buying a flat to live together.
PAPERCUTS