Silver Support Scheme Bill

Mdm Speaker, we have long debated and discussed not only in this House but outside, on the concerns of the elderly, especially when they are in their twilight years. This is the phase in their lives where they are most vulnerable as not only are they no longer working but they are also not in the best of health. And, in some cases, this is also the time when their children would have set up their own families and are unable to cope with looking after their aged parents, especially in financial support.

Strengthening the social safety net is always the right thing to do. Life is not perfect where everyone in the family has a successful career and a good-paying job. In Singapore, we are no different. We have families which are more closely-knitted and others which are dispersed and, some, even dysfunctional. Hence, there are seniors who face challenges to cope with their daily expenses and they do not have a strong support network from either the family or relatives. Some live alone and, if you visit their homes, you can see very basic items like a foldable metal table, an old flask and maybe a kettle beside a tray with two cups in the living room. The bedroom is as stark, with a bed and a cupboard, and the kitchen hardly has any utensils.

Madam, in the early days of our economic development, up to the 1980s, I assume, our economy was driven primarily by manufacturing and manual labour. Our workforce demography was majority blue collars. Back then, the cost of living was low and the majority of Singaporean workers and families were able to cope with low wages. But now, the cost of living has risen, seniors are living longer lives and they have higher expectations. Some may be in their mid-60s and need more support.

Because they live longer lives, they require more medical attention. They fall sick sometimes and need to be transported to the clinics or hospital for medical care. They need to pay for medical bills, in addition to their daily expenses. Thus, Madam, to put it simply,

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they need support and a helping hand.

The Silver Support Scheme is a good way to render this support. I am happy that the criteria are broader and, more importantly, they take into account the life earning of workers rather than just their recent income. I would propose that this criterion be applied with more weightage than the housing type of the eligible applicant or even their support when the seniors apply for this scheme.

I would also suggest that 100% or the majority of the Silver Support disbursement be given in cash directly into individual senior citizen's bank account instead of their Central Provident Fund (CPF) account. Most eligible senior citizens would benefit from this support directly if it is contributing to the overall resource for their day-to-day living needs.

Mdm Speaker, I am also concerned. I believe, in the future, the need for more funds for Silver Support is inevitable. We must continue to take care of and provide for our elderly so that we promote filial piety not only in words but also in action. I wish we can disburse more for the seniors. So, apart from asking the Government for more, similarly, I hope the philanthropists and the well-to-do in Singapore could also work closely in the community to assist our elderly and complement the effort of the Government to support our elderly in their twilight years.

Mdm Speaker, today, we will be introducing a new Social Security Scheme. We may end up a burden to our future Government and our future generation, but it is necessary. We must do this and, at the same time, we should also make sure that there are enough resources in the future and safeguard and manage the Silver Support Scheme well. Let us make caring for our elderly the hallmark of our society the blueprint for making our social support network even stronger. I support the Silver Support Scheme Bill.

Madam, it is often said that society is judged by the way it manages its seniors and needy citizens. The Silver Support Scheme, or SSS as I will call it, represents yet another component of our social safety net. Those eligible have been looking forward to this since its initial announcement and the estimated number of recipients of 150,000 is, indeed, not small.

I have a few clarifications to make, Madam.

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First, coordination. Many beneficiaries of SSS would also be recipients of schemes like ComCare, the Pioneer Generation Disability Assistance and other financial assistance. Will there be some database sharing among the relevant agencies, whilst maintaining confidentiality, of course, as required at the same time? This would be useful, and the coordination and oversight for the elderly will then be more systematic and organised. When doing this, of course, the Data Protection Act would have to be complied with.

Second, Madam, with regard to some of the schemes that I have mentioned earlier, the elderly or Pioneers receive the disbursement on a monthly basis. For SSS, the proposal is a quarterly payout. However, if the coordination that I mentioned earlier can be practically carried out, can the SSS disbursement be meted out on a monthly basis instead? This has been one of the common feedback that I have received from the many seniors that I met during my walks and house visits.

Third, it is also stated that this SSS is a "permanent initiative". Can the Minister please define what this exactly means? Will an elderly who turns 65 in the coming years and meets the eligibility criteria also be able to receive SSS?

Fourth, the feedback from the elderly is also positive in terms of the automatic enrolment. This saves the trouble for them to get the application forms and to sign up. Moreover, many of them may not be IT-savvy and have to do it the hard copy way if required and thus may be more time-consuming. So, that was a welcomed change, indeed.

Fifth, for seniors with dementia and those in long-term care facilities like nursing homes, what will be the procedure for them to receive this if they are eligible and they have been working in their earlier years? Can the next-of-kin receive on their behalf or will there be a need for some form of legal approval or agreement for this to be done?

Sixth, finally, for the elderly who have a private estate address or a landed property address because they are renting a room there or they have no home and are staying in some kind of association, a clan association or a temple with a private registered address, will they be given case-by-case consideration as such persons will likely need the SSS support as well?

While hoping for these clarifications, Madam, I support the Bill.

Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank Mr Zainudin Nordin and Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef for their support of the Silver Support Scheme Bill.

Silver Support is a permanent scheme. In response to Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, this means that it will apply to both the current and future generation of elderly. Those who meet the eligibility criteria will start to receive Silver Support benefits from the age of 65.

Both Members touched on the eligibility criteria. Mr Zainudin suggested giving more weightage to lifetime wages. I would like to reiterate that eligibility will be based on a combination of three factors – lifetime wages, the level of household support an individual has, and the type of housing he or she lives in. As for those on the margin, for example, as highlighted by Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, those with a private housing address but actually do require the help. So, these are the marginal cases. While they do not automatically qualify for Silver Support, they can write to the Commissioner to appeal and we will consider each case on its merits.

Mr Zainudin asked about the payment for this Silver Support. He suggested that the payment be done in cash, rather than into their CPF account. As I have mentioned earlier, Silver Support will be a cash supplement and will be paid into the bank accounts of eligible elderly. For those who have no bank accounts, we will send cheques to their registered addresses. So, in other words, 100% cash.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef and Mr Zainudin asked whether Silver Support could be paid out on a monthly basis. Madam, unlike the other financial assistance schemes like ComCare and the Pioneer Generation (PG) Assistance that do so, Silver Support is an income supplement and is not intended to be a substitute for other sources of retirement income, which would include CPF savings, private savings and family support. As Deputy Prime Minister Tharman put it during the Budget debate, Silver Support supplements incomes in a modest but meaningful way. Other schemes where we have adopted a quarterly payment approach include the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme, which is also designed to supplement incomes.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef also asked about data sharing and a stronger coordination between agencies that manage other financial assistance schemes, such as ComCare and so on.

Madam, this Bill will enable CPF Board to exchange information among relevant agencies, with the safeguards that I mentioned earlier. As part of the implementation approach, we will also look into the Member's suggestion of paying Silver Support benefits to eligible recipients who are unable to directly receive the benefits themselves, through

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their authorised third parties or next-of-kin.

Mdm Speaker, to sum up, this Bill sets out the necessary legislative framework for us to smoothly implement the Silver Support Scheme next year.

*Question put, and agreed to.*

*Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.*

*The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Lim Swee Say.]*

*Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.*

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