Debated in Parliament on 13 Apr 2015.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the number of families that have come under the Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme since its implementation in 2004; (b) what is the percentage of families under HOPE that have managed to keep their number of children at two; (c) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the profile of families that have broken the conditions of the scheme and their plight; and (d) whether the Ministry considers the HOPE scheme a success.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Mdm Speaker, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is deeply committed to supporting young and vulnerable families as they go through various life stages. To do this, we work with our partners on a range of programmes. For instance, at the point of marriage, we encourage the young couples to attend marriage preparation programmes to strengthen their marriage foundation. This is mandatory for civil marriages where one party is a minor below 18 years old or where both parties are 18 to below 21 years old.
MSF is also rolling out a new programme called Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Programme (PREP) to help young couples tackle different challenges in their marriage. Through this course, they learn skills in communication and conflict management and more about commitment as well as problem-solving. For young Muslim couples, the two INSPIRASI hubs dedicated to marriage preparation and enrichment offer programmes to help the couples adjust to their multiple roles towards their spouses, towards their parents-in-law and towards their children. They are also taught how to better manage their finances and work towards homeownership.
The HOPE scheme is another such programme to better support our young and vulnerable families. It is intended for lower income couples who wish to keep their family size small, with a view to improving themselves and achieving a better life for themselves as
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well as their children. Families under HOPE receive substantial support and financial assistance in housing, utilities and work training, as well as education bursaries and mentoring support.
Since 2004, more than 3,200 families have benefited from the HOPE scheme and about 40% of 3,200 families have increased their household income. The employment rate of the mothers in the programme has increased from 30% to 60%. About 20% of the mothers have also upgraded themselves through various types of training.
Families under the HOPE scheme are free to choose to withdraw from the scheme and its benefits at any point in time. Nine in 10 HOPE families have remained on the programme since its inception in 2004. This means that only about one in 10 families has withdrawn from this scheme. The Member had asked about the profile. Out of this small group, about 39% indicated that they wish to have a third child. For some of these cases, it is also because their family circumstances have improved. The other 35% withdrew from support sessions, mentoring sessions or had separated. Despite their exit from the HOPE scheme, they are still able to tap on a wide range of social support programmes and channels as provided by the Government and community agencies to better support their family and their children.
I would like to thank the Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. I just have one question: one of the eligibility criteria is for the applicant to stop after having two children, right? I just want to know from the Ministry what are the factors taken into consideration in coming up with this number. Will the Ministry consider increasing the number as we are actually encouraging more Singaporeans to have more children?
I thank the Member for his supplementary question. Like I have mentioned earlier, there is a wide range of social support programmes to better support fellow Singaporeans and I highlighted the PREP scheme and so on. And I said, HOPE is another such programme to better support a certain group of young and vulnerable families who would like to keep their family size small. If you refer to our website, the key considerations are put there. There are various considerations like age of the families, age of the spouses, combined household income, employment status and so on. Family planning is just one of the considerations.
I have also cited earlier that the families can choose to withdraw from the HOPE scheme as and when they wish to, as and when their families' circumstances have changed and improved. For example, if families would like to have a third child, this is where we will work with them to transit them to other social support programmes to ensure that there is a
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smooth transition.
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