Cases Filed with Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents

Mdm Speaker, annually, about 300 elderly parents seek maintenance from their children. Most of these cases are resolved through

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mediation by the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents. The number of elderly parents taking legal action at the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents has remained relatively low, at 110 applications in 2011 and 84 applications in 2012.

The default rate of maintenance orders is also low, at about 5% to 7% over the past three years. Elderly parents who have no means of support when there are payment defaults will be referred to social agencies for interim assistance while the default is being addressed through mediation or the court process.

There were less than five cases of abandonment referred to my Ministry over the past three years. Social service agencies and hospitals have also reported an average of less than 10 cases annually. Nevertheless, we are closely monitoring the cases. Our priority is to ensure the elderly's welfare. Where required, the elderly may be placed in a shelter or welfare home while we work to reintegrate him or her back with the family. For cases where the elderly has been abandoned overseas, we will work with MFA to bring them back and work with the families to re-establish their care arrangements.

Thank you, Madam. One supplementary question. Will the Ministry consider naming and shaming those who have flouted the Maintenance Order for elderly parents, both abandoned locally and overseas?

Mdm Speaker, such cases are always very difficult and very troubling. Our first priority is always to help the families to re-establish their care arrangement for the elderly. For those who are able to care for their elderly, we hope that they will take on their responsibilities dutifully. For those who are already in trouble, we will find some other ways to support the elderly. As to whether naming these people will be the most effective way to help their family re-establish the ties, we will have to think through that very seriously.

We should also take into account the considerations of the elderly. Many of them do want to try their best to reintegrate with their families, which is why it is always a very difficult decision for some of the elderly to even bring their children to court or to take legal actions to enforce the payment. Because I think for many of the elderly in such situations, they already feel very bad and sometimes quite shameful that their family has abandoned them. So, our first priority is really to take care of the welfare of the elderly and make sure that the elderly is taken care of and re-establish the care and long-term care arrangement for the families. And, of course, we urge every member of the community to do our part to take care of our elderly so that we do not have a

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situation whereby the elderly are either abandoned or neglected at the homes, even in Singapore.

Thank you once again, Mdm Speaker. Another point of clarification for the Acting Minister: it is interesting to note that there has been a low rate of cases over the past few years that have been reported to the Tribunal. I would like to ask the Acting Minister whether this is a reflection of the general family-friendly environment that we now have in Singapore or the success of mediation at Family Services Centres or, perhaps, because of the societal shame of wanting to bring a family issue into a public sphere. And my second supplementary question would be whether the Ministry would be considering more educational efforts to educate older Singaporeans about their rights under the Maintenance of Parents Act.

Mdm Speaker, on the reasons for the declining numbers of the elderly who have their cases heard at the Tribunal, I can put it down to two main reasons. One is because, over the years, we have cleared the stock of people who may need such services ever since we implemented the rule. The other reason is really because mediation has, over time, taken the bulk off the load and, over time, I think there are more cases that have been successfully dealt with through the mediation route and that is our preferred route. And, of course, we will continue to extend our educational outreach not just to the elderly about their rights but also to the children on some of their responsibilities and obligations. So, I think, in an Asian context, very few families, as you would know, would like to have their dirty linen washed in public. Very often, I think many of them, if not most of them, would like their cases to be settled amicably through mediation rather than through a tribunal process.