Provision of Nursing Rooms in Office and Public Buildings

Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for National Development whether the Government can mandate through legislation to make it a requirement for owners of office buildings and public buildings to provide family or nursing rooms.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) promotes Universal Design concepts, such as the provision of family or nursing rooms in public buildings, through public outreach and educational programmes. Such provision in public or office buildings is currently not mandatory.

BCA has just completed a public consultation exercise on the proposed amendments to the Code on Accessibility. We received positive feedback to provide family-friendly features, such as designated parking lots for families with young children on strollers, and nursing or lactation room in buildings frequented by families. These buildings could include public transport interchanges and terminals, sports complexes, community clubs and large shopping malls.

We are studying if it is practical to mandate such provisions in all public or office buildings, as the users of these buildings have different profiles and needs. Meanwhile, we will continue to encourage the employers to provide family-friendly facilities. MOM can co-fund the employers up to 30% of the development cost for lactation facilities in office buildings and workplaces under its WorkPro Programme.