Percentage of Households with Utility Bill Arrears

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the percentage of households with utility bill arrears has increased over the past five years; and (b) how will the Ministry ensure that lower-income households with utility arrears are well supported so that their electricity and water supplies are not disrupted.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Ms Goh Hanyan) (for the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment): Sir, over the past five years, the percentage of households with utility bills in arrears for six months or more have decreased from about 0.5% to 0.2%.

The Government provides targeted support to those who may require assistance with their utility bills. Eligible lower- and middle-income Housing and Development Board (HDB) households enjoy U-Save rebates to help offset utility expenses. Resident households that require additional financial assistance can tap on various community and social assistance schemes.

For households with more severe arrears, water supply will not be shut off. Instead, flow restrictors are installed to reduce the rate of flow of water to these premises and normal flow of water will be restored once the arrears are paid off. These households will also be offered the Pay-As-You-Use (PAYU) scheme for their electricity supply until outstanding arrears are settled.

The current U-Save rebate framework is tiered by flat type, not by household need or circumstance. Is the Ministry aware that low-income families caring for sick or disabled members at home, such as those requiring home oxygen or concentrators, electric suction machines, motorised wheelchairs on charge or frequent bathing due to incontinence, face structurally higher utility consumption that is not of their choosing? Will the Ministry consider recognising caregiving needs as a distinct basis for enhanced utility support?

I thank the Member for his supplementary question. We all recognise that different households beyond room types may have different needs depending on the composition of their household.

Currently, as the Member mentioned, the U-Save rebates are organised based on room types. If we are required to look at further circumstances of the household, this will then necessitate further gradation of that classification. So, it will require further study.

But I do want to point out that beyond U-Save rebates, there are other forms of assistance that recognise these different caregiving needs, as explained by the responses in the earlier Parliamentary Questions related to caregiving, as well as other form of community assistance provided by, for example, the Community Development Councils.