Debated in Parliament on 7 Mar 2024.
Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Manpower in view that many seniors live in mature estates whose HDB flats have shorter remaining leases and lower resale values, whether the Ministry will consider reassessing the use of HDB flat type as an eligibility criteria for the Silver Support Scheme, especially with regard to the ownership of 5-room or larger HDB flats which disqualifies a senior from receiving Silver Support.
Sir, the Silver Support Scheme is targeted at seniors who had lower incomes during their working years and now have little or no family support and resources in their retirement. Property ownership is indicative of the senior’s resources and remains relevant in ensuring the Silver Support Scheme is targeted at seniors who need it the most.
In particular, seniors who own a 5-room or larger Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat are likely to have more resources and access to additional retirement funds, and hence, are not eligible for Silver Support.
Nonetheless, seniors who face unique circumstances, including those who own 5-room or larger HDB flats with short remaining leases and low annual values, can write in to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board to review their eligibility for Silver Support. We will consider the merits of each appeal on a case-by-case basis.
To strengthen support for retirement adequacy, the Government announced enhancements to the Silver Support Scheme at Budget 2024. This includes increasing the qualifying per capita household income threshold to support more seniors. Taken together with the Majulah Package and upcoming enhancements to the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme and Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, these measures will help seniors to meet their basic retirement needs, with greater support given to lower- and middle-income Singaporeans.
Mr Yip.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. I am heartened to hear that the Ministry will consider appeals on a case-by-case basis.
Just a short supplementary question. Instead of complete exclusion, could the Ministry consider a graduated and differentiated eligibility system for the Silver Support Scheme based on flat size and remaining lease lengths? This is because some seniors may be living in larger flats, but they have no savings and no financial support from their family.
Sir, I thank the Member for his question and the concerns for seniors. Indeed, there are different archetypes of seniors who may sometimes fall through the cracks, even when we have a scheme like this. But let me just explain that the Government has put in place a comprehensive suite of different support measures to meet the various needs of our seniors. The support ranges from universal ones such as MediShield Life for healthcare to more targeted ones. For those who need particular help for healthcare, such as there is the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) blue card, for example.
The Silver Support Scheme is one of those more targeted schemes that is meant to support the bottom 20% to 30% of seniors who have little or no family support currently and earned lower wages during their working years. So, per capita household income is thus quite relevant to assess their overall support structure and the housing type that they live in or own is but one of those other indicators as well. But certainly, we will consider the Member's suggestion to look at each appeal on a case-by-case basis. If there are merits for the senior who needs more support, we will look at how other measures can also come in, apart from just Silver Support.
PAPERCUTS