Family & gender — Topics

23 Feb 2023

Number of Stay-at-home Moms and Efforts to Help Them Seek Employment

There are approximately 39,100 women not looking for work due to childcare responsibilities, with 2,400 actively seeking employment after leaving jobs to care for children.
Workforce Singapore offers employment programmes and Career Conversion Programmes with high salary support, especially for those aged 40+ or unemployed over six months, to facilitate re-entry.
Career centres and advisory services are available to help stay-at-home mums improve job search strategies and reposition their skills for employers.
Employers are encouraged to adopt fair practices and provide re-entry support, with government agencies promoting non-discrimination in line with tripartite guidelines.

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23 Feb 2023

Data on Use of Child Car Seats in Private Hire Vehicles and Instances of Non-compliance

Louis Ng asked the Ministry for Transport about data on child car seat usage in private-hire vehicles, violations of child restraint regulations, and whether such data would be collected if not already available.
The Ministry of Home Affairs reported that violations of child restraint rules in private-hire cars decreased from 66 cases in 2018 to 29 in 2019, and to just one or two cases annually from 2020 to 2022, with enforcement priorities unchanged.
Ride-hail operators offer family-friendly services and child car seats upon request, with about 415,000 such trips per year over the past three years.

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23 Feb 2023

Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Relief for Married Women, and Divorced or Widowed Women without School-going Children

Leong Mun Wai questioned why married women without school-going children can claim Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Relief for income taxes, while divorced or widowed women without school-going children cannot.
Lawrence Wong stated that the Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Relief will end starting from the Year of Assessment 2025, as announced in Budget 2023.
The Government continues to provide support through the concessionary migrant domestic worker levy, which is aimed at helping those caring for dependents like young children, the elderly, or persons with disabilities.

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22 Feb 2023

Data on CPF Members Who Are Unable to Set Aside CPF Full Retirement Sum in Retirement Account

About 33% of active CPF members who turned 55 in 2022, approximately 13,400 individuals, did not set aside the Full Retirement Sum, with 6,100 being male and 7,300 being female.
The lower savings among older female members are attributed to historically lower labor force participation and median income for females compared to males.
Improved employment outcomes for both genders are expected to reduce the proportion of members unable to set aside the FRS from about 33% to about 24% over the next five years.
The forecast indicates the number of such members will decrease from around 13,400 to about 11,500 in five years.

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22 Feb 2023

Proposal for Basic Child Care Subsidy to be Tiered with Increased Subsidies for Second and Third Children

Christopher de Souza proposed that the Basic Child Care Subsidy be tiered to offer higher subsidies for second and third children.
Masagos Zulkifli explained that current measures include means-tested Additional Subsidies for families with working mothers and incomes up to $12,000, with income assessed per capita for larger families to qualify for higher subsidies.
He also noted that Child Development Account funds can be used for preschool fees, with government co-matching capped higher for second and third children.
The current Basic Subsidy remains constant regardless of birth order, but existing policies already provide additional support for families with multiple children.
The debate highlights existing financial mechanisms to assist larger families rather than implementing a tiered Basic Subsidy.

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22 Feb 2023

Review of Basic Child Care Subsidy in Light of Increased Cost of Living

Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Basic Child Care Subsidy will be reviewed due to the increased cost of living.
The Minister highlighted that the government has already enhanced preschool affordability by raising the income ceiling for means-tested Additional Subsidies and increasing subsidy amounts in 2020.
The government also keeps fees affordable by imposing fee caps on Anchor and Partner Operators, with recent reductions of up to $40 in monthly childcare fees, which the Minister argued is more effective than increasing the Basic Subsidy.

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22 Feb 2023

Proportion of Public Service Agencies that Provide Unpaid Leave for Parents with Multiple or Pre-term Babies

The Prime Minister's Office confirmed that all Ministries and Statutory Boards provide up to four weeks of unpaid leave per year for parents with pre-term or multiple-birth babies before the child turns two.
Over the past five years, an average of 25 Civil Service officers utilized this unpaid leave provision annually.
The Prime Minister's Office did not address whether it will begin collecting data on the take-up rate for such leave.

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22 Feb 2023

Debate on Annual Budget Statement

Nadia Ahmad Samdin supported the Budget while highlighting concerns about middle-class squeeze, social mobility, and mental health, proposing initiatives like a mental well-being credit scheme and better support for seniors, families, and youths.
Wan Rizal endorsed the Budget and suggested improvements for workers' well-being, including work-life balance for healthcare and education staff, expanding preschool education, and enhancing support for families with special needs.
Louis Ng focused on the challenges faced by nurses, recommending protected rest time between and during shifts, and increased ancillary support to reduce burnout and improve patient care.
Darryl David supported the Budget but raised concerns about wealth inequality, suggesting enhanced housing support for families and better encouragement for fathers' roles in parenting.
Joan Pereira emphasized community unity and crisis preparedness, advocating for more training in life-saving skills and stronger local networks to respond to future emergencies.

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14 Feb 2023

Annual Budget Statement

The Finance Minister outlined Singapore's economic recovery post-COVID, acknowledging ongoing inflation pressures and global uncertainties, and projected modest GDP growth of 0.5% to 2.5% for 2023.
The Budget introduces enhanced cost-of-living support, including a $9.6 billion Assurance Package, permanent GST Voucher increases, and one-off payments to cushion inflation and GST impacts for lower- and middle-income households.
Major investments are planned to grow the economy and support businesses and workers, such as a $4 billion top-up to the National Productivity Fund, new innovation tax incentives, and extended support for senior employment and lower-wage workers.
Significant measures are aimed at strengthening families, including increased housing grants, enhanced Baby Bonus benefits, doubled paternity leave, and expanded childcare support to address demographic and social challenges.
The government will bolster national resilience through fiscal prudence, without drawing on past reserves for 2023, and implement progressive tax adjustments on properties, vehicles, and tobacco to ensure sustainable funding while maintaining a fair and inclusive system.

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14 Feb 2023

Proposal for Inclusion of Registrar's Empowerment Clause in Court Orders to Facilitate Sale and Transfer of Matrimonial Assets

Carrie Tan proposed adding a Registrar's Empowerment Clause to all court orders on matrimonial asset sales to prevent divorcees from facing housing limbo due to ex-spouses delaying or refusing compliance.
The Minister of State responded that such a clause is not imposed by default because most parties comply with orders, and default inclusion could disempower parties and undermine the therapeutic justice approach.
The Minister noted that remedies already exist for rare cases of non-compliance, such as applying to vary the order, and the Court can then include a Registrar's Empowerment Clause if needed.
The debate highlighted concerns about balancing enforcement needs with preserving party autonomy and promoting positive post-divorce resolution.
The discussion emphasized existing legal mechanisms to address delays without mandating proactive empowerment clauses in all orders.

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14 Feb 2023

Enhancing Employability of Caregivers who Experienced Career Interruption

Dr Tan Wu Meng proposed a study to raise employer awareness of the positive character traits demonstrated by caregivers who interrupt their careers to care for elderly or ailing parents, but the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) currently has no plans for such a study and prefers individual fair assessment of each candidate.
MOM and tripartite partners support caregivers' return to work by promoting flexible work arrangements, providing implementation resources, and introducing tripartite guidelines by 2024, alongside employment facilitation programmes like Career Conversion Programmes with training and salary support.
Dr Tan Wu Meng highlighted that caregivers face discrimination due to career gaps on their CVs and asked what is being done to work with HR practitioners to promote inclusive practices, to which MOM stated it collaborates with HR bodies and employers to emphasize fair employment and is advancing workplace fairness legislation to protect caregivers from discrimination.

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7 Feb 2023

Complaints of Abuse or Neglect of Children Made to National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development for annual data over the past five years on complaints of child abuse or neglect to the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline, broken down by the percentage reported to Police, referred to Child Protective Services, referred to Family Service Centres, or referred to other social service agencies.
The National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline, launched in February 2021, received about 2,200 and 2,400 enquiries related to child abuse or neglect in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Of these enquiries, 17% were referred to Child Protective Services, 10% to Family Service Centres, and 23% to other social and community agencies, with the rest already receiving support or assessed as having no abuse or neglect concerns.
Eight percent of the enquiries on child abuse or neglect were reported to the Police at the same time they were handled by the helpline.
The government did not provide historical data for the full five-year period as the helpline was only launched in 2021, limiting the available statistics to the most recent years.

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7 Feb 2023

Review of Inheritance (Family Provision) Act 1966 to Allow Extension of Legal Duty of Natural Parent to Maintain Illegitimate Child After Death

Murali Pillai asked whether the Inheritance (Family Provision) Act 1966 would be reformed to extend a parent's legal duty to maintain an illegitimate child beyond death, making the estate liable for that duty.
The Ministry of Law is studying possible reforms to the Act, but the review has been delayed due to resource constraints.
The Ministry committed to providing further updates once the studies are completed.

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7 Feb 2023

Long-Term Visit Pass Applications for Family Members to Assist with Care Responsibilities in Singapore

Ms He Ting Ru inquired about the number of Long-Term Visit Pass applications received and approved for family members assisting with childcare or care responsibilities over the last five years.
Minister K Shanmugam stated that ICA does not specifically track applications based on caregiving purposes, even though it may ask about caregiving arrangements during assessment.
Eligible applicants for LTVP include spouses, unmarried minor children, and parents of Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, as per ICA’s guidelines.

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7 Feb 2023

Resident Households where Male Spouse has No Income or Lower Income Compared to Female Spouse

Member Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Deputy Prime Minister for Finance for annual data over the last 10 years on the number and proportion of married resident households where the male spouse has no earned income while the female spouse does, and where the male spouse earns less than the female spouse.
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong responded that the relevant data on monthly income from work for both husband and wife is available in the Census of Population and General Household Survey published by the Department of Statistics.
He directed Member Chua to the Department of Statistics website for accessing the specific data he requested.
The exchange highlighted the government's provision of publicly available statistical sources rather than directly supplying the detailed breakdown in Parliament.
The debate underscored interest in understanding changing household income dynamics in Singapore over the past decade.

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7 Feb 2023

Adjusting BTO Flat Balloting Chances to Ensure Good Mix of Applicants in Each Estate

Mr Zhulkarnain proposed adjusting the BTO balloting process into stages for different applicant archetypes, such as young couples, families with children, and the elderly, to ensure a good mix in each estate.
Desmond Lee explained that HDB already prioritizes applicants with greater housing needs, like first-timer families, and ensures demographic and socio-economic mix through varied flat types and integration of rental and sold units.
HDB is reviewing prioritization based on feedback from the Forward Singapore exercise to better address varying urgency in housing needs, especially for first-timers with children or lower-income families.

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7 Feb 2023

Monthly Household Income as Consideration for HDB Rental Levels for Those on Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme

Murali Pillai asked if the monthly household income of families is considered when setting rental rates for HDB flats under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS).
Desmond Lee confirmed that rental rates for PPHS flats are set based on household income, with highly subsidized rents such as $600–$900 for 3-room flats, which are 65% to 80% below market rates.
He added that applicants can view flat types and rental rates on HDB’s website and choose affordable options, with the option to co-share flats to reduce costs.
Lower-income households with no other housing options may be offered Interim Rental Housing with lower rents on a case-by-case basis.

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6 Feb 2023

Update on Community Guardian App Given Launch of National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline

The Community Guardian app, piloted in June 2020 for reporting domestic violence, was discontinued in December 2022 due to low usage.
MSF has launched an online text-based channel via its website and go.gov.sg/navh as an additional reporting mode for the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline.
The new text channel aims to make it easier for persons to report violence and seek help early.
The Community Guardian app will not be integrated with the helpline or other resources, as it has been discontinued.

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6 Feb 2023

Data on Sexual Assault Cases Involving Minors

Between January 2018 and November 2022, there were 11,868 reports of sexual assault, which includes rape, sexual assault by penetration, outrage of modesty, and sexual offences involving children and vulnerable victims.
Police collaborate with social service agencies to provide counselling and interventions, and can activate volunteers under the Victim Care Cadre Programme for emotional support, while also referring victims to Care Corner Project StART for additional support.
A Sexual Crime and Family Violence Command will be established by 2023 to enhance support for victims, and the One-Stop Abuse Forensic Examination Centre will add a dedicated victim care area to improve privacy and convenience during investigations.

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6 Feb 2023

Definition of “Optional Enrichment Programme” for Child Development Account Usage

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked about the criteria for defining "optional enrichment programmes" under the Child Development Account (CDA) and whether after-school care programmes with an educational component could be approved for CDA use.
The Prime Minister, represented by Indranee Rajah, explained that CDA funds are intended for preschool curriculum fees and associated costs, but cannot be used for optional enrichment programmes that are outside the core curriculum approved by the Early Childhood Development Agency.
Indranee Rajah added that the government is considering allowing CDA funds for after-school care programmes and will provide an update later, while noting that low-income families can access subsidies for such expenses through the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

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