Social welfare — Topics

22 Nov 2023

Inclusion of Risdiplam in Rare Diseases Fund to Treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Mr Ong Hua Han asked whether the Rare Diseases Fund (RDF) could include risdiplam for spinal muscular atrophy, citing data showing motor function improvements after treatment.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary explained that the RDF, a charity fund with government matching, lists treatments based on clinical effectiveness and donor funding, and that MOH will separately review spinal muscular atrophy treatments for mainstream subsidies.
Mr Ong followed up by asking if the RDF could modify its eligibility criteria to include medicines that enhance quality of life even without evidence of life extension.
The response noted that the RDF’s expert panel decides on covered medicines, and eligibility depends on sufficient funds to support all known patients for that treatment.

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22 Nov 2023

Elderly Caregivers of Adult Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and Help for Such Caregivers who Lose Mental Capacity

The Ministry does not track the exact number of elderly caregivers for adults with intellectual disabilities, but about 900 such adults receiving disability services live at home with caregivers aged 65 and above.
Caregivers are encouraged to plan ahead using tools like the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), and if they lose capacity without an LPA, family or professional deputies can be appointed by the Court; MSF offers assistance for deputyship applications.
In response to calls for a multi-agency early identification and support program, the Ministry noted ongoing efforts by AIC and community partners to promote LPA and care planning, with recent fee waivers to encourage uptake, but acknowledged room for further action.

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7 Nov 2023

Interim Support for Employees Unable to Work for Extended Periods Due to Mental Illness

Keith Chua inquired about interim financial support and disability allowance options for employees unable to work due to extended mental illness.
Tan See Leng responded that individuals can apply for ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance, providing temporary cash and medical bill support, and access employment support agencies for customized job placement and training.
The National Council of Social Service has developed a Mental Health Toolkit for Employers to guide inclusive workplace practices, including supervisor training and adjustments to support employees with mental health conditions.

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7 Nov 2023

Steps to ensure Affordability and Accessibility of Mental Health Insurance for Lower-income

Dr. Wan Rizal asked if there are steps to ensure mental health insurance is affordable and accessible for lower-income individuals.
The Minister for Health, Ong Ye Kung, stated that this question has already been addressed in his written reply to Questions No. 46 to 49 on 6 November 2023.
The response directs attention to the Official Report of 6 November 2023 for specific details on mental health insurance coverage.
The debate highlights the government's prior engagement on the topic, pointing to written answers for further information.
The exchange underscores the focus on equitable access to mental health coverage for vulnerable populations.

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7 Nov 2023

Singapore's Gini Coefficient Over Last 10 Years

Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked for Singapore's Gini coefficient over the last 10 years before and after taxes and transfers, based on household income from all sources including work and non-work income.
Lawrence Wong stated that the Department of Statistics publishes Gini coefficients annually based on household income from work, but including non-work income is challenging due to under-reporting and measurement errors.
The Department of Statistics has not included non-work income in its Gini computation, and the government will continue exploring better ways to measure household incomes.
Regardless of measurement issues, the government's approach remains to keep social support measures progressive and targeted at lower and middle-income households.

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7 Nov 2023

Extending Post-retirement Medical Benefits for Government Pensioners

Murali Pillai asked if post-retirement medical benefits for government pensioners could be extended to cover in-patient treatments at community hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices without requiring referrals from restructured hospitals.
Chan Chun Sing, for the Prime Minister, explained that current benefits already cover acute care in restructured hospitals and sub-acute or rehabilitative care in community hospitals, as per the pensioner's scheme and guidelines.
The benefits also include MediShield Life premiums or additional MediSave contributions, and most pensioners are eligible for support under Pioneer or Merdeka Generation Packages with lifelong MediSave top-ups.
Through MediShield Life and MediSave, pensioners can already receive support for inpatient treatments in community hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices without referrals from restructured hospitals.

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7 Nov 2023

Measures to Discourage Dependency on Unemployment Support

Yip Hon Weng asked about specific measures to discourage dependency on unemployment support, prevent excessive claims from people with other income, and require active job seeking, drawing on insights from the COVID-19 recovery grant.
The Ministry of Manpower is still studying the parameters for the unemployment support scheme under the expanded SkillsFuture programme and will provide more details once finalized.
The debate highlighted concerns about dependency and misuse but no concrete measures were confirmed yet, as the scheme is still under planning.

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7 Nov 2023

Discrepancy between Minimum Income Standard Stated in Report and in ComCare's Long-Term Assistance Payout

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked about the discrepancy between the Minimum Income Standard of $6,426 for a two-child family and ComCare Long-Term Assistance of $1,930 for a four-person household, seeking the source of the gap and how much is due to differences in consumption baskets, prices, and household needs.
Masagos Zulkifli B M M responded that the Minimum Income Standards study includes more than basic needs, which ComCare is designed to support, and referred to a public statement on the study's limitations for further details.
The exchange highlights differing methodologies in calculating income standards, with the MIS study incorporating broader socio-psychological needs while ComCare focuses on essential assistance.

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7 Nov 2023

Assistance for Staff Recently Laid Off by Regional Food Delivery Platform

The Ministry of Manpower, together with tripartite partners like unions and Workforce Singapore, provides career matching services and information kits to workers laid off by the regional food delivery platform.
The Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation reaches out to affected workers to offer employment facilitation, training, and guidance on Government financial assistance schemes for living expenses, housing, and school fees.
For unionised workers, employers are expected to notify the union beforehand and collaborate on employment support, training, and retrenchment benefits.

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7 Nov 2023

Tracking Wealth Inequality in Singapore

The Government does not track wealth inequality comprehensively due to difficulties in valuing non-publicly traded assets, high mobility of financial wealth across borders, and banking secrecy laws that protect deposit data.
Despite these measurement challenges, the Government has implemented progressive wealth taxes, including higher stamp duties, property tax, and Additional Registration Fee for vehicles, as seen in Budgets 2022 and 2023.
To address wealth inequality, the Government invests in education, jobs, housing, and retirement support, such as the CPF system with higher interest for lower balances, Workfare, and housing subsidies for lower-income households.

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7 Nov 2023

Timeframe between Families Finding Employment and Being Removed from ComCare Schemes

Dennis Tan asked how quickly families are removed from ComCare after getting jobs and if the Ministry should monitor them longer for stability.
Masagos Zulkifli explained that ComCare Short-to-Medium Term Assistance lasts three to six months, continues even if employment starts, and can be renewed if needed.
He noted families are best positioned to decide their need for assistance and many stop ComCare successfully, showing self-reliance without ongoing government monitoring.

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7 Nov 2023

Requiring Charities to List Their Top Donors in Annual Returns

Don Wee asked whether charities with Institution of Public Character (IPC) status must list top donors in annual returns and how many filed for FY2022.
Edwin Tong clarified that IPCs are not required to disclose top donors in submissions to the Commissioner of Charities, but must report all donations and activities in financial statements and annual reports.
About 98% of required IPCs filed their annual returns for FY2022, with follow-ups ongoing for the remaining.

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7 Nov 2023

Enhancing Public Rental Housing for Human Thriving

MP Carrie Tan urged redesigning public rental flats with more space and better aesthetics to support residents' physical health, mental well-being, and children's development, arguing that current living conditions can hinder social mobility and civic behavior.
The Minister of State acknowledged the importance of design and highlighted ongoing efforts, including integrated rental-sold blocks, improved flat layouts, and pilot programs like Single Room Shared Facilities to enhance living environments.
Both sides emphasized holistic support combining housing design with social services, such as ComLink+ and housing grants, to help rental families achieve stability and eventual home ownership.

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7 Nov 2023

Cost of Living Crisis

The government outlined its multi-pronged approach to manage the cost of living crisis, including tightening monetary policy to strengthen the Singapore dollar, maintaining economic competitiveness for wage growth, and ensuring basic services remain affordable, while providing targeted support like the Assurance Package and Cost-of-Living Support Package to cushion inflation's impact on households, especially lower- and middle-income groups.
Debates highlighted specific policy measures and opposition proposals, such as water and electricity pricing to reflect scarcity, GST increase defended as necessary for long-term fiscal needs like healthcare, and COE system adjustments to smooth supply, with the government rejecting ideas like broad-based subsidies or a points-based COE system as inefficient or impractical.
Housing affordability was a major concern, with the government defending its BTO framework and supply measures to address imbalances, while opposition members called for increased housing supply, especially rental flats, and deferral of the GST hike given higher-than-expected revenues.
The motion, as amended, was passed, acknowledging the global nature of cost-of-living pressures and calling on the government to continue policies that lower these pressures sustainably without burdening future generations.

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7 Nov 2023

Cost of Living Crisis

Workers' Party MPs called for a review of government policies to alleviate cost-of-living pressures, proposing structural changes such as revising water and electricity pricing tiers and easing MediSave withdrawal rules to better support low- and middle-income households.
Government MPs countered that Singapore's strong currency, competitive market, and direct assistance schemes like the Assurance Package are effectively managing global inflation, and they amended the motion to emphasize the need for policies that do not undermine fiscal sustainability or burden future generations.
Opposition MPs also suggested specific measures like lowering the GST, introducing a universal health scheme, reforming COE pricing, and establishing a social protection framework to track the effectiveness of aid programs for vulnerable groups.

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7 Nov 2023

Training for Corporate Partners in Family100 Programme

Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim asked whether the training for OCBC volunteers in the Families100 Programme includes issues like mental health, domestic violence, and abuse, and whether there are standard referral procedures.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary confirmed that volunteers are trained on these issues but do not provide intervention; they are always paired with a professional MSF Family Coach and refer cases to social service agencies when needed.
The Ministry stated there is no separate evaluation for the Families100 Programme as progress is tracked under the broader ComLink initiative, which monitors all families in rental housing.
Assoc Prof Razwana suggested evaluating the programme to showcase positive outcomes and encourage more corporate partners, to which the Ministry agreed but noted that ComLink is still in its early stages and meaningful outcome indicators will take time to develop.
The Ministry expressed openness to expanding the programme to more corporate partners and community groups as ComLink continues to roll out across Singapore.

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7 Nov 2023

Streamlining of MediFund Application Process to Allow Approval to be Accepted Across Healthcare Institutions

The Ministry of Health is implementing changes by March 2024 to streamline MediFund applications, including mutual recognition between acute hospitals and step-down care for three months and within the same healthcare cluster for outpatient treatment for one year.
ComCare graduates will continue receiving MediFund support for three months after graduation to avoid a cliff effect, while MediFund Committees retain full discretion over approvals.
Dr. Tan Wu Meng welcomed the changes and suggested enhancing resources for medical social workers and collaborating with SSOs or family service centers to support immobile patients with home visits for assessments.

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7 Nov 2023

Impact of Price Increases on Real Wage Growth

Members of Parliament raised concerns about real wage growth in Singapore amid rising costs, asking for current rates, future forecasts, comparisons with past years, and support measures for businesses and vulnerable workers.
The Senior Minister of State for Manpower responded that real median income grew 9.4% from 2017 to 2022 but declined by 4.5% year-on-year in the first half of 2023 due to high inflation, with the government implementing a $1.1 billion Cost of Living Support Package and initiatives like the Progressive Wage Model and National Wages Council guidelines.
Lower-wage workers experienced stronger real income growth of 15.4% from 2017 to 2022, supported by expanded Progressive Wage Model coverage, co-funded wage increases, and enhanced Workfare schemes, while businesses are encouraged to boost productivity through industry transformation and job redesign programs.
Wage growth is expected to moderate in 2024, with certain sectors like travel and labour-intensive services facing persistent challenges, and the government plans to continue supporting workers through upskilling, career conversion programs, and future initiatives to improve job matching and long-term career planning.

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6 Nov 2023

Reason for Using Birth Date Rather Than Birth Year for CPF Payouts

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim questioned why CPF payouts use birth date instead of birth year, noting that economic milestones like schooling and workforce entry are typically based on birth year.
Tan See Leng explained that the CPF Board uses birth month rather than birth year for payout calculations, aligning with typical industry practice for similar financial products.
The debate highlights a discrepancy between administrative practices and the way life milestones are commonly tracked, raising questions about the rationale behind the CPF payout methodology.

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6 Nov 2023

Persons with Special Needs in Community Health Assistance Scheme (CHAS)

Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked about the percentage of CHAS card users who are persons with special needs over the past five years and whether special subsidies for them could be introduced.
The Ministry of Health stated it does not track data on CHAS cardholders who are persons with special needs or their subsidy usage.
The Ministry explained that healthcare subsidies under CHAS are based on medical conditions and income tiers, not specific demographic groups like persons with special needs.

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