Social welfare

• As of 31 December 2022, around 3,400 families have benefited from the Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme, which includes incentives for training, employment, housing, utilities, education, and family support.
• The Minister confirmed that some beneficiaries have exited the scheme midway, indicating that participation is not always continuous for all families.
• The exchange focused on clarifying the scope and outcomes of the HOPE scheme, with follow-up questions from the MP to better understand its implementation and participant experience.

• HDB designs all new public housing, including rental and BTO flats, to be accessible to persons with disabilities by complying with the Building and Construction Authority’s Code on Accessibility and incorporating universal design features like barrier-free routes and ramps.
• Persons with disabilities living in HDB flats can access home-based care services, such as Home Personal Care, to support their daily needs.
• A task force under the Enabling Masterplan 2030 is developing new community living models for persons with disabilities, with recommendations expected later this year to guide future housing and care options in HDB estates.

• Patrick Tay asked for the number of CPF account holders who died before 85 with specific MediSave balance ranges over the past five years.
• Ong Ye Kung emphasized that MediSave balances at death should be examined for those who lived to at least 85 to avoid misrepresenting excessive savings, citing existing data for this group.
• He provided median MediSave balances for those who died at 65 or older between 2017 and 2021, noting most had lower balances due to shorter lifespans limiting their ability to use funds.

• Minister Ong Ye Kung outlined Singapore’s preparations for a “super-aged” society, focusing on urban planning, economic adaptation, retirement adequacy, healthcare reform, and good governance.
• He emphasized adapting the economy by raising retirement ages, increasing female workforce participation, complementing local workers with foreign talent, and leveraging technology to address manpower shortages.
• The debate featured exchanges between the Minister and opposition MPs on policy differences, including the GST hike, the use of reserves (NIRC), and the need for credible alternative proposals.
• Minister Grace Fu highlighted the importance of sustainability and a renewed social compact across generations, citing initiatives for coastal protection, food security, and collective action on climate change.
• Other speakers discussed youth engagement, inclusive meritocracy, and the business case for employing persons with disabilities, calling for active citizenry and partnerships across sectors.

• The Prime Minister outlined Singapore’s stable relations with Indonesia and Malaysia, while warning of grave global challenges: the Ukraine war, US-China tensions, and the erosion of the multilateral trading system, urging unity and a go-getter spirit to adapt and thrive.
• MPs raised concerns about ageing, retirement adequacy, cost of living, and housing affordability, calling for enhanced CPF flexibility, better elderly support, and reviewing policies to ensure singles and vulnerable groups are not left behind.
• The debate highlighted the need for stronger social cohesion, better support for persons with disabilities, and inclusive policies for single parents and seniors, including proposals for co-living arrangements and improved estate planning.
• Speakers emphasized the importance of Singapore’s global reputation, principled foreign policy, and collective responsibility to navigate geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties while maintaining national unity.
• The Forward Singapore agenda was highlighted as a platform to refresh the social compact, empower citizens, and ensure sustainable opportunities for all, including through mentoring, volunteering, and community partnerships.

• Several MPs stressed the need to adapt Singapore's education system for a fast-changing world, proposing curricular reforms like reducing syllabus volume, lowering class sizes, and enhancing pathways such as through-train schools to reduce exam stress.
• Debates highlighted challenges in ageism and supporting an ageing population, with calls to better value seniors, address workplace discrimination, and improve inter-generational support and caregiving policies.
• Proposals were made to refresh Singapore’s social compact through broader meritocracy, stronger social safety nets, and policies to tackle economic pessimism, such as a minimum wage, redundancy insurance, and housing affordability reforms.

• Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed confidence in Singapore's ability to overcome challenges and maintain its exceptionalism, supporting the President's Address.
• Ms Yeo Wan Ling highlighted the invisible social impacts of COVID-19, advocating for better support for women workers, platform workers, and adults with special needs through policy changes and community efforts.
• Mr Fahmi Aliman emphasized the importance of Mother Tongue languages, strengthening support for vulnerable groups in the Malay/Muslim community, and building workforce trust through tripartite partnerships.
• Mr Desmond Choo focused on workforce resilience, suggesting enhanced training support and unemployment assistance, while critiquing a single poverty line in favor of tailored aid schemes.
• Assoc Prof Jamus Lim and Mr Desmond Choo debated the concept of a poverty line, with Lim advocating for a benchmark to guide assistance schemes and Choo supporting targeted, flexible aid.
• Mr Ang Wei Neng called for adjusting ComCare eligibility criteria to account for inflation and ensure low-income families receive adequate support.
• Mr Darryl David advocated for education focused on competencies over skills, greater diversity in public service leadership, and embedding equity and inclusion in societal development.
• Dr Tan Wu Meng stressed the need for social togetherness in an AI-disrupted world, emphasizing face-to-face interactions and policy attention to cohesion to counter deepfakes and maintain trust.

• The debate centered on the President's Address, with speakers supporting the Government's long-term plans for Singapore's future, including infrastructure, sustainability, and innovation, while emphasizing the need for consensus, trust, and unity to execute these decades-long projects effectively.
• Key discussions highlighted challenges in meritocracy, social inequality, and cost of living, with calls for broader definitions of success, support for lower-wage workers, and measures to address wealth disparities, including inheritance taxes and improved social safety nets.
• Education reform was a major focus, with proposals to reduce exam pressure, introduce through-train programs, and enhance financial literacy, while also stressing the importance of lifelong learning and skills development in a changing economy.
• The debate underscored the need for collective responsibility, tripartite cooperation, and a refreshed social compact to ensure inclusive growth, support for vulnerable groups, and resilience in the face of global uncertainties, with the Forward Singapore exercise aimed at engaging citizens in shaping policies.

• MOM will enhance career support for Singaporeans through tools like Jobs Transformation Maps and CareersFinder, while professionalizing skilled trades and developing more local corporate leaders to keep workers relevant amid economic changes.
• The ministry will roll out the COMPASS framework for Employment Pass applications from September 2023 to encourage diverse teams and support strategic economic priorities, while also strengthening protections for platform workers with injury compensation and CPF contributions.
• MOM is committed to uplifting lower-wage workers with Progressive Wages and enhanced Workfare, supporting seniors and persons with disabilities through extended employment credits, and bolstering retirement adequacy by raising the CPF salary ceiling and reviewing policies for broader coverage.

• The Ministry will strengthen family support by expanding the Families For Life movement, enhancing marriage and divorce support, and investing in affordable preschools and early childhood educators to ensure 80% of preschoolers have places in government-supported preschools by 2025.
• It aims to promote inclusivity through the Enabling Masterplan 2030, which will support persons with disabilities, enhance women’s leadership, and improve social safety nets like ComCare for lower-income families, including scaling up KidSTART nationwide by 2026.
• MSF will integrate social services under Community Link (ComLink) for easier access, empower vulnerable families, and take a family-based approach to rehabilitate youth offenders while strengthening protections against domestic violence.
• The ministry will partner with social service agencies, businesses, and institutes of higher learning to improve service delivery, digitalization, and workforce conditions, ensuring a coordinated effort to create a caring and inclusive society for all families.

• Ong Ye Kung stated that 2,000 to 3,000 people in Singapore have rare diseases, with national healthcare schemes providing most financial support and the Rare Disease Fund (RDF) assisting a small percentage.
• The RDF, established in 2019, has supported nine patients (about 0.4% of those with rare diseases), focusing on life-threatening conditions with effective treatments and expanding to cover seven medications for five diseases.
• The RDF expands coverage by attracting donations, which are matched three-for-one by the government and enjoy a 2.5-times tax deduction, enabling it to fund lifelong treatments for more rare conditions.

• The Ministry of Education is monitoring school bus services, noting a stable demand but facing challenges from a shortage of drivers and rising fuel costs, which have led to fare increases of up to 10% in 2023, with Special Education schools seeing higher hikes due to fewer providers.
• To improve affordability, the school bus subsidy for lower-income students was enhanced from 60% to 65% of monthly fares, and additional financial support is available through schools, while eligible Special Education students can apply for the Enabling Transport Subsidy.
• The Ministry is engaging with stakeholders to address the industry's viability, including the fragmentation with many sole proprietors and potential aging exits, and Special Education schools specify required skills in contracts rather than MOE providing direct operator training.

The debate acknowledged the contributions of healthcare workers, transport staff, and the wider public to Singapore’s pandemic response, with gratitude expressed for their resilience.
Parliament highlighted the need for stronger support for vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, and emphasized inclusive pandemic planning in future policies.
The government committed to learning from COVID-19 by enhancing hospital capacity, upgrading public health infrastructure, and refining laws to manage different outbreak levels.
The tripartite partnership between government, businesses, and unions was praised for sustaining jobs and essential services, while areas like housing for low-resource households and disbursement of aid were noted for improvement.
Singapore’s pandemic response was evaluated as largely successful compared to other nations, but lessons learned must be institutionalized to prepare for future crises.

• Dr Tan Wu Meng questioned when the household income eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons Scheme (DPS) were last revised and whether they are being evaluated for relevance amid inflation and rising costs of living.
• The Senior Parliamentary Secretary responded that the DPS income criteria were last revised in 2017, and highlighted enhancements to the Taxi Subsidy Scheme and increased transport options for persons with disabilities.
• Dr Tan followed up with supplementary questions on whether household dependents are considered in DPS assessments and how the 2017 income threshold compares to current household income percentiles.
• The Senior Parliamentary Secretary confirmed that holistic family circumstances are considered in assessments, but did not have specific data on income percentile comparisons between 2017 and today.
• The Ministry committed to ongoing monitoring of the transport landscape to ensure accessibility and affordability for persons with disabilities.

• Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked whether receiving MediFund support for one family member affects eligibility for other family members.
• The Senior Parliamentary Secretary confirmed there are no restrictions preventing multiple family members from qualifying for MediFund.
• Assoc Prof Jamus Lim further inquired about threshold limits for the number of family members supported, seeking clarification for his constituents.
• The response emphasized that MediFund committees have full discretion to assess applications holistically, considering family means and other government support on a case-by-case basis.

• The Ministry highlighted that the Cancer Drug List has reduced drug prices by an average of 30%, covering 90% of approved treatments, with efforts to expand the list and options for patients facing costs for the remaining 10% through insurance, alternative drugs, or subsidized care.
• In response to concerns about MediSave use for late-stage cancer services, the Ministry indicated that current MediSave limits are sufficient for co-insurance under MediShield Life and financial assistance remains available for those in need.
• The annual MediShield Life claim limit for cancer drug services was recently raised from $1,200 to $3,600, covering 90% of subsidized bills, with ongoing monitoring to ensure affordability and policy adjustments as needed.

• Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked if a benefits package similar to the Merdeka Generation Package will be introduced for citizens born between 1960 and 1969 when they become seniors, including details and a timeline.
• Lawrence Wong noted that the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation Packages were created to support early nation-builders with limited safety nets and financial resources during their working years.
• He emphasized that later cohorts, including those born from 1960 to 1969, have benefited from economic growth, better education, and stronger retirement preparedness.
• The government remains committed to reviewing whether additional cohort-specific support is needed and how it can be targeted effectively.

• Leon Perera sought detailed data on the utilisation, applicant numbers, successful placements, median stay duration, and post-rejection support for Safe, Sound Sleeping Places (S3Ps), as well as applicant profiles and housing transition rates.
• Masagos Zulkifli explained that S3Ps are voluntary community shelters and MSF does not track the number of available places, noting that availability has not been a constraint in engaging rough sleepers.
• He highlighted that rough sleepers often decline S3P offers initially, requiring long-term persuasion, and MSF collaborates with other agencies to find suitable rehousing options like public rental flats or transitional shelters.

• The debate highlighted that Singapore’s effective COVID-19 response was anchored in high levels of trust between the government, businesses, and citizens, enabling collective action and adherence to public health measures.
• Speakers emphasized the importance of supporting vulnerable groups, including the elderly, low-income families, migrant workers, and those affected by family violence, through financial aid, community initiatives, and targeted outreach.
• The need to bolster resilience for future crises was stressed, including improving healthcare infrastructure, diversifying supply chains, enhancing telehealth capabilities, and establishing clear crisis communication channels at the community level.

• Lim Biow Chuan and Sylvia Lim asked if CPF nominations should be automatically revoked when a CPF member divorces their nominated spouse, similar to how nominations are voided upon marriage.
• The Minister for Manpower explained that CPF nominations are treated like wills, which are not automatically revoked upon divorce, allowing members to still provide for ex-spouses and children, but the CPF Board will remind divorced members to review nominations.
• Sylvia Lim highlighted that CPF funds are divisible as matrimonial assets during divorce, so it may be illogical for ex-spouses to also receive CPF nominations post-divorce, and questioned if the Board would track divorce orders to send reminders.
• The Minister confirmed the CPF Board will work with agencies to remind divorced members to review nominations starting May 2023 and is studying broader policy reforms, including potential changes to nomination rules.