Social welfare — Topics

3 Sep 2019

Children and Young Persons (Amendment) Bill

Anthea Ong proposed reframing foster care to include kinship care and adopting tiered allowances based on placement complexity and carer competence, citing examples from Hong Kong and the UK.
She suggested tax relief for foster carers as an incentive for recruitment and retention, similar to Australian practices.
Ong emphasized preventive measures, linking rising mental health disorders among youth to delinquency and urging training for community workers to identify and address these risk factors.
She highlighted the importance of nurturing community environments, citing successful local projects in Kebun Baru and Nee Soon East that empower residents to support children and youths.
The speaker concluded by calling for shared responsibility among government, community, and families to protect children and create enabling environments for their growth.

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3 Sep 2019

Streamlining Public Hospitals' Admission Process

The Ministry of Health requires public hospitals to provide financial counselling to patients before planned admissions or surgeries, with emergency cases counseled as soon as possible after admission, and updated estimates given if bill sizes increase significantly during a patient’s stay.
Financial counselling includes explaining subsidies, MediShield Life payouts, and MediSave withdrawals using easy-to-understand graphics, advising on appropriate ward choices, and referring patients to Medical Social Workers if they indicate financial difficulty or request assistance.
Patients can request financial assistance at any point during their healthcare journey, and no one is denied care due to financial constraints, with proactive measures like the Proactive Financial Assistance framework introduced in 2014 to identify patients who may need help.

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2 Sep 2019

Number of Singaporeans Born Between 1950 and 1959 Not Eligible for Merdeka Generation Package

There are about 16,000 Singaporeans born between 1950 and 1959 who are not eligible for the Merdeka Generation Package due to citizenship reasons, specifically becoming citizens after 1996.
Close to 400 citizenship-related appeals have been submitted as of end-July 2019, with the Appeals Panel having reviewed about half of these cases.
Approximately 120 appeals, representing about 60% of the reviewed cases, have been successful, allowing those individuals to be included in the Merdeka Generation Package.

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2 Sep 2019

Companies That Voluntarily Restored CPF Contribution Rates for Employees Aged 55 Years and Above

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong asked the Minister for Manpower for the number of companies and employees that have voluntarily restored CPF contribution rates for employees aged 55 and above.
Mrs Josephine Teo explained that employers can make voluntary CPF contributions through schemes like the Additional MediSave Contribution Scheme and others, but these are private arrangements.
The CPF Board does not track the basis for these voluntary contributions, such as whether they are for equalising CPF rates for employees aged 55 and above.
In 2018, about 1,000 employers made voluntary contributions for approximately 13,000 employees aged 55 and above.
The response highlights a gap in data collection regarding the specific reasons for voluntary CPF rate restorations for older employees.

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2 Sep 2019

Review Income Ceiling Under Public Rental Scheme to Ensure Relevance to Household Incomes and Expenditure

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira proposed reviewing the public rental income ceiling, noting that average monthly expenditure for 1–2 room flats ($1,545) exceeds the current $1,500 limit, and asked what evidence informs the ceiling’s relevance.
Lawrence Wong explained that the $1,500 figure is a guideline, not a hard cap, used to encourage first-timer households to purchase flats with grants, while HDB assesses individual circumstances for rental eligibility.
HDB has assisted households earning above $1,500, with 590 such cases from 2016 to 2018 and about 170 more from January to July 2019, demonstrating flexibility in the scheme.
The Ministry will continue regular reviews of the Public Rental Scheme to ensure it meets the housing needs of Singaporeans unable to buy their own homes.

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2 Sep 2019

Number of Persons with Disabilities Benefitting from Assistive Technology Fund in Past Three Years

Over the past three years, 2,037 persons with disabilities benefited from the Assistive Technology Fund in FY2018, up from 1,450 in FY2016 and 1,808 in FY2017.
A total of $10 million has been disbursed through the Fund over the three-year period.
No appeals have been received for disbursements beyond the $40,000 individual cap under the ATF.
The Fund subsidises devices for rehabilitation, education, employment, early intervention, training, and independent living.
A cross-sectoral workgroup has been established under the 3rd Enabling Masterplan to further explore technology and design for supporting independent living.

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2 Sep 2019

Number of Households with Persons with Disabilities and Help Measures Available

The Ministry of Social and Family Development does not currently have data on the number of households with persons with disabilities but plans to include this in the 2020 population census.
A range of financial support is available across life stages, including ComCare assistance, subsidies for early intervention, special education, and day activity centres, as well as grants for caregivers and tax reliefs.
Additional measures include transport subsidies, assistive technology funding, workfare schemes for low-wage workers, and job placement support through SG Enable.
Respite care services are provided by nine Adult Disability Homes and three Children Disability Homes, with caregivers able to seek information from SG Enable.

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2 Sep 2019

Lowering Minimum Age for HDB Lease Buyback Scheme for Owners Needing Long-term Medical Treatment for Chronic Illnesses

Gan Thiam Poh proposed lowering the HDB Lease Buyback Scheme’s minimum age for flat owners needing long-term treatment for chronic illnesses.
Lawrence Wong explained the age is set at 65 to align with CPF payouts, but HDB has shown flexibility for medical cases.
The government thanked the feedback and will consider it in future scheme reviews.
The current policy allows exceptions for those with long-term medical expenses despite the age requirement.
The debate concluded with an openness to revisit the age limit based on the feedback.

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2 Sep 2019

Appeals in Past 10 Years for HDB Rental Flats on Grounds of Dispute with Children

HDB received about 2,600 rental flat appeals from parents citing conflicts with their children between 2016 and May 2019, with about 560 approved based on specific circumstances.
HDB does not track whether the children involved live in HDB flats or private property, and only began collecting such data in 2016.
Applicants are first encouraged to seek mediation from Family Service Centers; if conflict persists and children cannot provide housing, HDB may grant a rental flat, but children’s ability to support parents may lead them to apply for maintenance at the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents.

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2 Sep 2019

CareShield Life and Long-Term Care Bill

The CareShield Life scheme aims to provide universal, basic long-term care coverage for Singaporeans, with a focus on inclusiveness, affordability, and sustainability, and will be auto-enrolled for those born in 1980 or later while remaining optional for older cohorts.
Premiums are kept affordable through government subsidies, the use of MediSave, and early enrollment at age 30, but the scheme's design—including gender-differentiated premiums based on actuarial data—sparked debate on equity, with the Senior Minister of State emphasizing that gender-neutral premiums could lead to adverse selection and risk pool imbalances.
The government has established safeguards such as the CareShield Life Council for oversight, provisions for additional premium support for those in genuine need, and measures to prevent fraud and ensure transparency in claims and fund management.

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2 Sep 2019

CareShield Life and Long-Term Care Bill

The CareShield Life and Long-Term Care Bill establishes a mandatory long-term care insurance scheme for Singaporeans born from 1980, providing lifelong cash payouts for severe disability, while older cohorts can opt in, with government subsidies and support funds to ensure affordability and inclusivity.
The bill transfers ElderShield from private insurers to government administration, introduces MediSave withdrawals for long-term care, and creates new assistance schemes like ElderFund for low-income severely disabled individuals.
Key concerns raised include the adequacy of the $600 monthly payout, the strict three-ADL eligibility criterion, gender-based premiums, data privacy, and the need for better public education and streamlined application processes for long-term care support.

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2 Sep 2019

Statistics on Employment of Persons with Disabilities

The Minister of State for Manpower shared that the resident employment rate for persons with disabilities (PwDs) aged 15–64 is 28.6%, with higher rates for those aged 40–49 and lower rates for those aged 65 and above, while the main employing sectors are community, social, personal services, food services, administrative support, and manufacturing.
Government support schemes like the Special Employment Credit, Open Door Programme, Career Trial, Workfare Income Supplement, and Workfare Training Support have helped over 5,700 employers hire more than 8,600 PwDs, with ongoing initiatives such as job redesign guides and a new workgroup to enhance employment pathways.
A member’s query about a 5% employment rate was addressed by clarifying that it was based on outdated, composite data, while current data from the Comprehensive Labour Force Survey is more accurate; suggestions for enhanced tax incentives, affirmative action, and a one-stop employment portal were noted for further study.

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6 Aug 2019

Amount of Cash Paid by Singaporeans and Permanent Residents after Account Subsidies, MediShield Life and Medisave Deductions

Pritam Singh asked about the cash paid by Singaporeans and permanent residents in the 10th to 40th income deciles for subsidized hospitalization from 2015 to 2017 after subsidies, MediShield Life, and MediSave deductions.
The Ministry of Health responded that both Singaporean citizens and permanent residents in these deciles paid $0 in cash for subsidized hospitalization over the period.
For Singaporean citizens in the 10th to 40th per capita household income percentiles, the median cash payment was $0 after all deductions.
Permanent residents in the same income range paid between $38 and $47 in cash over the same period.
The data covers three years and specifically addresses the impact of subsidies and insurance on out-of-pocket costs for lower-income groups.

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6 Aug 2019

Reason for Low Take-up Rate of Business and Institution of Public Character Partnership Scheme that Recognise Employee Volunteering Hours

The low take-up rate of the Business and Institution of a Public Character Partnership Scheme (BIPS) is primarily due to low awareness among businesses and IPCs, and administrative complexity in claiming tax deductions.
The government will raise awareness by promoting BIPS through NVPC and Commissioner of Charities' platforms, and simplify administrative processes by introducing fixed man-hour rate claims from the Year of Assessment 2020.
The Ministry will consider Ms. Ong's suggestion to include assets like charitable spaces in BIPS during its review to further encourage tripartite partnerships and corporate giving.

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6 Aug 2019

CareShield Life and Long-Term Care Bill

The CareShield Life and Long-Term Care Bill was introduced to establish the CareShield Life Scheme and provide long-term care financing support for severely disabled persons, with consequential amendments to other Acts.
The Bill was presented by Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong, recommended by the President, and read for the first time in Parliament.
Parliament scheduled the Bill for a second reading at the next available sitting and ordered it to be printed.

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6 Aug 2019

Grants for Fees for Faith-based Pre-schools Run by Non-profit Organisations

Intan Azura Mokhtar asked if the Ministry will provide grants for fees at faith-based pre-schools run by non-profit organisations.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary explained that various subsidies and funding schemes already support both parents and operators, including faith-affiliated and non-profit pre-schools, through cash gifts, account grants, basic and additional subsidies, and specific development funds.
Mokhtar later suggested expanding the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme to all pre-schools and asked if the Pre-school Opportunity Fund is available to students in faith-based kindergartens.
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim confirmed that the Opportunity Fund is accessible to non-AOP pre-schools, including faith-affiliated ones, and noted that the Ministry is reviewing pre-school subsidies while considering the suggestion to expand fee assistance.

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5 Aug 2019

Update on Trend of New ComCare Recipients over the Last Five Years

Over the past five years, the Ministry does not have readily available data on the number of new ComCare recipients, but provided figures on households receiving long-term and short-to-medium-term assistance from FY2013 to FY2017.
In FY2017, 66.5% of households on ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance required support for more than three months.
The Ministry regularly reviews cash assistance rates and eligibility criteria, using data on low-income family expenditures and input from community stakeholders, and most recently increased rates effective 1 July 2019.
ComCare support includes monthly cash assistance, help with household and medical bills, employment assistance, and referrals to other government and community services.

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5 Aug 2019

Posting and Collection of Merdeka Generation Packages

Dennis Tan asked if Merdeka Generation Package recipients could request postal delivery of their packages with the same benefits as collection from community clubs or events.
Gan Kim Yong confirmed that recipients unable to collect in person will have their packages sent by post.
He stated that all eligible seniors receive identical MG Package benefits and welcome folders, whether collected in person or by post.
As of 26 July 2019, all Merdeka Generation packages had been delivered.

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5 Aug 2019

Statistics on Users of Home-based and Community-based Eldercare Services and Average Out-of-pocket Expenditure after Maximum Subsidy

The Minister for Health stated that in the fourth quarter of 2018, around 16,000 Singapore residents used subsidised home or community care services, with 7,000 using home care services specifically.
Typical home care clients were mostly female, aged 80 and above, home-bound with chronic conditions or disabilities, and required assistance with mobility and other Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
Around one in ten home care clients also used community-based services like day rehabilitation, and for those using both services under a bundled pilot, monthly out-of-pocket costs after maximum subsidies ranged from $300 to $600.

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5 Aug 2019

Inflation Adjustments for Payouts Under Silver Support Scheme

Ms Foo Mee Har asked whether the Silver Support Scheme payouts will be adjusted for inflation since its 2014 launch and to consider a recent NUS study on seniors' basic needs.
Mrs Josephine Teo explained the scheme's purpose to supplement retirement income for low-income elderly with little family support, noting over 180,000 have received about $1.3 billion since 2016.
The Ministry of Manpower is reviewing the scheme and will take inflation into account, but emphasised that retirement needs are met through multiple sources including CPF, savings, and other government support.
The government highlighted that scheme payouts are designed to be meaningful and fiscally sustainable, considering findings from various sources.

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