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PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT Under the provisions of clause 2(d) of Article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the following Members have been granted permission to be or to remain absent from sittings of Parliament (or any Committee of Parliament to which they have been appointed) for the periods stated: Name From (2010) To (2010) Ms Indranee Rajah 27 Apr 27 Apr Mr Lee Kuan Yew 13 May 22 May Prof. S Jayakumar 26 May 30 May Dr Lam Pin Min 15 Jun 20 Jun
PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT ABDULLAH TARMUGI Speaker Parliament of Singapore
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS [Mr Speaker in the Chair]
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS 1. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan asked the Prime Minister if he has received feedback from Permanent Residents (PRs) on their reactions to the measures taken to widen the gap between Singapore citizens and PRs.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS Sir, the
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS The Government recognises that PRs contribute to Singapore in many ways. Children of PRs are eligible for some subsidies for education and enjoy quality education at very competitive fees. Healthcare costs are also affordable for PRs, as they still enjoy some subsidies and can make use of their Medisave to defray some healthcare expenses. PRs may also purchase HDB flats in the resale market.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS In order to reflect the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, and to acknowledge citizens' commitment to Singapore, Singaporeans will always enjoy greater subsidies and benefits than PRs. Some benefits such as the Government-paid maternity leave and the Baby Bonus are thus given only to citizens. Our approach is to strike a balance between giving citizens priority and ensuring that Singapore remains attractive to PRs and foreigners so that we can sustain our competitive edge and ensure Singapore's growth and vibrancy for the long term.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS Government has received feedback from a small number of Permanent Residents (PRs) relating to the difference in benefits between Singapore citizens and PRs in the areas of education, healthcare, housing and marriage and parenthood package. Most of these PRs wanted to know why they were not given the same benefits as Singaporeans given that they also contributed to Singapore.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS Paulin Tay Straughan (Nominated Member): Sir, I have three supplementary questions for the Minister. The first relates to the intent of the policies. I assume that one of the reasons we differentiate more is because we want to draw some of the marginal PRs to convert to citizens. In that regard, may I ask the Minister what efforts are being carried out to actively pursue these PRs to make a greater stance and commitment towards Singapore?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS My second question concerns the other group of PRs, people who have been here a long time and who probably will never take up citizenship because of loyalty to home country: how will we ensure that they feel appreciated and welcomed because they continue to be an important part of Singapore society?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS My final supplementary question has to do with our plans in the immediate future. We have a big portion of foreigners who are in Singapore now. Are we actively pursuing the aim to help some of them make the decision to become permanent residents because I think being a PR is one step closer to having them here lodge with us for the long term, compared to if we just invite them to be in Singapore on their foreign status? I suppose I should also say that my husband is a PR so I have vested interest in this question.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS Sir, the questions are all related. Surely, the intent of the policy is to make sure that there are distinctions in benefits and privileges given to PRs and citizens. After all, citizens do have some basic rights in Singapore which PRs do not have. A simple one is that of voting. Others are the kind of support, financial assistance, top-up schemes that the Government gives from time to time to citizens and not to PRs. As to whether this differentiation is to persuade them to be citizens or not, I think the decision is very much left to the PRs, who will then have to decide whether they want to remain here as long-term PRs because of their loyalty to their own country or because of some other personal reason that they do not want to be citizens, then whether they want to be citizens or not is a calculation they have to make.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS But I have heard some anecdotal feedback from some PRs to say that with
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS We have to decide on the kind of society we want and we know that we have a shortage of babies – the TFR (Total Fertility Rate) is very low; Singaporeans are marrying late; they do not have enough children or have too few children. We do face a problem in our demographics. Our people are getting older and, yet, we do not have enough babies to replace them. The alternative must be to ensure that our doors are open for the talented and for those who are skilled enough to find a job here and to remain here and to become our citizens. They will top up our population. That is the whole intent of this policy. The idea is not to force anyone to be a PR or to be a citizen.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BENEFITS FOR CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS differentiations like these, some are thinking about becoming citizens. So I encourage them, and say that if they want to become citizens, then by all means do so, and if they do not want to be, then by all means remain a PR but the differentiation will remain. For the larger pool of foreigners who are here, while our schemes are transparent, they know that they can apply to be PRs and those who are eligible will be considered and eventually, if they qualify, they will be approved and will remain as PRs. After some time, some of them may decide to become citizens. The decision is left entirely to PRs and foreigners whether they want to convert to become citizens or to apply to be PRs.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update 2. Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) if he will give an update on the progress and locations of new Family Service Centres (FSCs); (b) whether factors such as FSCs having limited outreach capabilities due to limited manpower and needy families having difficulties in travelling to FSCs are taken into account when building the new FSCs; and (c) whether he will consider establishing satellite FSCs nearer to the needy such as at Community Clubs and Residents Committee Centres.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Mr Speaker, my Ministry completed a review of the Family Service Centre (FSC) programme last year. The review reaffirmed the core mission of FSCs to provide social intervention for families and individuals in need. We also agreed to provide more resources to FSCs, including additional social workers and social work associates. The review also proposed building stronger links with key community partners and establishing more FSCs to enhance their geographical coverage.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Five new FSCs will be developed in areas with high demand over the next five years, to increase the total number of FSCs from 36 to 41. The first new FSC – to be run by PPIS (Persatuan Permudi Islam Singapura) at Bedok (Block 41, Chai Chee Street) – is on track to begin its operations by June this year. We have also begun preparations for the second and third new FSCs at Telok Blangah and Tampines respectively.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update We are in the process of identifying the VWOs and specific sites for the additional FSCs, and will make announcements at the appropriate time.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Various factors are taken into account in the planning for the new FSCs. The aim is to ensure that FSCs have sufficient reach on the ground and are accessible to the needy families. New FSCs will be built in communities with high population densities, a large number of low-income families, and where the existing FSCs in the area have high sustained caseloads.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update It is important to emphasise that FSCs do not work in isolation. The outreach on
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update the ground is amplified through collaboration with the key stakeholders – CDCs, schools, Government agencies, grassroots organisations, community and religious groups – in order to extend the delivery of services to the needy. Where necessary, we have also set up satellite FSCs, as Mr Laurence Wee has suggested, to bring social services closer to residents. These can co-locate with other social services to increase the outreach to the community. For example, Fei Yue FSC provides satellite FSC services within a multi-service cluster in Teck Whye, which also offers student care and eldercare services.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update I would like to thank the Minister for the update. I would also like to commend the Ministry for upgrading the salaries of social workers. With regard to the provision of satellite FSCs, many in the disabled and low-income groups will find that there is a need for the satellite FSCs. What will the Ministry be looking at in terms of policy formulation in strengthening the linkages between the main FSCs and the satellite FSCs, just like the LRT and the MRT station systems? What are the crucial areas the Ministry will be looking at?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Sir, I agree with Mr Wee that we need to ensure that the FSCs are accessible, especially for people who may be needy and who may not be able to afford to travel long distances, as well as the elderly or the disabled who have physical difficulties if FSCs are far away. But we also have to achieve an optimal balance between decentralisation and ensuring that these satellites have enough staff to be able to provide the full range of services that are needed.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update As far as the linkage between the main FSC and the satellite FSC, usually, the administrative overheads are shared. For instance, you do not need multiple
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Far more important than that linkage between the main FSC and the satellite FSC is the linkage on the ground with all the other organisations that I alluded to just now. Making sure we have appropriate links with the grassroots organisations, with the Mayors, with the other VWOs. What we need now is a social safety net which is well integrated. I think we have a lot of facilities, services, agencies, VWOs all out there in the community. We can do more. We can enhance their resources but the key thing now is integration. So we need better communication. For instance, there should be no "wrong door". Whatever the need is, even if the person has gone through the "wrong door", or the wrong agency, we should ensure that there is proper communication, collaboration and coordination. This is something that is still work-in-progress and I will be the first to admit that we can do much better in this area.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update administrators; you may have one administrator who can oversee two or even maybe three sites. So wherever possible, there needs to be shared services. At the same time, the professionals, the social workers and their associates may also sometimes need to be re-deployed in order to ensure that wherever there is greater need, services are provided.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): I would like to ask the Minister, with this integration, the most important thing is the shared information of the family in need with all the social organisations. Will the Minister look into all the shared information from CDCs to the rest of the social organisations in the network?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I agree there is a need to share information. Actually, a significant start has already been made. There is a ComCare database where all the agencies involved are supposed to upload the relevant data. For instance, all the advisors on the ground have a password-protected access. The advisor will then know who has received what help. The key objective is to ensure no one falls through the cracks and, at the same time, to make sure there is no unnecessary duplication of services. But we can still do better.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update Mdm Halimah, last question.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update The Minister mentioned at the Committee of Supply (COS) debate that there would be five new FSCs that will be built over the next couple of years. In view of the increase in demand for the services of the FSCs, I would like to know whether we can have more FSCs than the five. Second question is whether increasing the remuneration of the social workers would be sufficient to attract them? What other measures are being considered to attract more people to join the social work profession?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update themselves or to take sabbaticals. I am also looking at opportunities for the more senior social workers to be able to be promoted or to move into larger organisations. This is very sensitive because, obviously, each VWO does not want to lose its best and its most capable.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update I mentioned five. The key limiting factor is not physical space. The key limiting factor is getting VWOs willing and able to establish these FSCs. And as the Member has alluded to, the most critical factor there are the professionals involved. The social workers, the counsellors and the other associates. We do need to make sure that we can attract enough people into this sector. So, for instance, I am always leaning on the National University of Singapore (NUS) and now even the SIM University (UniSIM) to make sure that there are appropriate undergraduate as well as mid-career courses to allow people to enter this profession but with adequate training. We have made some moves to improve the pay but, on its own, that is not going to be enough. We need to make sure people give sufficient recognition to social workers and the incredible workload that they all struggle under. We also have made efforts to provide more opportunities for them to upgrade
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES - Update But we have to find a right balance so that people, when they enter the social work profession, know that there is potential for growth, potential for promotions as well as at different stages in their careers they may want to do different things. So, for instance, we have to make sure that there is a reasonably free flow of talent between the FSCs on the ground with NCSS as the sector coordinator and even with the Ministry because, I think, social workers will be able to contribute significantly to policy formulation in my Ministry. So, there are many things that we need to do but the key thing is to increase the recruitment, maintain retention and to keep them refreshed and sharp so that their passion and their dedication does not wane over time.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN 3. Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports from 2007 to 2009 (a) how many husbands had stopped paying maintenance to their ex-wives and children because they declared themselves bankrupt; and (b) whether the Government will consider separating matrimonial debts from business and related debts so as to give better protection to the ex-spouses and children.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Between 2007 and 2009, there was an average of 3,400 defaulters per year on maintenance orders. Most defaulters cite financial difficulties due to unemployment, reduction in salary or having additional responsibilities as reasons for not paying their maintenance debts. We do not have the figures on how many husbands stopped paying maintenance to their ex-wives and their children because they declared themselves bankrupt. But in any case, I want to emphasise that being made a bankrupt is not an excuse which can be used to avoid paying maintenance to the ex-wives and to the children. Upon being made a bankrupt, a person will have to submit his statement of affairs to the Official Assignee to disclose all his assets and his liabilities. If the bankrupt owes maintenance arrears to his ex-wife at the start of the bankruptcy process, he will need to declare these arrears in his statement of affairs. These become in a sense part of his liabilities. If the ex-wife wishes to lay a claim against the bankrupt's estate, she can then file a proof of debt against the bankrupt's estate for the amount that is owed to her. If the bankrupt declares that the maintenance arrears owed to his ex-wife in his statement of affairs, the Official Assignee will advise the ex-wife to file such a proof of debt against the estate. Currently, our law does not give priority to the maintenance arrears owed to the ex-spouse over the other debts in the bankruptcy. This is something which we will consider very carefully if there is a need to do so in the future. This is a complex point and not something which we should enter into lightly. Assignee will take the full amount of the maintenance into consideration and provide for this as a necessary item of expenditure on the bankrupt's part when assessing the monthly instalment payable by the bankrupt. In other words, the Official Assignee will take into account what he needs for himself as well as the full amount of the monthly maintenance that has been ordered by the court before making other payments into the bankruptcy's estate. When a bankrupt is discharged from bankruptcy, he is no longer obliged to pay his previously unpaid debts except – and this is a big except – one which relates to any Order made in proceedings under the Women's Charter relating to family matters. In other words, claimants to maintenance debts can continue to enforce their maintenance orders even after the ex-spouse has been discharged from bankruptcy. I have gone to some length to explain all these because I wanted to emphsise the point that even if someone is declared bankrupt, the ex-wife and the children still have full recourse to get the maintenance arrears as well as to have access to regular maintenance payments. So, I hope I have reassured the Member on that point.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN That is with respect to maintenance arrears. Let me give you some reassuring news with respect to the regular monthly maintenance. Bankrupts will have to submit reports on their income and expenditure to the Official Assignee. The bankrupt will need to disclose his monthly maintenance payments, if any, in his statement of income and expenditure and inform the Official Assignee about the maintenance orders which have been made against him. Once the Official Assignee is aware of this, the Official
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Speaker, I am glad to hear that the bankrupt's family still has recourse to claim for maintenance in that sense. But can the Minister clarify that in this case, there is a need for the Official Assignee to have constant contact with the Family Court as well? So, whether this channel is there – because the families would want to claim for the maintenance and if they have difficulties they will go to the Family Court. So, if the Family Court has a direct access to an Official Assignee's office, that will help the Family Court per se. fees. Can the Minister elaborate whether there are more successful cases after this improvement has been made in terms of process for the claims for maintenance fees?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN The other point itself is that during the Committee of Supply (COS) debate we heard about the improved procedures for claims of maintenance
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I accept the Member's point about making sure there is adequate communication and collaboration between Family Court on one hand and Official Assignee on the other hand. These are procedural matters that we will look at.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN With respect to her second question on success, I think the Budget Debate was just two months ago. I do try to work fast but give me some time.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES 4. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts with the wide public interest in World Cup 2010 (a) whether the Government will provide the infrastructure for mio TV to be available in all residential districts in Singapore; and (b) which are the districts where mio TV is currently available.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for the question on consumer access to SingNet's mio TV service in residential districts in view of the impending World Cup.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES My understanding is that SingTel and StarHub have jointly bid for rights to World Cup 2010. If they succeed in their joint bid, the matches would therefore be available to subscribers of both platforms. In addition, some matches would be available on free-to-air television. The combined reach of StarHub, SingTel and MediaCorp's networks should ensure that all viewers will be able to watch World Cup 2010.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES The remaining 3% of residential households unable to receive mio TV includes pockets of residences within the mio TV coverage area. This is because these residences are situated far from SingTel's telephone exchanges where special broadband equipment is installed to enable the delivery of mio TV service.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES To deliver mio TV to these households, SingNet therefore has to find alternative locations and obtain the necessary permits to install the broadband equipment, and this usually takes some time. I understand from the Media Development Authority that SingNet is working on progressively improving its coverage over the coming months.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES SingNet had publicly committed to providing coverage of mio TV island-wide by the end of July 2010, and I certainly hope to see them meet this commitment.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES SingNet's mio TV is a commercial subscription pay TV service and it remains for SingNet to determine how best to deploy its infrastructure to deliver the service to its subscribers. I understand that mio TV is currently available to about 97% of the residential households in Singapore.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES Thank you, Sir. I would like to ask the Minister – currently what I understand is that different operators have their own infrastructure. Would it be more effective for a common infrastructure like what it is being done in Hong Kong, instead of each laying their own cables?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES And the next question: Is the Ministry still trying to help to realise the dream of many Singaporeans, ie, to watch the World Cup in their comfort of their home?
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: There are two sets of infrastructure that we should talk about. One is the pipeline; and the other is the set-top box. On the set-top box, we are working towards having a common feature set-top box but this will take time to materialise, and at this stage we are really talking to the different players about arriving at common technical standards. And this common feature set-top box is not expected to be in place for at least another two years. On the pipeline, the common infrastructure that we hope everybody will migrate to eventually is, of course, the nationwide broadband network that will be in place by about 2013. Good progress has been made in this area but, in the meantime, StarHub delivers its services through cable and SingTel through its telephone network and, therefore, they are riding on different backbones to deliver their services. On World Cup 2010, I fully understand the anxiety of all soccer fans. I know that time is running very short. Even if StarHub and SingTel were to be successful in the bid, they would need time to arrange for the sponsors, the advertisers as well as to put up subscription packages. So, we are, I guess, into injury time and the referee is putting whistle to mouth; but the last I have is that I have received no final word as to the outcome of the negotiations that are still being carried out between SingTel, StarHub and the Football Media Services (FMS), which is the local agent for the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), on the World Cup.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH 5. Mr Viswa Sadasivan asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports if in recent weeks there has been a surge in action by Government officers clearing the East Coast beach of permanent campers who are mainly homeless and, if so, what happens to
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH such persons who may not have homes to go back to.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH I thank the Member for asking this rather topical question. It gives me an opportunity to set out the facts.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) conducts routine joint patrols with NParks at public beaches and parks on a regular basis. These patrols aim to identify, to investigate and to provide assistance to any persons found begging or squatting in these public areas.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH MCYS will conduct a thorough evaluation of their social and financial situation. We work closely with the Community Development Councils as well as the voluntary welfare organisations in order to provide comprehensive social and financial assistance.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH There are a variety of housing options available to potentially homeless people. Wherever possible, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will assist them to buy a flat within their means. But for those who need temporary accommodation whilst working on a longer-term solution, HDB will refer them to interim housing managed by the private sector. If they are unable to afford their own accommodation and have no family members who can help them, then HDB will assist them with rental flats under the Public Rental Housing Scheme.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH For persons who need short-term accommodation over and above, these other options, then one other possibility is transitional shelters which are run by voluntary welfare organisations. Currently, these are run by New Hope Community Services and Lakeside Family Centre. We are in the process of appointing a third operator for these transitional shelters.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH The last resort for those who are unable to work and lack family support is to be admitted to a Government-funded welfare home for destitute persons.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH Let me cite you one example. There was a couple that was recently featured by Al Jazeera English. Some Members in the House, I think, may have seen this video online. According to Al Jazeera, the couple claimed that they had been homeless for nearly two years as a result of divorce proceedings. The Al Jazeera video alleged, and was entitled, "government policies force some onto the streets".
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH Unfortunately, Al Jazeera did not bother to check the facts. The facts, in fact, tell a very different story. Singapore is a very small place. When we see people on videos I can ask my staff to find the people, see who they are, what their needs are and establish the facts. So we found this couple. The facts tell a very different story. The man in the report had sold two direct-purchase subsidised flats and a third resale flat with his ex-wife. In these three sales, this man made a tidy profit in excess of $224,000. I think Members in this House will agree that that is not a small profit to make from selling three flats. The lady, on the other hand, had previously sold a direct-purchase subsidised flat – I do not have the figure as to how much she made from that – and is currently the owner of another resale flat but she co-owns that with her ex-husband.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH But, nevertheless, I would like to stress that, in fact, most of the squatters that we have come across have actually had other housing options. Some have homes but they have domestic problems. Some have previously owned HDB flats. More than one have enjoyed substantial housing subsidies which they have then encashed by selling their flats.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH They were supposed to sell it after their divorce, but they have not sold it yet. So when she went to HDB and said, "Let me have a rental flat". HDB said, "There is a small problem. You are currently the owner of another HDB flat." And that was not all.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH Despite all these circumstances, the social workers at the FSC then offered sheltered housing for this couple. But the couple rejected the offer and also other services which were offered by my Ministry. So this is a clear example where the foreign media has failed to ascertain the facts. Even worse, some irresponsible websites have gone on to fuel these falsehoods by circulating this widely on the Internet. Now that the facts are out, let us see whether these people who have been propagating falsehoods have the courage and the honesty to set the facts right. We will wait and see.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH Let us come back to the issue at hand. Homelessness is a complex problem. It is not simply a matter of offering subsidies ad infinitum. The Government will continue to provide concrete assistance to enable people to achieve self reliance. But people must also do their part and they must take responsibility for their decisions and the consequences of their decisions. They must also be willing to cooperate with the social workers and work through their social and domestic issues. And we also need people to be prepared to accept the offers of accommodation that we make to them.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH Mr Speaker, these steps are not necessarily easy or popular, but this is the only way to create long-term sustainable solutions. Let me end by reiterating my determination to ensure that every Singaporean has a concrete roof over the head and food on the table. And if Members of this House or indeed anyone out there in the community knows of
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH We checked with the CDC and said, "Do you know this couple?" The CDC said, "Yes, we know them very well". In fact, she is still receiving financial assistance from the South West Community Development Council under the Work Support Employment scheme, and she has been receiving assistance since July 2009. anyone who needs help, please call the ComCare Helpline – I repeat the usual mantra – 1800 222 0000 or email me directly. I think Members of this House know me well enough now, know that I always act on feedback from anyone here.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH Mr Viswa Sadasivan (Nominated Member): I thank the Minister especially for his assurance at the end. I am just curious about the reasons some of them turn down the offer of accommodation. I cannot quite understand why they want to live under such abject conditions, even at the jeopardy of their own safety and security, and not accept an offer from the Government.