Hansard, Monday, 10 March 2025

1 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) why does NEA require stallholders to personally operate their hawker stalls; (b) how is this aligned with the objectives of hawker centres; and (c) whether there are any circumstances where NEA exercises flexibility when hawker stallholders are temporarily unable to operate their stalls due to personal reasons.

Sir, stalls in our hawker centres provide an opportunity for Singaporeans to personally operate their own small food businesses at lower costs and provide affordable hawker food options. By personal operations, the National Environment Agency (NEA) requires hawkers to physically operate their stalls.

The requirement for a hawker to personally operate the stall is important as it prevents subletting. If this requirement is not imposed, the tenant who has successfully bid for the stall could potentially sublet the stall and collect the difference in rent. It may encourage persons to bid for a stall without an intention to run a stall but only to sublet it. If the tenant is unable to operate the stall, he is expected to return the stall to NEA which will then release the stall for other interested hawkers to bid for the stall. This will give new hawkers a fair chance to enter the trade.

The Member asks whether there are any circumstances where NEA exercises flexibility when hawker stallholders are temporarily unable to operate their stalls. Indeed, in situations where a hawker is temporarily unable to operate the stall for good reasons, for example, for medical reasons, he or she can appoint a joint operator or a nominee to operate the stall during that period. In the event that the stall has to close temporarily, NEA may also extend support through rental waivers.

NEA supports hawkers who wish to expand their businesses by allowing individuals to hold up to two cooked food stalls in our hawker centres, provided they are able to divide their time and operate the stalls personally. Hawkers have also made use of other arrangements to grow their businesses. Some take on more stalls at hawker centres with their family members as stallholders or sell their recipes to other hawkers who in turn successfully bid for those stalls. Others continue to operate their stalls personally even as they expand their businesses to other establishments, such as coffee shops and food courts.

For those who are unable to personally operate their hawker stalls, they may relinquish their stalls or hand them over to a family member. There are also hawkers who enter into franchise arrangements, where they can leverage established brands to start or grow their businesses. This is a good way for them to learn the ropes and enter the food and beverage (F&B) space. It is in this context that we sometimes see stalls carrying the same brand across different hawker centres. NEA does not restrict such arrangements, as long as registered stallholders in hawker centres are still able to fulfil the tenancy requirements by personally operating their stalls.

NEA generally does not allow corporates to bid directly for and operate hawker stalls as this could crowd out aspiring hawkers, and run counter to our intent of providing opportunities for Singaporeans to run small food businesses. We have made some exceptions based on social considerations. For example, operators of Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centres are allowed to run a small number of stalls as part of their operations. But these operators are required to plough back at least 50% of any surpluses to benefit the centre and stallholders, such as by providing shuttle services from transport nodes.

Our hawker centres have played an integral role in nation building and hawker culture has been an important part of the Singapore identity. We want our hawker centres to continue providing opportunities for Singaporeans to directly operate their own small food businesses. We will continue to support them as best as we can.

Mr Chia.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Sir, I would like to ask two follow-up clarifications to the Senior Minister of State. First of all, does the current rule of requiring hawkers to personally operate the stall have actually been effective in preventing unintended subletting and has it also unintentionally discouraged genuine hawkers? In the case of hawkers who are intending to expand, can they re-assign their stall leases to business partner without the need to re-bid or to re-apply for their stalls?

The second clarification is that, today, for new hawkers to grow their business, they actually have to invest in branding, work on social media marketing and some might also set up their central kitchen or choose shared services. And many of these business activities require them to be physically present elsewhere than physically present at their stalls. My understanding is that today, for a stallholder, they must actually operate minimally eight hours physically. Or in the case where they have two stalls, they have to be physically present at the stall for four hours. Can the Ministry exercise some flexibilities for hawkers who may need to be outside of the stall because there are many other business activities that they have to operate?

Sir, I thank the Member for his questions. On his first question about personally operating the stall, we believe that physical presence is actually the most practical and fair way of ensuring that the stall is not sublet and the person is operating it personally. Because through these inspections, NEA is able to directly monitor whether stallholders physically operate their stalls during the stall's operating hours.

The truth is, to catch subletting is not so easy, because it is a private arrangement that can take place between the person who has bid for the place but has no intention to run it and under the table, could be collecting subletting income from someone else and profiting from rent.

As I have said, we have let out our stalls for sometimes even below market rates in terms of rent. And there are stalls that successfully bid as low as $1. What we do not want is for a subletter to then profit from the huge margin by extracting rent from the person who is interested to run the stall and pass the cost subsequently to consumers.

And if there is a way for us to catch it better, we would want that. So, if there are suspicions of subletting, NEA would follow up on feedback where possible. Nonetheless, NEA also understands that there are some stallholders who may need to be away from their stalls for a short period of time, to run quick errands for example. In such cases, we will exercise flexibility and give these stallholders the ability to do so without taking any penalty actions on them.

On Mr Chia's question about stallholders who have expanded their businesses to say, central kitchens and have many other food establishments elsewhere, I think if the persons have already expanded their business beyond hawker centres and are very successful, and they have no time to run the stalls themselves, I think it is only right that they actually relinquish the stalls to someone else who needs the space better and focus on their business instead.

One option they could do this is to nominate their own family member to take over the stall. This is something allowed under our policies. But to nominate the stall to an unrelated person opens up the risk of someone then profiteering and buying whatever has been given to this person through a business transaction. That is something that we will not allow.

Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

Thank you. Could I just quickly clarify? The Senior Minister of State said that you will exercise flexibility – I had a resident, for instance, who had sought that flexibility by asking for a window by which he had to physically be present at the stall for the inspections. I understand again, of course, that you want there to be some kind of spot checks to prevent instances of subletting. But nevertheless, it seems like giving a window is a reasonable accommodation. Is that not something that is considered part of that flexibility?

Sir, I do not know the case that the Member is talking about. There could be constraints on the ground. There could be individual circumstances. But there are place managers at each and every one of our hawker centres. So, I do hope that there is communication between the place manager and the hawker who may need some flexibility on the ground to do so.

I believe our principle is to make sure that we allow flexibility where it is needed. But if it is time and again when the things are flouted and it is too much of a repeat ask, then I think it calls into question whether that is a genuine need or whether there are some actions to try and circumvent our rules. So, we have to take things on a case-by-case basis.

But I would say that, in the end, it really is about what we want to see our hawker culture thrive. There are many successful hawkers who have done well and expanded their business outside of hawker centres, but yet they try their very best to run those one or two stalls that they started their business with personally. But there are also those who have successfully branched out to other F&B establishments where there are no restrictions like what we have, and they have chosen to give up their hawker stalls as well.

So, I think to be fair to all players, we have to respect the rules. Our aim is to encourage more small businesses to enter the hawker trade because of our low barrier to entry, but not allow chain players to start to dominate our hawker scene and change the texture and authenticity of our hawker culture.

Last supplementary question. Mr Chia.

Thank you, Speaker for your indulgence. I think the Senior Minister of State answered my first clarification. On my second clarification, where I shared that today, many of the new hawkers are also investing in time on social media marketing, they could be at the central kitchen preparing some of the ingredients, they could be doing deliveries to their customers – and they cannot be physically at the stall. But today, some of the place managers are actively enforcing, based on strict hours, for example, eight hours if they have one stall; four hours, they have two stalls. Will there be flexibility accorded in terms of the actual hours they are physically present? And how will this flexibility be consistent and fair throughout all NEA hawker centres?

Sir, I think this is something that I think we have to look at with some sensitivity. Because as I said in my earlier reply to the Member Jamus Lim, if a hawker's business has grown to a size where they are unable to split the time properly and they have to focus their time more on the businesses outside the hawker centres, then I think it is time for them to really take a hard look and see where their main revenue source is coming from. I think if they have grown to such a scale, they ought to focus on that and they may have to give up that stall in which we are giving them, to some extent, a lower rent and a lower barrier to entry, to someone else who may need the space more.

I know there are members of the public who have seen this particular case that has surfaced on the Internet recently, on social media. I think the Member Mr Chia has engaged this particular hawker before, Mr Noorman Mubarak.

He put up a social media post about his wife who's pregnant and is unable to run the stall personally. But that is a very one-sided story. Actually, NEA has offered his wife to nominate another person to take over the stall while she is undergoing pregnancy. But instead of accepting that as a legitimate option to do so, they decided to put it on social media to try and say that we have been unhelpful.

I would say that for individuals like Mr Mubarak, who's running, I think about 20 stalls outside of the NEA system – he has two to three stalls in NEA hawker centres, but up to I think 21 registered stalls in other F&B establishments.

We are quite happy that hawkers like him have succeeded, but it is understandable that as a business owner he wants to focus on his other business and try not to focus as much attention on the hawker stalls. But that is not something that we would want, because we cannot allow our NEA hawker system to be catering to the interest of such private chain owners. We need to make sure that there are opportunities for others to enter the trade as well.

Let us remember that hawker centres are not just commercial spaces, but they are also community dining spaces with a social role. We have invested in our hawker centres to provide affordable cooked food for Singaporeans, while wanting to enable small food businesses to earn a reasonable living. So, we have deliberately kept the barrier to entry low to allow many hawkers, including like Mr Mubarak himself, to build a successful business and expand to other F&B establishment.

So, we have to maintain fairness, because this is the important role that our hawker centres play. We are happy to see our hawkers succeed, but we must also prevent individuals from gaming the system by profiteering from subletting.

So, if we did not enforce these rules, what would the alternative be? Should we allow stalls to be fully run by hired workers as businesses expand and they cannot run the stalls themselves? If so, hawker centres would become rather indistinguishable from coffee shops and food courts, eroding the authenticity. And over time, our hawker culture will be diluted, shifting from passionate hawkers serving their own dishes to our customers, to businesses just prioritising efficiency and scale over heritage and quality.

We support technology adoption, be it central kitchen, be it marketing technology through social media to improve. But what we want is to make sure that as they do so, they do not compromise and erode the culture that we are trying to protect and grow.

So, while we support technology to improve stall level efficiency, we should not do so at the expense of our hawkers stepping away from running the stalls themselves and letting the workers just take over the day-to-day running and cooking of the food. Because if hawkers wish to extend to a chain model and become bigger, they have the option to move out of the hawker centres and do it at other F&B establishments, where we do not impose the restrictions.

The reality, therefore, is that we need to balance between protecting our heritage, keeping the food affordable and ensuring fair opportunities for new hawkers. So, these are quite difficult to maintain if we do not have rules to manage. It would have been far easier for NEA to let the hawker centres just operate like any other commercial outfits, such as food courts or coffee shops, without any restrictions on subletting or any business model that the operators wish to do. But that would mean losing what makes them really special today.

So, if Singaporeans are prepared to accept hawker food at price points, quality and the business model just like any other coffee shops or food courts, then we could remove these restrictions and let the free market take its course. But for now, we believe these regulations will help ensure that hawker centres remain a place for authentic, accessible and culturally significant food experiences for Singaporeans.

2 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has data on security agencies which incorporate security officers’ allowances into their basic pay following the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM); (b) if so, whether this has resulted in any reduction of total wages for security officers; and (c) what measures are in place to ensure that salary adjustments under PWM result in genuine income growth rather than reclassification of existing wage components.

Sir, we do not have data on security agencies which incorporate allowances into basic wages following the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). However, we observe that gross wages for security officers, which include allowances, have increased since the implementation of PWM for security officers in 2016. From 2016, when we started PWM, to 2023, the median gross wage of Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents working as full-time security officers increased 19.2% cumulatively.

Employers have the prerogative to decide how to structure workers’ overall compensation, provided they comply with PWM requirements. While it is possible for employers to incorporate allowances into the basic wage to offset PWM-mandated wage increases, such practices are unsustainable. PWM requirements increase year on year and there is a limit to how much wage components can be shifted.

Let me explain. In 2016, the PWM wage requirements for a security officer employed by a security agency was $1,300. [Please refer to "Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Manpower", Official Report, 10 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 161, Correction By Written Statement section.] From 1 January 2025, this year, this has increased to $2,870 and by 2028, this would increase to $3,530. So, this translates to PWM raising the salaries of security officers to around 220% more than the wage requirement in 2016.

This means that security officers will likely see that total take-home pay, which includes both basic wages and variable components, such as allowances, increase over the coming years. Security officers who wish to report contractual breaches or employers not adhering to PWM requirements can approach their union or contact the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for assistance.

Mr Gerald Giam.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. Sir, given that security officers earning above $2,600 now a month are no longer covered under Part 4 of the Employment Act, has the Ministry assessed whether security agencies are increasing reliance on overtime instead of hiring additional officers following the PWM implementation and what measures will be taken if excessive overtime becomes the norm?

And related to that, how is MOM ensuring that security officers are not subjected to arbitrarily low overtime pay, now that they rely on employer-determined overtime rates?

Lastly, will the Ministry consider increasing the salary threshold for Part 4 protections so that security officers can retain essential protections under the Act, even as wages rise?

I thank the Member for his question. In fact, it is a good thing actually that our security officers now earn above what is covered in the Employment Act, Part 4, because, ultimately, this means that their wages now are growing beyond the bottom 20% mark.

Technically, if you want to go by strict definitions, they are exceeding past what we used to think as low-wage workers. So, that is good progress from the unions and the tripartite partners in terms of how we have managed to increase the low wages of security officers such that by 2028, they will even get up to $3,500, which is much higher than what many of our low-wage workers earn today. [Please refer to "Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Manpower", Official Report, 10 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 161, Correction By Written Statement section.] So, to a large extent, that shows progress.

However, I take the Member's point. In short, the Minister for Manpower announced during the Committee of Supply debate that we are reviewing the Employment Act as well and that will include things like this, whether the thresholds have to be increased to keep up with the current pace, for example. These are areas we will look at.

But I just want to assure the Member that security officers are not worse off in terms of the maximum number of overtime hours or paid leave entitlements because, ultimately, security officers continue to be licensed by the Singapore Police Force's (SPF's) Police Licensing and Regulatory Department. So, this is a licensed area. Today, the relevant provisions of the Employment Act still apply to them. For example, the licensing conditions provide that the total number of extra hours above the 44-hour work week is kept at a maximum of 72 hours per month. So, this ensures that there is no gaming, hopefully. But if there was any gaming, please surface it to us and we will take them to task with the Police. These are aspects in which there is still protection available because this is a licensed sector.

Nonetheless, having said that, one of the key reasons why we moved towards a gross wage structure for PWM is to make sure that they do not game the system, such that everything is all-in or all-encompassing, and as long as you meet the PWM requirements for gross wage, I think that is sufficient to ensure that there is a minimum amount that security officers can benefit from PWM. [Please refer to "Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Manpower", Official Report, 10 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 161, Correction By Written Statement section.]

3 Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant asked the Minister for Defence (a) in what ways have the various overseas training detachments abroad helped to sharpen the training and warfare skills of the men and women of the Singapore Armed Forces in land-scarce Singapore; and (b) in what ways have these overseas training detachments boosted bilateral defence ties between Singapore and the host country providing the training facilities.

Mr Speaker, the primary purpose of overseas training detachments is to enable the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to train realistically and remain operationally ready. Singapore’s limited land, air and sea space constrains the scale and complexity of military training that the SAF can conduct locally. The Ministry of Defence and the SAF are grateful to our foreign partners and their people who have extended valuable overseas training opportunities to us.

With access to overseas training spaces, the SAF is able to hone its warfighting skills in complex scenarios, realistic conditions and varied terrain. For example, the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Australia, which is the location for Exercise Wallaby, is about five times the size of Singapore. It allows the SAF to exercise the full range of capabilities and cross-service integrated training. Its varied terrain, ranging from beaches to light forests and open fields, allows our commanders to hone their military training and leadership, and our soldiers to polish their execution and capabilities.

Long-term overseas training detachments also offer the added benefit of learning and benchmarking with our foreign counterparts. Our Air Force’s overseas training detachments in the United States (US), for example, do not just provide our F-16 fighter aircraft and Apache attack helicopter pilots and crew access to large airspaces and live-firing ranges to sharpen their skills. They also provide our people valuable opportunities to participate in exercises and competitions to learn from and benchmark against their US counterparts.

In addition to conducting regular exchanges with their professional counterparts, SAF personnel in our overseas training detachments participate actively in local community life and contribute back to the local communities, thus contributing to the strengthening of bilateral ties. For example, the RSAF’s 150 Squadron based in Cazaux Air Base in France joins the French in Bastille Day flypast ceremonies and celebrations. Our personnel also stand ready to render assistance in times of need, just as an example, our CH-47 Chinooks in Queensland had done so last month, in supporting Australia’s flood relief efforts.

We thank our foreign partner countries and their people who have welcomed us warmly into their countries and communities and extended valuable training opportunities to the SAF.

Mr Neil Parekh.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for his response. Could I ask the Senior Minister of State to share the various safety protocols that are upheld when training is done overseas? And to date, how has the safety record for the SAF been in its overseas training exercises in the last few years?

Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Neil Parekh for the supplementary question. To begin with, I want to take this opportunity to also stress this point that, while we seek realistic training in order to hone our warfighting skills, we do so with utmost priority also accorded to the safety of our soldiers across different terrains and different scenarios, both locally as well as overseas.

The SAF trains realistically in challenging terrain and tempo of drills locally and especially in overseas exercises. Safe training can only be achieved with a strong safety culture and robust safety management system which emphasises both leadership accountability as well as personal responsibility of soldiers. To achieve safety outcomes and zero fatalities in these exercises, detailed assessments of risks in each part of each exercise are required, together with concrete plans to avoid injuries. Commanders lead in these measures and the safe conduct of exercises is a key deliverable. Safety standards and protocol procedures are specified for a range of training activities. Soldier training is conducted progressively to ensure that they master the basics before moving on to more demanding tasks and complex situations, and pre-activity safety briefs and drills are also conducted as reminders.

On top of the pre-planning to make sure that we lower any possible risk to the minimum, obviously, in the protocols, there would also be safety provisions on site in the event that, despite the planning, there could be certain injuries, in which case, then the response and the responsiveness will be very key. And in the case of overseas training, then there will be specific link-ups into the systems of our overseas partners, for example, if there is a need to further send the injured NSman to the local hospitals for more specialised treatment, that, too, was all planned in as well in terms of the protocols.

As I have said earlier, we take the safety of every NSmen very, very seriously, locally and certainly overseas as well. In this context, if there ever was going to be any injury or worse, the necessary inquiries would also be opened up in order to inquire into what happened in each case, so that we could then learn from it and put in the necessary measures to the extent possible to prevent recurrences.

On top of that, and as I have shared each year, for several years at the Ministry of Defence’s Committee of Supply debates, we also have external expert panels to help evaluate our protocols and so on to ensure that we remain robust in safeguarding the safety of our NSmen, even as we train robustly to ensure mission success.

4 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of the current talent shortage in Singapore's financial sector (a) how does the Ministry ensure that efforts to attract foreign talent are balanced with the development and progression of the local workforce in the financial sector; (b) what measures are in place to maintain such balance in this sector; and (c) how does the Ministry monitor their effectiveness.

Sir, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is committed to developing our financial sector’s local workforce while being open to complementary foreign manpower. Working closely with industry, we invest heavily in building skills and capabilities in our local workforce to enable our locals to take up good jobs in our financial sector. As a leading regional and global financial centre, Singapore must continue to attract high-quality talent, both locally and from abroad, in order to stay competitive.

This balanced approach has been key to Singapore’s success as a global financial centre. We are now a leading financial centre in Asia and the third most competitive globally. We are home to over 2,500 licensed financial institutions and employ close to over 200,000 people. Over 80% of our financial sector workforce is local and the sector offers the highest median gross incomes amongst employed locals. Over 2018 to 2023, the financial sector workforce grew by more than 25,000, of which more than nine out of 10 of the net jobs created went to locals.

To help locals acquire skills and capabilities to take on the good jobs in our financial sector, MAS has committed $400 million from 2021 to 2025 to support the training of local finance professionals at each stage of their careers.

At pre-entry and entry levels, MAS provides funding for internships, apprenticeships and job rotation programmes to equip our polytechnic and university students and fresh graduates with the skills to take on the jobs that we have created in the financial sector. At the mid-career level, MAS provides opportunities for finance professionals to both upskill and reskill. We work with training providers to develop relevant courses, subsidise these course fees and develop career conversion programmes with financial institutions for our mid-careers. At the senior-level, MAS supports the development of senior leaders through overseas postings, leadership programmes and by building leadership networks.

Financial institutions also recognise the importance of growing and developing local talent to meet their manpower needs. For instance, in 2024, I had the opportunity to work with OCBC to launch “OCBC Ignite”, an accelerated career programme that comprises an internship and apprenticeship on full-time employment with the bank. OCBC Ignite aims to benefit 500 polytechnic students and graduates over three years. UBS also partnered the Government to develop the UBS-SUPER programme in 2020 and has trained over 400 fresh graduates and mid-career professionals. UBS has also doubled the number of Singaporeans sent on overseas postings, compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Minister of State, would you like to round up your answer?

Yes, Sir, rounding up.

Sir, to balance the need to develop the local workforce with the importance of attracting high-quality global talent, MAS closely monitors the overall workforce profile of our financial sector as well as the workforce composition of key financial institutions. We regularly engage senior management of key financial institutions on their workforce needs and composition and on how we can work with them to develop local talent.

The Ministry of Manpower's (MOM’s) Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) applications encourage firms to support local employment by awarding points based on locals’ share of professional, manager, executive and technician (PMET) roles in the firm. COMPASS also recognises and gives additional weight to global talent who bring in skills in shortage, while the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass (ONE Pass) attracts and anchors top global talent from around the world.

Finally, Mr Speaker, we will continue to strike a delicate balance, ensuring our financial institutions have access to high-quality foreign talent, while steadfastly developing our local talent pipeline. By maintaining this balance, we will attract more investments and provide good jobs, career choices and progression opportunities for our locals.

Order. End of Question Time. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the day.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]

[(proc text) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [7th Allotted Day]. (proc text)]

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

[(proc text) Head I (cont) – (proc text)]

[(proc text) Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [7 March 2025], (proc text)]

[(proc text) "That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100." – [Mr Melvin Yong]. (proc text)]

[(proc text) Question again proposed. (proc text)]

Chair, at the heart of the Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF's) work is our firm conviction that strong families are the bedrock of our society. We strive to make Singapore the best place for all families to grow and flourish.

Today, I will share four areas where MSF supports families. Firstly, how we are giving every child a good start in life. Second, how we are journeying with families through every stage of life. Third, how we are uplifting families with caregiving needs. And fourth, how we are fostering a family-friendly Singapore.

Today, around nine in 10 Singaporean children aged three to six are enrolled in preschools. We have enhanced access to affordable and quality preschools, by ramping up the number of preschool places available.

In 2015, we had around 120,000 full-day preschool places. We worked hard to increase this number and today, we have around 220,000 full-day preschool places, enough to accommodate every resident child aged three and above. In particular, we increased the number of Government-supported preschool places. During the 2019 National Day Rally, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced our commitment to provide places for 80% of preschoolers in a Government-supported preschool. I am glad to share that by the end of 2025, we will meet this commitment. That is, we are on target and we will be able to provide places for 80% of preschoolers in a Government-supported preschool.

It gives me great satisfaction to say this, because together with fellow women Members of Parliament (MPs), like Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Miss Cheryl Chan, Ms Joan Pereira, together, we had put up a proposal in 2019 then, to the Government to increase the number of Government-supported preschool places and to lower costs. So, the Government has been working hard over the years, and I am glad to share that now, in my position as the Minister of State at MSF, we have managed to see these proposals through. And now, 80% of our preschool children can go to Government-supported preschools.

The Government will not stop at this achievement. From 2025 to 2029, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will work with Anchor Operators (AOP) to add almost 40,000 full-day preschool places, of which about 6,000 will cater to infants.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about the affordability of preschool services. The Government provides all Singaporean children with basic subsidies of up to $300 each for full-day childcare. There are also additional financial subsidies for eligible families.

In 2020, we raised the household income ceiling so that more families can qualify for means-tested additional subsidies. We also enhanced subsidy amounts across all eligible income tiers. Eligible families can now receive means-tested additional subsidies, which range from $80 to $467 for full-day childcare. At the same time, we have been steadily reducing full-day childcare fee caps for AOP and Partner Operators (POP), with a reduction of $40 for monthly fees in 2023, another reduction of $40 at the start of this year in 2025 and an additional $30 reduction in 2026. What this means is that, in 2026, full-day childcare fees will be $610 for AOP and $650 for POP. Compare this to $720 for AOP in 2021 and $760 for POP in 2021.

With these fee reductions, we will meet another commitment that this Government made in 2019. That is, that full-day childcare expenses before means-tested subsidies will be similar to what households pay for primary school and after-school care fees combined. In 2026, a dual income family with monthly income of $10,000 will pay $235 per month for full-day childcare in an AOP preschool after subsidies, half of what they would have paid in 2019.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Melvin Yong asked about further quality improvements in our preschools. With effect from 2025, the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) 2.0 supports preschools to further improve their quality and be appraised against higher standards. The new Quality Teaching Tool will also be rolled out in 2025 to guide and hone educators' pedagogical skills.

Attracting and retaining good educators is a priority for us. ECDA engaged with preschool teachers, centre leaders and operators, and this led to initiatives to improve retention, such as Saturday closure, designating Teachers' Day and Children's Day as preschool holidays and designating six development days for educators. We have also embarked on an educator-centric review of their teaching experiences. Deepening our understanding of their motivations and challenges will help us do even more to enhance the attraction, retention and experiences of early childhood educators.

We will continually review our programmes and initiatives, and work with the sector so that our children can benefit from high-quality early childhood care and education; and parents are assured of high teaching standards; and our educators are motivated and equipped to do well.

We have also strengthened support for children with developmental needs by increasing the number of Government-funded places for children requiring medium- to high-levels of early intervention support by almost 80% since 2020. The Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC)-Care pilot, introduced in 2024, also equips caregivers with skills to support their child's development at home.

Second, we are doing more to journey with families. The Families for Life (FFL) Movement, led by the FFL Council, brings together partners and volunteers to promote a family-friendly society. Couples preparing for marriage, or already-married couples can participate in FFL's marriage preparation and enrichment programmes.

We agree with Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim that educators and parents play an important role in building a family-friendly Singapore. Nurturing a positive parent-preschool partnership is a key focus area in ECDA's refreshed "Shape Our Tomorrow" campaign. Under FFL@Community, families can conveniently access programmes and peer support groups to equip them with the skills and confidence to care for their children. The Parenting for Wellness toolbox provides resources on how to deepen parent-child relationships. We will expand FFL@Community to all towns nationwide by end-2025.

Many corporates have stepped forward to partner the FFL Council in supporting families. Some have organised FFL parenting talks; others have arranged family days for staff. Many employers also support their employees with caregiving needs by adopting flexible work arrangements (FWAs). We hope more employers can join us to foster a family-friendly workplace culture.

Last year's Family trends report showed greater marriage stability in recent cohorts, with falling rates of marriage dissolution before the 10th anniversary. In a 2023 MSF survey on families, 86% of families reported moderate to high family resilience scores, meaning that they were generally able to recover from challenges together, and the majority of respondents also reported having close-knit families.

Mr Gerald Giam had asked about support for caregivers. We appreciate our caregivers for the pivotal roles that they play in the care for their loved ones, the sacrifices they make, and we want to support them in their care for their families.

As the Prime Minister mentioned in his Budget round-up speech, it is difficult to put a monetary value on the love and care that caregivers provide for their loved ones, and we also should not think of family relationships in terms of monetary value. It would be a sad day for family relationships if we need to be paid so that we will be willing to take care of our aged parents, our children or grandparents taking care of their grandchildren.

But that said, to support caregivers, the Government provides help to defray the cost of taking care of the loved ones in the family. So, this comes through the form of the enhanced Home Caregiving Grant, which the Government has been increasing. It has been increased for the second time in two years.

To recap, the Home Caregiving Grant was introduced in 2019 to improve affordability for long-term care and to support caregivers. I know this because I spoke to caregivers during the Conversations on Singapore Women's Development in 2020. I spoke to caregivers and asked how we can support them. So, we listened. We enhanced the Home Caregiving Grant in 2023. We doubled the amount from $200 to up to $400 a month in 2023; and in this Budget, the Home Caregiving Grant will be further increased to up to $600 a month, from April 2026.

So, we have been listening to caregivers and we want to support them when they care for their loved ones. This approach, through the Home Caregiving Grant, also takes into account the fact that caregiving arrangements can vary from family to family.

Besides the Home Caregiving Grant, the Government also multiplies the support that families provide to their caregivers. The Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS) and the newly announced five-year Matched MediSave Scheme enables families and loved ones to contribute to the retirement and healthcare needs of lower-income seniors, including caregivers. Help for caregivers also come in the form of the Caregivers Training Grant to attend approved courses. Partners, such as CaringSG, also empower caregivers through initiatives which bring peer- and community-based supports closer to home.

For caregivers of children, apart from the decade-long push for more accessible, more affordable and quality preschools which I had touched on earlier, we have also announced a new pilot to help parents with infants.

Parents with infants can tap on infant care centres or the three-year childminding pilot which was launched last December. This month, we launched childminding services from Tampines East Community Club, with services from Nee Soon East Community Club expected to start later this year.

Assoc Prof Razwana asked about support for fathers. We have doubled the Government-Paid Paternity Leave scheme and enhanced employment protection for fathers on paternity leave. FFL also partners the Centre for Fathering to promote active fathering through programmes and peer support groups. The upcoming Shared Parental Leave scheme will allow eligible parents to receive an additional six weeks of paid parental leave to be shared between both parents from 1 April 2025 and this will be increased to 10 weeks in 2026.

Children come from a diverse range of family backgrounds, such as single-parent families. Mr Louis Ng has been advocating for single unwed mothers for several years now. Benefits supporting the growth and development of children are given to all families, regardless of the parents' marital status.

The cash component of the Baby Bonus is given to married couples to support them as they start a new family together and that is why it is called a "Baby Bonus Cash Gift". For single unwed mothers facing financial difficulties, support comes through other forms, such as through KidSTART, ComLink+ and also access to rental housing, if that is what they are applying for. And for couples and families facing stressors in their marital or family relationships, they can tap on the Strengthening Families Programme at Family Service Centres (FAM@FSC), for support services.

Families in need of financial assistance may also approach Social Service Offices or Family Service Centres for holistic case management. We are doing more to support parents with the costs of child-raising. We empathise with couples who want more children but are concerned about child-raising costs. Through the Large Families Scheme, we will further defray costs for families with three or more children.

All parents are also supported through the Child Development Account (CDA), where parents receive the First Step Grant and Government co-matching for deposits. CDA funds can be used at Baby Bonus Approved Institutions for specific expenses that directly benefit the child, such as preschool uniforms and field trips organised by preschools.

We had sought feedback from parents on the CDA's approved uses to ensure it remains useful for them. Most parents feel that the existing coverage is sufficient, but some were keen on using the CDA for other preschool incidental costs which are currently not included, such as enrichment classes. Some families said that they tended to opt out of such optional programmes as they could not afford it and they were unable to tap on the CDA for such activities.

We will thus be expanding the use of the CDA scheme to better meet families' needs. From May 2025, parents can use the CDA for all incidental costs at approved preschools registered under the CDA scheme. This would cover enrichment programmes provided by the preschools, such as speech, drama, robotics and coding classes.

So, for many, the expansion of the CDA uses will provide more financial support for their preschoolers to fully tap on the learning opportunities offered by their preschools. Depending on the child's birth order, families who save up to the co-matching cap will be able to tap on Government funding of between $9,000 and $20,000 in their children's CDA.

I would now like to touch on parents with children with special needs or persons with disabilities. In my work at the Ministry of Education (MOE), I have met several parents who have children with special needs, and even in my work at MSF, I have met with parents who have young children with special needs.

Often times, they share their deepest worry, which is who is there to take care of their child after they are gone? Most parents worry about their children as they grow older, the children grow up. But for parents with children with special needs, that worry is even more acute because they worry about how their child will be able to live independently after they are gone.

So, this time round, the Government will be embarking on two initiatives to help parents with children with special needs. As the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had announced, the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme will be expanded to persons with disabilities of all ages to help them build up sufficient retirement savings. The Government will match every dollar of Central Provident Fund (CPF) top-ups received by eligible persons with disabilities, up to an annual cap of $2,000 and a lifetime limit of $20,000. This increases their retirement savings and monthly payouts.

Let me give you an example. If a parent of a seven-year-old child diagnosed with autism makes a cash top-up of $2,000 annually for 10 years, their child will see an increase in CPF retirement savings of at least $320,000 when he is 65 years old. This will allow the child to receive an increase of $1,700 in monthly payouts. MSF will also enable more families of persons with disabilities to plan early for the financial security of their loved ones.

The Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) works with parents of children with disabilities to prepare a detailed care plan that sets out how their children will be cared for after they have passed on. As the Prime Minister announced in the Budget speech, we will provide a matching grant of up to $10,000 for top-ups by eligible caregivers to SNTC trust accounts. The developed care plan will determine how much money is needed for their child and how that sum can be built up in the trust account, such as through cash, property, CPF savings and insurance payouts. After the caregivers pass on, SNTC will disburse the monies in the Trust account according to the care plan. MSF will subsidise SNTC's fees for Trust services to keep this affordable for caregivers.

Let me come back to the example I shared earlier. So, for a family with a seven-year-old child diagnosed with autism, if the parents top up the SNTC trust account with $10,000, the Government will match this, bringing the total amount in the trust account up to $20,000. They can then use this sum to defray the insurance premium for a term plan of at least $100,000, in a sum assured in their name, and this builds up financial security for the child, as the sum assured will go into the trust account when the caregiver passes on.

We hope that parents of persons with disabilities will feel more reassured that their child will be supported, even though they may no longer be around to do so themselves. My colleague, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, will share more about MSF's other moves to build an inclusive society.

Lastly, beyond enhanced financial and caregiving support, we are celebrating families as a nation. Designating 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families underscored the importance of our families, and National Family Week has also grown into the National Family Festival, which attracted more than 700,000 participants in 2024.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about our plans to foster a family-friendly Singapore, and one way we have done so is by expanding family-oriented spaces. In 2022, we unveiled Family Zone at Gardens by the Bay for all families to enjoy quality time together and celebrate key life milestones. This represents MSF's commitment, alongside our partners, to create shared spaces for families.

This year, with the strong support from MSF's partners, we will be introducing new features to the Family Zone. Our children can learn shared family values through play at the new family playground. Children of different abilities can also come together and enjoy the inclusive play equipment.

We will also launch the enhanced community garden, which can host visits and workshops for families. This garden will be tended to by volunteers, many of whom are seniors. Family Zone was made possible through our collaboration with partners from the people and private sector, namely, Gardens by the Bay, PropNex and the Community Chest (ComChest). We invite more corporate partners to come on board to offer meaningful experiences for families. Chairperson, if I may speak in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Government has been working hard through various policies and measures to help every Singaporean family grow.

We know that young parents in Singapore are very concerned about the cost of raising a child. Therefore, we have been committed to providing more quality and affordable preschool centres. In 2019, we provided Government-supported preschool places for 50% of preschoolers, and by the end of 2025, we will be able to provide Government-supported preschool places for 80% of preschoolers, fulfilling our promise made at the National Day Rally 2019. We will continue our efforts, adding almost 40,000 more full-day preschool places from 2025 to 2029, including around 6,000 infant care places.

We have also been reducing full-day childcare fee caps for anchor operators and partner operators. In 2023, monthly fee caps were reduced by $40, with another $40 reduction in early 2025, and a further $30 reduction in 2026. Through these fee cap reduction measures, we will keep full-day childcare expenses affordable, comparable to primary school fees plus after-school care fees.

To ensure families can afford preschool care and education and to help families in need, we will expand the use of CDA to allow parents to use their CDA to pay for preschool incidental fees at all preschools registered under the CDA scheme.

For families that have children with special needs, we also have a series of support measures. For example, we introduced the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, where parents can top-up money into the CPF account of their child with special needs, and the Government will match every dollar deposited, up to a lifetime cap of $20,000. Additionally, we have the Special Needs Trust Company scheme, where parents can top-up funds to the Special Needs Trust Company account of their special needs child, and the Government will provide a matching grant of up to $10,000. If the parents and caregivers are no longer around, SNTC will care for these special needs children according to the care plan.

(In English): Mr Chairman, this SG60, as we look back at how far we have come, I hope that we are also excited of the road ahead. Together, we can do even more to create a Singapore where every child has a good start in life and where every family has the opportunity to thrive and to flourish. [Applause.]

Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua.

Chair, this year, Singapore turns 60. As we look ahead, it is important to consider what society we want to be. A lasting goal for Singapore is to remain a place of opportunities and hope.

Many Singaporeans want Singapore to continue to be a place where all families thrive, including lower-income and vulnerable families, and those with family members with disabilities. MSF is committed to supporting these families and today, I will share the progress we have made and our way forward.

We remain committed to journeying with lower-income families towards stability, self-reliance and social mobility. We started with providing a strong safety net to support those who need help with basic needs. This is the philosophy behind ComCare financial assistance. While families are our first line of support, some may require additional help from the Government and the community.

Over the years, we have enhanced ComCare to reflect the evolving cost and definition of basic needs. Recently, studies from the Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that Singapore residents view social activities and the ability to manage minor exigencies as basic needs that the Government and community could share responsibility in providing.

That is why, as Prime Minister Wong mentioned in his Budget speech, we will now enhance our social safety net by increasing ComCare Short- to-Medium Term Assistance and Long Term Assistance cash rates to support these needs, alongside our regular review of the ComCare quantum.

To Ms Ng Ling Ling's query, ComCare caters for a range of food options so that families can buy food items they prefer without compromising on nutrition. This ensures they need not cut back on food expenditure at the expense of their health. With ComCare support, families can stabilise their footing and can better pursue longer-term goals of self-reliance and social mobility.

However, social assistance alone addresses immediate needs but may not tackle the underlying causes of challenges or provide longer-term solutions. Moreover, those in need may not have the time or capacity to reach out for support. This is where ComLink+ comes in.

Under ComLink+, we go beyond assistance, to empower families to achieve their goals. We proactively reach out to lower-income families and address their needs early. Family coaches journey with them by co-creating action plans tailored to their strengths, needs and goals. Through the ComLink+ Progress Packages, we boost their efforts, providing financial top-ups to those that take action in preschool enrolment and attendance, employment, debt clearance and home ownership.

I thank Mr Melvin Yong, Mr Fahmi Aliman, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Xie Yao Quan for their interest in ComLink+'s progress, including the roll-out of Progress Packages and family coach recruitment. ComLink+ is now supporting around 10,000 families living in public rental housing. It has also been expanded to lower-income families not in public rental housing, but are eligible for the KidSTART programme or have school-going children at risk of long-term absenteeism.

The ComLink+ Progress Packages for Preschool and Employment were launched in August and December 2024 respectively. Close to 1,600 families have been emplaced on either or both of these packages. The ComLink+ Packages for Debt Clearance and Home Ownership will be launched in the coming months. To power ComLink+, we need a strong team of committed and professional officers. We now have 260 family coaches and are on track to reach our target of 300 by mid-2025. Each family coach works with 25 to 35 families.

Let me share an example of how ComLink+ is progressively making a difference. Mr Riyaz, his wife and their four-year-old daughter, Inayah, live in a 2-room rental flat. A full-time cook, Mr Riyaz is the sole breadwinner while his wife cares for their daughter. Their family coach, Ms Hazriah, built on their aspirations and strengths and marshalled resources to support them. Tapping on the couple's focus on Inayah's education, she emplaced them on the ComLink+ Package for Preschool to incentivise good attendance. She also collaborated with KidSTART in providing and supporting Inayah's child development needs. Mr Riyaz and his wife also hope to find well-paying employment to provide a better life for Inayah. Recognising this, Ms Hazriah emplaced him on the ComLink+ Package for Employment and referred his wife to basic English courses to improve her employment prospects.

This is but only one example of how ComLink+ recognises families' strengths, efforts and aspirations and empowers them towards their goals.

But we will not stop there. Mr Fahmi Aliman and Mr Melvin Yong will be pleased to know that we will be further integrating services across Government to deliver even more comprehensive, coordinated and convenient support to uplift lower-income families under ComLink+.

First, we are weaving health and social support together. Being healthy allows us to live, work and pursue our aspirations. But families trying to make ends meet may find it hard to keep track of medical appointments or need help identifying relevant healthcare services. To this end, we are trialling a new model of support to address the health needs of ComLink+ families later this year.

Family coaches will support families in adopting healthier lifestyles through healthier diet, exercise and regular health screenings, among other measures. Dedicated staff from healthcare clusters will help families access services that they need. And for families with complex health conditions, family coaches and healthcare staff will help develop and implement health action plans that prioritise their needs, steps to take and healthcare services to access. Through this, we hope to improve families' overall health, such that they can better pursue their other life goals. We will use insights from the trial to support more families in due course.

Second, on housing. Many ComLink+ families in public rental housing aspire to own a home and we are enhancing our support to enable their aspirations in two ways. First, we are partnering the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to provide ComLink+ families with home ownership planning and guidance. As Minister of State Faishal Ibrahim shared, from entry to public rental housing, HDB officers support ComLink+ families in working out the income and savings they need for homeownership. Family coaches will journey with them towards these goals and when they are ready to purchase a flat, HDB will help them navigate the process.

Second, we are opening more pathways homeownership through enhancing the Fresh Start Housing Scheme. As Minister of State Faishal has shared, eligible first-time ComLink+ families in public rental housing will be able to buy shorter-lease flats alongside Second-Timer families. The Fresh Start Housing Grant for eligible second-timers will also be increased from $50,000 to $75,000. With this, more families can realise their homeownership aspirations.

Chair, we have significantly pivoted our support for lower-income families, moving from assistance to empowerment. We will continue to invest our efforts in this area so that families in need can achieve stability, self-reliance and social mobility.

Let me now turn to vulnerable families facing socio-emotional challenges. Singapore's society is evolving. Families are getting smaller. More are staying single. Familial support networks may shrink and weaken over time. With our ageing population, we will see an increase of senior households, social isolation and caregiving stress. The proportion of dual-income families has also grown and more face challenges balancing family commitments and career demands.

Domestic violence continues to be an issue faced by some families. We have already seen an increase in the volume and complexity of family service cases social service professionals deal with. This trend will likely continue. To prepare well for the future, we must grab the bull by its horns, tackle the challenges early and head-on. But to be sure, it is not all doom and gloom.

First, the social service sector is in a position of strength, having grown in professionalism and recognition over the years. Second, Mr Louis Ng would be happy to know that we are stepping up efforts to manage the heavy demands placed on social service professionals today. Imposing a strict cap on caseloads would be unnecessarily rigid, as the sector needs flexibility in manpower deployment to adapt effectively to operational needs on the ground. We are focusing on other areas and ways to manage the demand, by expanding the sector workforce and enhancing operational efficiency through technology. For instance, robotic process automation reduces the administrative burden on Child Protection Officers.

Third, as mentioned in an op-ed in Lianhe Zaobao, the challenges we face present an opportunity to strengthen and establish a uniquely Singaporean model of family services. Underpinning all that we do is our desire to better serve families that we work with. That is why we are working with social service agencies to strengthen the family services sector.

In June 2024, MSF convened the Family Services Review Committee. Prof Tan Tai Yong, President of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), and I co-chair the Committee to consider ways in which we can deliver services in a more holistic and family-centric manner.

Indeed, Assoc Prof Razwana Begum, Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Fahmi Aliman will be happy to know that one issue the Committee is considering is how we can provide care that meets the complex needs of families. This ensures that families are served in a comprehensive, coordinated and convenient way, instead of being "bounced around" multiple services.

Fifty representatives from 28 social service agencies and associations are involved across the Committee and Working Groups. Over 200 social service professionals shared their views over multiple engagement sessions, and I personally visited each social service agency and heard from many other stakeholders and partners as well. To be sure, there are many perspectives on how to strengthen the sector. At this juncture, we are keeping an open mind and considering all options and ideas that have been surfaced to us.

We are committed to this consultative approach of co-creation. We thank all who have shared their views, and we will continue to listen to you. This is a multi-year, iterative process, where we build upon each other's ideas, so that the solutions that we land on are ultimately robust and sustainable.

Our laser focus on better serving our families remains at the heart of what we do. So, let us work together, take this sector to the next level, so that we can continue to be that bright beacon of hope, that wind beneath the wings of our families that keeps them safe from the vagaries of life.

I will now share our progress and upcoming efforts to support PwDs and their families. We are committed to enabling PwDs to work and live in the community. I thank Mr Baey Yam Keng and Ms Denise Phua for their questions on the EMP2030 and synergy between MSF and our partners. Our fourth Enabling Masterplan, EMP2030, envisions Singapore in 2030 as a place that includes and empowers persons with disabilities to achieve their aspirations.

To ensure we are on the right track, Mr Ong Hua Han can be assured that we regularly conduct surveys on the well-being and experiences of PwDs, including in the workplace, through the Disability and Inclusion Panel Study (DIPS) and Public Attitudes Study. These inform our EMP2030 strategies, raise public awareness and promote inclusivity.

Under EMP2030, we want to blunt the post-18 cliff effect that PwDs and their family members face. Therefore, we commit to making progress in two main areas. First, strengthening support for PwDs to pursue employment and lifelong learning. Second, empowering PwDs to live independently in the community.

First, on employment. Employment is not just about a monthly paycheck. It is also a source of social connection, dignity and it is what many PwDs aspire to, as they apply their skills meaningfully through work. The employment rate of PwDs aged between 15 and 64 has increased, from 28.2% in 2019 to 2020, to 33.6% in 2023 to 2024, and we will continue to push towards our goal of 40% by 2030.

Our employment strategy starts upstream, to strengthen work-readiness of students transitioning from school to work. We thank Ms Denise Phua and Mr Ong Hua Han for their queries in this area. I am pleased to share that the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and SG Enable's internship and employment support programme will be enhanced to provide further employment support to more students with disabilities. This includes pre-employment training, career exploration and post-graduation job placement with up to one year of on-site support.

For those needing more time to prepare for work after graduation from special education (SPED) schools, we will progressively expand the School-to-Work (S2W) and job support in key sectors that already have or the potential to employ PwDs. Beyond the transition, from school, we are also doing more to support persons with disabilities towards meaningful employment.

At the sectoral level, we are taking a targeted approach to curate job opportunities in six key sectors that either already traditionally hire or can offer suitable jobs to PwDs. And these include F&B, retail trade, health and social services, amongst others. Within these sectors, SG Enable will identify and develop inclusive hiring champions among Enabling Mark-accredited companies and SkillsFuture "Queen Bee" companies to engage and inspire others to hire inclusively.

In 2023, we launched the Enabling Business Hub (EBH) at Jurong which is a showcase of inclusive employment in an industry-specific setting, in this case, logistics. Ms Denise Phua will be happy to note that the EBH provides a longer and more intensive job support for those who need it.

At the firm level, we want to ensure that employers and workplaces are inclusive, too. Miss Rachel Ong, Ms Denise Phua and Mr Ong Hua Han asked about this, and we do so by providing support through multiple approaches, legal protections, wage offsets, workplace modifications, capability building and recognition frameworks.

First, in the legal domain, we have strengthened protections for persons with disabilities through the Workplace Fairness Bill that was passed in this House a few months ago.

Ms Carrie Tan will also be pleased to know that the tripartite partners are developing a Tripartite Advisory on Reasonable Accommodations to raise awareness and guide employers in adjusting jobs or work environments to better support PwDs.

Second the Government provides wage offsets to firms that hire PwDs. As shared at MOM's Committee of Supply debate, the Enabling Employment Credit will be extended till end-2028 to support the employment of PwDs.

Third, employers who are keen to hire PwDs may need to purchase equipment or modify the workplace or job scope. We encourage this and provide the Job Redesign Grant to defray the costs of these modifications.

Fourth, to foster an inclusive workplace culture, it is important to build confidence and skills to interact with, integrate and include PwDs at the workplace. Training grants and workshops are available to organisations.

Fifth, we recognise and benchmark firms for their best practices and outcomes in disability-inclusive employment via the Enabling Mark Accreditation framework.

Lastly, those unable to work are also not left behind. Instead, we enhance their opportunities for lifelong learning.

Today, such PwDs are engaged by multiple services, such as Day Activity Centres and Sheltered Workshops. These programmes can be organised more conveniently and provide opportunities to build up skills for independence.

Therefore, the new Enabling Skills for Life Programme Proof-of-Concept will be launched from 2025 to 2028, to support PwDs in lifelong learning. With the Enabling Skills for Life Programme, PwDs will be better served with a single service catering to their evolving learning needs and they will benefit from a curriculum focused on independent living, communication and language, and social-emotional skills, without needing to move between multiple services.

Our second key thrust of support is to empower PwDs to live and participate in the community. Allow me to share Ms Ann's story.

Ann is a former client of TOUCH Ubi Hostel. After leaving the hostel, she continued participating in TOUCH's outreach programmes but was only able to do so infrequently due to a long commute. Since October last year, the new Enabling Services Hub (ESH) @ Jurong has brought opportunities closer to where she lives. I recently met Ann at Taman Jurong CC. Like my son, Ann loves collecting Pokémon cards. So, I promptly suggested catching up over a happy meal. From our conversation, I learnt that Ann works part-time at Subway, takes part in continual education and learning courses and makes friends by volunteering at ESH@Jurong's events. Staying in a job and being in touch with the community have bolstered Ann's her self-confidence, empowering her to lead an independent and fulfilling life. We want to support PwDs like Ms Ann to live independently in our community. This is an area that Ms Denise Phua is interested in.

Today, most PwDs live with their families and would like to continue doing so. However, many have ageing caregivers who may soon be unable to care for them. Without other options, they may end up institutionalised.

To plug this gap, we will launch the Home Support Programme in 2026, to support PwDs with low to moderate needs to live at home as long as possible. For example, a person with physical disabilities may live with a caregiver who is frail and unable to provide support with daily living. This family could tap on the Home Support Programme's visiting services, such as monitoring and coaching for independent living and social skills.

Other PwDs are not able to live with their families and may need additional support for their residential arrangements. For instance, a PwD who is earning a lower income and whose aged caregivers have passed may be concerned about long-term living arrangements.

For them, we will pilot the Enabled Living Programme in the second half of this year to help them continue living in the community. Under the Enabled Living Programme, such lower-income clients will live in designated public rental flats, and receive support, such as basic supervision, referrals to financial assistance, and coaching on living and social skills.

Beyond new community living models, we will strengthen enablers for independent living, starting with assistive technology.

Today, PwDs go to touchpoints, such as at public hospitals and social service agencies, for an assistive technology assessment. This can be time-consuming or inconvenient. From 2026 onwards, PwDs can enjoy shorter waiting times for an appointment with the launch of two new assessment centres supported by SG Enable. These centres will be key touchpoints allowing PwDs to undergo assessment for straightforward assistive technology needs and to gather more assistive technology information and resources, while Tech Able, jointly managed by SG Enable and SPD, continue to play a central role supporting PwDs for specialised assistive technology needs.

Another key enabler is providing convenient services and opportunities for PwDs to participate in local communities. To that end, we have begun operations at two more Enabling Services Hubs (ESHs) in Jurong, as previously mentioned, and Punggol. ESHs provide a regional touchpoint for PwDs and caregivers, providing crucial information and referral services.

Ms Carrie Tan asked how we are facilitating the integration of PwDs in the community. ESHs provide opportunities for PwDs and the community to come together through activities, such as sports, gardening or volunteering. With two new ESHs, there are now more opportunities for interaction between PwDs and wider society, which is key to enabling them to participate in the community.

Lastly, as Prime Minister Wong announced, we will increase subsidies for adult disability services and extend them to more households with effect from next year.

Mr Ong Hua Han will be glad that we are raising the maximum qualifying per capita household income for those services and the Assistive Technology Fund to $4,800, from next year. This helps defray the cost of services and devices for PwDs and their families. Sir, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, Singapore is our motherland and home, and many Singaporeans hope that Singapore becomes a more loving, inclusive and beautiful home, full of opportunities where all families can thrive, regardless of the challenges they face.

For lower-income families, we are not only increasing our assistance through enhancements to ComCare, but also empowering families through ComLink+ to help these families to achieve independence and a stable life, breaking the vicious cycle of poverty. In our latest slate of enhancements to ComLink+, we are integrating services across the health and housing landscapes to enable families to access support in these two areas more easily.

For PwDs, we are making strides to increase their employment opportunities after school and lifelong learning channels. Our employment strategy will focus on six key areas and support businesses through various means, including legal protections, wage offsets, workplace modifications, capability building and recognition frameworks.

At the same time, we have launched a series of pilot programmes, such as the Enabled Living Programme, Home Support Programme and Enabling Skills for Life Programme to provide PwDs with more choices and support, helping them fulfil their aspirations to live independently in the community for the long term.

(In English): Chair, allow me to conclude by observing that many societies around the world today are becoming more and more divided. This occurs because those facing difficulties feel that society works against and not for them, and their efforts do not result in progress. And this is exactly why MSF strives to make Singapore a place where all families thrive, regardless of their challenges.

But to be sure, we cannot do this alone. All of us have a part to play, whether by volunteering to support lower-income families or being inclusive towards the PwDs that we see in our communities.

By extending a helping hand, we enrich our lives but, at the same time, we also strengthen our community. We create a society of opportunities and hope, where all are empowered to realise their aspirations. We become the Singapore we want to be.

Minister Masagos.

Chairman, I thank Members for their views. Singapore's Diamond Jubilee is an occasion to renew our commitment to our social compact.

In MSF, we remain dedicated to nurturing and building lives together. Minister of State Sun has spoken on our efforts to build strong families and provide every child a good start; and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua has spoken on our efforts to empower lower-income households and PwDs.

Today, I would like to summarise with three key messages. First, how far we have come and the core principles that undergird MSF's work. Second, what lies ahead for us, and our vision for the social service sector and our society. And third, the important role our social service professionals play.

Over the recent years, we have made significant strides in nurturing strong families, resilient individuals and a caring society. These efforts have been undergirded by three core principles: family-centricity, strengths-based approach to uplift the family and proactive, upstream engagement and intervention. Let me elaborate.

First, our policies are family-centred. Our families are the bedrock of our society. It is within families that our values and character are shaped and where we find joy as well as support in times of trouble. A strong family is, therefore, able to nurture children to fulfil their potential and contribute meaningfully to society. Collectively, we build a strong society. That is why our policies emphasise the role of the family in the life of the individual and are aimed at building strong and resilient families.

Second, we adopt a strengths-based perspective in our work with families. Each family possesses unique strengths. Families have the strengths and resilience needed to overcome challenges. The role of the community and the Government is to journey along with them, guiding them to harness their strengths in a meaningful manner. Under ComLink+, for example, a dedicated family coach partners the family, helping them to stay focused on their goals and work towards lasting change.

Third, we are proactive in our outreach. We begin early by laying good foundations for the family. Where issues start to arise, we aim to address them upstream to prevent issues from getting worse. Downstream, problems can escalate and are often more complex to resolve. KidSTART is a good example of how we equip families as early as the point of pregnancy. We equip parents with an understanding of maternal health and parenting strategies, so that they are more empowered in bringing up their children well.

But the Government cannot do this alone. To amplify the impact, a whole-of-society approach is necessary. We weave together a network of support by fostering collaboration between different partners. This includes our social service agencies and professionals, academics and corporates. The expertise and strength of this network enhances the support provided to families. The Families for Life @ Community initiative is one such example. It brings together partners such as social service agencies, religious organisations and community groups to foster a family-friendly environment in each town. This allows families to enjoy family-bonding activities and marriage, and parenting courses and programmes close to their home.

The principles of family-centricity, strengths-based and proactiveness have laid a strong foundation in recent years and delivered good outcomes for our families, and we will remain guided by these principles.

Next, I would like to talk about what lies ahead. The challenges in the years ahead have been discussed extensively in this House. We will face demographic changes, manpower constraints and increasingly complex social issues, amongst other challenges. Rapid technological developments will also have an impact on the needs of our families and certainly on our social services manpower and capabilities.

But challenges need not become crises. These challenges present us too with the opportunity to rise to the occasion as a society and as a social service sector and re-imagine the way that we operate and approach issues. It is our opportunity to build our future together.

This is MSF’s vision for our future. As a sector, one that is dynamic and forward-looking; and as a society, one that comes together to provide opportunities for all. We envision a social service sector that is dynamic, forward-looking and future-oriented, that is that is agile and responsive to the evolving needs of families. We will achieve this vision by strengthening the sector in two ways.

First, we must boldly re-imagine the way we structure and operate our services. At the sector level, National Council of Social Service (NCSS) has transformed itself beyond being a membership body, to deliver stronger outcomes for social service users as a sector developer. We have been engaging the sector and will introduce amendments to the NCSS Act to reflect and strengthen NCSS’ role as a sector developer. The proposed amendments will provide NCSS with the mandate to continue to build the sector’s capabilities, strengthen service delivery and build a stronger ecosystem.

For example, NCSS is actively improving social service delivery by strengthening collaboration amongst sector partners and enabling users to find the support they need more easily. To share one such initiative, NCSS, together with the Institute of Mental Health, is bringing together 12 partners to co-locate services at an integrated mental wellness centre called "grovve". "grovve" will be officially launched later this year.

We will also transform our services, to meet the changing needs of our families, and to be more responsive to support those with complex needs. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua earlier shared that we are undertaking the Family Services Landscape Review. Representatives from the sector are joining hands with MSF to consider how our social service agencies (SSAs) deliver services and social service professionals can work together to achieve better outcomes for the families we serve. This is a complex issue. We will not rush the process, and we appreciate and recognise the diversity or perspectives and views. We will journey hand-in-hand with all our SSAs and work closely with all of you to strengthen the sector and improve our services.

For the more vulnerable among us residing in our social residential homes, we must continue to uplift the quality of care for them. To Mr Baey Yam Keng’s question, I am pleased to share that MSF has introduced the Social Residential Homes Bill. Over the years, MSF has worked closely with our social residential homes to raise standards of care for residents. Under this Bill, we will codify the good progress made by the sector through a new licensing regime, with clear requirements to ensure the safety and wellness of clients. At the same time, the Bill provides for the possibility of homes evolving to meet residents’ needs, where different client profiles could be housed together. MSF and NCSS will also invest in supporting, training and capability building for SSAs operating the homes.

Beyond residential services, we are also committed to enhancing support for vulnerable individuals in other areas, as Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim has raised. Our efforts are tailored to meet the needs of different groups in a culturally sensitive and effective manner. This enables us to create stable, caring environments for all. For example, we focus on connecting children in care with nurturing family environments. We work with fostering agencies to recruit and train foster families to best meet the child’s needs and provide ongoing support for the children and their foster families. For women with young children who have experienced violence, we provide safe shelters and trauma-informed care to support them through difficult times. We also provide employment assistance and referrals to preschool services for their children to facilitate mothers’ return to the workforce.

Second, we must harness the power of research and data in tackling issues. Ms Ng Ling Ling will be pleased to hear that we have deepened our collaboration with sector practitioners, and local and regional academics. This builds up our body of knowledge and helps us better design and evaluate our policies.

MSF partnered the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing at Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) at National University of Singapore (NUS), to understand societal perspectives on essential household needs and how society can support less privileged Singaporeans to meet these needs. This study informed the recent review of ComCare assistance rates, as shared by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua.

In addition, NCSS, in collaboration with Tote Board, set up the Centre for Evidence in 2024 to propagate the Sector Evaluation Framework and partner SSAs to strengthen programme evaluation.

We must continue to facilitate the sharing of best practices regionally and internationally. We can benefit other communities by providing thought leadership in areas where we have done well. At the Asian Family Conference 2024, various academics and practitioners shared Singapore's efforts in working with families and our approach to social issues. These resonated with local and regional researchers, policy-makers and practitioners, and inspired their thinking on similar challenges they face in their own communities and countries.

We will also be hosting two conferences this year. In April, we are partnering IPS to hold the inaugural International Conference for Societies of Opportunity to discuss how countries can do more to address the important issue of social mobility. In July, NCSS will host the Social Service Summit. This year, for the first time, we will also invite social service leaders from the region to facilitate connections and enrich our learning.