Category Archives: Committee of Supply 2023

Managing Community Disputes

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Mdm Chairman, Members of this House will be familiar with residents approaching their Members of Parliament for help to resolve disputes they may have with their neighbours. These may involve frequent loud noises, use of space along common corridors, inhalation of cigarette smoke wafting into a person’s flat from aContinue reading “Managing Community Disputes”

Use of Chinese Dialects

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Mr Chairman, I use dialects routinely when I communicate with many of my residents every day and many of them are middle-aged to elderly residents. But I have also observed that in many families, most young children do not understand dialects. At best, a small number may understand dialectsContinue reading “Use of Chinese Dialects”

Progress of Malay/Muslim Community

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, in Malay please. (In Malay): Mr Chairman, I would like to seek clarification as well as share a suggestion on some matters related to the Malay-Muslim community. The first is about the Community Leaders Forum (CLF). The CLF was formed in October 2003. The objective of theContinue reading “Progress of Malay/Muslim Community”

Conditional Cash Transfers for Supplemental Education Expenses

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): The Social Services Office (SSO) supports the less fortunate and less able in our society with the Community Care Endowment Fund or ComCare payouts. The Fund was launched in June 2005 and in FY2021, it amounted to $2.4 billion, disbursing around $177 million to about 100,000 individuals, a non-trivial number,Continue reading “Conditional Cash Transfers for Supplemental Education Expenses”

Intermediate and Long-term Care

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): As Singapore’s population ages, the demand for intermediate and long-term care (ILTC) will continue to increase. A paper on the Future of Long-Term Care in Singapore by researchers from the LKY School of Public Policy, identified three main issues to tackle in this sector – manpower capabilities, infrastructure capacity and coordinationContinue reading “Intermediate and Long-term Care”

Improving Caregiver Support

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Caring for elderly parents is a heavy responsibility that many Singaporeans bear. And it can take a toll on their physical and mental health leading to burnout. Many caregivers are women or single adults who sacrifice their careers or personal lives to be caregivers. Our society must recognise caregivers’ challengesContinue reading “Improving Caregiver Support”

Capabilities at Social Service Offices

Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, our Family Service Centres (FSCs) and Social Service Offices (SSOs) are intended to be the core nodes for social support. Our social workers are best placed to understand and respond to residents’ needs. Social workers help point residents to more specific assistance schemes, such as those for students. IContinue reading “Capabilities at Social Service Offices”

Poverty Relief for Specific Segments

Mr Chairman, I want to draw attention to three possibly underserved groups in our social service landscape. With full-time National Servicemen (NSFs), allowances start at $580, going up to $1,280 or more, depending on vocation. In most cases, NSFs need to depend on their family, at least in terms of housing, and are unlikely to beContinue reading “Poverty Relief for Specific Segments”

Strengthening the Trampoline

Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, the trampoline is used to talk about helping individuals bounce back. Safety nets are equally important but, today, I will make proposals to improve the trampoline. Firstly, the Global Nutrition Report says Singapore is “off course” to prevent prevalence of overweight children under five from increasing. The cost of healthyContinue reading “Strengthening the Trampoline”

Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Sir, I have made several calls in this Chamber to have the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) made available to Singapore students from less privileged families who attend kindergartens apart from the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s and that run by anchored operators. However, the situation remains.  As oneContinue reading “Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme”