Category Archives: Ministry of Social and Family Development

Mr Leon Perera: Thank you, Mr Chairman, Sir. Just three clarifications for Minister Masagos. I will try and keep it short. Firstly, would the Ministry consider the proposal contained in my Budget speech to set a poverty line and measure the number of families, particularly, the number of children, who fall below this line everyContinue reading “COS 2022: Clarifications on Poverty Line, Financial Assistance, and Inter-generational Social Mobility”

Mr Leon Perera: Mr Chairman, Sir, a recent study estimated that 10% of resident households were food insecure in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this, with many low-income families struggling from the financial fallout. Food distribution drives do important work, but may be fragmented and lead to food wastage if rations are unsuitable dueContinue reading “COS 2022: Food Insecurity and Unhealthy Eating”

Mr Leon Perera: Mr Chairman, Sir, in my Budget speech, I argued for a war on poverty and a different approach based on defining a poverty line, channeling all schemes through FSC social workers, reducing the stress involved in applying for financial assistance, providing longer lead times and larger amounts of financial assistance based onContinue reading “COS 2022: Reviewing Approaches to Tackle Poverty”

Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, Sir, students from low-income families tend to be more vulnerable to long-term absenteeism in schools. For families where persistent absenteeism is an issue, I would like to propose a conditional cash transfer programme – not a transfer to the Child Development Account – for these students in Primary and SecondaryContinue reading “COS 2022: Early Intervention Programmes”