Reviewing CDC Vouchers Eligibility in View of Distinct Family Nuclei Residing in Same Address for Caregiving Purposes

5 Dr Hamid Razak asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Ministry will review the CDC Vouchers eligibility framework to consider caregiving arrangements where related but distinct family nuclei reside at the same registered address, such as married children living with parents for caregiving purposes; and (b) whether alternative criteria may be used to recognise them as separate households.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance (Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong) (for the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance): Mr Chairman, the Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers Scheme is a broad-based scheme designed to help all Singaporean households with daily expenses.

The CDC Vouchers Scheme is complemented by schemes that support the different family circumstances of Singaporean households, such as the Assurance Package Cash, Child LifeSG Credits and the Silver Support Scheme for eligible households.

For caregivers, the Government has, over the years, increased subsidies for long-term care services and enhanced the Home Caregiving Grant and the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund to provide greater financial relief to caregivers. Caregivers can also apply for the Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession if they need more help to care for their loved ones.

The Government will continue to regularly review our measures to ensure Singaporeans in need of help will receive the appropriate support.

Mr Speaker: Dr Hamid Razak.

Dr Hamid Razak (West Coast-Jurong West): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. Earlier this month, I think, Member Yeo Wan Ling did ask about unrelated Singaporean households living in the same registered address, and the Ministry had replied that those are easily appealed through a process.

This question is actually stemming out of some of my households in Jurong Spring and Gek Poh, where family nuclei are residing together. For example, a daughter who has moved out of a place to live in with a senior mother or grandparent, and looking after them full-time with her own family, living with her young children. And because they are related, they are unable to appeal for the CDC vouchers. So, this household actually has a fair number of individuals living in a single registered address and they have to change the address because, legally, they are required to do so since they are living permanently with someone else. So, these households have maybe about eight to nine people each. And these appeals unfortunately did not get through.

So, I appreciate that Senior Parliamentary Secretary has said that the Ministry will continue to review the criteria. Hopefully, if the data shows that there are growing number of households with such situations, one of the ways we can do is with what fellow Members have asked for during the course of the serious debates, to perhaps look at the number of persons in the household and maybe we can have a calibrated approach to the quantum of CDC vouchers given to larger households in Singapore.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: I thank the Member, Dr Hamid Razak, for providing that feedback and we will most certainly take it back to consider.