Assistance for Unsuccessful Applicants of Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme

40 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development (a) among unsuccessful Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme applicants, what percentage of such applicants sought further assistance from HDB; (b) what type of assistance do they receive; and (c) what more can be done to lessen the financial impact on newlyweds planning to start a family and are renting a flat in the open market while waiting for their Build-To-Order flat.

Mr Desmond Lee: The Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) provides an additional temporary housing option for households awaiting key collection for their new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats.

In recent PPHS application exercises, around one in 10 unsuccessful applicants requested for further assistance or advice.

We have been progressively increasing the PPHS supply, but the supply remains limited, and we will not be able to offer a PPHS flat to every applicant. As such, potential PPHS applicants are advised to consider their full range of options and plan ahead to make prudent choices, for example, to ensure that the open market rental is within their budget or to live with their families. Lower-income households with no family support and no other housing options may be offered Interim Rental Housing (IRH) on a case-by-case basis.