Data on Number of Lactation Rooms
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the data on lactation rooms in large buildings and whether data collection will commence to facilitate accessibility enhancements. Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang inquired about the mean and median number of these rooms in buildings and business parks with a gross floor area of at least 10,000 square metres. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee explained that while the Code on Accessibility mandates at least one room for such developments, specific room counts per building are not currently tracked. He noted that the Accessibility Fund provides up to 80% co-funding for enhancements beyond baseline requirements to encourage building owners to exceed minimum standards. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee stated that BCA is studying how to collect accessibility data to further improve the inclusiveness of the built environment.
Transcript
74 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry has data on the mean and median number of lactation rooms in (i) all buildings and business parks with a gross floor area (GFA) of 10,000 square metres or more and (ii) Government buildings with a GFA of 10,000 square metres or more; and (b) if these data are not available, whether the Ministry will start collecting them.
Mr Desmond Lee: BCA requires all new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major addition and alteration works to comply with the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment. Under the current edition of the Code, offices, business parks, shopping centres and multi-purpose complexes with a GFA of 10,000 square metres or more are required to provide at least one lactation room. This requirement also applies to mixed-use developments where the non-residential component has a GFA of 10,000 square metres or more. In addition, hospitals, polyclinics, transport stations and recreational developments, such as sports complexes and theme parks, regardless of size, are also required to provide at least one lactation room.
The requirements under the Code have been benchmarked against other jurisdictions and are meant to serve as a baseline. Building owners are encouraged to provide additional accessibility and inclusive features, such as lactation rooms, beyond the minimum requirements. To incentivise this, BCA’s Accessibility Fund provides co-funding of up to 80% to building owners who undertake upgrading works to enhance the accessibility and inclusiveness of their buildings.
Currently, BCA does not collect data on the number of lactation rooms provided in each building. However, BCA is aware of several buildings, such as City Square Mall and Our Tampines Hub, that provide more lactation rooms than required under the Code. BCA is studying how data on accessibility in buildings, including the provision of lactation rooms, can be collected to facilitate our efforts to enhance the accessibility and inclusiveness of the built environment.