Disbursements of ComCare Interim Assistance and Short-to-Medium Term Assistance

8 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Social and Family Development what is the percentage, by number and dollar value of disbursements, of ComCare interim assistance and Short-to-Medium Term Assistance disbursals in 2010-2015 to recipients who have sought financial assistance due to retrenchment or early termination of contract employment.

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Some ComCare applicants are unemployed and seeking employment. The percentage of households receiving ComCare Short-to-Medium Term Assistance (SMTA) and the proportion of assistance disbursed where the main applicant is unemployed and seeking employment are shown in Table 1. These individuals could be unemployed due to a variety or combination of reasons. MSF does not currently have a breakdown on who amongst them are unemployed due to retrenchment or early termination of contract employment.

ComCare Interim Assistance schemes provide small amounts of urgent and temporary assistance to families with immediate needs. These could be provided through a number of agencies, including the Social Service Offices and Family Service Centres. Given the nature of the scheme, MSF does not have the breakdown of the detailed reasons for seeking assistance.