Priority for Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme Applicants with Babies and Have Been Waiting for Five Years for BTO Flats

15 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development in view of the financial challenges faced by young families with babies who have been waiting for five years for their BTO flats and the increased rental costs in Singapore, whether priority can be given to this eligible group of the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) applicants to be allocated PPHS flats.

Mr Desmond Lee: Married couples with at least one child aged 18 and below, including those who are expecting their first child, enjoy priority in the allocation of flats under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS). This was announced and implemented in August 2021, when the Ministry of National Development (MND) revised the PPHS eligibility conditions and allocation process to prioritise families with greater need for temporary housing while waiting for their new flats.

We have also achieved our earlier target to ramp up the PPHS supply from 800 units in 2021 to 1,800 in 2023. As a result, PPHS application rates have come down significantly, from over 20 times in 2021 to around three times in recent exercises.

By the end of this year, we will have close to 2,000 PPHS flats. We are now working to double the supply to 4,000 flats by 2025. This will allow us to better support families who need temporary housing while waiting for the completion of their new flats.