Scope of Work Covered in Home Improvement Programme

10 Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Minister for National Development (a) which repairs, replacements and enhancements will be included in the scope of Home Improvement Programme (HIP) 2; (b) for precincts which vote for HIP 2, whether there will be caveats related to the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS) attached so as to minimise unnecessary expenditure since money has already been spent on HIP 2; and (c) what are the key differences between VERS and the Selective Enbloc Redevelopment Scheme in the aspects of valuation and acquisition pricing.

11 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for National Development (a) what kind of upgrades will HDB flats receive under Home Improvement Programme (HIP) 2 to ensure that the flats are safe and liveable even at that age; (b) how will the Government ensure that there is sufficient manpower to carry out all the renewal works safely and efficiently; (c) how often will the Ministry conduct inspections to ensure flats and their amenities remain structurally safe and liveable throughout their lifespan; and (d) do the HIP 1 and 2 upgrades include the older rental flats.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Lawrence Wong): Mr Speaker, I would like to take Question Nos 10 and 11 with your permission, please.

Mr Speaker: Yes, please.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Speaker, the Home Improvement Programme II (HIP II) is a second round of upgrading for our HDB flats at around the 60th to 70th year mark to keep the flats safe and liveable up to the end of their lease. This will be launched in about 10 years’ time.

HIP II will be focused on common maintenance issues which occur in ageing flats. We will need to study the specific scope of works, including taking into consideration the condition of our older flats, closer to the launch of HIP II. As HIP II will be a huge financial commitment for the Government, we will also need to see how to pace the works to take into account fiscal sustainability and the capacity of our construction industry.

Mr Saktiandi asked whether older rental flats are eligible for HIP I and HIP II. HDB has in fact upgraded older rental flats, including under HIP I, so we will similarly upgrade them under HIP II.

Mr Chong highlighted the need to minimise unnecessary expenditure between HIP II and VERS. I agree fully with him. The details of these programmes will need to be worked out, including when we offer HIP II and when the flats are subsequently staged for VERS and redevelopment. We will ensure that there is no wastage of public monies in planning the two programmes. As for the technical details of valuation and acquisition pricing for VERS, we will need to study this in detail and ensure that we implement VERS in a way that is fiscally sustainable over the long term. In fact, we had discussions on this at the last Parliament Sitting.

On Mr Saktiandi's question on safety, we have various regulatory and inspection regimes to ensure that our HDB buildings are structurally safe, both during and after construction. This includes the Periodic Structural Inspection (PSI) regime that ensures that buildings are regularly checked for structural defects. For residential buildings, the PSI requires that the inspection be carried out every 10 years. That is a nationwide requirement. For older HDB blocks, HDB, in fact, adopts a more stringent inspection cycle of five years. We will ensure that such regimes remain in place throughout the lifespan of our HDB flats, and will also continue to review our policies and benchmarks against other high-rise high-density cities.

Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Thank you, Minister. I also have a question on the Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS). Do the voting rights for VERS, SERS and HIP belong to the LBS tenant, or HDB? And if the homes then come under SERS, VERS, what happens to the tenants under the LBS?

Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Speaker, if I understand correctly, what Miss Cheng is asking, assuming that the flat has already been subject to Lease Buyback, and the residual lease is now with the Government, if HDB is indeed owning the flat at that point in time, then obviously the voting rights will reside with HDB.

Miss Cheng Li Hui: If the resident is still, let us say, 10 years into their lease, that would mean the voting rights belong to them?

Mr Lawrence Wong: I suppose Miss Cheng is asking in the context of a Lease Buyback situation, assuming that the resident is staying there at that point in time, then, obviously the resident should have a say in any upgrading or VERS decision.

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): I would like to clarify on HIP II. Some of the feedback that I regularly get about HIP I is spalling concrete, particularly. Spalling concrete continues to be an issue even though it is an essential item of improvement under HIP I. Some of the suggestions from my residents have been to consider, for future upgrading programmes, hydrostatic solutions for kitchens, so as to slow down the seepage of moisture between floors; and also shower trays for toilets to prevent the same problem. These items and solutions are cheaper when procured in bulk. This is some of the feedback that I get, and I hope the Ministry can consider these solutions for future upgrading projects.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Singh for these suggestions. HDB indeed continues to take in feedback, suggestions and do its own research to see how upgrading can be done better, and we will be happy to study these suggestions that Mr Singh has highlighted.