Success Rate of Applicants Getting BTO Flats under Married Child Priority Scheme
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Liang Eng Hwa’s inquiry regarding success rates under the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) and whether there is sufficient support for families to live nearby. Minister Lawrence Wong stated that 2015 success rates were approximately 85% in non-mature estates and 47% in mature estates, both of which exceed general public applicant success rates. He highlighted that up to 45% of BTO flat supply is reserved for MCPS, with unsuccessful applicants receiving another chance to ballot within the public pool. Further assistance includes the Multi-Generation Priority Scheme, purpose-built 3Gen flats, higher income ceilings for extended families, and a $20,000 Proximity Housing Grant for resale flats. Minister Lawrence Wong affirmed that these diverse policies collectively ensure sufficient help for families seeking mutual care and support through residential proximity.
Transcript
34 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for National Development (a) since the Married Child Priority Scheme was launched, how many buyers who applied for a BTO flat under the Scheme have been successful and unsuccessful in getting a flat respectively; and (b) whether there is sufficient help for buyers to live near their parents for mutual care and support.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The current quota-based Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) was implemented in end-2014. In 2015, about 1,600 applications for BTO flats in non-mature estates made under MCPS were successful. This translates to a success rate of about 85%. The success rate for BTO flats in mature estates under MCPS is lower, at about 47%, given the high demand for and limited supply of such flats. Nonetheless, the success rates for MCPS applicants in both mature and non-mature estates are still higher than that for public applicants.
Helping families live near one another for mutual care and support has been a longstanding priority for the Government. Today, we set aside up to 45% of the public flat supply for MCPS applicants. If the demand still outstrips supply under the MCPS quota, unsuccessful MCPS applicants will also have another chance to ballot for a new flat with other public applicants.
Besides MCPS, HDB also has other schemes and policies to help families live with or near one another. These include
(a) The Multi-Generation Priority Scheme, which gives priority to parents and married child who jointly apply for the same BTO project;
(b) The Three-Generation (3Gen) flats, which are purpose-built to cater to multi-generation living under one roof;
(c) Allowing parents or married child who are buying a resale flat to live with or near each other, to benefit from the Proximity Housing Grant of $20,000; and
(d) Setting the income ceiling for subsidised housing at a higher level for extended families who are buying a flat to live together.