Committee of Supply 2024
Forging a society where Singaporeans have assurance of their needs through every life stage, with the less fortunate receiving more support.
Stabilising Housing Market
- More homes in the pipeline
- Public housing: Launched more than two-thirds of planned 100,000 flats by 2025, with 19,600 flats to be launched this year
- Private housing: Over 19,000 units launched in 2021-2023, another 5,450 units made available in 1H2024
- On track to complete close to 100,000 public and private homes from 2023 to 2025.
- Growth in housing prices and rents are expected to continue moderating
- Rounds of cooling measures have tempered demand.
- BTO application rates have gone down from 5.8 in 2020 to 2.9 in 2023
Supporting Families
- Enhancements to the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS)
- PPHS supply to ramp up to 4,000 units by 2025
- Meanwhile, from Jul 2024, one-year PPHS (Open Market) Voucher of $300 per month for PPHS-eligible families renting HDB flats or bedrooms in the open market
- Enhancements to the Staggered Downpayment Scheme from Jun 2024
- Reduce upfront downpayment to 2.5% of flat price to reduce upfront burden for young couples who qualify for deferred income assessment
- Priority for First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples)
- Close to 9 in 10 FT(PMC) applicants were issued a queue number within flat supply across the BTO launches in October and December 2023
Rejuvenating neighbourhoods and homes for Seniors
- Extension of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme to blocks built up to 1999
- More senior-friendly and inclusive facilities, e.g. therapeutic gardens, ramps with gentler gradients and handrails, more rest points and wayfinding features
- Application for Enhancement for Active Seniors programme (EASE 2.0) starts from 1 Apr 2024
- New items include widened toilet entrances, lowered toilet entrance kerbs, foldable shower seats, foldable U-profile grab bars, handrails at flat entrances, rocker switches, Home Fire Alarm Devices, and bidet sprays.
- Cost will be heavily subsidised by the Government
- Households that have tapped on EASE in the past may apply again for the new items
- Wireless Alert Alarm System (AAS) will be provided progressively to all seniors aged 60 and above living in about 170 public rental blocks from Jan 2025
Supporting Public Rental Households
- Fresh Start Housing Grant: As of end Jan 2024, 101 families have tapped on the Fresh Start Housing Scheme to book a new flat.
- Homeownership Support Team (HST): Engaged close to 1,600 households, of which over 120 have moved into their new homes, and another close to 100 families have booked their flats and are waiting to collect their keys
- Joint Singles Scheme Operator-Run (JSS-OR): With the expansion of the JSS-OR pilot to three new sites in Bukit Panjang, Bidadari and Sengkang, HDB has assisted 590 JSS-OR tenants so far, and can accommodate up to 1,000 tenants in total
Charting the Future of Public Housing
- Implementing new estate classification in Oct 2024 to keep public housing affordable, inclusive and fair
- Ensuring steady supply of quality homes that cater to diverse needs
- Around 10,000 new public and private homes, with facilities, being planned in Chencharu, in Yishun
- Possible redevelopment of Gillman Barracks after 2030 for public and private housing, with public spaces and amenities
- Taking a long-term approach on land use and infrastructure planning to provide Singaporeans with good and accessible homes, and a quality living environment
New ABSD Concession for Single SC Seniors
- For single seniors who wish to right-size their private property
- Eligible seniors over the age of 55 will be able to claim an ABSD refund paid on their lower-value replacement private property
ABSD Remission Clawback Rates Revisions for Housing Developers
- Licensed developers purchasing residential land are currently granted an ABSD remission, if they can meet remission conditions, including the sale of all units in the development within a prescribed sale timeline
- ABSD remission clawback rate has been lowered, should the developer sell at least 90% of the housing units in the development within the prescribed timeline
- Ensures the housing supply continues to be released promptly and provides developers more flexibility
Read here for more information.
Leveraging community partnerships
- MSO will continue to provide residents with resources and funding to start their own projects
- We will also share solutions that have been successfully trialled, so more neighbourhoods can adapt these playbooks without having to reinvent the wheel
Making it easier for residents to give feedback
- Residents can now provide municipal feedback through OneService app, LifeSG app, and the Kaki Chatbot
- MSO has worked with agencies to close cases only when the issue is thoroughly resolved, and with photo evidence where possible
- Later this year, residents will be able to report feedback with just photos and a geotagged location via the Kaki Chatbot
Delivering municipal services more efficiently
- Since 2022, a single operator is delivering 10 services in the town of Tampines under the Integrated Municipal Operations pilot
- We have doubled the speed of feedback resolution while using less manpower, increasing residents’ satisfaction by 20%
- We will expand the pilot to Pasir Ris-Punggol to see if we can achieve similar results in a larger area
Tackling Severe Neighbour Noise Disputes
- MSO has stood up a pilot team to tackle severe neighbour noise disputes
- The team will be able to investigate and enforce against severe neighbour noise disputes after we have legislated the requisite powers
Expansion of the Contractors Registration System (CRS) to a nation-wide registry of construction firm
- Require all firms hiring foreign construction workers to be registered under CRS
- Align the minimum standards required for such firms
- Enable the implementation of further quality, manpower, productivity, and innovation measures more effectively, across the entire construction industry
- Raise CRS entry requirements to keep pace with current market conditions
- Ensure that firms have the minimum financial capability and experience to sustain their operations and deliver projects
- BCA will announce more details later this year
Extension of the Productivity Innovation Project (PIP) scheme
- Firms can tap on PIP to support investments in productive technologies, e.g. Integrated Digital Delivery solutions, automated equipment in off-site construction facilities
- Funding support of up to 70% of the qualifying costs, capped at $10 million
- Scheme extended for one year, until Mar 2025
New Energy Efficiency Grant for the Construction Sector
- Support local construction firms to adopt energy-efficient construction equipment
- Base tier provides funding of up to 70% for pre-approved equipment cost, capped at $30,000
- Advanced tier provides funding based on expected energy savings or up to 70% of equipment cost (whichever lower), capped at $350,000 (inclusive of base tier)
- To be launched by end-2024
Developing into a City in Nature
- Establishing new green spaces and enhancing existing ones
- Launched 14 Therapeutic Gardens in parks across Singapore, and aim to increase this to 30 by 2030
- Strengthening the connectivity between our green spaces
- Completed 210km of Nature Ways and over 380km of park connectors
- Restoring nature and safeguarding our biodiversity
- Added over 190ha of skyrise greenery
- Restored and enhanced over 43ha of forest, coastal, and marine habitats; on track to meet our target of 80ha by 2030.
Strengthening Partnerships
- OneMillionTrees movement: Planted over 630,000 trees, with the help of over 100,000 members of the community since 2020
- Youth Stewards for Nature (YSN) programme: Nurtured around 350 youth stewards who participated in international events e.g. World Wildlife Day Regional Youth Symposium and CITES Global Youth Network
Working with Agencies and Academics to Improve Biosurveillance Efforts
- NParks has been working closely with fellow One Health agencies (MOH, NEA, SFA, and PUB) and the research community on bio-surveillance efforts
- New $15 million Biosurveillance R&D funding programme: research call in 2H2024
Recreation Master Plan Public Engagements
- Activating and curating networks of recreational spaces across the island for sports, arts, heritage and wellness
- To include both indoor and outdoor recreation spaces that are close to homes and well-connected
- A series of roving exhibitions will be held between 2Q and 3Q, to seek public’s views on the planning of recreation spaces
Draft Master Plan 2025 Exhibition
- Engagements will culminate in the Draft Master Plan 2025 exhibition around mid-2025
- DMP 2025 will be showcased at the exhibition for public feedback before it is gazetted as the next Master Plan
Parliament Speeches
Factsheets
COS 2023
To read up on MND COS 2023, click here,