Benefits and Allowances for Grassroots Leaders and Advisers

Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what are the qualifying criteria for Grassroots Leaders (GRLs) to apply for BTO flats and ECs under the special HDB scheme; (b) how many GRLs benefited from this scheme from 2006 to 2015; and (c) what does the HDB scheme entail.

The Minister, Prime Minister's Office (Mr Chan Chun Sing) (for the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth): Mdm Speaker, information on the MND GRO scheme is available online and has been provided during previous Parliamentary sittings. Under this scheme, eligible GRLs can apply for HDB BTO flats and ECs in constituencies within the Town Council boundary which they serve. GRLs are eligible after performing three years of continuous and active service at their GROs.

In the last 10 years, an average of 28 GRLs, or less than 0.1% of all GRLs, have utilised this scheme each year.

Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang): Thank you, Madam. Just a couple of supplementary questions. GRLs, are they given priority in balloting for a flat, that is, are they given a higher queue number to select a flat of their choice? Two, are they allowed to buy direct from HDB more than twice? And the last question is, are they also allowed to take a loan from HDB more than twice? Thank you.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mdm Speaker, the answers to all the questions that Mr Png asked are as follows: number one, the priority balloting goes with all other priority schemes and they all go into the computer and the computer will churn out the results; number two, whether they can buy more than one, take up more than one loan, they adhere to all existing schemes available to all Singaporeans.

Mr Png Eng Huat: The reason why I filed this Question is because the Minister mentioned earlier that this a special scheme. So, if everything is the same, what is so special about the scheme then?

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mdm Speaker, there are various priority schemes under the MND schemes. It is just like school volunteers. They all have various reasons for the various GRLs to be recognised. But once they have applied for it, the whole process is computerised. What they are eligible for is also similar to all the other things.