Lift Upgrading Programme's Cost and Benefit to Each Household

Mr Zainudin Nordin asked the Minister for National Development under HDB's Lift Upgrading Programme (a) how is the cost per benefiting housing unit computed; (b) whether it is timely for HDB to review the basis of this computation; and (c) in extenuating cases, how will residents of non-benefiting units be assisted to overcome the physical barriers that affect their quality of life at old age.

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The Senior Minister of State for National Development and Trade and Industry (Mr Lee Yi Shyan) (for the Minister for National Development): Sir, the figure is derived by dividing the total cost of upgrading a block by the number of units which will benefit directly from the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP). By "total cost", we mean cost comprising the building construction cost, the lift cost and other related costs, such as consultancy and service diversion.

HDB has applied this basis of computation consistently to all blocks selected for LUP. As we near the end of the programme, it will not be appropriate for HDB to change the basis.

HDB is focusing its efforts now on upgrading the remaining feasible blocks by 2014. However, there will still be some blocks for which the LUP cannot be offered due to excessively high cost and technical constraints, and HDB will continue to look for solutions for these blocks. Meanwhile, residents in these blocks who require special assistance, for instance due to medical conditions, can approach HDB to look into how best they can be assisted.

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Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Sir, a supplementary question. The objective of the LUP is quite clear – to provide barrier-free access to our residents who are getting old. Beyond the construction of lifts, are there other alternatives that HDB or MND are looking at that are more feasible and viable for our residents, perhaps beyond half a landing or even one or two floors? Can the Senior Minister of State explain?

Mr Lee Yi Shyan: Sir, the LUP is a huge programme. It covers 5,000 blocks with a budget of $5 billion. By necessity, we have to set a financial cap on how much we can build and spend on each benefiting unit. This is so that we spend prudently, and maximise the budget. When this programme was being executed, initially, we encountered about 1,000 blocks which are very difficult to deal with because of the way that the flats were laid out and the tight site constraints. Over time, we have found technical solutions to some of these blocks and we have managed to reduce the number of difficult blocks to about 200 today. We will still continue to look for technical solutions that can be cost-effective and still address the needs of the residents. But some of these technical solutions will take time to test whether they are feasible. For residents with medical conditions and with severe handicap in physical movements, let HDB know. We will see how best to assist them.

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