APPLICATIONS FOR MAINTENANCE OF PARENTS

APPLICATIONS FOR MAINTENANCE OF PARENTS

3.

Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Health (a) whether Singaporeans are under-insured in health insurance and whether their Medisave and MediShield covers need to be complemented with an enhanced insurance cover; (b) what measures will the Ministry take to educate Singaporeans on the need for health insurance; and (c) what percentage of Singaporeans have health insurance and of these, how many are under-insured.

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Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents was set up under the Maintenance of Parents Act to provide an avenue for needy elderly parents to obtain financial support from their children. The Act also provides for the setting up of the Office of the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents (CMP). The role of CMP is to facilitate conciliation and mediation between parents and children in order to resolve maintenance issues. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, the parent can commence legal action by filing an application at the Tribunal.

MCYS supports the Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill tabled by Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC), which aims to enhance the effectiveness of the Act for its beneficiaries. Parents who wish to make applications for the first time will have their case referred to the CMP first. Cases that reach an agreement facilitated by the Commissioner may be independently endorsed by the President or a Deputy President of the Tribunal, and have the same force and effect as a maintenance order made by the Tribunal.

To enhance its conciliation efforts, the amendment also proposes that the Commissioner be empowered to investigate the merits of the case through obtaining information and data from relevant Government agencies or statutory bodies. Such information will be used for the purposes of identifying and locating the children of the applicant, assessing the veracity of information supplied and assessing the means of each child to maintain the applicant.

In cases where there is a risk of violence from the children, elderly parents may apply for a Personal Protection Order (PPO) with the Family Court. Tribunal staff will also advise the elderly parents of the application process and legal effect of a PPO and assist them to approach social agencies specialising in elderly abuse for further intervention, if necessary.

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