Automatic Disbursement of Support Schemes to Individuals and Households

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the current number of financial support schemes from the Government available to individuals and households; (b) how many of such schemes require individuals or households to actively make an application; and (c) what is the rationale for not automatically granting support under schemes where the qualification criteria are objective and not subjective.

Mr Lawrence Wong: The Government supports Singaporeans through all phases of life. Much of this support is in the form of subsidies which Singaporeans receive automatically when they access public goods and services, such as education, healthcare and housing.

In addition, there are various targeted support schemes and services across multiple domains, such as children and youths, work and learning, seniors and disability support. Information about these schemes are available on the SupportGoWhere portal (supportgowhere.life.gov.sg). There are around 60 schemes, with slightly more than half requiring applications.

Where feasible, social support schemes are disbursed automatically when the qualifying criteria are objectively quantifiable and administrative data is readily available for the Government to disburse the benefits accurately.

The reasons why some schemes require applications vary. Schemes, such as ComCare, require holistic assessments of the individual or household’s needs so that the relevant agencies can provide the appropriate level of support based on the individual or household’s circumstances. Other schemes, such as the Home Caregiving Grant, require a disability assessment to qualify a recipient for the grant.