BUILDING OF MORE CRECHES

Madam Chan Choy Siong asked the Minister for Social Affairs whether he intends to build more creches to relieve difficulties of working women, and where those proposed creches will be located.

Inche Othman Bin Wok: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to refer the hon. Member for Delta to what I said on 13th May, 1968, in this House on the subject of creches during the debate on the President's Speech. I quote Hansard, Volume 27, No. 4, column 220, line 15:

'In order to utilise fully the facilities in the 10 creches, a number of vacant places in these creches will be offered to children of working parents in the higher income groups. But unlike those from families with incomes below 5500 per month who will continue to enjoy the heavily subsidized creche facilities, children from the higher income families will have to pay an economic admission charge.'

The details of this new policy were announced by me on 6th July, 1968, at the fifth Annual Parents Day for children centres and creches held at the Singapore Conference Hall. They are as follows. The following rates of fees will be charged for each child admitted:

(a) for morning session only, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. - $l;

(b) for afternoon session only, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. - 50 cents; and

(c) for the full day, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. - $l.50.

For children from the lower income families the following conditions will apply: any child below the age of six, either of whose parents is a Singapore citizen, may be admitted to a Social Welfare creche provided that satisfactory evidence can be produced to show that the parent is working or both parents are working or ill, and that there is no other adult in the family able to look after the child and that the combined income of the family does not exceed $500 per month. The maximum number of children for any one family to be admitted is four. Priority in admission will, however, be given to children in the lowest income group and orphans whose guardians can satisfy the citizenship requirement.

A child whose parents are in receipt of public assistance allowance will be admitted free of charge. A child whose parents and other members of the family are earning a combined income not exceeding $300 per month will have to pay a nominal charge of ten cents per day. A child whose parents and other members of the family are earning a combined income exceeding $300, but not exceeding $500 per month, will have to pay a nominal charge of thirty cents per day.

As there are still a substantial number of vacant places in the 10 Social Welfare creches and as the new conditions for admission to these creches have only been introduced very recently, my Ministry will have to assess the public response to the new open-door policy for creches over a period of time before any consideration can be given to the question of whether or not to build more creches in other parts of the Republic. Should it be decided that there is sufficient justification for building more creches, bearing in mind other priority needs, I can assure the Member for Delta that the location of any new creche will be carefully studied by my officials before a decision is made.