MULTI-TIER FAMILY HOUSING SCHEME (Effect on Waiting List)

Dr Tan Cheng Bock asked the Minister for National Development how many multi-tier families have applied for housing under the priority allocation scheme and how has this affected the waiting time of other ordinary applications.

The Minister of State for National Development (Mr Lee Yock Suan) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, as at 20th August, 1982, the Housing and Development Board has received 6,212 applications for the Multitier Family Housing Scheme. 3,943 of these applications have been confirmed to be eligible for priority under the Scheme, while 977 cases are not eligible. The remaining 1,292 cases are still under consideration. Assuming that these remaining cases are also eligible, there will be a total of 5,235 applications to be granted priority, i.e. their applications will be advanced by three years. These cases represent only about 5% of the total applicants on the waiting list to purchase HDB flats.

With the grant of priority to these multitier applicants, the waiting time for ordinary applicants will be increased as follows. 13,998 applicants (or 14% of those remaining on the waiting list outside the Multi-tier Scheme) will not have their waiting time increased at all. 81,409 applicants or 85% will have their waiting time increased by less than three months and 738 applicants or about 1% will have their waiting time increased by three to six months.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock (Ayer Rajah): Sir, first, I would like to thank the Minister for clearing up a misconception among HDB applicants that their waiting time has been prolonged by the Multi-tier scheme by more than one year.

However, is the Minister aware that each time his Ministry announces a priority scheme, those waiting in the queue are upset and frustrated for two reasons - (1) having to wait longer for the flats and (2) likely to suffer more from the price hikes for their flats. What if tomorrow HDB decide to have another priority scheme? How will these people feel? While recognizing that priority should be given to certain categories of people, HDB should make a distinction between emergency priority and non-emergency priority. Resettlement, for example -

Mr Speaker: It is a very long supplementary question, is it not?

Dr Tan Cheng Bock: I will come to my supplementary question. Resettlement, for example, in an emergency, and like any medical emergency, should be given top priority. On the other hand, the other schemes are not emergency schemes and therefore should be treated differently. I would therefore like to ask the Minister whether he would consider the proposal that HDB keep two separate registers - one Priority and one Ordinary - and then allocate flats on a quota basis, i.e. for a certain number of flats allocated to those on the Ordinary register, one priority case could be allowed. In this way the pain of having to wait longer will be lessened for the ordinary applicants.

My other supplementary question is his. Will the Minister of State assure those whose waiting time has been prolonged, hat they will not have to pay more for heir flats should the price of flats go up by he time they are allocated theirs?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Sir, concerning the first question, the HDB is aware of the frustrations felt by ordinary applicants as a result of the various priority schemes. We will only introduce priority schemes when there are good reasons for doing so, for example, to encourage families to live together.

The Member may be aware that the HDB already has quotas for the various priority schemes. For resettlement cases, the quota is 50% of the flats available for balloting. And for other schemes like the SAF, Police, HDB staff and so on, we have also set quotas. So I think, through the quota arrangement, we have already satisfied the proposal that he is making.

Concerning the second question about assuring applicants that they will not have to pay more, I do not know whether the Member is serious. Anyway, the answer is no, it is not possible.