SENIOR CITIZENS AND PARENTS (Improved programmes and better creches)

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Acting Minister for Social Affairs what measures are being undertaken and planned to improve programmes for Senior Citizens and for the parents who will benefit from more and better creches or child-care systems in factories and housing estates.

Dr Ahmad Mattar: It is not the intention of the Government to encourage the attitude that senior citizens are a class apart for whom special policies and programmes should be drawn up.

Able-bodied senior citizens who, for one reason or another, are not in gainful employment face the problem of boredom and social isolation during the day when their children are at work and their grandchildren at school. To alleviate this problem, the People's Association and Residents' Committees have set up 60 recreational centres in community centres and HDB void decks. It is intended to open more such centres and to involve the inactive senior citizens themselves in the management of the centres.

In 1982, my Ministry introduced a "Befrienders' Service" in the Tiong Bahru constituency as a pilot project to cater to the needs of senior citizens who are single and living alone or are home-bound and unable to cope with the demands of living in the community. Under the project, a pool of concerned citizens befriend, advise and assist them and act as points of contact in times of need. The project will be extended to another two constituencies soon.

With regard to child-care systems, my Ministry runs a Family Day Care Scheme under which children of working mothers are matched with housewives selected as care-givers and a Workplace Childcare Centre Scheme under which factories are encouraged through a system of subsidies to set up child care centres. In addition, my Ministry provides training for childcare centre staff.

The Family Day Care Scheme was launched in October 1980. Since then, out of 7,292 requests for assistance, 1,943 have been successfully matched. Publicity for the Family Day Care Scheme includes pamphlets and a booklet entitled "Choosing Good Day Care for Children", advertisements on bus panels, car stickers, announcements over the radio, filmlets screened over TV and classified advertisements placed in newspapers.

Since July 1983, my Ministry has been promoting the concept of workplace childcare centres to both the private and public sectors. My Ministry has approached the National Productivity Council as well as several employers with a large female workforce to familiarise them with the concept of workplace childcare centres and to explain the types of assistance the government will give to encourage them to set up workplace childcare centres.

One workplace childcare centre has already been set up at Chartered Industries of Singapore. Another four workplace childcare centres will be set up soon.

My Ministry now provides 4 basic courses in early childhood education and 2 specialised courses. The training is intended to upgrade the quality of childcare services offered in the childcare centres. To date, 115 persons have benefited from the training.