PREMISES OCCUPIED BY VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS (Waiving of 1999 rentals)

Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for National Development if his Ministry will seriously consider waiving the 1999 rentals of premises under its charge which are occupied by voluntary organisations to ease their operation burdens so that staff and volunteers can focus on services to the needs of the vulnerable instead of spending their energy on raising funds to keep the operation going.

Mr Koo Tsai Kee (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, HDB lets out void deck facilities at concessionary rentals to voluntary welfare organisations. The current rentals for these organisations are already low and below cost recovery. Instead of giving rental waiver for such facilities, the Government's policy is to provide explicit operating subsidies to voluntary welfare organisations to help ease their operation burden. The Government is already subsidising this at 50% of operating costs.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the problem is not rent but salaries of professional workers in the VWOs.