MIDDLE-AGE WORKING ADULTS (Incentive package to look after aged parents)

MIDDLE-AGE WORKING ADULTS:

(Incentive package to look after aged parents): 1.

Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports what is the possibility of the introduction of a comprehensive incentive package for the middle-class, middle-income, middle-age working adults, especially singles, to look after their aged parents similar to the comprehensive marriage and procreation package for parents.

The Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon) (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in Singapore, the family is the cornerstone of support for the elderly. Family ties are strong. From the 2003 Survey on Social Attitudes of Singaporeans, 98% of Singaporeans felt that they had the duty to give financial support to their family members. 99% of Singaporeans also agreed that children should regularly spend time

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with their elderly parents, and about 87% of the elderly in Singapore live with their families. These figures show a strong sense of filial piety, and a belief in family being the first line of support.

On its part, the Government puts in place various measures to help families take care of their elderly members. We serve as a facilitator, and provide support in a few ways: first, by introducing financial measures to alleviate the burden of caring for elderly parents; second, by working with the Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) to ensure adequate provision of services that elderly persons need; and, third, by providing various forms of support services for caregivers.

With regard to financial measures, the Government has focused its limited resources on the needy and low-income, rather than the middle-income. This is as it should be, as the needy are the ones who need help most. Nevertheless, the Government has also put in place various financial measures, such as tax relief and reduced foreign domestic worker levy to help relieve the load on families who care for their elderly members. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his Budget Speech, has announced more help for families in this aspect. Medisave top-ups will be given to all adult Singaporeans, the largest share of $350 going to senior citizens aged 60 and above. To help older Singaporeans save more for retirement, the Government will also top up the Central Provident Fund Special Accounts or Retirement Accounts of Singaporeans aged 50 and above by $100. Foreign domestic worker levy has also been further reduced to $200 if the employer or spouse is a Singaporean aged 60 and above. This lower levy is also available to families with a Singaporean parent, parent-in-law, grandparent or grandparent-in-law aged 65 and above staying in the same household.

Financial measures aside, a comprehensive range of eldercare services is important in enabling the elderly to age in

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place. By tapping on community-based eldercare facilities, such as day care centres, home help and community case management services, the load on the caregivers will be lessened. My Ministry will continually review and improve eldercare services to meet the needs of the elderly and their families.

The Government is also mindful of the fact that family caregivers carry a heavy load in providing care for their elderly dependants, regardless of financial background, age and marital status. Many of them have to balance work and family responsibilities, besides providing care for the elderly. Some may be the sole caregiver for their elderly parents.

Caregivers need our support and attention. The TOUCH Caregiver Centre provides a one-stop source of information to meet caregiver needs. In addition to what is available, as mentioned in the Committee of Supply debate, my Ministry will pilot a caregiver support programme. This provides for 10 care coordinators to be located at eldercare facilities across the island to support family caregivers in their caregiving role. Also, the Ministry of Manpower has set aside $10 million for initiatives that help companies develop family-friendly practices, including flexible working hours.

Various forms of support schemes and programmes are therefore already in place to help families in their care responsibilities. Going forward, the Government will continue to monitor and enhance our support for caregivers of elderly members.

Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim (Nominated Member): Sir, I am glad that the Ministry has a range of eldercare support services, schemes and programmes. However, there are many people and the general public who do not know. I would like to know whether the Ministry has additional publicity effort to make all these schemes known to the general public.

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Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: I totally agree with Prof. Ong. My Ministry will work together with the CDCs, CCCs, grassroots organisations and VWOs to try to disseminate this information.

Mdm Halimah Yacob (Jurong): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether the Ministry will support a suggestion that exemption be granted, in terms of tax for the maid levy for families also, to single women taking care of aged parents. Because they also actually need a maid to help them take care of their families.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Sir, I think singles can take advantage of the lower foreign maid levy available to families which have a Singaporean parent, parent-in-law, grandparent and grandparent-in-law aged 65 years and above staying in the same household.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, I am aware of that. What I am asking is about the tax relief.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Yes, singles can also enjoy the parents' tax relief for the maintenance of one's parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, great grandparents as long as they qualify under the IRAS conditions. So the tax relief also applies to the singles.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: The Minister has misunderstood my question. Is the maid levy tax relief applicable to singles?

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Yes, I mentioned that singles are also entitled. The Government has reduced the maid levy to $200, and as long as the parents, grandparents or great grandparents stay in the same household, whether you are a single or married person, you will get the same entitlement.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: I am talking about the tax relief. Currently, if a

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married woman has a maid, she gets double the maid levy, in terms of the tax relief. But this is not available to the singles.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: It is only the maid levy, not the tax relief. The tax relief is for them to stay together and they are entitled to that.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: The question is: will the Ministry support the request for tax exemption for singles who are taking care of aged parents and who have a maid?

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order. Mdm Halimah Yacob, can you pose your question and let the Minister of State reply?

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: I mentioned just now that the Ministry will always look into various ways and means to help the families to take care of the elderly. Because we believe that the family is the first line of support instead of institutional care. Therefore, I am sure the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and my Ministry will always look into ways and means to help. But at this moment, they are not entitled to that.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: I know they are not entitled to that. But as the Ministry responsible for looking at all these issues holistically, would it be prepared to make that recommendation to the relevant Ministries to support the same benefit to be extended to single women?

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: As I explained just now, actually the Ministry has carried out a lot of measures to help the family take care of the elderly, like home help, befriender and eldercare daycare centres, neighbourhood link, and so on. The budget, together with MOH, is about $98 million for financial year 2005 which is an increase of about 4% or 5% every year. So the Ministry will definitely work

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together with the people sector, the families and the communities to do whatever we can. There is an inter-ministry committee, which looks into these various ageing issues. It is chaired by Dr Balaji and my Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Maliki. I am sure they will take all the suggestions into consideration and they will release the report at the end of this year.