INDIVIDUALS COLLECTING AND SELLING CARDBOARD BOXES AND TIN CANS (Assistance)

Column No : 2109

INDIVIDUALS COLLECTING AND SELLING CARDBOARD BOXES AND TIN CANS

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(Assistance): **

25.

Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports from 2002 to the present, (a) what are the numbers of individuals who make a living by (i) collecting and selling cardboards; (ii) collecting and selling tin cans; and (iii) selling tissues, food items, etc, at MRT stations and other public places; (b) how many of these individuals are in their sixties and seventies; (c) whether there are any VWOs that actively seek out these individuals to help them; and (d) what are the steps and actions that will be taken to help these individuals.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: MCYS does not have statistics on individuals who make their living by collecting and selling cardboards and tin cans, or selling tissues, food items, etc, at MRT stations and other public places.

The Ministry's Destitute Persons Service actively seeks out destitute Singaporeans to help them. Some of these destitute Singaporeans do sell tissues in public. However, the number is small. On the average, we get about five reports a year, of individuals selling tissues in public places. From 2002 to now, there were 21 such cases, of which our Destitute Persons Service managed to contact 12 cases. The rest were not sighted by our officers during our visits. Only five of the 12 cases contacted were above 60 years of age. Of these, three declined assistance from the Ministry.

Not all Singaporeans who recycle cardboard, or tin-cans, or sell in public places are in financial need. Those who are financially needy can approach their Community Development Council or grassroots organisations for assistance. As I mentioned earlier, the Ministry will also help those we come across in the course of seeking out destitute Singaporeans. They may receive financial assistance or help in finding employment. Those who are homeless and have no means of support would be taken in to our welfare homes for destitute persons.

These individuals also have the option of turning to VWOs. Currently, we do not have VWOs that actively seek out such individuals to offer them assistance. However, many VWOs such as the Family Service Centres (FSCs) do work closely with MCYS' Destitute Persons Service to provide help for needy individuals that the Service picks up. These include Care Corner Toa Payoh, Fei Yue FSC, Moral FSC (Bedok North), PPIS Jurong FSC, The SBL Vision FSC, Sinda FSC, TRANS Centre Bedok, and the AWWA Family Service Centres.