Desmond Lee
Singapore
“The Leadership, Enrichment, Achievement, Participation and Service (LEAPS) 2.0 is a framework for recognising student participation and achievement in secondary school co-curricular programmes.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) is mindful of the impact that rising temperatures may have on our students, teachers and officials taking part in the National School Games. Matches are scheduled only after students have had the time to train and become progressively more heat acclimatised.”
“As shared in Parliament in March 2026, the proportion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools has remained stable, at around 7% of the overall student population. This stability is observed across both primary and secondary schools.”
“The Ministry recruits and assesses applicants based on merit and suitability for the teaching profession, regardless of gender. We look for individuals with a passion for teaching, a belief in the potential of every child, and who possess the values and character to make a positive difference in students' lives.”
“Over the past five years, an average of 750 teachers resigned from the Education Service annually, representing a resignation rate of around 2%.”
“MOE has also progressively strengthened open access within the Primary 1 Registration Framework through Phase 2C, which is open to students regardless of whether they have prior connections to the school. MOE had increased the number of reserved Phase 2C places from zero to 20 in 2014; and from 20 to 40 in 2022.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,698 lines we hold for Desmond Lee, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 18 of 74.
“Currently, if a young couple has been working, say, for more than a year, when they apply for HFE, they will have a sense of (a) how much EHG they will get; and (b) how much HDB loan they can get. Then, with that, they book a flat and pay between 5% and 10% of the downpayment, that is, 5% if they take the Staggered Downpayment Scheme HDB loan; 10% if you take a financial institution (FI) loan. That is already reduced, compared to other people who would pay 10% and 20% respectively. For a group of young people, when we do a housing conversation, they approach us, they tell us their situation. These are young people who are ready to settle down and they say, "Well, flats take a few years, but we are ready to settle down. We are getting older and we want to start a family." When they apply while they are studying, let us, say, in tertiary, for example, in polytechnic, ITE, university and they are about to graduate in a year or two and maybe one of their partners is doing NS or they have already both completed their studies or completed NS, they have not yet chalked up enough of a track record to assess their eligibility for grant and loan. They say, "Yes, we can book but it is difficult, even with the Staggered Downpayment Scheme, to stump up the 5% or 10% respectively because we are not eligible for a grant or loan at that point in time." So, we say, for them, "Well, we will give you a deferred income assessment, that means, for your grant, it is not that you will get zero, you will get the grant, but we will assess it when you collect your keys." That has been helpful. We assess your loan eligibility when you collect your key. That is helpful because, by that time, they would have started working, maybe worked for one, two, three years, collect keys.”
“We have to start working on it now to provide a buffer against rising sea levels, more freshwater capacity, but also to create a lot of new land for future generations to exploit opportunities. And, of course, Paya Lebar Air Base and the greater Southern Waterfront through moving out our ports. All these also create space and room for Singaporeans to live out our dreams. In terms of brownfield sites, why are we planning for the redevelopment or the use of a brownfield site like Gillman Barracks when we are taking back Kranji Turf Club, as well as starting to develop Bukit Timah Turf City? As I said earlier, our aspirations are growing, our needs are also growing. With a fast-ageing population, there are both specific housing needs as well as amenities relating to ageing. And as our families' aspirations grow, you start to see fewer 3-Gen families, more nuclear households, more reconstituted households, more singles living on their own and a desire for greater space both within their homes, but also around the estate. And the greater desire for higher order needs of life. And so, we will need to open up sites, including in Gillman Barracks, because these allow us to build homes for Singaporeans, closer to their parents, closer to their workplaces and closer to desirable parks and other amenities for Singaporeans.”
“The Member is right. Intensification is one of the strategies that allows us to fit all the needs and some of the aspirations of Singaporeans today and tomorrow into this one and only island city-state. And intensification is a strategy within the broader strategy of disciplined long-term planning, and Minister Indranee talked about the long-term plan review, plan every 10 years for a 50-year horizon. And then, every five years, plan for a 10- to 15-year horizon and look at the little coloured dots on the master plan and look at the numbers that go with it. Those are your plot ratios. And so, intensification allows us, within limits of liveability, to make better use of our land. That is one. The second strategy, of course, is mixed use. And the Member talked about the potential for more projects, like he mentioned Bishan, there is also Tampines Hub, there is also Heartbeat@Bedok, and many others, where land uses are stacked vertically instead of horizontally by giving each one parcel of land. And, in fact, there is even a three-plus-one depot for three MRT lines converging and one bus depot all in, saving you lots and lots of land for other uses. So, intensification, multi-user. We also better exploit the underground, so the underground master plan has been around for a number of years. And for those of you who have been to the Jurong Rock Cavern, you know that it is a feat of engineering which allows us to free up valuable land on the surface for more important economic uses and use the underground caverns for storage of condensates. So, all in, those are some strategies. Over and on top of that, we have the big moves, for example, the mention of "Long Island", which is many decades down the road.”
“So, there may be a site that you have zoned for housing. Someone else is using that land in the meantime. The uses of the land will run out, whether it is for recreation, business, industry, horse racing so on and so forth, all these we will have to plan for it in the long term. And as we say, you want to prepare for a launch, take 10 to 15 years, you also have to model as best as you can what your projected household formation is. And we are already starting to see for a number of years now smaller families, more singles living alone, more reconstituted families and so on, and we want to be able to make sure we meet not just the needs of the singles but the needs of many other groups as well. So, all in, I make a call to Members from both sides of the House to recognise that, in Singapore, we are able to achieve public housing for the masses despite these tremendous limitations and it requires long-term planning, discipline, give-and-take and also a sense that we all have our needs, but we all also need to think of other groups of Singaporeans, especially the vulnerable ones.”
“And we are an island city-state, as Minister Indranee has said, with 730+ square kilometres, one of the most densely populated sovereign city-states in the world, the only island city-state in the world, and that means, unlike other cities, we do not just have to cater to housing and other amenities that city dwellers need; everything that the fully functioning sovereign state needs has to be within the city. And if you go to other cities that are like Singapore, you will find that actually the airport is far, far away; its port is far away; the crematorium is far away; the recycling plants are far away. All the undesirable necessities of city life, sometimes, in bigger countries can be parked outside the city. But we have no such luck. Ours is the karma of an island city-state, and I hope that all Members here will be able to take this back to your constituencies to share as part of the building of our knowledge and DNA of Singaporeans, to know that, for us, it will always be the need to balance severe trade-offs and make the best of our limited land and resources. And for a city-state like ours to have 80% living in national housing and 90% of them owning their homes and you compare that to larger countries with severe housing shortages, even coming to Singapore to study what we do, and we share, I think we must accept that we have, as a result of years of discipline, done well. If you want to find land to build, we have ample land. But land of the past, large green field sites, those are scarcer. We will have to make do with infill sites, we have to recycle the land, we have to rejuvenate, we have to work on brownfield sites, some of which have historical value. All these mean that land will become available to us in time and space. Do Members know what I mean?”
“The other question that the Member asked is why can we not ramp up supply and that was what PSP has called, that is, ramp up supply generally, build a lot more than 100,000, build a lot more Millennial Apartments. In fact, do not build Prime and Plus flats. Take all the Mature Estates, central estates, central location, just build rental flats for millennials for three to five years. And why not lower the age ceiling for singles? Why not you ramp up the 3-room, and I am quite sure there will be many other requests that she will make in the course of the coming years to basically provide supply for every constituency of Singaporeans that feel that they want more support. And as I have said many times, if land and resource were no constraint, we would certainly, as a responsible Government, want to meet genuine needs and there are needs on the ground, needs that Mr Louis Ng talked about, single parents and so on. And we meet most on those fronts, too. Every group is subject to some form of cap, whether it is an age ceiling, whether it is an income cap, whether it is a nationality requirement, household requirement; first timer, second timer versus Nth timer. All these ensure that, with limited land and resources, you are able to cater to the broad masses of Singaporeans and different categories. And over the years, we have been able to make some adjustments over time to allow more access. And that is for BTO flats which are a supply of flats in addition to the overall resale market supply that is available out there.”
“It is a very broad question, so I take heed Chairman's request to keep it short. Shorter waiting time flats, 2,800 or thereabouts this year. So, one year ahead of our commitment, which was to start ramping up shorter waiting time from next year. Shorter waiting time flats work this way. You launch in a given year, you want to make sure that you are able to meet demand. We have been able to bring BTO application rates down from a peak during COVID-19, to somewhere around pre-COVID-19 levels. But you do that and then also start building some in the year X to be launched in year X+1, that means, the next year, and you would have constructed a year or a year plus. That allows applicants who book a flat to be able to collect keys in two years-plus; in under three years or three years or less. Why can we not have 50% shorter waiting time flats this year? I think the answer is quite simple. We have still to meet existing demand in addition to doing the catch-up for all the delayed flats as a result of COVID-19. I think that really is the rate-limiting factor and, as we have explained previously in this House and to the media, when you want to launch a BTO project, it can take up to 10 to 15 years of lead time, of land preparation, of allowing the prior user to complete the use of the land; and for the land to be taken back, and so on and so forth. When the sites get more infilled as you take more difficult sites, a lot more preparatory work has to come in; not to mention actual construction time: if you build on slopes, if the land is odd shape, if the geology requires extra piling and so on.”
“And the overall mix of new housing supply will be a combination of BTO flats, Shorter Waiting Time flats, Sale of Balance Flats and open selection flats, and, of course, the resale market with grants. We also help young couples through the First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples) scheme to support them amidst all the first-timers who are applying and this would be young couples who have gotten married and are trying to buy their very first home. That voice came out very strongly and there was a lot of agreement in all our Forward Singapore Housing Conversations that we should really support this group. Then, in addition to the priority, we even allocate priority to new flats under the Family and Parenthood Priority Scheme (FPPS). You will recall last year when we introduced the First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples), we also rejigged the Parenthood Priority Scheme to a Family and Parenthood Priority Scheme, so those first timers buying their very first home will be given first priority if applying for flats in Non-Mature Estates. And grants. Last year we increased the CPF Housing Grants to help lower- and middle-income households trying to buy resale flats. Some young couples want to buy resale flats near to their parents. And, of course, temporary housing through the PPHS supply to help the lower- and lower-middle income young couples who are trying to set up family, waiting for their flats, a place to stay in the meantime. So, we have to see the enhanced Staggered Downpayment Scheme in light of all these changes we have made, to continue to support young Singaporeans who want to settle down, buy their first home and start a family.”
“I thank Miss Cheryl Chan for her question. Indeed the enhancement to the Staggered Downpayment Scheme is one mechanism by which we help young couples who are ready and prepared to settle down and set up family to get their flat faster. But we have to see the enhanced Staggered Downpayment Scheme in light of a whole range of measures that we have put in place to help young families, specifically, but also Singaporeans generally, get access to their first home. The first, of course, is the ramp-up in housing supply. We make more flats available so that young couples who are looking for a flat in a location, not just in a Non-Mature Estate, but also in a Mature Estate, because they are looking to live nearer to their parents, nearer to their families, can find options. So, you are starting to see more BTO launches in more Mature Estates or in more central locations. That is one. The second, of course, is to bring down waiting times. COVID-19 was exceptional. There were disruptions across the board but we have brought it under control and brought down overall construction time, firstly by catch up, and secondly by working with our contractors, with our suppliers in order to build more effectively and build more quickly. We also, as I mentioned earlier, started in 2018 to launch Shorter Waiting Time flats. That means you meet this year's demand through your launches, but you start building some to be launched the next year. So, when next year comes, there will be a number of flats which have waiting time of below three years, two years plus. And actually, a lot of young couples say that is about right for them. We were ramping that up, but COVID-19 hit; and we are going back on track.”
“We are also working hard on the preparations for VERS. Through VERS, we can redevelop the land comprehensively, better integrate elements of "live, work and play" into our towns and bring more employment opportunities and amenities to HDB estates. However, redeveloping HDB estates is a very complex task. As we redevelop ageing towns, we need to carefully balance the housing needs of future generations as well as consider those of the current generation. We will generally need to redevelop the older parts of a town in stages and minimise the inconvenience to other residents. This also means that some people will need to relocate and we need to ensure that there will be enough housing units for them to move to. Due to its large scale and complexity, VERS will be an important project that will span several decades. We will ensure that every aspect of VERS is properly planned and will announce more details at an appropriate time. (In English): Mr Chairman, providing good homes, planning for our land use and transforming our built environment sector – these are important areas that we must continue to forge ahead. The collective efforts of Singaporeans and our stakeholders: planners, construction firms, community groups and so on, have helped to shape our nation and make Singapore a distinctive city. We will continue to work with Singaporeans to build an inclusive, sustainable, and vibrant home for generations to come. 1.15 pm”
“As the housing needs of Singaporeans evolve, our housing policies must also evolve in tandem, to allow Singaporeans to afford and own their own homes. It was earlier announced that starting from the second half of this year, we will implement a new public housing classification framework to ensure that public housing remains affordable. Singles will have more housing options. They will be able to purchase new 2-room flats in any area. We have also introduced a new First-Time (Parents and Married Couples) BTO applicant category to help eligible families secure a HDB flat as soon as possible. This year, we will provide more assistance to help young couples own their own homes. We know that for young Singaporeans who are still studying or serving NS, or those who have just graduated and finished NS, having to pay the downpayment of their flat when they have not entered the workforce can be financially challenging. Currently, they can pay for the flat downpayment in phases. They will first pay one portion when they sign the Agreement for Lease. The remaining will only have to be paid when they collect their keys. To further alleviate their burden, we will reduce the initial downpayment to 2.5% of the flat price. Starting from July this year, the Government will implement a one-year voucher to assist families who are waiting for their BTO flat to be completed and have to rent a flat in the open market. Eligible families can receive a monthly voucher of $300 to defray their rental expenses. Of course, we have also not forgotten the seniors. The Government will continue to rejuvenate HDB estates and neighbourhoods to provide a safer and more liveable living environment for the elderly, helping them to age in place and to enjoy their golden years.”
“So, for a start, the CRS entry requirements will be adjusted to keep pace with current tender prices and construction costs. So, to be registered, we will require a firm to have a minimum paid-up capital of $50,000 and a track record of $300,000 in total over the past three years, or about $100,000 per year on average. This is to ensure that firms that hire foreign construction workers have the minimum financial capability and experience to sustain their operations and deliver projects. We will give our firms time to meet these new requirements. BCA will announce further details of the changes, including the implementation timeline, later this year. BCA has engaged key industry stakeholders, and they understand the impetus for these changes. Minister Indranee will share more details on other upcoming initiatives to support firms in their transformation journey. Chairman, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] This year marks the 60th anniversary of HDB's Home Ownership Scheme. Over the past 60 years, the Government has been committed to providing public housing for Singaporeans and supporting their dream of home ownership. We understand that Singaporeans have been concerned about the housing market in recent years. Some parents worry that their children may not be able to afford housing and some young couples are eager to receive their keys to start a family. Through various Government measures, the housing market has recently began to stabilise. The rate of increase of housing prices and rent is easing and the application rate for BTO flats has also decreased. I believe that in the coming year, the situation will become more stable.”
“We must continue to push the envelope, to ensure that our construction industry is well-poised for further transformation. To do this, we will enhance the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA’s) Contractors Registration System (CRS). Currently, firms that are bidding for public sector construction tenders need to be registered under the CRS. The CRS is also one of three gateways for firms to access foreign construction workers. The other two gateways are: BCA’s Builders Licensing Scheme (BLS), and the Singapore List of Trade Sub-contractors (SLOTS), which is managed by the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL). Today, the entry requirements to CRS, BLS and SLOTS are uneven. This means that some firms may find it easier to access foreign construction workers under certain gateways. While we recognise the need for foreign construction workers in the sector, the firms that are allowed to hire them should meet the same minimum standards. This should apply equally to firms, regardless of whether they undertake public or private sector projects. As such, we will make this move. We will now require all firms hiring foreign construction workers to be registered under the CRS. CRS will become the sole gateway for firms to access these workers. This means that CRS will expand its reach. It will shift from being a public sector registry, to a nation-wide registry of construction firms. With this nation-wide registry in place, we can raise and harmonise quality, manpower and productivity, and innovation standards more effectively, across the entire construction industry. We will do so progressively, to mitigate the impact to firms as well as to construction projects.”
“Through our refreshed Industry Transformation Map (ITM), we have been helping our construction firms to digitalise, raise their productivity, and build more sustainably. Miss Cheryl Chan asked for an update. So far, we have made good progress in digitalising the sector by encouraging the adoption of Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD). IDD connects different stakeholders in a building project via a “digital spine”. It enables greater collaboration throughout the project. Examples include the adoption of virtual environments to simulate real-world construction. The IDD adoption rate for new developments by gross floor area (GFA) has increased from about 45% in 2022, to 58% in 2023 and we are on track to meeting our target of 70% IDD adoption by 2025. We have also shifted towards more productive ways of building, by raising the adoption of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) technologies. This enables the off-site prefabrication of building components in a safer, more productive, factory-like setting before they are shipped to the worksite and assembled. Over the years, we have made moves to push for DfMA as the default method of construction in Singapore. For instance, it is a requirement for all developments on land sold under the GLS programme. We also enhanced the Buildability Framework in 2022 so that all large building projects of at least 25,000 square metres must adopt DfMA. Our efforts are bearing fruit. The DfMA adoption rate for all new developments by GFA increased from 51% in 2022 to 61% in 2023. We are similarly on track to meet our target of 70% DfMA adoption by 2025. Minister Indranee Rajah will share more about our progress towards a more sustainable built environment sector.”
“We will take note of his suggestion. While Mr Chong Kee Hiong also spoke about the wider context of urban rejuvenation and redevelopment. Indeed, VERS should be seen as part of a bigger strategy for us to comprehensively plan for the redevelopment of our public housing, improve the environment and quality of life in our heartlands, create towns that further embrace “live-work-play” strategies, and bring jobs and amenities closer to our people. It is a big, complex, long-term task. It involves re-imagining all over again, the concept of public housing and reinvigorating our ageing HDB towns. In doing so, we have to take care of the current generation’s housing needs even as we cater for the needs of future generations. We will need to carefully stage redevelopment in the older parts of the towns, while minimising disamenities to the residents in the newer parts. Some Singaporeans will need to relocate as a result of this, so we will need to work through the detailed mechanics and processes and the package for VERS. We will also need to ensure that there are sufficient homes available at the right time for them. We are developing these details and plans and will announce more information and details in due course. This is the Government’s commitment to you. We have taken care of Singaporeans’ housing needs for the past 60 years. It is a work in progress. We will continue to do so for the next 60 years and beyond. I thank all Members for your questions and suggestions on how we can continue to support Singaporeans' housing needs, be it singles, young families, seniors, families with persons with disability, our transnational families and more, as raised by Miss Cheryl Chan and other Members. I will now turn to our built environment sector.”
“But as I have shared earlier, the vast majority of Singaporeans still aspire to own a home, if not now, then eventually. This was reaffirmed at our Forward Singapore engagements with over 21,000 Singaporeans. And so, we are prioritising our resources to help Singaporeans achieve homeownership. This has always been our position, even as we seek to provide more diversity and choice in our market and a safety net for those who are not yet ready to buy their own homes. This is a continuous work in progress and I thank Members from both sides of the House for your good ideas. In fact, this will continue to be our commitment to Singaporeans. Let me touch on how we are addressing the housing needs of our seniors. As our society ages, it is important that we transform our homes and estates to better support our seniors. To do so, we will spend $600 million on Age Well SG initiatives, to help our seniors age actively and independently in their communities. At the estate level, we will upgrade our precincts to make them safer and easier for our seniors to move around in. We will also provide more precinct amenities, where our seniors can stay active and bond with other residents. At the flat level, we will introduce more enhancements through EASE 2.0, so that they feel safe and comfortable at home. My HDB colleagues have been working hard on the implementation details for these plans and some of these details are now ready. Senior Minister of State Sim Ann and Minister of State Faishal Ibrahim will touch on them later. Mr Chairman, Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Assoc Prof Jamus Lim have also asked about VERS. Assoc Prof Lim focused on the mechanics of the scheme and the impact on home owners, specifically making a suggestion for lower voting thresholds for older flats.”
“The PPHS Voucher will be in place for a year starting from July 2024, and we will monitor the impact of the voucher on the rental market closely. Mr Louis Chua has proposed to expand HDB’s rental programme, and Mr Leong Mun Wai too. Just last year, the PSP introduced the Millennial Apartments Scheme and shared that it was a way to build small, rental flats in prime locations near the central business district for younger Singaporeans to rent for a period of time. Today, they expand this scheme, I understand, to mature estates as well as to replace future Prime and Plus flats with Millennial Apartments instead. This means taking back Mature Estate land and land in more central parts of Singapore with currently owner-occupied flats, and instead of building Prime and Plus flats with the concomitant restrictions to support owner-occupation, for people to buy. This means, under their scheme, replacing them with large numbers of rental flats for young millennials to rent out for a few years. This, of course, in an island city state with limited land, will mean very significant trade-offs, and fewer supply for many other groups of Singaporeans, including those that will have to be displaced as a result of the redevelopment plans of the PSP. In fact, today we already have a range of rental and co-living options in both the HDB market, as well as in the private market, as well as HDB programmes such as the Public Rental Flat Scheme, Interim Rental Housing, PPHS. 1.00 pm As I have said earlier, we will continue to study ideas shared with us during the Forward Singapore Housing Conversations, including the ideas that Members of this House have raised and continue to study how to enhance further the housing option diversity in Singapore.”
“Application rates have dropped from over 20 times in 2021 in the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to 2.3 times in February this year. In recent exercises, all married applicants with children, including expectant parents, were invited to select a flat. We will press on with our supply ramp up to 4,000 units by next year. Meanwhile, as Deputy Prime Minister Wong has announced in the Budget speech, we will introduce a PPHS (Open Market) Voucher for one year until our PPHS supply is ramped up to 4,000 units next year, to support eligible families who need to rent HDB flats or bedrooms on the open market. Mr Murali Pillai noted the need to minimise distortion of the rental market. That is why we have scoped the parameters of the voucher carefully, to support these families while minimising the potential impact on the broader rental market. This voucher will be available to families who meet the PPHS eligibility criteria. Broadly, these are Singaporean families with a household income of $7,000 or less, who are waiting for their HDB flats to be completed. This allows us to target the PPHS Voucher at those with less income at their disposal, to defray their costs of renting. Each eligible family will receive $300 per month, regardless of whether they rent an HDB flat or an HDB bedroom. Payment will be made on a reimbursement basis. Some may ask, why not a higher amount? The $300 quantum was carefully calibrated to provide some relief to eligible families, while mitigating the potential inflationary impact on the rental market for others. At $300 per month, eligible families will receive up to $3,600 if they qualify for the full year of support.”
“But we also have to meet growing demand from married couples, from families, from seniors and many other groups of Singaporeans. If we were to adopt Ms Poa's suggestions now without being able to increase our flat supply correspondingly, BTO application rates will spike and resale prices will soar. Many people who want flats will not be able to get them, including the singles whom she is trying to help. This would be counter-productive to the PSP’s objective of supporting TFR. When young couples and families cannot get flats, it would make it even harder for them to settle down. Our approach has instead been to design our public housing policies carefully to address the needs of every segment, while ensuring the stability and sustainability of our system. We are living, after all, in a small island city-state. For Singaporeans who plan to get married, please rest assured that we have a slew of support measures to help you settle down quickly, including priority access to BTO flats as an First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples) applicant. The enhanced SDS that we have just announced is another measure that will help you book a flat and settle down earlier. Let me now turn to another group whom we would like to further support. These are families who have booked a flat, but need temporary accommodation while awaiting the completion of their flat. Today, we provide subsidised temporary housing for these families under the PPHS. Mr Louis Ng and Ms Nadia Samdin have asked for updates on the PPHS. Since 2021, we have more than doubled our supply of PPHS flats to 2,000 units. We have also refined the PPHS eligibility conditions and allocation process to prioritise families in greater need. As a result, we have been able to better meet demand from eligible families.”
“In February last year, we had shared that we would launch 2000 to 3,000 of such flats per year by 2025. But because of the hard work of my colleagues at HDB, we are now able to do this one year ahead of our target, to launch about 2,800 Shorter Waiting Time flats in 2024. As I said earlier, we launched our very first Shorter Waiting Time flat back in 2018. This was affected by COVID-19, and now we are getting back on track. We will continue to recalibrate our building programme over time so that Shorter Waiting Time flats make up a larger proportion of new flat supply. In fact, waiting times of recent launches have generally come down too. The median waiting time for projects launched in 2023 was three years and 10 months. At the recent BTO sales exercise in February, more than 80% of the BTO flats launched have a waiting time of three and a half years or less. Next, on expanding singles’ access to public housing. The PSP is proposing to allow singles to access public housing from 28 years old, and to buy 3-room flats. Many other Members of Parliament from both sides of the House have made similar suggestions, one time or the other. As I have mentioned earlier, we will be allowing singles to purchase 2-room Flexi BTO flats islandwide, Prime, Plus and Standard, from the second half of this year. We are working hard to ramp up our flat supply in order to meet the anticipated increase in demand from this move. In fact, as I have explained previously in this house, if we had all the land and resources at this point in time to further expand singles’ access even further, or for that matter, expand access to other groups of Singaporeans, we would already have done so.”
“For those taking loans from banks, from 10% to 2.5%. These couples will pay the balance downpayment at key collection, when they are in a better position to do so. This will take effect from the next sales launch in June this year. To illustrate, let us look at the pamphlet in front of you. A young couple who is taking an HDB loan to buy a 4-room BTO flat in Bedok, a Mature Estate. They are tapping on the deferred income assessment as one of them is a full-time student and the other is a full-time NSman. Suppose the flat is priced at $480,000 before grants. Today, should they tap on the SDS, the 5% initial downpayment is $24,000. With our enhancement to the SDS, this will be further reduced to $12,000, which is more affordable for them. For couples who are ready to purchase a flat and have been saving up to afford the downpayment, we hope that this enhancement will help you to settle down and start your families earlier. Ms Hazel Poa had suggested other ways to support our families and to tackle our nation’s declining TFR. I thank her for her suggestions. We have addressed them previously in this House. Let me explain again. First, on BTO waiting times. Ms Hazel Poa suggested increasing the number of Shorter Waiting Time Flats launched in our BTO exercises. In fact, we are already doing so. As we have mentioned before, we had started planning for more flats with shorter waiting times of three years or less before the COVID-19 pandemic. These are flats that are built a year or more before they are launched. But we had to bring forward their launch dates to meet the immediate demand during the pandemic, to tide through the challenging period. We are now ramping up on Shorter Waiting Time flats again.”
“Thank you, Sir. As they are circulating the handouts, let me just share that first, we allow such couples to book a new flat, while they defer their income assessment for the EHG and an HDB housing loan to shortly before they collect their keys. At this later date, they are more likely to be eligible for the EHG as well as a larger HDB loan. We also extend the Staggered Downpayment Scheme (SDS) to these couples. They only need to pay half of the initial downpayment required for their new HDB flat, with the balance paid at the point of key collection. For those taking an HDB housing loan, they pay 5% of the flat price, instead of 10%. While those taking a loan from financial institutions pay 10% of the flat price, instead of 20%. I am glad that many young couples have benefited from these measures. In fact, since 2018, more than 3,700 couples have tapped on the deferred income assessment, with support from the SDS, to ease their upfront costs and start their home ownership journey early. We want to do more to help lighten the initial financial burden for such young couples. Since they have deferred their income assessment, they will only receive their EHG closer to key collection, and must rely on their own savings or support from family for initial costs of booking a flat. For some of them, the reduced 5% initial downpayment under the SDS is still a significant financial barrier. To provide further support to these young couples who tap on the deferred income assessment, we will enhance the Staggered Downpayment Scheme. We will do this by reducing their initial downpayment to 2.5% of their flat price. This will apply whether they take an HDB housing loan or a loan from a financial institution. So, this means that those who take an HDB loans, from 5%, now 2.5%.”
“But some still face financial difficulties in booking a flat, particularly those who are still studying or in National Service (NS). As Mr Henry Kwek mentioned, there are also some young homebuyers who need to support their parents when they start work and find it hard to build up their savings. These young couples do not qualify for the EHG, which requires 12 months of continuous employment, as they have not yet started working or have only just started working. Furthermore, these couples are likely to face difficulties in qualifying for a sizeable housing loan at the point in time of application. Today, we have various measures to help these young couples, who are full-time students or full-time national servicemen (NSFs), or who have completed their full-time studies or NS in just the past year. With your permission, Chairman, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout on our assistance for this group.”
“We will continue to review our housing policies to support the aspirations of singles and other groups of Singaporeans. For parents and married couples who are trying to secure their very first home to settle down, we implemented the First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples) priority category, in October of last year. This increases the chances of success for eligible married couples and parents in securing their first home from HDB, as they seek to start their families. Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about the projected demand from this group. We are still monitoring the application and success rates since it only came into effect late last year. But so far, I am glad to see that many families have benefited. Across our BTO launches in October and December last year, about nine in 10 First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples) applicants were issued a queue number within the flat supply available. For home buyers in the resale market, we increased the quantum of the CPF Housing Grant last year, to support First-Timers. Together with the EHG, as well as the Proximity Housing Grant, eligible First-Timer families can receive up to $190,000 in grants when they purchase a resale flat. We will continue to review our grants, paying particular attention to supporting our low-income households. This year, we will make two further moves to support Singaporeans’ housing needs. First, we want to help young couples to settle down earlier, if they are ready to do so as a couple. In our Forward Singapore Housing Conversations, many young couples appreciated the support to help them buy their homes. This includes the EHG, as well as our efforts to ramp up Shorter Waiting Time flats, and of course, the First-Timer (Parents and Married Couples) priority scheme.”
“For example, we are studying major moves like the development of Long Island to tackle rising sea levels while creating new land and opportunities. We are also freeing up land for redevelopment, such as through the relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase. At the heart of these plans is the Government's commitment that public housing remains affordable, inclusive and fair for all Singaporeans and that Singapore remains a vibrant city, an endearing community and a cherished home for all of us. Beyond developing a steady supply of homes, we have also made major changes to our public housing system to ensure that it remains affordable and accessible for Singaporeans. These improvements were made after consulting thousands of Singaporeans as part of Forward Singapore. Let me recap them. First, as we build more flats in more central locations, we want to ensure that public housing remains affordable for more Singaporeans. We also want our estates to maintain a good social mix and that the distribution of subsidies to be fair. We have therefore introduced the new national housing framework of Standard, Plus and Prime flats, which will take effect later this year. Mr Henry Kwek asked how we will ensure that Plus and Prime housing remain affordable and inclusive. We will provide additional discounts and subsidies for these flats, as well as grants such as the means-tested Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG). 12.45 pm Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about how we will enhance housing options for singles. With the launch of the new HDB framework, singles will be able to buy new 2-room Flexi flats islandwide, Plus, Prime and Standard. This will take effect later this year. We received many other ideas during our Housing Conversations too.”
“We will launch the first BTO project of around 1,200 flats in June this year. Over time, we plan to build around 10,000 homes in Chencharu, at least 80% of which will be public housing. This will provide a sizeable supply of new homes, particularly for those who wish to live near their parents in the area. The second area we are developing plans for is Gillman Barracks in Telok Blangah. Gillman Barracks has a storied history and is home to former colonial military buildings. Many of the former barracks are currently tenanted out for interim uses, with tenancies expiring progressively by 2030. We are studying the possibility of redeveloping the site for a mix of public and private housing. Besides providing more opportunities for Singaporeans to live closer to the city centre, the new residential neighbourhood can build on the character and charm of the former colonial buildings. Residents will also have easy access to green and recreational spaces such as the Southern Ridges and Labrador Nature Park Network. We will start environmental and heritage studies in the second quarter of this year. These will help us better understand the ecological and heritage significance of the site and to plan sensitively for its development. More details will be shared when ready. As always, we will share our plans with Singaporeans, and hear your feedback and suggestions. My colleague, Minister Indranee, will elaborate on our efforts later. We have been announcing new housing sites at a steady clip. This is underpinned by our long-term approach towards land use and infrastructure planning. In doing so, we adopt various long-term strategies to optimise and steward our limited land.”
“This was the first quarterly decline in over three years. We expect the housing market to continue to stabilise this year. We will continue to launch a steady supply of new homes in various locations, so that there is a home for every budget and need. Amidst persisting economic uncertainties, geopolitical tensions and higher interest rates, we encourage buyers to be prudent in their home purchases to avoid over-extending themselves. Let me now touch on how we will meet housing demand in the years ahead. Miss Cheryl Chan asked how we will plan to address growing near-term needs. We are developing greenfield sites and brownfield areas, some of which have potential heritage significance. In doing so, we take great care to retain our identity and collective social memories. If we foresee major impact on sites with significant heritage, we will carry out studies in consultation with key stakeholders. We also pay attention to the environmental impact of these developments and carry out studies to minimise such impact. So far, we have announced our plans to build new housing in various locations, including in more central parts of Singapore, such as Pearl's Hill, Mount Pleasant, Bukit Timah Turf City and the former Keppel Golf course. Today, I would like to share our plans for another two areas. The first is Chencharu in Yishun. With its development as a new housing area, we will provide more new homes and amenities in Yishun. We will build a variety of recreational, community and commercial facilities to bring greater convenience to residents, while adding vibrancy to Yishun Town. These will complement existing facilities at Khatib Central and HomeTeam NS Khatib. Future residents in Chencharu will be served by Khatib MRT and other connectivity initiatives.”
“As of February this year, we have launched more than 67,000 flats, or two-thirds of our commitment. We are well on track to meeting our 2025 target. We have also ramped up private housing supply. In 2023 alone, we launched 9,250 units under the Government Land Sales, or GLS, scheme. This was the highest annual supply in the last 10 years. And for the first half of this year, 2024, we released land for 5,450 private homes on the Confirmed List. This is the highest supply on the Confirmed List in a single GLS Programme in over 10 years. We are watching the market carefully and are prepared to inject even more housing supply if necessary to meet demand. Across the public and private housing markets, a significant number of new homes have been completed. Last year, around 43,000 homes were completed. This is the largest number in a single year since 2018. In parallel, we implemented three rounds of cooling measures since December 2021 to moderate housing demand, and to encourage greater financial prudence among homebuyers. Our property market is stabilising. HDB resale prices rose 4.9% last year, less than half of the 10.4% increase the year before, in 2022. Price growth in the private residential market has also moderated, from 8.6% in 2022 down to 6.8% in 2023. BTO application rates went down, from a high of 5.8 applications per flat in 2020 to 2.9 applications per flat last year. Transaction volume in the private property market in 2023 declined by 13% compared to 2022 and is at its lowest since 2016. Rents are also stabilising. The quarterly increase in public housing rents moderated to 0.4% in the fourth quarter of last year, down from 1.9% in the third quarter of last year. Private housing rents fell by 2.1% quarter-over-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2023.”
“Chairman, I thank Members for their cuts. I will speak on housing and our efforts to transform the built environment sector. My colleague, Minister Indranee Rajah, will cover our long-term planning, sustainable development, and our support for our construction firms. Senior Minister of State Sim Ann will touch on how we are working alongside residents and our community partners to improve our living environment. Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How will share about our efforts to transform Singapore into a City in Nature. And my colleague, Minister of State Faishal Ibrahim will speak on what we are doing for low-income households and our seniors. Sir, let us start with housing. We are firmly committed to supporting Singaporeans' aspirations to own their homes and determined that we shall remain a nation of homeowners. HDB started selling subsidised flats to Singaporeans in 1964 under the Home Ownership Scheme. Today, 80% of our people live in HDB homes, of whom 90% own their homes. During our Forward Singapore engagements, Singaporeans told us clearly that homeownership remains a key aspiration. So, we will honour this commitment and ensure that there are housing options for every budget and need. Members will recall the significant impact that COVID-19 had on our construction sector as well as on our housing market. There were unprecedented supply disruptions and labour shortages, causing widespread delays. We also saw very strong housing demand. This resulted in an imbalance in demand and supply, pushing up housing prices and rents. Application rates for new HDB flats rose to a peak. To address this imbalance, we committed in 2021 to launching 100,000 new flats by 2025.”
“We do not have data on the number of trees with a girth of more than one metre that have been cut down island-wide since February 2021. That said, the planting of one million trees between 2020 and 2030 will more than make up for the trees lost during that period. This is in addition to existing greenery replacement measures within development sites.”
“The Housing and Development Board (HDB) assesses all requests from single unwed parents holistically, based on their individual circumstances. Those who are aged 21 and above and can afford to buy a flat will be allowed to buy up to a 3-room flat in a non-mature estate from HDB or a resale flat. Those who cannot afford to buy a flat may be offered public rental housing if it is assessed to be in their child's best interests, taking into account input from social workers as necessary. Over the past two years, HDB supported an average of 72% of requests from single unwed parents each year to purchase a flat from HDB. See Table 1 below for details. For the remaining requests, these included applicants who did not follow through with their applications or did not have sufficient budget at that point in time to buy a flat. Over the past two years, HDB assisted an average of 46% of requests from single unwed parents each year to rent a public rental flat. See Table 2 below for details. For the remaining requests, these included applicants who did not follow through with their applications, had the means to purchase a flat or had family members who could house them.”
“A comprehensive 5G mobile network will require denser deployment of mobile infrastructure compared to the 3G and 4G networks, due to the shorter propagation characteristics of high bandwidth 5G spectrum. Hence, more space in building premises will be required for 5G mobile infrastructure. To support the timely rollout of 5G mobile networks for Singapore, the Ministry of National Development/Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Ministry of Communication and Information/Info-comm Media Development Authority have been working together to coordinate and facilitate 5G infrastructure deployments by telecoms companies in HDB towns.”
“Punggol Northshore District is HDB's first smart and sustainable district, where smart technologies were piloted in a new BTO project. Since November 2021, HDB has introduced these technologies in new BTO projects islandwide. After conducting a comprehensive assessment, HDB selects initiatives which are proven effective for roll-out to older flats and estates. An example is the Smart LED Lighting under the HDB Green Towns Programme, aimed at reducing energy consumption across all HDB towns. These smart lighting systems, equipped with predictive lighting and automated fault detection, will be installed in all new BTO projects. For existing estates, smart lighting will be introduced at the common areas in line with the Town Council's Repair and Redecoration (R&R) cycles, with HDB providing technical support. In addition to the specific programmes, HDB has developed a centralised data platform that can collect and analyse data from sensors that are progressively deployed in HDB towns. The data collected allows HDB to monitor the performance of systems, measure sustainability targets and refine HDB's plans over time.”
“Guided by the Housing and Development Board's (HDB's) Digital Master Plan and in line with the Built Environment Industry Transformation Map, HDB has been building up its digital capabilities, particularly in the design and development of new towns over the years. Since 2019, all new Build-To-Order (BTO) projects further adopt Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) with Building Information Modelling (BIM). Consultants and contractors are required to create and make use of data-rich BIM models to carry out design coordination and construction simulation prior to the commencement of actual works on site. As part of its Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) efforts, HDB pilots new digital technologies in selected BTO projects to enhance construction management, for instance, in tracking the fabrication, transport and installation of prefabricated components, and intends to roll these out to more projects progressively. Within HDB, officers involved in the design and construction of new BTO projects are given both formal and on-the-job training to support IDD implementation, including in BIM modelling and IDD applications. HDB also requires consultants and contractors to deploy experienced, digitally competent personnel to implement IDD in new BTO projects. HDB is committed to develop smart and sustainable HDB towns through the strategic integration of digital solutions. This approach is guided by HDB's Smart HDB Town Framework and the Smart Urban Habitat Masterplan, which provide a detailed roadmap for the roll-out of smart initiatives. To ensure that such digital enhancements are both technically feasible as well as cost effective at scale, HDB deploys small-scale pilot tests first in designated “Living Labs”, such as Punggol town and Yuhua.”
“The Housing and Development Board (HDB) and relevant planning agencies work together to plan HDB precincts based on land-use considerations as well as the design and layout of the site, taking into consideration the various amenities and infrastructure that need to be in the precinct to support residents’ needs. To ensure that names for buildings and estates are locationally and culturally appropriate, government agencies, building owners and developers are required to submit naming applications to the Street and Building Names Board (SBNB) for approval. The Urban Redevelopment Authority takes on the secretariat role for the SBNB. HDB applies SBNB’s naming guidelines and principles to ensure that the proposed names reflect the location and unique characteristics of each HDB precinct, including the cultural context and heritage of the area. Approved precinct names are available on SBNB’s website and the Singapore Land Authority’s OneMap service.”
“The Government is committed to safeguard the heritage and biodiversity of the Southern Islands, so that the rustic island charm can be enjoyed by many generations to come. Therefore, developments are planned taking into consideration the idyllic setting of the islands and to minimise environmental and heritage impact. Agencies will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that developments on the Southern Islands are carried out sensitively.”
“The National Parks Board (NParks) conducts maintenance pruning on roadside shrubs every two to three months. It also conducts monthly site inspections on roadside greenery, including those in landed housing estates. During these inspections, if any trees or shrubs are found to be obstructing the visibility of road signs and traffic, NParks carries out pruning works. Upon receiving feedback of such similar nature, NParks would conduct onsite assessments and where necessary, pruning works are generally undertaken within two weeks. There may be instances where residents in landed housing estates have planted up the green verges in front of their homes. We ask residents to garden responsibly and ensure that their plants do not give rise to potential hazards for road users and pedestrians.”
“Singapore adopts a Whole-of-Government and multi-pronged approach to combat illegal wildlife trade. The National Parks Board (NParks) works closely with Singapore Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to detect the smuggling of illegal wildlife and its products at our borders. Agencies have put in place a robust risk assessment framework, which includes the screening of travellers and goods at our checkpoints. Agencies also leverage technology to enhance their enforcement efforts. For example, ICA uses radiographic scanners and hand-held screening devices to ensure that goods that enter Singapore are lawful and legitimate. ICA has also tested the detection of wildlife and wildlife products, such as pangolin scales and elephant ivory, using the Multi-Mode Passive Detection System (MMPDS) in 2020. ICA and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency have assessed that radiographic scanners are more reliable as the images from the radiographic scans are much clearer. ICA has since deployed new and enhanced radiographic scanners that provide high throughput and detection sensitivity. NParks has also partnered Microsoft and Conservation International to develop a mobile application, which enables enforcement officers to quickly identify illegally-traded shark species using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Under the Centre for Wildlife Forensics, NParks is exploring other advanced detection techniques, such as electronic smell sensors and DNA sequencing, to detect endangered species in the trade supply chain. We will continue to explore and leverage new technologies to enhance our enforcement efforts.”
“Since 30 September 2022, current and former private property owners (PPOs/ex-PPOs) must wait out 15 months from the disposal of their private property before they may buy a non-subsidised resale flat. This measure was introduced to moderate the demand for resale flats and ensure that they remain affordable, especially for first-timers. To support seniors' retirement needs, Singapore citizens and their spouses aged 55 and above who are right-sizing from their private property to a 4-room or smaller resale HDB flat are exempted from the wait-out period. Following the ramp-up in BTO flat supply and implementation of three rounds of cooling measures, the rate of increase in resale prices has continued to moderate. HDB's quarterly Resale Price Index (RPI) increased by 1.1% in 4Q2023. This is slower than the average quarterly increase of 2.5% in 2022. For the whole year of 2023, resale prices rose by 4.9%, less than half of the 10.4% increase in 2022. Prior to the implementation of the 15-month wait-out period, PPOs/ex-PPOs constituted about 34% of buyers of flats sold for a million dollars or more, between 1 January and 29 September 2022. Since the wait-out was implemented, this proportion has fallen by more than half to about 14%, between 30 September 2022 and 31 December 2023. The Government will continue to keep a close eye on the resale market, with a view towards keeping public housing affordable and accessible for Singaporeans.”
“In 2023, eight single unwed parents applied for the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS). HDB assisted four of them with Interim Rental Housing. Of the remaining four, one was invited to select a PPHS flat but did not do so and three were not successful in the ballot.”
“HDB blocks built since the mid-1990s have direct lift access on every floor. Amongst those blocks built before then, most do not have direct lift access on every floor. To address this, HDB launched the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) in 2001. Since then, HDB has implemented the LUP in more than 5,000 blocks. In implementing the LUP, HDB has piloted and adopted different design approaches and innovative solutions to bring direct lift access to more blocks. Some examples include machine room-less lifts, home lifts and bubble lifts. As mentioned in previous replies to the House, HDB has also studied installing wheelchair stair lifts and assessed that this is not feasible for large-scale adoption. This is because staircases within HDB blocks need to be kept clear for fire escape and retrofitting a stair lift will encroach into and impede the evacuation route in the event of a fire. Moreover, such stair lifts may potentially cause injury if not operated properly. Escalators are not feasible due to technical and space constraints. Currently, around 99% of all blocks have direct lift access on every floor. However, there are some blocks where the LUP is currently not feasible because of very high cost or technical constraints. HDB has no plans to redevelop these blocks. That notwithstanding, we recognise that there could be some households in these blocks who may urgently need direct lift access due to their family members' medical or mobility conditions. For such households, HDB provides a Lift access Housing Grant (LHG) of up to $30,000 to assist them in buying a flat with direct lift access. Households with such needs can approach HDB for advice on how they can apply for the LHG.”
“Eligible first-timer buyers can also receive Enhanced CPF Housing Grants (EHG) of up to $80,000, with more help for lower-income buyers. In 2023, HDB increased the CPF Housing Grant for resale flats to $80,000 for 4-room and smaller flats, and $50,000 for larger flat types. Together with the Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) of up to $30,000 to facilitate mutual care and support, eligible first-timer families buying a resale flat to live with/near their parents/child can now enjoy up to $190,000 in housing grants. Taken together, our various measures have ensured that public housing remains affordable for homebuyers. In 2023, more than eight in 10 first-timer families who collected keys to their new flats or bought resale flats had a mortgage servicing ratio (MSR) of 25% or less upon key collection. This means that they can service their monthly HDB loan instalments with their CPF contributions, with little to no cash outlay. We will continue to keep a close watch on the affordability of public housing, and adjust our policies where necessary. Households should continue to exercise prudence when taking on new financial commitments, including long-term mortgage debt service obligations.”
“We expect that the housing market will continue to stabilise in the coming year as a significant supply of new homes comes onstream and as demand moderates in anticipation of expected easing of global economic activity and interest rates remaining relatively high for an extended period of time. Third, we have also kept BTO prices stable in the past few years, even as we saw a rise in resale prices and construction costs. HDB does not price new flats based on cost. Instead, HDB establishes the market value of flats by looking at prices of comparable resale flats, and then provides significant market discounts to ensure affordability. Fourth, to ensure that our public housing system continues to meet the needs and aspirations of Singaporeans, we announced a new flat classification framework at the National Day Rally last year. This will come into effect from the BTO launch in October. The new flat classification framework seeks to keep housing affordable for Singaporeans, ensure a good social mix and keep the system of subsidies fair. On top of the market discounts for Standard flats, Plus and Prime flats come with more subsidies to keep them affordable to Singaporeans from a wider range of income levels. To maintain parity with other BTO flat owners who are not accorded these additional subsidies, owners who bought Prime and Plus flats from HDB must return a percentage of the resale price or the valuation of the flat (whichever is the higher) upon the sale of their flats. These flats also come with tighter restrictions, such as a 10-year minimum occupation period and an income ceiling on resale buyers, to help moderate demand and keep prices affordable. Fifth, HDB offers substantial grants to offset flat prices.”
“The Government remains committed to providing affordable public housing for Singaporeans. The COVID-19 crisis disrupted our BTO building programme and led to a supply and demand imbalance, as delayed BTO project completions and longer waiting times drove up demand for resale flats. The demand for flats also increased as more Singaporeans sought to move out to live on their own, a trend accentuated by the pandemic. As a result, resale prices increased. To address the supply and demand imbalance, we have undertaken a series of measures for both the BTO and resale markets to keep prices stable and affordable. First, we have significantly ramped up housing supply, made progress on delays and secured more shorter waiting time flats. Over the last three years, HDB offered more than 63,000 flats for booking. With the planned launch of about 19,600 BTO flats in 2024, we remain on track to offer 100,000 flats from 2021 to 2025. In 2023, HDB completed over 21,400 flats across some 23 housing projects – the highest number of projects and flats completed annually in the last six years. We have completed and delivered around 80% of projects delayed due to COVID-19. Barring unforeseen circumstances, HDB aims to complete all pandemic-delayed projects by early 2025. In 2024, we will launch about 2,800 BTO flats with shorter waiting times of under three years. We are working on having about 75% of new BTO flats with waiting times of four years or less. Second, we have implemented three rounds of cooling measures since December 2021 to temper housing demand and encourage greater financial prudence among homebuyers. As a result, HDB resale prices increased by 4.9% in 2023, less than half of the increase of 10.4% in 2022. This is the slowest growth since 2019.”
“The Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme is a long-term plan to stage out the redevelopment and rejuvenation of our older towns and estates. It is a complex undertaking, involving detailed long-term town planning. We are working out the details and will share more information when ready.”
“Construction companies must register under the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA's) Contractors Registration System (CRS) and meet the relevant requirements before they can tender for public sector construction projects. These requirements cover areas, such as financial health, track record and personnel. The requirements are tiered according to the project value. Under the CRS, paid-up capital is not the only metric used to assess the financial health of construction companies. BCA also considers the companies' net worth if they are tendering for higher-value construction projects. Beyond the CRS requirements, in the evaluation of tenders, Government agencies may consider additional financial indicators, such as credit rating and liquidity ratio and a company's operational capacity, including its existing project load and ability to deliver the project successfully. BCA and the Ministry of Finance will continue to conduct regular reviews, including whether additional metrics are required in assessing tenderers, to ensure Government procurement processes remain cost-effective.”
“The National Parks Board (NParks) has completed the fieldwork under the Southern Islands Biodiversity Survey and is analysing the data collected. NParks is working towards publishing the report this year.”
“NParks encourages the sterilisation of pet cats, which can help to prevent unintended breeding and has health and behavioural benefits. As part of the proposed pet cat licensing scheme, we are looking at further encouraging pet cat sterilisation through a lower licence fee for sterilised pet cats. We will share more details when ready. Meanwhile, NParks will continue to work closely with its partners to raise awareness on responsible pet cat ownership, including animal care and the benefits of sterilisation through platforms, such as Pets' Day Out events and roadshows.”
“The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) requires all new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major addition and alteration (A&A) works to comply with the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment (‘Code’). Since January 2020, the Code requires buildings that are frequented by the public, such as sports complexes, transport interchanges, polyclinics, community clubs and larger shopping malls, to provide at least one accessible changing room at an appropriate location and one larger accessible individual washroom at every floor. To date, there are about 50 buildings designed with accessible changing rooms for persons with disabilities and seniors, who may need the assistance of their caregivers. The integrated community development at One Punggol and the Mandai Bird Paradise are examples of places that have provided accessible changing rooms. There are about 130 buildings designed with larger accessible toilets. These toilets cater to persons with disabilities and seniors using motorised wheelchair that require a larger manoeuvring space. To encourage more private building owners to voluntarily retrofit their existing buildings with user-friendly features, BCA's Accessibility Fund co-funds up to 80% of the construction cost for basic accessibility features like larger accessible toilets; and up to 60% of the construction cost for other inclusive features like accessible changing rooms in eligible developments. To further promote this, BCA's Universal Design Excellence Award (UDEA) recognises buildings that have provided more accessible facilities beyond the mandatory Code requirements.”
“It is well-established that as property leases run down, the prices will generally come down. This applies to both private properties and public housing. However, property prices, including HDB resale flat prices are also driven by other factors, such as the property's attributes like location, size, storey height and so forth; prevailing economic conditions; market sentiments; demand and supply; and buyers' willingness to pay. We will continue to keep a close watch on the housing market.”