Speeches

1      Mr Chairman, I will now address Ms Anthea Ong’s questions on support for transnational families and migrant spouses.

2     The support schemes announced at the various Budgets aim to provide support to Singaporean households, including those with non-citizen members, who may be concerned over household expenses during this period. These include household-based benefits like GST Voucher – U-Save rebates and Service and Conservancy Charges Rebate under the Care and Support Package^[1], and the Solidarity Utilities Credit. Transnational families would already be receiving support through the $600 Solidarity Payment to the citizen member and $300 Solidarity Payment to the PR or LTVP+ spouse. This was explained by DPM during the round-up of the Solidarity Budget and in response to a Parliamentary Question from Mr Murali Pillai last month.

3     If they or their Singaporean family need further financial support during this challenging period, they may seek help through the MSF Social Service Offices (SSOs), which provide assistance to those who fall into financial hardship. MSF has exercised more flexibility when considering ComCare applications during this period, to ensure affected Singaporean families, including those with non-citizen members, can get help. SSOs will also work closely with other agencies and partners to address the family’s needs, including employment concerns.There are also many Social Service Agencies and those in the community providing support to families in need. These include Social Service Agencies funded by MSF to support transnational families.

4     Migrant spouses who are allowed to work can access work opportunities through many channels, including job advertisements, referrals, recruitment agencies, and various online platforms.