Parliamentary Snapshots (26, 27 May)

May 28, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Parliament

Lower-income families got more in Growth Dividend

LOWER-INCOME households received the lion’s share of the $407 million in Growth Dividends paid out last month, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in a written reply yesterday. He was responding to a question from Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong, who wanted a breakdown of how much families with different incomes had received in dividends.

Mr Tharman said that the wealthier a family, the smaller the amount of dividends its members received. For example, family members in households whose incomes placed them in the 11th to 20th percentile received an average of $140 in Growth Dividends. By contrast, a family member in the top 10 per cent of households by income received an average of $80 in dividends.

Home care for elderly sick: Limit on subsidies due to costs

THE Government is supportive of families who want to care for their sick elderly at home but it cannot afford to subsidise such care to the same extent as institutional care because home care is more costly.

EDITOR’S QUESTION: Unable to afford, or unwilling to afford?

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday said in a written response to a query from MP Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC): ‘(Home care) may be preferred by some families but it will be more expensive. Government subsidies for the needy will have to be biased towards the less costly option.

The ministry already supports families who want to care for their elderly at home by providing a range of services such as day rehabilitation and dementia day care. People who subscribe to the national disability insurance scheme ElderShield will also receive monthly cash payouts to help them with the costs of keeping their elderly sick at home. That is especially so if they have bought the supplementary schemes with higher payouts.

No need for mandatory rest day for maids: Minister

THE Government has no plans to introduce a mandatory rest day for foreign maids – at this point, said acting Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong.

In a written response to a question from Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong in Parliament on Monday, Mr Gan said most maids are happy working in Singapore and the reported cases of abuse have remained low.

‘There is therefore no need at this point for MOM to legislate a mandatory rest day,’ he said, reiterating that the ministry is committed to safeguarding the well-being of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in Singapore.

The standard contract requires employer to stipulate the number of rest days per month, and zero is not an option, said the minister. Employers are required to compensate their FDWs salary, should the FDWs work during their rest days.

‘This is a more practical approach than legislating a fixed number of rest days per month for FDWs, given the unique nature of domestic work,’ added Mr Gan.

EDITOR’S QUESTION/COMMENT: Are enough done to ensure the rights of maids are respected? From the looks of it, I doubt it.

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