Written Answer to PQ on Silver Support Scheme payments and housing criterion

NOTICE PAPER NO. 314 FOR THE SECOND AVAILABLE SITTING
QUESTION NO. 666 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Shawn Loh

To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Silver Support Scheme can be reviewed (i) to move from quarterly payouts to monthly payouts, so that beneficiaries can more easily plan their finances with more regular inflows of Government support and (ii) to reduce the differentiation between HDB flat sizes, which may lead to unnecessary comparisons between neighbours.

Answer:

1. Silver Support is paid ahead of each quarter to give eligible seniors greater flexibility to manage their larger expenses over each three-month period. Switching to monthly payments means that recipients will only be able to receive payments for the second and third months later.

2. Differentiation of Silver Support payments by HDB flat type allows seniors living in smaller flats, who are more likely to have fewer financial resources, to be given higher payments. This ensures that the Silver Support Scheme benefits seniors who need it most.