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3 March 2015
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Christopher de Souza
MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
Question No. 207
To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider implementing a framework for the provision of a caregiver allowance to caregivers taking care of an elderly loved one, a family member or child with special needs, or a relative who is a person with disabilities.
Written Reply
1 Caregivers play an important role and we should indeed support them in their caregiving roles.
2 We have sought to do so in a number of ways. Families with children below 12, or family members above 65 or with disabilities currently benefit from a lower Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) Levy. In his Budget 2015 announcement, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman announced a further reduction of the concessionary levy to $60 and extension of the lower levy to families with children between 12 and 16. This is on top of the enhancement of existing tax reliefs such as parent and handicapped relief for parent, spouse, sibling and child, announced last year, to provide greater support for working caregivers.
3 We also have in place other financial schemes to help defray the cost of caring for our loved ones. Examples are the Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) Grant, ElderShield, IDAPE and the recent Pioneer Generation - Disability Assistance Scheme which was introduced in September 2014.
4 Other than financial support, caregivers may also tap on the current range of eldercare and disability services such as home and community care options and respite care to help them with their caregiving responsibilities. For instance, they can receive an annual Caregiver Training Grant to equip themselves with the necessary skills in caring for the physical and emotional needs of their care recipients. MOH has also made respite services more accessible. Besides offering subsidised nursing home care for eligible seniors, we have also introduced weekend respite services at 9 centres across Singapore. For persons with disabilities, Ministry of Social and Family Development is expanding the Day Activity Centres and piloting home-based care services for those who do not require or are not suitable for centre-based services.
5 However, introducing a direct caregiver allowance may inadvertently monetize family support and filial piety, which are priceless. We will nevertheless continue to study new ways to beef up support for caregivers.