By MP for Aljunied GRC, Pritam Singh
[Delivered in Committee of Supply on 11 March 2015]
Mdm Chairperson, as it currently stands, full-time caregivers do not qualify for a specific transport subsidy under the various LTA/Transit-link managed concession schemes. They do not qualify for the Workfare Transport Concession as they are not deemed to be part of the workforce. However, they do need to travel to accompany their spouses or family members who can be persons with disabilities or mental illnesses and should be considered for a special subsidy or be allowed to apply as a supplementary applicant for the Persons with Disability Concession Card, for example. I understand the Social Service Office under MSF does provide a transport subsidy to Singaporeans in the appropriate case, especially for those who qualify for financial assistance. However, my understanding from resident caregivers who request for such a subsidy is that they not qualify for it as a matter of course. In fairness, they may qualify for other subsidies such as S&CC and utility subsidies. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that as they are caregivers and are likely to be at home looking after their loved ones, they do not need to travel so much. This is not correct, and in some cases, transport costs can be high. I hope the Ministry in cooperation with TransitLink and MSF can look to better assist caregivers holistically and even more so, if there is little or no other family support to help the caregiver.