Budget Speech 2026: Empowering Seniors
Last year I turned 60 and was classified as a senior citizen, entitled to a Passion Silver Card. It was a proud moment for me. I had reached a recognised life stage when society deemed it fit to accord me a public travel concession. It also made me reflect more about the demographic group I just entered and what this next phase of life should be about.
According to the World Health Organisation, Healthy Ageing is defined as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age. It moves beyond a disease-focused model, aiming to maximise a person’s capability to be and do what they value, whether in terms of mobility, relationships or societal contribution. Our own Ministerial Committee on Ageing has adopted a similar approach. In its 2023 Action Plan for Successful Ageing, it is stated that “ageing is not only about illness and frailty. It also provides opportunities for longer years of active engagement, good health and contribution to society.”
I have spoken about ageism in this House in the past. Instead of seeing a grey-haired individual as weak and helpless, we should as far as possible see how that person’s ability and potential can be unlocked. We should look to empower our seniors.
Over the years, various taxpayer-funded schemes have been put in place to uplift seniors. I will highlight just a few. If seniors wish to continue working, the government provides employers with a Senior Employment Credit, which has been extended for another year under this year’s Budget. Senior Singaporeans have also been included in the SkillsFuture programme, making lifelong learning affordable. Our public buses are now fully wheel-chair friendly, with bus-stops mostly barrier-free, encouraging disabled seniors to go out and stay connected.
The topic of the Prime Minister’s Budget Speech this year is: “Securing Our Future in a Changing World”. Yet at the same time, amidst this relentless pace of change, we must ensure that we do not leave our seniors behind, many of whom are struggling to keep up with a world vastly different from the one they used to know.
Today, I would like to highlight three areas that seem to me to be recurring issues facing seniors: the push towards digitalisation, the withdrawal of face-to-face services and the government’s means-testing policies.
Digitalisation – Can Everyone Cope?
The relentless pace of digitalisation is epitomised by the use of Singpass. To transact with all government departments, Singpass is the default mode. Singpass has been overall a great enabler that eases authentication and transactions across many sectors. For some seniors, however, it is bewildering and disempowering.
Seniors who never had a smartphone have to purchase one in order to download the Singpass app and utilise its functions. Even so, many of them are unable to operate the app as it is simply alien to what they are used to. They find it difficult to open the app to quickly scan QR codes, or to toggle between the app, SMS functions and websites, in order to key in one-time passwords, all within a short time limit.
Seniors with close relatives or friends can get help for digital transactions; however, this still engenders a feeling of dependency and helplessness. Then there are seniors without children or close relatives. The prospect of isolated seniors is real. According to the Ministerial Committee on Ageing, an estimated 83,000 seniors above 65 will live alone by the year 2030. These vulnerable seniors may end up trusting the wrong people, or may decide not to transact with the government at all.
Many seniors, especially the older ones, did not have the opportunities for schooling unlike later cohorts. According to the Department of Statistics’ Population Trends 2025, as at 2024, nearly 40% of those over 55 have education at below secondary level, a very significant segment. Education levels tell us something about comfort with technology, as using technology usually requires higher level language skills, often in English.
To that end, I wonder if there is information available on the extent to which services may not be reaching seniors due to the demands of digitalisation and how best to help them. For example, I am aware that the Silver Generation Office is doing health-related outreach to isolated seniors at their homes. How far are they trained and able to assist such seniors in digital transactions?
I move now to a related point – the withdrawal of face-to-face or over the counter services.
Withdrawal of Face-to-Face Services
In the last decade, there has been a rapid withdrawal of face-to-face services across many fronts. One huge change is in banking, with banks driving their customers to digital banking apps and the reduction in physical bank branches. For government services, this has been happening as well, with face-to-face services being reduced for one reason or another. For instance, we have been told that due to manpower constraints in the Home Team, Neighbourhood Police Posts and some Neighbourhood Police Centres no longer have manned counters.
A recent drastic change affecting residents living in the Hougang area has been the closure of the HDB Branch Office at Hougang Central. Although the closure of this office was due to the site being sold for development, the lack of a replacement physical branch has upset and worried residents. This is not surprising. According to the Department of Statistics, as at June last year, the Hougang planning area is one of those which has a high concentration of residents over the age of 65.
On this, please let me continue in Mandarin.
后港中路的建屋发展局分行于9月1日关闭，受影响的范围包括后港单选区和阿裕尼集选区部分地区。居民向我反映，他们如今必须前往更远的盛港建屋局分行办理事务，这给他们带来许多不便。
针对后港区议员陈立峰在国会所提出的相关议题，国家发展部回应指出，后港分行于9月1日关闭，是为了配合在后港10道与后港中路一带发展综合商业与住宅项目。目前，建屋局并没有在附近设立新的实体分行，而是以电子服务区和自助服务机取代柜台服务。
在此，我想请问建屋局：在决定关闭后港分行之前，是否已经充分评估对后港居民所造成的影响？后港一带有许多早期建成的旧组屋与年长居民。政府是否认为，在分行关闭后，居民只能自行适应数码化服务？如果是在较新的、居民较年轻的地区关闭实体分行，我或许能够理解。但在后港这样以年长居民为主的社区，这样的安排是否真的妥当？
Residents of the area have been asking me what is next on the government’s agenda for the removal of face-to-face services. They worry that Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre is next.
I move to my third and final observation, on means-testing for subsidies and benefits.
Means testing for Subsidies and Benefits
In the Budget Speech, PM Wong emphasised that families were the bedrock of society and the first line of support for every individual. It is useful to examine whether some government policies might inadvertently discourage family support.
Take, for instance, the means-testing criteria for government subsidies and schemes. The Silver Support Scheme and healthcare subsidies for Long Term Care and outpatient treatment under CHAS are prime examples of policies affecting seniors. These schemes have eligibility criteria such as per capita household income (PCHI). Should a wage-earning adult child decide to live with his or her parents for mutual support, the seniors may become ineligible for support or have support reduced, compared to if they lived on their own. The same would apply to a single aunt or uncle with very limited resources but living with a family with working adults.
It is thus not surprising that there are adult children who decide not to have the same address as their parents or relatives, so that their elderly can qualify for more government support. This surely cannot be the message the government wishes to send.
I agree with the principle of means-testing, as our resources are finite. However, some refinement of our means-testing criteria is due. Would it be possible, for instance, to do away with the per capita household income criterion for schemes such as Silver Support, and simply look at the senior’s own income?
Little Gestures Go A Long Way
To round up, I would like to urge the government to continually review how it can empower seniors. To that end, I wish to conclude on a positive note.
I must give credit to the Traffic Police and the Land Transport Authority for something meaningful they have just implemented to help senior drivers. For years up to now, drivers aged 65 or older have had to undergo medical examinations for renewal of their licences – for the general driving licence issued by the police, once in three years; for the vocational licences issued by LTA, annually. Senior drivers have come to the Meet People Sessions expressing confusion over these two requirements. Some also had difficulties in uploading the medical reports onto the portals of the two agencies, as they were not comfortable handling attachments.
Now, under the new Harmonised Medical Examination Report scheme implemented on 2 February, drivers need only attend one medical examination that can be used by both agencies. In addition, the doctor will be the one uploading the medical report onto the relevant portal; drivers need not do this themselves anymore. This is similar to the way medical examination reports on migrant domestic workers are being submitted to MOM by clinics.
The new scheme implemented by both these agencies demonstrates how a seemingly small gesture can go a long way to easing the life of seniors. With collaboration across agencies and with Singaporeans, we can forge a kinder, more conducive environment for all generations.
