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Singapore disburses 130 mln SGD under ComCare Scheme in 2015

Xinhua, December 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

Singapore disbursed a total of 130 million Singapore dollars (91.35 million U.S. dollars) to about 87,000 beneficiaries under the ComCare scheme in 2015, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Friday.

MSF said the amount disbursed was 10 percent higher than that in 2014.

Of these beneficiaries, majority of them have received Short-to-Medium Term Assistance, which the number of such households have risen 7 percent to reach about 30,000 in 2015.

MSF added that there is an increasing trend of households headed by older persons aged between 55 to 64 years on Short-to-Medium Term Assistance. The number of this group increased from 18 percent in 2012 to 22 percent in 2015.

MSF also noted that the number of children receiving Student Care Fee Assistance has increased by 15 percent from the previous year, from 8,339 beneficiaries to 9,605 in 2015. This was likely due to the increase in the number of student care center places, giving more children access to student care services, according to MSF.

Tan Chuan-Jin, minister for Social and Family Development, opined that the ComCare trends point to more households with older persons or retirees requiring social assistance.

"While the proportion of unemployed ComCare applicants has remained stable, MSF will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with community partners to provide help to these families," Tan said. Enditem