Revision of the Singapore Allowance Payable to Low-Income Government and Statutory Board Pensioners.

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government intends to revise upwards the Singapore Allowance payable to low-income Government and statutory board pensioners to allow them to keep up with inflationary pressures.

Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): The Singapore Allowance (SA) was introduced in 1974 to help pensioners with smaller pensions, below a gross monthly pension ceiling, taking into consideration factors such as significant inflationary pressures then.

Over the years, the SA has been periodically revised. The most recent revisions of the SA and the gross monthly pension ceiling were in 2019. We retained the prevailing SA and gross monthly pension ceiling when we reviewed them earlier this year, in view of factors such as inflation remaining low. Going forward, PSD will continue to regularly review the SA and the gross monthly pension ceiling, and where necessary, revise them.

In addition to the SA, eligible pensioners with smaller pensions also receive other forms of support such as Goods and Services Tax vouchers, Community Development Council vouchers, grocery vouchers, as well as service and conservancy charges rebates in the same way as other eligible Singaporeans. Government pensioners who meet the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation criteria are also eligible for Medisave top-ups, outpatient care subsidies, and MediShield Life premium subsidies under the Pioneer Generation Package and Merdeka Generation Package.