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SINGAPORE – Parents of Singaporean children born before October 1, but whose certified estimated date of delivery was October 1 or later, can appeal for the $ 3,000 baby support grant, the office minister said. of Prime Minister Indranee Rajah.
Soon, the National Population and Talent Division will make more information available on how parents can file appeals, said Ms Indranee, who is in charge of the division.
Last Friday (October 10), the government said that only babies born between October 1 and September 30, 2022 qualify for the one-time $ 3,000 grant, which is intended to help defray the cost of having a son in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
In response to questions from Mr. Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), Ms. He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) and others, Ms. Indranee on Thursday (October 15) in Parliament said that “completely ( understands) that parents who were not eligible to receive the Baby Support Grant are disappointed. “
She said: “They experienced inconveniences and challenges in caring for newborns this year, especially during the circuit breaker.”
This included having to deal with new guidelines and visit restrictions at health centers, and having to adapt quickly when it became difficult to get help caring for newborns, he added.
Ms. Indranee said that the Government has received comments, appeals and requests to change the start date to an earlier one. “However, we would like the public to understand that specific start dates are required for any new measures or improvements. Regardless of the effective start date, there will always be some babies born earlier.”
Indranee said authorities have received a wide range of suggestions on preferred start dates. Some people wanted it to be established a few months ago, and others even suggested going back to 2019, before there was a pandemic in sight. One person even asked that the grant be awarded to all children under the age of seven, he added.
“Each group has reasons for the proposed dates, and looking at it from their perspective, they are all valid. But we can only choose one date, and whatever date we choose, there will be groups that will not be covered.”
Ms Indranee said the government explored various options for the start date when it was designing the scheme, which is intended to support the existing baby bonus cash gift.
The goal is to provide more support for those planning to have children but who may feel the need to postpone their plans in the current economic climate.
Initially, there were plans to provide a one-time grant next year starting January 1, as part of next year’s budget, he said. “However, we felt it was important to get support as quickly as possible to help more Singaporeans with their parenting aspirations.
“Announcing plans for next year could mean that parents may delay trying to have a child in the meantime. So we tried to see how we could do it sooner.”
Despite the government’s difficult fiscal situation, this year it was able to set aside some budget to provide more support to Singaporean parents as soon as possible, he said. That, he added, explains the October 1 start date.
She added that there is already substantial government support for parents, including cash support of $ 8,000 to $ 10,000 offered by Baby Bonus Cash Gift and between $ 3,000 and $ 15,000 in government co-savings for the Child Development Account.
The gross monthly household income ceiling for the additional child care fee subsidy has also been raised from $ 7,500 to $ 12,000 per month since January 1, among other things. Additional assistance was provided to Singaporeans to help them with household expenses, while the Government is also working to develop policies that make Singapore a more family-friendly environment. This includes improving flexible work arrangements.
In response to a question from Ms. He, Ms. Indranee said that the Baby Support Grant is not applicable for single parents. The grant is a supplement to the Baby Bonus Cash Gift, which was designed to encourage marriage and parenthood, he added.
However, government benefits that support children’s growth and development are awarded to all Singaporean children regardless of the parents’ marital status, he said, including child and infant care subsidies.
She said: “As society continues to evolve, our policies will be updated to keep pace with social realities … We understand the difficulties faced by families, especially those with infants and toddlers, during this period, and have implemented steps like the ones I had outlined earlier this year. We will continue to support families during these extraordinary times. “
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