Mr Yip Hon Weng
asked the Minister for Social and Family Development with regard to the recent case of wrongfully obtained ComCare payments due to improper declaration of income and assets (a) how does the Ministry comprehensively assess an applicant's financial situation before disbursing funds; (b) whether the Ministry conducts regular follow-up checks on the financial situation of recipients applying for renewal; (c) besides self-declaration, what other verification methods are being employed; and (d) over the past five years, how many similar cases have occurred and have all erroneous disbursements been recovered.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Eric Chua) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development)
: Sir, ComCare financial assistance is paid out from the ComCare Fund, which is funded from public monies. As such, it is important that the assistance is only given to those who qualify.
To assess an applicant's financial situation, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will, with the applicant's consent, obtain relevant information backend from Government agencies, such as the applicant's employment status, income level and assets owned. For financial information that is not available from other Government agencies, the applicant is required to furnish the supporting documents and make self-declarations, such as the amount of savings an applicant has in all bank accounts in Singapore and overseas.
For clients seeking to renew ComCare assistance, a fresh application must be made and an up-to-date declaration is required. ComCare clients are also required to update the Social Service Office (SSO) should their financial situation change while they are receiving ComCare – for example, if they receive proceeds from the sale of an asset.
In considering an applicant's savings to determine eligibility for ComCare, MSF takes into account factors, such as contingency savings for emergency expenses and household size. There is no hard threshold and SSOs will exercise flexibility based on each applicants' circumstances and needs. If the savings are substantial, even if it comprised donations from the public, we would expect the applicant to tap on his or her savings first.
Over the last five years, there were a total of 25 cases where clients wrongfully received ComCare due to inaccurate declarations on their bank account savings. Recovery action has been taken in appropriate cases. If it is assessed that the client's actions are fraudulent, MSF will report the case to the Police for investigation.
Regardless of whether the case is reported to the Police, we will take steps to recover any erroneous disbursements. MSF takes a serious view on false declarations as ComCare schemes are meant to support those who are in need and have no other sources of support. Clients who hold significant savings do not meet the ComCare eligibility criteria and it would not be fair to use public funds to support those who are able to meet basic living expenses on their own.
Mr Speaker
: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang)
: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his response. I have two short supplementary questions. Given the tension between ensuring accessibility and guarding against misuse of funds, could the Ministry explain how it balances the need for swift disbursement of ComCare funds, with the implementation of stringent checks to prevent wrongful claims? And what measures are in place to ensure that legitimate applicants are not inadvertently disadvantaged by these processes.
Mr Eric Chua
: Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. I will take them together. Sir, the Member is right to describe the process of extending financial assistance as a process of balance – a balance essentially between getting the most appropriate financial assistance, in terms of quantum, to an applicant based on his or her assessed need in the most expedient manner. And on the other end, maintaining a healthy level of prudence and at the same time, accountability, because public funds are being used.
Our officers at the frontline, at the SSOs are well aware that, over time, the applicants' financial situation might change and therefore, will check in periodically with each applicant over time; and at the same time, ensuring that the principles of expedience and accountability are upheld. I am confident that our public officers at the SSOs do the best for each application that they receive, based on these principles.
