Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry has assessed if the binary fee structure for Day Activity Centres where families above the means-test threshold pay up to about $2,000 monthly, suppresses apparent demand by pricing out middle-income households; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider tiered service options such as part-time attendance or co-payment scales for all Centres to improve accessibility without expanding fiscal commitments.
Answer
1 The out-of-pocket fee structure for Day Activity Centres (DACs) is not binary, but rather, tiered based on per capita household income (PCHI). Clients can enrol in DACs on a part-time basis and pay pro-rated out-of pocket fees.