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Speech by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua at the MSF Committee of Supply 2026

Type: Official Speeches (All), Official Speeches: Eric Chua

Topic(s): Committee of Supply, Disability Services

Published on 06 March 2026

Advancing an Inclusive Singapore where Everyone Thrives

Introduction 

1.  Chairman, 

2. A fair and inclusive society does not expect people to fit neatly into our systems. Instead, it asks the question: how must our systems evolve, so that every person can flourish? 

3. At MSF, that is the question guiding our work. Earlier, MOS Zhulkarnain spoke about uplifting lower-income families. I would like to focus on another group of families who carry both immense love and immense responsibility: families with persons with disabilities. 

4. When I meet parents and caregivers, one concern surfaces time and again. It is not just about today. It is also about tomorrow. 

5. They ask me:  

  • After my child graduates from SPED school, what comes next?  

  • Will there be a community?  

  • Will there be meaningful opportunities? And most importantly, perhaps: 

  • When I’m no longer around, who will look after my child? 

6. Sir, these are deeply human questions. And under the Enabling Masterplan 2030, we are addressing them in three ways: 

  • First, building capability through lifelong learning. 

  • Second, building communities where persons with disabilities truly belong. 

  • And third, building lifelong security so families can plan with confidence. 

7. Allow me to share more. 

Build Capability: Lifelong Learning for Employability and Daily Living  

8. For many families, graduation from SPED school is both a proud milestone as well as a moment of uncertainty.  

9. Each year, about 250 SPED graduates move into employment or further studies within 6 months of graduation. Behind each statistic is a young person taking a brave step into adulthood, and parents learning, oftentimes anxiously, to let go.

 

Employment Support 

10. Access to lifelong learning is important to facilitate a smoother transition to life beyond school. Mr Ng Chee Meng, Ms Denise Phua would be pleased to know that we provide funding support for skills training through the SG Enable Training Grant. 

11. SG Enable, supported by Skillsfuture Singapore, will introduce new courses from April this year, adding to the existing 140 active courses curated by the Enabling Academy.   

12. But skills alone are not enough. We need inclusive employers. 

13. SG Enable is partnering employers in sectors such as F&B and Health & Social Services to curate job roles thoughtfully. And through various grants, wage offsets, and the Enabling Mark – our national accreditation framework – organisations can steadily strengthen their inclusive hiring practices. 

14. Inclusive hiring is not charity. It is good business. It enriches workplaces with resilience, loyalty, and diverse perspectives. 

 

Day Activity Centres and Sheltered Workshops

 

15. For graduates with higher support needs, centre-based services remain critical.

16. Today, about 3,600 persons with disabilities attend our Day Activity Centres (DACs) and Sheltered Workshops (SWs).

a. Behind this number are real families, like 21-year-old Mirza, and his mother Mdm Habibah, who simply wants the best for her son.

b. After graduating from SPED school, Mirza tried a placement with a Sheltered Workshop, before eventually settling into a Day Activity Centre at SUN-DAC. 

c. I visited Mirza recently. For him, the DAC gives him good structure, friendship, and a safe space to grow. Every Thursday, Mirza goes on walks around Bedok. He buys prata, sometimes ice cream, learns how to count money and take the bus. These are meaningful lessons in independence.

d. For his mother, Mdm Habibah, the program gives her peace of mind. She can go to work knowing that Mirza is safe and meaningfully engaged, and treasures coming home to hear his story about the day.

17. But we know that the current wait time from referral to enrolment is long: over half a year on average. This weighs heavily on families. When a child graduates, six months can feel like eternity.

18. We are accelerating expansion. Our pledge was to add 500 DAC and 500 SW places by 2030. But in fact, we have already added 100 SW places in 2024. A further 520 DAC and 360 SW spaces will come onstream progressively by 2027.

19. As capacity builds, families on the waitlist are not left alone.

20. Enabling Services Hubs (ESHs) offer activities and serve as community touchpoints. For recent graduates, the Supported Transition and Engagement Program (STEP) ensures they remain meaningfully engaged with social outings and activities at least twice weekly, while waiting for placement. 

21. All this, because transition should not mean isolation. 

 

Enabling Skills for Life Programme (ESLP)

22. We also heard feedback that moving between SWs and DACs can be cumbersome. Reassessments, transitions: families told us it felt like starting from scratch each time the needs changed.

23. So last year, we launched the Enabling Skills for Life Program (ESLP).

24. ESLP integrates both models – SW, DAC – into a single continuum. More importantly, it introduces individualized curriculum and development plans, co-created with clients and caregivers.

25. That co-creation is important. Because no one knows a person’s strengths and aspirations better than the individual themselves and their family members.
26. As of January 2026, close to 770 clients across eight centers have transitioned to ESLP. We will continue refining the service model over the next three years.
27. Our aim is simple: as each individual grows, the support around them grows too. This means that ESLP clients will have access to more training pathways depending on their specific needs and aspirations.

Building Communities of Belonging 
28. Sir, skills matter. But belonging matters just as much.

Enabled Living Programme (ELP) and Home Support Programme (HSP)

29. To that end, MSF is piloting two community-living models to strengthen support for independent living. 

30. The first is the Enabled Living Programme (ELP) pilot, which has started in five locations, and we are doing this in close partnership with appointed Social Service Agencies.

a. Delivered within designated public rental flats, ELP allows persons with disabilities with low to moderate support needs, and no to little family support to live independently.

b. When I recently spoke to Boon Hao, an ELP resident supported by the Autism Resource Centre, he did not talk about policies or subsidies. He spoke about hosting his friends on Valentine’s Day. About the dishes he prepared. About the chore schedule he shares with his roommate Vincent. About his grocery runs at Ang Mo Kio Hub.
c. Now, these may sound like mundane things. But for Boon Hao, they represent dignity, independence, friendship.
d. Through the ELP, persons with low to moderate support needs can live independently in public rental flats, supported by coaches, community networks.
e. Residents may not live with family, but they are never alone. Grassroots leaders check in. Neighbours build friendship. And Boon Hao is even exploring volunteering.
f. Now, that is inclusion in action. Living side by side, contributing to the same community.
31. We will also launch the Home Support Programme in the second half of this year, extending similar support to those already living independently, or has plans to do so in their homes, near ELP sites.

Enabling Services Hubs

32. Alongside community-living models, we are strengthening neighbourhood support through our Enabling Services Hubs, or ESH.
33. The idea is straightforward: support should be close to home and easy to access.
34. Our ESHs in Tampines, Punggol, and Jurong have worked with over 300 community partners and volunteers in the past two years: from grassroots organizations to schools and local businesses. They conduct outreach, organise learning workshops and social activities, and link persons with disabilities and caregivers to relevant services.
35. For families, the ESH can be a reassuring first touchpoint: a place to ask questions, seek guidance, and find support without feeling overwhelmed.
36. More importantly, ESHs help communities grow in confidence. Through inclusion workshops and partnerships, neighbors learn how to better welcome and support persons with disabilities in everyday settings.
37. Because when support is embedded within our neighborhoods, persons with disabilities are not seen simply as clients of a program, but they are recognized as fellow residents, friends, and contributors to the same community they live in.

Building Lifelong Security: Affordability and Future Care Planning

38. Chairman, caregivers carry quiet courage. Many worry most not about themselves, but about what will happen after they are gone. We recognise the challenges they face, and we must ensure that they are well-supported on this journey.

39. As Singapore ages, this concern becomes even more urgent. Caregivers themselves grow older too. Health challenges emerge over time. Future planning cannot wait. As noted by Assoc Prof Kenneth Poon, a chief area of concern for caregivers is how their loved ones will be cared for after they pass.

40. We are supporting families in three ways: first, near-term relief; second, strengthened savings; and third, secure future arrangements.

Near Term Financial Relief 

41. First, to provide near-term financial relief, PM announced in Budget last year that subsidies for adult disability services will be increased and extended to more households.
a. Since January 2026, subsidies for the Assistive Technology Fund were enhanced, and extended to families with per capita income between $2,601 to $4,800. Through the ATF, eligible families can purchase assistive technology devices for independent living. 
b. From July 2026, we will increase subsidies for residential and community disability services by up to 15 and 10 percentage points respectively.
c. The income threshold for subsidies will also be raised, extending eligibility to households with per capita income between $3,601 to $4,800.
d. Ms Denise Phua, Ms Kuah Boon Theng would be pleased to know that these enhancements will provide additional financial relief for 3,800 persons with disabilities accessing our residential and community disability services, including those attending DACs.
42. Ms Phua, Ms Kuah also noted that our funding to service providers impact service access and quality. This is why we regularly review our funding models for relevance.
a. We last increased funding to DAC providers in 2021, and to disability residential service providers last year in 2025, to account for inflation and enhanced staffing requirements for clients with higher support needs. 
43. The inter-agency Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities will explore more ways to keep disability support affordable for families and sustainable for service providers.

Matched Retirement Saving Scheme (MRSS)
44. Second, on strengthening savings. From January this year, eligible Singaporeans with disabilities are included in the Matched Retirement Saving Scheme (MRSS). This was announced by MOM last year.
a. Under the MRSS, we dollar-match CPF top-ups for those eligible up to an annual cap of $2,000 and a lifetime limit of $20,000. 
b.This means that if a parent of a seven-year-old with a verified disability status tops up $2,000 annually to their child’s account, we will match by topping up another $2,000 each year. 
c. Assuming (a) the parent consistently tops up $2,000 annually over 10 years to hit the lifetime cap of $20,000 and (b) a 4% compound interest rate, this child would have minimally $320,000 in CPF retirement savings by age 65. This translates to at least $1,700 in monthly payouts for life, from age 65.
d. If a parent tops up consistently from a young age, the compounded impact can be substantial, giving their child meaningful CPF payouts in later life. This is all about dignity in their senior years.

Special Needs Trust Company 

45. Third, on securing future arrangements. Caregivers need assurance that these funds are secure when they're no longer around.

a. The Special Needs Trust Company can help.

46. As announced at Budget 2025, we will be introducing a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for tops-ups to the Special Needs Trust (SNT) accounts.

a. From April this year till 31 March 2031, families with per capita household income of up to $3,600 can sign up to receive matching top-ups of up to $10,000 to the SNT accounts. 
47. For these families, we will also provide the initial $5,000 capital required to open a SNT account through Community Chest funding.
48. Parents can further multiply their financial provisions for their child by buying a Great Eastern Cares Term Plan. This term plan insures parents up till age 100, with coverage ranging from $100,000 to $300,000. 
a. For insurance coverage of $250,000, a healthy 33-year-old mother with per capita household income below $3,600 would only need to make a one-off trust top-up of $10,000 to her child’s account to cover the total premiums for the plan. 
b. Upon the insured parent’s demise before age 100, $250,000 will be paid into the child's SNT account.
c. As premiums increase with age and the amount insured, caregivers are thus encouraged to start these conversations early with SG Enable.
49. Case Managers, who are social work-trained, will work with caregivers to craft personalized care plans and ensure funds are disbursed in accordance with these plans after caregivers have passed.
a. Now, these measures offer real relief for caregivers. Madam Kitty Li. Kitty is a mother of a child with autism, and she was initially hesitant due to the initial capital needed to start an SNT account for her child. With the Community Chest sponsorship, Madam Li can start saving in the SNT account to benefit from the government matching grant and use these savings to purchase a Great Eastern Cares Term Plan.

50. While we work on ensuring our initiatives remain fit for purpose, we agree with Ms Rachel Ong that raising awareness is a crucial part of ensuring that these initiatives have reach.
a. Beyond what is available on their website, SG Enable has developed the Enabling Guide to consolidate information on available support. 
b. They will also continue engaging with partners such as employers and industry chambers to raise awareness of inclusive hiring and employment support.

51. We also endeavor to improve accessibility to our initiatives given the wide range of needs. To Ms Rachel Ong’s query, we are studying how to improve deaf access services, including training more Singapore Sign Language interpreters. There are also social service agencies like SADeaf, who provide casework and counselling services using sign language.

Vernacular 

52. Chairman, please allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.

53. 主席，促进一个更具包容性的新加坡，是全体国人的共同心愿。我们希望建设一个让残障人士能够追求自己理想与抱负的新加坡。
54. 通过就业支援、《日间活动中心》Day Activity Centers和《庇护工作室》Sheltered Workshops, 以及《包容生活  技能发展 计划》Enabling Skills for Life Program，我们希望帮助残障人士建立终身学习的能力，让他们更好地融入社会，过上有意义的生活。
55. 我们推行《包容性社区生活计划》 Enabled Living Programme、《居家辅助计划》 Home Support Programme，以及设立《包容残障服务中心》Enabling Services Hub，是为了增强残障人士在家中和社区内 的  支援网络，让他们长久地在社区中，独立生活。
56. 我们也不忘残障人士身边的家人与看护。现有的《退休户头 配对填补计划》和 《特需信托机构》，正是为《特需家庭》提供财务保障而设，让他们安心规划未来。
57. 我们会继续与各界伙伴合作，确保每一个残障人士都能在我国找到属于自己的一片天，过上有尊严、有意义的生活。这是我们就打造一个更包容，更关爱的美好家园的承诺与决心。

Conclusion
58. Chairman, as we journey towards 2030, our commitment is very clear:
a. To build a Singapore where persons with disabilities pursue aspirations with confidence.
b. Where families trust that support will endure.
c. We will keep listening. We will keep refining.
d. We thank Ms Denise Phua for her suggestions to the Taskforce. We will deliberate over the input and share more when ready. 
59. Sir, policies alone cannot create inclusion.
a. Policies remove barriers.
b. People create belonging.
c. Inclusion happens ... when employers open doors.
d. …when neighbours extend friendship.
e. ... and when communities choose to see ability before disability.
60. Persons with disabilities are not defined by what they need. 
a. They are defined by the strengths they contribute: resilience, creativity, loyalty, courage. 
61. They are not passive recipients of support, much like seniors in our community.
a. They are partners in our shared future.

62. So let us move forward, not by asking people to fit into narrow definitions, but by shaping a society heartful enough for every Singaporean to belong.

63. And that is how we advance an inclusive Singapore. One where everyone, truly, can thrive.