Gov't to review housing policies to make SG a better place for families: Wong

DPM Lawrence Wong said housing is amongst the top concerns of young couples.

To encourage young couples to raise a family, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the government will review policies on housing which is amongst the top concerns of Singaporeans.

In his speech at "Forward Singapore," Wong said the government aims to make Singapore the best place for families.

"We must make Singapore a society where young couples feel well-supported to start and raise a family, and can give their children the best possible start in life," Wong said.

Wong said many young Singaporeans are particularly concerned about the long waiting times for new flats and rising resale home prices.

"This is partly due to the disruptions in the building programme brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last two and a half years. But HDB has been ramping up the supply of new flats, and will be able to launch more flats to meet the demand soon," Wong said.

"We will also review our housing policies to see how we can help first-time homebuyers secure a flat quickly and affordably," he added.

Apart from housing, Wong said the government will also review leave measures given to parents to better support them in managing work and family commitments.

"This is under review; it does not mean that we will do everything because we have to take into consideration all the constraints and needs of different stakeholders. I should also add that it is not just about more leave but the importance of getting fathers to be more involved in parenting and the care of their children. We all know that in most families today, mothers still bear the larger share of the caregiving burden," Wong said.

"We should aim for a more equal sharing of parental responsibilities. This is not something that we can change through policies alone. Ultimately, it is about how we can engender a broader mindset shift in individual attitudes as well as societal norms," he added.