Bigger baby bonus, paternity leave announced
 

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/bigger-baby...054119367.html

Singapore's government unveiled on Monday a raft of incentives for citizens to get married and have babies.

The enhanced marriage and parenthood package announced by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean raises the money couples receive for having children and introduces paternity leave.

A bigger baby bonus cash gift of $6,000 will be given for the first two births and $8,000 for the next two births from $4,000 and $6,000, respectively.

A CPF Medisave account of $3,000 will also be created for each Singaporean baby "to further support parents in planning for their children's healthcare need" and to encourage MediShield enrolment, the government said in a press release.

MediShield wil be extended to cover congenital and neonatal conditions effective from the start of March this year.

To help couples balance work and family commitments, government plans to legislate one week of paternity leave for fathers, who will also be able to share one week of their wife's maternity leave entitlement.

Parents with children aged 7-12 will get two days of government-paid child care leave annually.

Also, to help couples start families earlier, the government announced measures get housing faster.

First-timer married couples will get priority allocation of new HDB flats and such couples with children will be allowed to rent a flat from HDB at affordable rental rates while waiting for their flats to be completed.

“Addressing our falling birth rate requires a concerted effort beyond Government initiatives. We will continue to work with the community to strengthen positive attitudes towards family life. We hope that the enhanced Marriage & Parenthood measures will help create a more conducive environment for Singaporeans to set up families.” said Teo.

The budget for the enhanced package will be raised to $2 billion a year from the $1.6 billion budget for the 2008 package.

The slew of new measures comes as Singapore grapples with an ageing population, a total fertility rate of 1.2 in 2011 and an overflowing foreign workforce that has resulted in much grumbling from its home-grown citizen population.

It was also announced less than a week before the country's largest single-member constituency, Punggol East, goes to the polls in a closely-watched by-election that is said to be a test for the ruling People's Action Party.

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The announcement is good BUT the timing is hmmm..
and all address BE topic.

HMMMMMM..
timing too 'nice' liao

Bigger baby bonus and Medisave grants under marriage and parenthood measures
 

Bigger baby bonus and Medisave grants under marriage and parenthood measures

By Jessica Cheam
Singapolitics
Monday, Jan 21, 2013

Parents will soon be getting bigger baby cash gifts from the government under broad pro-family measures unveiled on Monday.

Those with Singapore citizen babies born on or after Aug 26 last year will get $6,000 as a baby bonus cash gift, up from $4,000 before. This applies to the first and second child.

For the third and fourth child, the cash gift will increase to $8,000 from $6,000.

The cash will also be given out more quickly, in three payments over a year, instead of four payments over 18 months previously.

Newborn citizens born on or after Aug 26 last year will also get a Medisave account with a grant of $3,000.

This is to help defray children’s healthcare expenses and will be paid in two instalments.

The first half will be paid out when the child’s birth is registered, and the remaining half in the subsequent year provided the child remains enrolled in MediShield.

Under the enhanced package, the government will also extend MediShield to cover newly diagnosed congenital and neonatal conditions. This takes effect from March 1 this year.

Election coming that's why they do all these to please Sgporeans and PRs ar?

Aiya......missed all these bonuses......too old to reproduce liao...... :o:(

still good...and the timing just back-firing themselves, on the need to have BE...:D

More BE...more incentives?!:D

singaporean only i think... no PR

usually.. is as long as the KID is SG citizen.. they give

as i was telling one of my colicks... SG Govt only wan the kids.. dun give a hoot abt their parents :p

Wa lao... this one is zho ppl bo eng

The 1 week paternity is on top of the current maternity, or if father take 1 week, mother will less 1 week?

HOW to manage like tat! :eek:

Punggol East has many young couples so the incentives come timely for the BE...... :rolleyes::o

Apply to Singaporean having foreign spouses?