THE Singapore government is committed to keeping housing affordable for Singaporeans.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave this assurance when he opened the NTUC national delegates conference on Monday.
The strong economy has led to soaring public and private housing prices here. There is also an acute shortage of prime office space.
Mr Lee said the government is building more flats and releasing more land for executive condominiums.
He said the government is expected to inject more office space into the market over the next 2-3 years.
He said the government is monitoring trends closely and will take further action if necessary.
It has scrapped the deferred payment for homebuyers on Friday to deter speculators and force people to be more prudent when committing to pricey real estate.
Mr Lee said stressed that the government will make sure that the property market stays in balance over the long term.
Turning to challenges facing Singapore, Mr Lee said the Republic must keep adjusting and adapting to change to stay ahead.
He said the Ministry of Transport is working on the Land Transport Review to improve our public transport system.
He pointed out that it is not just bosses who drive cars but also many unionists and workers. The government wants to keep our roads free flowing but has to use painful measures like the ERP and COE.
On healthcare, Mr Lee said the Ministry of Health is working systematically to ensure that it is good and affordable.
He pointed out that many initiatives are being rolled out. He said subsidies are targeted especially at the lower-income group who need them most.
He said means-testing is necessary to ensure that lower-income Singaporeans get more subsidy than the higher-income group. This is already done in nursing homes and will be implemented in hospitals.
The Prime Minister said the health ministry is studying the idea carefully so that it can be implemented fairly and simply, without making hospital care unaffordable for the middle-income group.
He added that the ministry will consult the unions when it has firmer ideas of what to do.
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