Parliament debate on Singapore Budget 2023 starts Feb 22
A general view of the Parliament House in Singapore and the city's skyline on Sep 23, 2022. (File photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)
SINGAPORE: Parliament will start debating the Budget 2023 statement on Wednesday (Feb 22).
It is expected to go on for at least two days before Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong delivers the round-up speech, clarifies queries from Members of Parliament and sums up the Budget.
This will be followed by the Committee of Supply debates, which allow Parliament to examine each ministry’s plans.
Budget 2023 was delivered on Feb 14, with cash payouts to help Singaporeans cope with the cost of living and measures aimed at securing the country’s prospects in a post-pandemic world.
Increased housing grants were announced for eligible first-timer families buying Housing Board resale flats, and the CPF monthly salary ceiling will be raised in stages from S$6,000 to S$8,000.
As part of measures to support parents, government-paid paternity leave will be doubled from two to four weeks.
Apart from the Budget debate, MPs have also filed questions on issues such as tackling scams.
MP Gerald Giam (WP-Aljunied) asked if there are plans to raise the allowances for full-time national servicemen amid inflationary pressures and increases in the cost of living.
MP Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang) submitted a question about the recent surge of wealth from foreign investors establishing family offices in Singapore and the projected impact on the country’s income gap.
He also asked about the Government’s plans to strike a balance between staying attractive to wealthy foreigners and ensuring that low-income Singaporeans have access to opportunities for social mobility and benefit from these investments.
