Xie Yao Quan on public housing motions

The Government can and should do more to provide more Build-to-Order (BTO) flats with much shorter wait times to prevent the history of tight supply from repeating itself, said MP Xie Yao Quan. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Feb 6), he believes flats with shorter wait times should become an "anchor product", a staple in future BTO launches. They should make up a larger portion of the annual supply, he added. Mr Xie said this will be useful for first-timer couples who are marrying later in life, those who are married already but looking to settle into their own nest before starting a family, as well as those who already have children. He said that while building more flats ahead of demand would increase the risk of oversupply, this risk is manageable. Mr Xie said Singapore must continue to evolve its public housing and social compact with Singaporeans by building on its great system. He believes a BTO home remains a promise by Singapore to Singaporeans as a "bedrock" in its social compact.