642 appeals for Pioneer Generation Package approved so far

SINGAPORE — The Pioneer Generation Package appeals panel received about 2,900 appeals as of Dec 31 last year, said Senior Minister of State for Finance Josephine Teo in Parliament today (Jan 20).

Of the 2,900 appeals, 85 per cent, or about 2,480, appeals have been evaluated, said Mrs Teo.

She was responding to a question by Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency, Seng Han Thong, on the number of such appeals the Finance Ministry had received as of last December and the main grounds of unsuccessful and successful appeals.

Mrs Teo said the appeals panel had recognised that the Government had already adopted a more inclusive approach by extending the package to those born in 1949 or earlier.

She noted that, regardless of the age set, there will always be those who fall short of it marginally.

“It would, therefore, not be feasible or fair to allow age-related appeals without extending the new age criterion to all Singaporeans. Hence, as provided under the Pioneer Generation Fund Act, the Panel decided that it would only consider appeals relating to the citizenship criterion,” said Mrs Teo.

As part of the evaluation process, the panel considers whether the applicant had obtained citizenship shortly after 1986 – the cut-off date for eligibility for the Pioneer Generation Package – and other factors, such as whether the applicant had contributed to Singapore society, she said. The panel has approved 642 of such appeals.