Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Minister for National Development (a) of the HDB public rental flats that are occupied, how many are currently approved to have air-conditioning units installed; (b) what are the common grounds on which such requests have been approved; and (c) what is the average waiting time for HDB to approve a rental flat tenant's request for air-conditioning installation.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: As of August 2025, about 7,000 public rental flats had air conditioners installed. The Housing and Development Board will take into consideration tenants' circumstances, including medical grounds, in assessing each application. Approvals for air conditioner installation are usually issued within two weeks, if the proposed installation complies with the technical guidelines.

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Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Minister for National Development (a) as at end-2025, how many HDB public rental households had primary schoolers, broken down by (i) P1 to P2, (ii) P3 to P4 and (iii) P5 to P6; (b) what is average occupants per unit for these units, broken down by (i) 1-room and (ii) 2-room flats; (c) have studies been conducted on the link between overcrowding and poor learning outcomes; and (d) if not, why not.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: As of end-2025, around 5,300 or 10% of rental households have primary school-aged children – 46% of these households have children in Primary 1 to 2, 45% in Primary 3 to 4, and 42% in Primary 5 to 6. The figures overlap as some households have children spanning different age groups. 

For these households, the median number of occupants for those in 1-room flats and 2-room flats are two and four respectively.

The Government has stepped up on initiatives like ComLink+, to provide targeted support to lower-income families, including their school-going children, and to help the families to improve their income over time so they are able to buy their own flats.  

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Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current utilisation rate of public study spaces in or near rental estates, broken down by (i) age profile of primary users (ii) average daily usage hours and (iii) housing type of users; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider introducing subsidies for space-saving study furniture in space-constrained rental flats.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: To support students, the Government provides a range of spaces for study, including common areas in schools, community clubs/centres, residents' networks centres and public libraries. We do not have available data on the utilisation of public study spaces.

Lower-income households who require financial assistance may approach their Social Service Office or charities operating in the community. 

Link to Hansard: Link