Value Meals @ South West

1429. Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: To ask the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Value Meals @ South West initiative is funded by the Community Development Council (CDC); (b) if so, what is the breakdown of the upfront capital expenditure and monthly operating costs borne by the CDC; and (c) whether there are plans to introduce this across all HDB towns and, if not, why not.

Response:

1. Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, I am answering in my capacity as the Minister charged with the responsibility for the People’s Association.

2. Value Meals @ South West is a partnership between South West CDC and Select Group, towards a program that helps ease the cost of living, especially for low-income residents. It is a pilot program, aimed at providing quality, accessible and affordable meal options via vending machines in the void decks of heartland locations.  Residents can buy each value meal for $3 or less.

3. This program is funded by the Select Group as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) project and no cost is borne by South West CDC.

4. This program is one of various initiatives which all CDCs have instituted, with the assistance of its partners, with tangible benefits going directly to the residents.

5. The CDCs have, and will continue to build strong networks amongst its social and corporate partners, aggregating resources and working with partners to deliver meaningful collaborations that can benefit the residents directly.  In doing so, the CDCs take into account the specific local needs in each of their districts.