Updated: 09/09/2012 04:39

Housing concerns of singles being looked into: Khaw

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National Development Minister, Khaw Boon Wan has assured singles he is looking into their housing concerns.

But said he has to tackle the more urgent needs of married couples first.

Writing on his blog, Mr Khaw said his focus is now on addressing the needs of second timers.

He also wants to have a better gauge of the likely additional demand on new HDB flats when the scheme is opened to singles.

Given the difficulty in assessing demand, Mr Khaw said one way is to adopt an incremental approach to implementation by having initial restrictions, for example, on the type of flats that singles can buy.

Another way is to build a larger number of Build-to-Order flats next year.

Mr Khaw said he will need time to mull over the issue and welcomes more suggestions from the public.