Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on streetside ice-cream vendors

Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on streetside ice-cream vendors by Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in the last ten years, how many street hawking licences have been issued for streetside ice-cream vendors; (b) how many of these vendors are still active today; (c) whether the licences from the inactive vendors may be transferred to new applicants; and (d)- how much longer will streetside ice-cream vendors be allowed to exist.

Answer:

1 The Street Hawking Scheme is intended to provide temporary assistance for unemployed individuals who are assessed to be best supported through a street hawking licence, rather than other financial assistance or employment matching schemes offered by a Social Service Office. All Street Hawking licences are therefore personal-to-holder and non-transferable.

2 In the past decade, 21 licences were issued under the Street Hawking Scheme for the sale of ice-cream. Of these, 11 remained active as of Jan 2024.