In a written response to SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan’s query about the benefits and allowances that non-Singaporean academic staff are entitled to in local universities and polytechnics, Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat said that the total remuneration package for each faculty member is negotiated and decided separately based on various factors, and not solely on the nationality of the faculty member. He added that allowances and housing subsidies are granted to non-Singaporean faculty and returning Singaporean faculty alike, although the exact amount may differ across the various institutions.