WITH people still struggling to understand the intricacies of the Lease Buyback Scheme, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob is happy to take the lead in efforts to explain the scheme to the Malay/Muslim community.

In last week's National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the scheme would be extended to four-room Housing Board flats - bringing the five-year-old scheme back into the public eye.

It emerged as a top concern at a closed-door dialogue yesterday with 150 Malay/Muslim grassroot leaders, who had many questions about the scheme.

Madam Halimah said she will do so in her capacity as chairman of the Pioneer Generation Joint Committee, which explains the Pioneer Generation Package and Medishield Life to members of the community.

"When you look at retirement, these are the core issues: income security once you retire, housing, healthcare... It's interrelated," she told reporters yesterday.

The dialogue was chaired by Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, who said participants were also concerned about how those without university degrees could gain qualifications while working, including mature workers who may face problems keeping their jobs once they pass the age of 50.