Mr Speaker: Hon Members, with Singapore becoming more COVID-19-resilient, we have been easing safe management measures in the community. Here in Parliament, we have also been adjusting our measures, even as we continue to prioritise the safeguarding of Members’ health and well-being. And thanks to everyone’s efforts and strong commitment, we have moved steadfastly towards normalcy.
Hence, I am pleased that, starting today, we have taken yet another step forward. Members will now be seated according to the revised seating arrangement within the Chamber without the need for split team arrangement. This also means that all Members can now take their breaks together, in one room.
But even as we further ease the measures in Parliament, we will persist with a certain level of vigilance. And so, Members are still required to do an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) self-test before coming to Parliament House on Sitting days. And the seats in the Speaker’s Gallery within the Chamber will continue to be set aside for Members who are close contacts of COVID-19 cases but have themselves tested negative for COVID-19.
As always, we will monitor the public health advisories and make adjustments according to the prevailing situation.
Once again, I wish to thank all Members for your forbearance and diligence in adhering to Parliament’s COVID-19 measures, which had been in place since early 2020. Your efforts have allowed us to carry on with our duties as parliamentarians during a critical time for Singapore and have also facilitated our quick return to business as usual. And so, let us not tire – but let us remain committed to whatever is necessary for us to chart the way forward for Singapore.
Thank you. Order. Questions for Oral Answer.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Efforts to Grow Manpower Talent for Key Sectors and to Groom Local Pipeline","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"1 Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for Manpower in light of the need to attract top global talent for key sectors in Singapore (a) whether there are initiatives to bring top overseas Singaporean talent back to Singapore; (b) what is the success rate in attracting top overseas Singaporeans to relocate and work in key sectors in Singapore; and (c) whether there is support to help top overseas Singaporean talent and their families to relocate and transition back in Singapore.
2 Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the success rate in growing our local manpower talent for the key sectors in Singapore; and (b) whether there is data to show that Singaporeans are succeeding in getting quality jobs in these key sectors.
3 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry has any plans to impose personal responsibility on human resource professionals in Singapore to comply with all manpower rules and regulations, such as the Fair Consideration Framework and Complementarity Assessment Framework.
4 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Manpower (a) for organisations that have made job postings on the Government's MyCareersFuture portal, whether they are required to notify the Ministry on the outcome of a job posting when it is subsequently delisted or when the role is filled; (b) if so, do the numbers suggest that ample efforts have been made to give fair consideration to local candidates; and (c) if not, why not.
5 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Manpower (a) in the last five years, what is the number of instances where organisations have been found to have placed job advertisements without fairly considering applicants, violating the Fair Consideration Framework; and (b) what is the range of regulatory actions taken against such organisations.
6 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Manpower whether there are plans to review the Employment Pass (EP) scheme to introduce a new dependency ratio ceiling for the bottom half of income earners among EP holders to encourage employers to enhance their Singaporean workforce by hiring and training more Singaporean talent and transferring skills from their foreign employees to the local workforce.
7 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many companies have been placed under the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices’ watchlist in 2021 due to possible breaches of the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF); (b) among those on the watchlist, how many have been found to have breached the FCF and debarred from hiring foreign workers and renewing their foreign workers’ work passes; and (c) how are employment agencies that breach the FCF dealt with.
8 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Manpower (a) in the past five years, how many Employment Pass (EP) holders have been employed in the technology and non-technology related industries respectively; and (b) whether useful information can be drawn from the number of EPs issued relative to the areas of skill and expectation mismatches and biasness in hiring practices.
\tThe Minister for Manpower (Dr Tan See Leng): Mr Speaker, Sir. May I have your permission to take Question Nos 1 to 8 in today's Order Paper together?
\tMr Speaker: Yes, please.
\tDr Tan See Leng: Members of the House, I delivered a Ministerial Statement last month on “Strengthening Singapore’s Position as a Global Hub for Talent”. In the Statement, I outlined how we intend to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global hub for talent and addressed questions around the enhancement of our work pass framework, including the introduction of the Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass.
Members have subsequently filed a number of Parliamentary Questions on three related issues. First, on how we ensure a complementary foreign workforce. Second, on our concurrent efforts to develop our local talent pipeline. And last but not least, on our efforts to safeguard fair consideration. I am taking them together, so that we can address the issues more holistically. I will address questions which are more technical in nature on specific policies separately.
First and foremost, ensuring a complementary foreign workforce. Members in this House generally acknowledge the need to attract top talent, as per the intent of the ONE Pass. Some Members have, however, raised questions on our broader foreign workforce policy.
At the Employment Pass (EP) level, we focus on ensuring that the EP holders are of good quality. And we do not impose quotas. To answer Mr Gerald Giam’s question on whether there are plans to review the EP framework to introduce a quota for the bottom half of income earners among EP holders, we have explained our rationale before – doing so will restrict our ability to compete and hold our companies back.
Our emphasis on quality was reinforced when the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced significant adjustments to our EP framework at this year’s Committee of Supply debate. First, to benchmark the EP qualifying salary to the top one-third of our local Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) workforce. And second, to introduce a new points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) from 1 September 2023 to holistically evaluate EP applications for complementarity. Companies whose candidates cannot meet the EP qualifying salary or pass COMPASS will have to apply for an S Pass instead, where they will be subject to a quota.
This is a neater solution than what Mr Giam is suggesting. Compared to his suggestion where some EP holders are subjected to a quota while others are not, our current approach has the merit of keeping the positioning and criteria of each pass type clear, and overall work pass framework simpler for businesses.
Being open and connected and bringing in complementary global talent have helped to grow the overall pie for Singapore and more good job opportunities for locals.
Ms Jessica Tan asked if there is data to show that Singaporeans are succeeding in getting quality jobs in key sectors. At the same time, Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked about the number of EP holders in the Information and Communications sector, compared to other sectors.
The Information and Communications sector has been a fast-growing one and is a sector that is facing talent shortages worldwide. In Singapore and elsewhere, employers have had to tap into the global marketplace for skills in shortages. In 2021, the ICT sector accounts for one-fifth of our EP stock. This has increased from one-sixth in 2016, thus reflecting the growing digital needs of our economy. The growth of the Information and Communications sector has also resulted in creation of more jobs for our locals – in the same timeframe, we saw strong growth in the number of local PMETs by 34,400. Median local wages in the sector also continue to increase. Therefore, we can see quite clearly that it is not a zero-sum game.
At the macro level, the data is also encouraging. There are more locals in higher-skilled PMET jobs. The proportion of resident workers in PMET jobs increased from 55% in 2016 to 62% in 2021. Across the board, local workers have experienced sustained wage growth. The median income of full-time employed residents has grown from $4,100 to $4,700 over the same period, an increase of 2.1% per annum in real terms. We have also seen improved job quality and better wages at the lower end, with the income of full-time employed residents at the 20th percentile increasing 2.7% per annum in real terms over the same period.
Mr Leong Mun Wai also filed a question in a subsequent Sitting specifically on local postgraduates, a group that is very likely to be taking up or even creating these high-quality roles. Their average unemployment rate has remained lower than that of all locals over the past five years.
We have managed to create good employment outcomes because we continue to be an attractive place for companies to do business. By combining and complementing local and foreign expertise, we can attract more investments and create many more good job and career choices for Singaporeans. Conversely, if companies do not have access to the complementary foreign manpower that they need, they may exit Singapore and take the jobs they create for Singaporeans with them. When it comes to foreign workforce policies, the way to advance is to strike a very careful and delicate balance.
Next, on developing our local talent pool and workforce. Local talent development already happens organically in tandem with economic growth. As businesses expand their investments here, they will need to find manpower to fill various roles and invest in training and upgrading their workers. By working in leading firms and alongside global talent, our local workers will also gain exposure to new ideas and best practices from around the world.
The Government and tripartite partners help to catalyse this process. We work with industry stakeholders to chart out transformation plans across 23 sectors through the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), which include strategies to prepare our workers for higher value-added jobs in each sector.
We have also put in place a whole eco-system of programmes and schemes which businesses can tap on to prepare their workers for jobs of the future. For instance, we recommend that companies work with NTUC to set up Company Training Committees (CTCs) to help drive business transformation and training plans – the Government has set aside a $70 million budget for the NTUC CTC grant. Employers can also tap on subsidised industry-relevant training courses and reskilling programmes for mid-career workers. This includes Workforce Singapore (WSG)’s Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs).
Ms Mariam Jaafar1 filed a question for a later Sitting on how work experience and other certifications are considered aside from formal academic qualifications in eligibility requirements for CCPs. For some CCPs, academic requirements are put in place to ensure that the trainee is able to cope with the training, particularly where the training is very technical in nature. Applicants who do not meet the academic requirements may still be accepted into the programme if they have relevant alternative qualifications or work experience.
Ms Jessica Tan also asked about our initiatives to bring back top overseas Singaporean talent. Overseas Singaporeans, who have developed the ability to thrive in a global environment or who have gained industry-relevant experience and built extensive networks, can make significant contributions to our economy and pass on their knowledge to other Singaporean talent.
Fundamentally, strengthening Singapore’s position as a global hub for talent which is brimming with exciting opportunities is self-reinforcing – it will help to bring back overseas Singaporeans who are keen to contribute and to be a part of this ecosystem. The Government actively engages overseas Singaporeans to keep them connected to home, so that they can make an informed decision about whether and when to return to Singapore.
The Singapore Global Network (SGN) within the Economic Development Board (EDB) plays a key role in broadening and deepening our overseas Singaporean network through digital engagement, as well as partnerships with private, public and community organisations to deliver engagement initiatives, such as networking and community events. These engagements also allow overseas Singaporeans to serve as our valuable connectors and ambassadors in overseas markets, helping to spread Singapore's good reputation.
For returning Singaporeans, SGN and other agencies offer a variety of online resources to facilitate a smooth transition, including information on education, working and living, as well as relocating back home to Singapore. For example, the Ministry of Education (MOE)'s website contains information about school admissions for returning Singaporean children.
Lastly, on fair consideration. There is no place for discrimination in Singapore. MOM does not and will not tolerate unfair hiring practices and employers who do not give locals a fair chance will face stiff penalties. The Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) sets out requirements for all employers to consider local workers fairly for job opportunities. Work is now underway to enshrine this in legislation.
\tMr Yip Hon Weng asked about the number of companies placed on the FCF watchlist. Firms are placed on the FCF watchlist if they have an exceptionally high share of foreign PMETs compared to their industry peers, or a high concentration of a single foreign nationality source.
But, Members of the House, let me reiterate this. Firms placed on the FCF watchlist have not flouted any rules. Instead, what the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) does is to engage these companies to help them improve their workforce profiles. Since 2016, MOM has engaged a total of more than 1,700 employers under FCF.
One other limb of FCF is the job advertising requirement. Employers must first advertise on MyCareersFuture (MCF) and fairly consider all candidates, before submitting an EP or S Pass application. Mr Louis Chua asked whether companies need to notify MOM on the outcome of a job posting when it is subsequently delisted or when the role is filled. We do not require companies to do so, just like how they also do not need to do so for other job portals. We are conscious of the fact that we should not add administrative burden and make it onerous for employers to use MCF.
While the number of cases of discriminatory practices is small, MOM will continue to remain vigilant. Besides investigating complaints lodged with TAFEP, we will also use data analytics to identify suspicious cases for further investigation. And where employers are found to be discriminatory, MOM will not hesitate to take action against such employers.
In response to Mr Louis Chua and Mr Yip Hon Weng's questions, from 2017 to 2021, MOM took enforcement actions against approximately 300 companies. The regulatory actions included issuance of warning and being barred from hiring or renewing foreign workers.
Ms Hazel Poa also asked whether MOM intends to impose personal responsibility on human resource (HR) professionals in Singapore to comply with all manpower rules and regulations. I would like to remind Ms Poa that hiring decisions are not made by HR professionals alone. Senior management as well as line managers are also involved in these hiring decisions.
Today, MOM can take action against culpable individuals and decision-makers for non-compliance of MOM's rules and regulations. This includes HR professionals as well as business leaders. Employers, business leaders and HR professionals all play an important role in ensuring that their companies' employment practices are fair and that they comply with regulations and the Tripartite Guidelines. All employers in Singapore must comply with not just the letter but with the spirit of our laws and regulations on fair hiring, and adopt good HR practices.
The responsibility placed on employers as well as decision makers to uphold workplace fairness is also being discussed by the Tripartite Committee, which is deliberating the scope and design of workplace fairness legislation. Beyond enforcement, we must also enable and equip HR professionals to better support their companies.
Mr Speaker, Sir, in summary, we have a three-pronged strategy to support good employment outcomes: first, to safeguard the complementarity of our foreign workforce; second, to invest in developing our local workforce; and third, to ensure fair consideration for locals.
All our Government policies, all of our schemes as well as programmes, work together to achieve one goal – to create opportunities for locals, at all and every level of the workforce. I thank Members for their questions and I assure them that MOM will continue to update our suite of policies regularly and in line with this objective.
\tMr Speaker: Ms Jessica Tan.
\tMs Jessica Tan Soon Neo (East Coast): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer but I do have two supplementary questions. One is with regards to the quality of jobs. Minister shared about the make-up of Singaporeans and residents and our workers in Singapore, in terms of the PMET jobs. Could he also share if there is any data, in that same vein, for leadership roles as the development has happened of Singaporeans taking up professional leadership roles in these sectors?
The other supplementary question I have – it is very heartening to hear about the outreach on SGN and keeping in contact with Singaporeans overseas. Specifically, with regards to top talent for the key sectors that we are focusing on, what specific actions or initiatives are being done to engage and attract top talent back to Singapore to be able to fill those key positions, as we look at attracting foreign talents and specific support to their families in terms of transitioning, especially if they have non-Singaporeans as spouses?
\tDr Tan See Leng: I thank Ms Jessica Tan for her supplementary questions. On the leadership roles, we do not have the data available at hand today. Perhaps, if Ms Tan could file a Parliamentary Question (PQ), we will try and get some of those data. But, if you look at the proxy, if we use the $30,000 salary criteria of the ONE Pass mentioned at the last Parliamentary Sitting and given the fact that if you use the proportion of about 7,000 to 8,000 current EP holders who are at that level or above, a significant majority who have gone above that level are our Singaporeans. So, perhaps, that would give you some form of a broad macro indicator, if you take that as a proxy. But, like I said, it may not necessarily be an accurate proxy.
For the top talent in many of these key sectors that we talked about, we have a significant number of initiatives that we have put in place to try to bring them back. While I agree with Ms Jessica Tan that returning top Singaporean talent can make significant contributions to our economy back home, where they are in today, in many of the tier one cities all over the world, they can also serve as valuable connectors and advocates in many of these overseas markets while they continue to gain the networks, the expertise and the industry relevant experiences abroad. Many of them actually chose to carry on staying for longer periods because they have got other ties, work commitments, maybe friends and schools.
The initiatives that we have started, I could give you a few examples. One, is the Singapore Financial Forum (SGFF). It is co-organised by the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF), SGN and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). We held the inaugural forum in May 2022. It was a two-day event featuring insights from industry leaders on key growth areas and career opportunities in Singapore's financial centre. The people who attended felt that it was a very good forum for them to communicate and also for them to consider relocating back home and included fireside chat with industry leaders on their overseas experiences and relocation journeys as well.
Other agencies, like the National Research Foundation (NRF), also runs the Returning Singaporean Scientist Scheme (RSSS). This seeks to attract outstanding overseas based Singaporean research leaders back to Singapore to take up leadership positions in our universities and our research institutions. NRF has been engaging our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) as well as the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) to identify some of these suitable candidates. These are just some examples.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
\tMr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Sir, since the Ministry is not imposing any quotas on Employment Pass holders, would it consider fixed-term EPs which cannot be renewed once they expire? This way employers can be incentivised to hire and train Singaporeans to fill those positions when the EP expires and there will be more knowledge and skills transferred to Singaporeans. This is a proposal that the Member for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) Leon Perera raised in October 2020.
Second, with the COMPASS framework, a candidate can attain a passing score even with zero points on the diversity criterion, which in any case is quite low because it looks only at the share of the candidates' own nationality among the firm's PMETs. Can MOM tighten the COMPASS framework to require the candidate to obtain at least 10 points for each of the four foundational criteria and a minimum of 50 points overall? This will ensure that companies give consideration to all the criteria and ensure a more level playing field for Singaporean PMETs during the hiring process.
\tDr Tan See Leng: I thank Mr Giam for his two questions. First, on the Employment Pass, we have earlier on said that there is no fixed-term EP. In fact, the EP holders for these companies, they do not enjoy an automatic renewal for these EP holders. There is a certain validity and some of them are on a two-year term, some are on a one-year term and subject to companies renewing them, subject to other criteria, these EPs are not automatically renewed. I think these are important points to take note of.
As far as the COMPASS framework is concerned, we are starting from 1 September 2023. We are reviewing and getting feedback still from the industry. I am looking at some of the criteria to see how we can nuance it to make sure that not only is it business-friendly, but that they can continue to help us achieve our desired end game of levelling up the opportunities for our Singaporeans.
Today, we are in a very tight labour market. Any introduction of any new policy to nuance this framework would be viewed as further tightening. So, I hope the Member understands the delicate situation and the fine balance that we are in.
We have today, very clear foundational criteria. Two of the characteristics pertain to the individual characteristics; and two, relate to the firm. I think it is sufficient for now to move ahead with this framework and let it run.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
\t
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\tMr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his reply. I have two supplementary questions. Does MOM have investigatory powers to ascertain whether a company did the FCF job advertising in bad faith? For example, whether a company has already decided on a foreign candidate beforehand? My second supplementary question is, whether MOM will consider calibrating the FCF or watchlist into tiers, with a specific tier where firms are named and identified.
\tDr Tan See Leng: I thank Mr Yip for his two supplementary questions. As I have shared earlier on, MOM today has various tools, including data analytics to look into firms, which hire in bad faith. I would not be able to share at length or in-depth what some of these predictive analytics are, because by sharing them, we then got to keep inventing newer and better AI tools to identify them.
Today, the vast majority of the firms under the FCF watchlist, when we work with them to improve some of their hiring practices and policies, the majority of them end up exiting the watchlist. From the data of such policies that are available today, do not seem to indicate that this is a pervasive problem. There will always be outliers but because the core of what we do is to improve and level up opportunities for our local Singaporean Core, we will continue to nuance our approach to these films.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Pritam Singh.
\tMr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just one question for the Minister. I refer to the Minister's earlier reply, specifically where he mentioned that companies on the FCF have not actually flouted any rules. In view of the Ministry's newly-introduced COMPASS, where diversity is listed as a firm related attribute in considering EP applicants, how significant in the Minister's opinion, would this new criterion be in reducing the number of companies on the FCF watchlist over time?
\tDr Tan See Leng: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for that question. COMPASS will come into implementation on 1 September 2023. Within COMPASS, there are four criteria. As I have said earlier on, two of the criteria relate to the individual and two of the criteria relate to the firm.
Because it is almost a set of interlocking gear, whatever you move in one criterion will affect the rest. Our sense today is that, in the run-up to implementing COMPASS and as we engaged more firms, we get feedback that this is a good framework which helps to differentiate our workforce. It also allows us to review from time to time, how we can be more responsive to the type of jobs and the type of talent our country and our economy needs. So, directionally, COMPASS is a move in the right direction because it allows us a very differentiated strategy.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Louis Chua.
\tMr Chua Kheng Wee Louis (Sengkang): Thank you, Speaker. I only have one supplementary question. I note from the Minister's response on the use of data analytics. Just wondering if the Minister can share with us in terms of the data points that are being collected from companies which make an EP application, to show that they have failed to source for a local candidate after the 14-day or 28-day period, despite their best efforts. Then, the MOM side can also satisfy itself that this is truly the case for these companies.
\tDr Tan See Leng: I thank Mr Louis Chua for his question. MOM would rely on multiple data points to allow us to triangulate. This will vary across the different sectors that we are dealing with.
One key point that we will consider, obviously, is how acutely short, in terms of the talent that is needed for one particular sector, whether it is in deep tech. And given the shortage, that is one data point that we would use to consider in terms of our data analytics.
There is no one-size-fits-all. So, today, if you look at the outcome, which is a very low long-term unemployment rate, for us to ensure that in a tight labour market, companies can continue to do well, to be able to have access to the manpower that they need to run the operations, we work very closely with them. In the process of working with them, we also identify certain characteristics and behaviour that allow us to develop these analytics. I hope that gives Members a broad perspective of what we are doing.
\t
\tMr Speaker: Ms Hazal Poa.
Ms Hazel Poa (Non-Constituency Member): I thank the Minister for his reply. The Minister mentioned earlier that they can already take action on individuals for non-compliance. Can the Minister elaborate on what kind of actions can be taken on these individuals? And which legislation is this power conferred under?
\tDr Tan See Leng: I thank Ms Poa for her question. Today, MOM works very closely with the Institute for HR Professionals (IHRP), as well as our tripartite partners and employees to professionalise the HR workforce and to strengthen HR practices and capabilities.
One key effort is the IHRP certification, which recognises the level of skills and experience of HR professionals. Incumbent within the process certification, it assesses the knowledge and the understanding of our employment legislation and regulations, including FCF well as the soon to be implemented COMPASS.
I do not want to go too much into the details of that training. All certified HR professionals must comply with the IHRP's code of professional conduct. If the HR professional has been found to have breached manpower rules and regulations, IHRP may subject the HR professional to corrective actions, such as counselling by senior certified professionals. They can also suspend the certification or permanently bar the individual from being certified, depending on the severity of the breach.
In addition, MOM can also prosecute errant employers or key personnel who make false declarations that they have considered all candidates fairly. Employers who are convicted of false declaration under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act will face imprisonment of up to two years or fine of up to $20,000, or both.
Mr Speaker: Ms Mariam Jaafar.
\tMs Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang): I thank the Minister for his response to my PQ. Just one supplementary question – as we consider the criteria for which people without the academic qualifications may yet qualify for the career conversion programmes, who would be the regulator for that? Would that be SkillsFuture Singapore or would it be dependent on the administrator of the programme? And how can we make sure that in a world where more and more people are going for certifications and training, that these are not cast aside when they apply for career conversion programmes or even jobs?
\tDr Tan See Leng: I thank Ms Mariam Jaafar for her question. Members of the House and Ms Mariam Jaafar would appreciate the wide diaspora of jobs and skillsets that are needed to fulfil the roles. There will be very, very clear cut roles, which would require say, understanding of arithmetic, or even physics. Because safety of certain work process is needed.
I recently dealt with an appeal, filed by a Member here, appealing for a particular resident to be given an exemption from having to pass certain tests. But because this pertains to workplace safety where a basic understanding of the calculation of the weight-bearing nature of certain platforms and tensile strength of the rope is necessary. So, a basic understanding of physics is therefore needed. That could not be substituted by just experience or some other alternative qualifications.
In that kind of setting, MOM will come in to work with the individual to see whether we can help the person pass these basic requirements. And if not, try to find an alternative role to place the person in.
So, I guess the very long answer to the Member's question is that it is very difficult for us to be able to substitute away every single skill by an alternative qualification. I beg her indulgence; I hope she understands.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Manpower how are work experience, courses attended and certifications considered aside from formal academic qualifications in the eligibility requirements for career conversion programmes."],"footNoteQuestions":["1","2","3","4","5","6","7","8"],"questionNo":"1-8"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Bringing Forward Distribution of CDC Vouchers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"9 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of persistent high inflation rates in the last few months, whether the Ministry will consider (i) bringing the distribution of CDC Vouchers forward to the third quarter of 2022 instead of January 2023 and (ii) issuing $100 CDC Vouchers to every Singaporean aged more than 21 years old instead of to each household.
\tThe Senior Minister of State for Finance (Mr Chee Hong Tat) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance): Mr Speaker, to help Singaporean households with their daily expenses, the Government has disbursed two sets of CDC Vouchers worth $100 each in December 2021 and May 2022. These vouchers can be used at over 18,000 participating heartland merchants and hawkers until the end of this year.
The vouchers have been well utilised. As of September 2022, about 97% and 87% of Singaporean households have claimed their December 2021 and May 2022 CDC Vouchers respectively. These households have utilised $180 million, which is about 80% of the total vouchers available to them.
Besides the CDC Vouchers, we have a mix of support measures given at the household and individual levels to help Singaporeans cope with inflation and cost of living concerns, with more help given to the lower-income and vulnerable groups. This financial year, a low-income couple with two young children living in a 3-room HDB flat can expect to receive about $3,700 in various forms of support, such as cash, education top-ups, utilities and Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates, and CDC Vouchers.
The Government understands Singaporeans’ concerns over rising prices. We are carefully monitoring the situation and will consider if there is a need to provide more assistance, or bring forward some of the support schemes, especially if the situation worsens further.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Ang Wei Neng.
\tMr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast): Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. I have postponed this Parliamentary Question (PQ) three times since July this year and for the past three months, inflation rate has been gaining momentum and breaking records month after month. It is now 5.1% in August, the highest in 14 years. We understand that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has repeatedly said that the Government is prepared to do more if the inflation is persistently high. And now, we are experiencing this phenomenon.
I think the Senior Minister of State will agree that households with a bigger number of people face more challenging headwinds in this high inflation environment compared to households with lesser members. So, would the Government consider giving more CDC vouchers to bigger households as compared to smaller households?
Also, the second part of my question is, will the Government consider giving the CDC Vouchers to individual Singaporeans, rather than one per household?
And lastly, what else will the Government consider doing, given that inflation has been consistent for the past few months since the last announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in May to give more help to Singaporeans?
Mr Speaker: A reminder to Members. Please do keep your supplementary questions short and not inflate it.
\tMr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Speaker, the Government has been rolling out different measures to help Singaporean families and individuals, and these include measures that were previously announced during Budget 2022 and during the June announcement where we launched a $1.5 billion package to support Singaporeans. So, some of these measures are still being implemented, are still being rolled out.
But as I mentioned in my reply, we are closely monitoring the situation and if it is necessary for us to provide more support, we are prepared to do so.
Mr Speaker, CDC Vouchers are a very useful part of the support package but they form part of the overall assistance package from the Government. Besides CDC Vouchers, there are also many other schemes to help Singaporeans to cushion the impact of rising prices, such as additional U-Save rebates and Household Utilities Credit. We give Edusave and Child Development Account top-ups, and also public transport vouchers, just to name a few examples.
We also provide additional GST-Voucher cash payments of up to $300 to eligible Singaporeans, aged 21 and above. So, this is not household, this is to individuals, to eligible Singaporeans, aged 21 and above. These are targeted to provide more assistance to lower-income Singaporeans, which, I think, is a better and more effective way compared to giving everybody $100 of CDC Vouchers, regardless of their wealth and income levels.
Because we know, given limited resources, it is correct to channel more funding to help our lower-income and vulnerable Singaporeans because they are more affected by rising prices. But at the same time, we do have broad-based schemes, like CDC Vouchers and Household Utilities Credits, which we will give to all households to provide some help, to help them to cushion the impact of high inflation.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Keeping Locum or Part-time Healthcare Professionals Up-to-date with Clinical Practices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"10 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Health in light of the recent report regarding the administering of undiluted COVID-19 vaccines, what are the safeguards in place to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
11 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health what measures are taken to ensure that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who work part-time, or as locum on a freelance basis, are kept up-to-date on the latest developments in healthcare and are adequately trained and familiarised with clinical practices.
The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, may I please have your permission to answer Question Nos 10 and 11 on today's Order Paper?
Mr Speaker: Yes, please.
\tDr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, my response will also cover matters raised in Parliamentary Questions filed by Mr Gerald Giam1,2, scheduled for a subsequent Sitting, on 4 October 2022. I invite the Member to seek clarifications today and consider withdrawing his questions if it is adequately answered.
Sir, there are professional and statutory requirements for the provision of healthcare. All healthcare professionals are expected to be competent in providing safe and good quality care. Licensees of healthcare institutions also bear a responsibility to ensure that their staff, including part-timers or locums, are properly onboarded and adequately trained to perform the tasks that they are assigned, through establishing appropriate protocols and processes.
Professional Boards require that all registered healthcare professionals keep up-to-date on current standards of care and treatment, and participate in Continuing Professional Education (CPE) programmes or activities to renew their Practising Certificates. CPE consists of educational activities that serve to maintain or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance of healthcare professionals.
All COVID-19 vaccination providers under the National Vaccination Programme (NVP) are licensed and regulated by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Specifically, for COVID-19 vaccination, we issued additional regulations to stipulate the prevailing eligibility criteria, the dilution and administration of the recommended dosage for each vaccine, the management of emergencies and incident reporting. Vaccination providers are expected to assess their staff competencies in COVID-19 vaccination administration.
In the event of any vaccine administration errors and medical emergencies following vaccination, the vaccination providers are required to report to MOH no later than three hours after the incident. The providers are also required to inform the patients immediately when a vaccination error has occurred, provide appropriate immediate care and then, monitor the patients' health with daily calls for the next seven days to ensure their well-being. In the event of an error, MOH will investigate. And if there are any systemic issues, we will work with the providers to review and improve their work processes.
MOH is currently investigating ProHealth Medical Group about the incident on 15 September 2022 and will take appropriate enforcement actions if there are any regulatory breaches. As of 26 September 2022, out of approximately 16 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered, there had been 11 persons affected by overdosing and 119 persons affected by underdosing of the vaccinations. Of these, seven were children, aged between five and 11, who did not have any adverse reactions. The adults had either no adverse reactions or recovered uneventfully.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
\tMr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Mr Speaker, these incidents occurred in the clinic in Bedok Reservoir-Punggol ward of Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), so I am naturally quite concerned about this. The incidents occurred on 15 September 2022, but MOH was only alerted on 19 September 2022, a four-day delay. I am concerned that a crucial window of time, where emergency actions need to be taken may be lost if there is a delay in reporting such incidents.
The Senior Minister of State said just now that they must report no more than three hours after an incident happens. So, clearly, there must be something that MOH will be investigating. Can I ask the Minister how soon must clinics notify the affected patients and extend emergency assistance to them and are there any penalties for non-reporting or late reporting?
\tDr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, I thank Mr Gerald Giam for the questions. The patient should be notified as soon as the care provider knows that there is an error. That would be a reasonable expectation because the patient should then be directed for immediate care following on from the error. And that is going to require the informed consent of the patient. They need to know why they are perhaps under observation or required to attend an emergency department.
He asked about the penalties for late reporting to MOH. It would depend on the circumstances and reasons, and who it was that perhaps knew, but did not report. So, as the matter is still under investigation, it would be premature for me to comment.
Mr Speaker: Dr Wan Rizal.
\tDr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Thank you, Mr Speaker. And I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. My concern is more for the children, the elderly and the vulnerable groups. Given that this breach has happened, I would ask whether in this review process that is going on, will MOH be providing more stringent processes to ensure their safety and, of course, make sure that this does not happen again in the future?
\tDr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, I thank Dr Wan Rizal for the question about the stringency of the processes. Sir, I would reiterate that these processes are part of the healthcare licensee expectations, the regulations that we have for the administration of a wide variety of drugs and vaccines. We will indeed be reviewing this licensee, this clinic, as well as the personnel that are involved.
The vast majority of the clinics and vaccine providers do a great job of ensuring that the patients are cared for safely, the vaccines are provided safely, with the correct dosage.
And so, I think we have to identify, first of all, whether this is an issue with an individual member or personnel, whether it is something about the processes at the site or whether it is something systemic about the overall vaccination process. All our data, so far, suggests that the last is not likely – the vast majority of our doses have been delivered quite safely. Nevertheless, MOH continues to review all of this.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Health (a) when will the result of the investigation into the overdose of the COVID-19 vaccines administered at the ProHealth Medical Group’s Hougang clinic be made public; (b) what is the maximum duration of hospitalisation for any patient that has been hospitalised in Singapore as a result of an overdose of a COVID-19 vaccine; and (c) what further safeguards will be put in place to avoid a further repetition of such incidents.","2 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many overdoses and underdoses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to patients respectively since the start of the vaccination programme; (b) whether clinics are required to immediately report each incident as they occur to (i) the Ministry and (ii) the affected patients; (c) how many patients have been affected by these incidents; and (d) of these, how many were children."],"footNoteQuestions":["10","11"],"questionNo":"10-11"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Forward Singapore Plans","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"12 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether he can provide an update on the progress of the Forward Singapore exercise and the plans ahead.
\tThe Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (Mr Lawrence Wong): Mr Speaker, Forward Singapore is an exercise to refresh our social compact for Singapore's next bound of development. This involves reviewing our existing assumptions and ideas on making Singapore a better home for our people, to see whether they remain valid. It also involves generating new ideas and policy thinking to address our challenges and seize new opportunities.
Since we launched the exercise in June, the response from Singaporeans in the many conversations with the 4G leadership team has been encouraging. We have received, from Singaporeans, many useful insights for policy formulations, suggestions of solutions and offers for action, all of which will help us build a better and stronger Singapore together.
We have been working on three broad themes: how to create more opportunities for Singapore and Singaporeans; how to provide better assurances for Singaporeans in a more uncertain future; and how to strengthen our sense of solidarity as one people.
Besides these three themes, we are also deliberating over the shared responsibilities that individual Singaporeans, families, communities and companies, should uphold as part of the refreshed compact, so that we can better tackle the challenges ahead and seize new opportunities for Singapore and for our people.
Over the next few months, we will deepen our conversations and partnerships with Singaporeans. We intend to do so in two ways.
First, there will be more engagements for people to offer their own views and ideas, as well as to hear from others. These will span a wide range of topics, such as how to strengthen employability and create good jobs, make our living environment even better, strengthen our bonds to Singapore and with one another, and environmental sustainability, amongst others.
Some of these engagements will be held in our neighbourhoods and some in vernacular languages and different formats to better reach out to Singaporeans of different needs and preferences. These engagements will allow us to reflect on our values today and what we aspire to be in the future. They will sensitise us to the choices we have to make as a people, for ourselves, as well as the longer-term interest of future generations.
Second, we will invite people to go beyond just giving views, to also co-develop and implement solutions and policies together with the Government. For example, approaches like Citizens' Panels and Alliances for Action (AfA) bring people together to deliberate on issues they feel strongly about and, after robust discussions with one another and experts, recommend policy ideas to the Government. Through AfA, stakeholders can also come together to take direct action in designing and implementing solutions.
I welcome members of the public and organisations to register their interest to participate in these sessions through the Forward Singapore website. We plan to complete the exercise by the middle of next year. We hope to partner Singaporeans from all walks of life for this Forward Singapore exercise because everyone has a role to play, to build a better Singapore for all.
Mr Speaker: Mr Ang Wei Neng.
\tMr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast): Thank you, Speaker, Sir. I thank Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the comprehensive reply. We are very heartened to see that the Forward Singapore exercise is gaining momentum. I have two supplementary questions.
One, I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister Wong whether the issue of repealing section 377A of the Penal Code will be discussed at a Forward Singapore exercise before it is tabled at Parliament.
Secondly, I would like to ask Deputy Prime Minister Wong whether the Government will consider issuing a White Paper to summarise the views of Singaporeans, the feedback and the Government's responses after the end of this exercise.
And meanwhile, I also hope that the Government will not issue any major White Paper before the end of this exercise. But, to be sure, I am not referring to the Healthier Singapore White Paper that we will discuss tomorrow.
\tMr Lawrence Wong: Sir, the conversations and engagements around section 377A had started earlier, even before we started the Forward Singapore exercise. And it was a result of these engagements and conversations that led to the Government's announcement of what it hopes to do at the National Day Rally this year. So, we do not intend for section 377A and the issues around it to be a key part of our Forward Singapore platform, because these started after the conversations had already begun.
But, of course, if there are views around society and our values and Singaporeans feedback this to us through our engagements and conversations, we will take in all of the feedback as part of the Forward Singapore engagements.
Second, on the process and what we will do to put down and publish the conversations that we had with Singaporeans – whether it is a White Paper or whether there are other platforms – we will review and study what are the suitable platforms. We will not rule out having some mid-term milestones where we might very well decide to compile, consolidate some of the feedback and respond to them earlier, even before the end of the exercise.
\tFor example, we have the Budget next year. So, when we engage Singaporeans through Forward Singapore over the course of the next few months, we might very well use the Budget next year as an interim milestone where we can compile the views and feedback from people and then respond to them with some announcements without having to wait all the way till the end of the exercise.
But, certainly, by the completion of the exercise, we will find suitable platforms in which we can pool together all the feedback, suggestions and ideas we have collated and make sure that these are adequately surfaced through appropriate means.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Implications of Study on Excess Mortality During COVID-19 Pandemic","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"13 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health (a) whether there will be a continued, further and deeper study of excess mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic including the impact of COVID-19's long-term effects and how this may contribute to excess mortality; and (b) what is being done to identify potentially preventable causes of excess mortality.
\tThe Minister for Health (Mr Ong Ye Kung): Mr Speaker, Sir, my response today will also address the question filed by Mr Yip Hon Weng1 which is scheduled for a subsequent Sitting.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a severe dilemma – summarised as lives versus livelihoods – for all regions in the world. When you close the borders and lock down society, you can save lives, but people will suffer tremendously from economic paralysis and children held back, perhaps permanently, in their learning. When you open up society and the economy to resume normalcy quickly, many people will suffer from falling severely ill and die from infections.
Every region in the world knows it has to strike a very careful balance between lives and livelihoods. Three years into the pandemic, Singapore has been able to open up our society and economy, with life almost going back to normal and yet we maintain an excess mortality rate that is one of the lowest in the world.
In September 2022, the Ministry of Health (MOH) released a public report on the excess deaths in the Singapore resident population over the pandemic. Between January 2020 and June 2022, there was an increase of 24.9 deaths per 100,000 persons per year, using the pre-COVID-19 year of 2019 as the baseline. So, our death rate during this pandemic, essentially, took us back to 2018 levels, wiping out improvements over a few years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) uses a slightly different methodology to compute excess deaths, but the results are similar. Based on WHO's estimates for the years 2020 and 2021, Singapore experienced 26 excess deaths per 100,000 persons per year, compared to our estimate, which was 24.9. It is about the same. But it is still, again, much lower than many countries, especially those that have opened up like us.
Members have asked for a breakdown of the numbers by year. So, if we break up our estimated excess deaths, there were 1,140 from January 2020 to December 2021 and 1,350 from January to June 2022 respectively.
There are two key ways to reduce excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is vaccination.
COVID-19 vaccination plays a big part because it significantly reduces the risk that infections translate into severe illness and deaths. The fact that Singapore got 93% of its population vaccinated – and that base includes children who are not eligible – and 80% boosted, is a key reason why we have low excess deaths.
To answer Mr Yip Hon Weng's question, which has been scheduled for another Sitting, in the same vein, in Singapore and elsewhere in the world, unvaccinated persons disproportionately contributed to COVID-19 deaths. In the first half of 2022, about 5% of the eligible population are not fully vaccinated, but they contributed to 28% of COVID-19 deaths.
MOH does not comprehensively track the number of persons who are medically ineligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. However, as at 30 June this year, the number of persons who applied to be exempted from vaccination-differentiated safe management measures (VDS), claimed they have adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and we have looked at them and have granted 2,100 such exemptions.
For this group, the observed rate of COVID-19 deaths in these individuals was about two in 1,000, compared to 0.3 in 1,000 observed in the whole population. Again, this is the group which applied to be exempted from VDS. In reality, the number of people who are medically ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines is small, given the choice of vaccines that they have access to.
It is worth reiterating here that, to be properly protected against the Omicron virus of COVID-19, we need to get a booster, in other words, three doses of mRNA vaccines. It will reduce the risk of severe illnesses and deaths significantly. Two shots do not do the job properly. We are currently bringing in the updated bivalent vaccines that can offer better protection against variants.
The second factor is whether the healthcare system had been overwhelmed at any point during the pandemic – the second factor for excess deaths. \"Overwhelme\" is not the same as hospitals being very busy, which ours have been and are still very busy. \"Overwhelme\" means there were so many severely ill COVID-19 patients that the hospitals ran out of beds, oxygen and medical staff to take care of them. Patients are, essentially, left to demise. Whenever a bed or an equipment becomes available, doctors have the unenviable task of choosing whom they should save amongst everyone that is waiting.
When that happens, many non-COVID-19 patients, such as those with heart attacks, injuries, strokes will be affected and, without proper care, many of them will also die. And that happened in many countries.
In Singapore, we did not let that happen, mostly because when there was a risk of that happening, we went into the circuit breaker mode or the heightened alert mode to slow down the rate of infection to protect our healthcare system. Hence, throughout the pandemic, despite our public hospitals being strained while coping with the pandemic, our hospital and ICU beds were able to support patients with urgent medical needs.
Looking ahead, we can continue to prevent deaths by preserving healthcare capacity and ensuring that our healthcare workers are well-resourced in such situations. If and when there is a surge in infection and severe illness numbers, we cannot rule out the re-imposition of safe management measures. But we will only do so when it is absolutely necessary to save lives and to protect the healthcare system.
What we managed to achieve is due to the fact that the great majority of our people did their part and did the right thing. The pandemic is not entirely over, but we hope we are at the end game and will continue to navigate through the crisis with resilience and unity.
\tMr Speaker: Dr Tan Wu Meng.
\tDr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong): I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I have one supplementary question. Does the Government have plans to study more deeply the impact of socioeconomic status as well as housing type on the excess mortality risks from COVID-19?
\tMr Ong Ye Kung: I thank the Member for that suggestion. It is a good one. We have the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Maybe that is something they can look into but, so far, we have not compiled those numbers. But if we look at the literature and our own experience, the two main drivers of excess deaths have been, first, are you vaccinated? Second, your age, and that will continue to be the case. Notwithstanding, it is an interesting line of enquiry which our researchers will definitely look at.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
\tMr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his reply. I have two supplementary questions.
First, with more data, does MOH intend to periodically review the vaccination eligibility criteria to allow more people who were previously ineligible for vaccination to get vaccinated and protection from COVID-19?
Second, how does MOH intend to increase the vaccination rate, especially amongst those who are seniors and have comorbidities?
\tMr Ong Ye Kung: On vaccination eligibility, the question is actually the other way around. We would very much want people to be vaccinated but, usually, it is the resident who comes forward to say \"I am not eligible. I have got eczema, I have this, I have that\". And then some are not so valid medically; others we have to take a closer look, especially if they have some adverse reaction after their first shot and they then may become ineligible. And that is a medical indication which we will have to respect, notwithstanding the fact that we bring in different types of vaccines now with different technological platforms and, hopefully, they will be able to take one of them.
Second, how do we further increase the rate of vaccinations? We have to keep on explaining why it is beneficial to vaccinate. We have to get the momentum. Vaccination begets vaccination. When we see more of our friends and relatives vaccinated, we also, notwithstanding some hesitancy, will get vaccinated. So, we have to bring vaccinations to the community, which we are still doing through our mobile teams. And also for those who are not mobile and are stuck at home, we will go to their homes to provide the vaccination.
But, as mentioned in the House earlier, we are trying to move to a new definition of \"up to date\" vaccination. Today, vaccination is pretty much all covered. Whoever is holding out probably is very hesitant, unable to change their mind or, indeed, have medical contraindications and you cannot vaccinate them.
Moving forward, it is more the booster rate and we should move to a stage where we stop counting the number of boosters, such as booster one, two, three and so on, but move to a concept where we really live with the virus closer to how we live with influenza. Every year, when there is a season, take an influenza vaccination that will protect you throughout the year and we need to. As we gather more data, as we have the shipments in and operations are ready, we will announce the details and move to a new mode of vaccinating the population.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Health (a) among excess deaths due to COVID-19 in the first half of this year, what is the percentage of those who are ineligible to be fully vaccinated; and (b) how do the figures for excess deaths and vaccination eligibility in the first half of this year compare to those in 2021."],"footNoteQuestions":["13"],"questionNo":"13"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ensuring Manpower and Service Level Adequacy with Reopening of Terminals at Changi Airport","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"14 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Transport with the reopening of Changi Airport’s Terminal 4 and the recommencement of departure operations in the southern wing of Terminal 2 (a) what is the total number of additional manpower required to support the reopening; (b) whether the terminals are sufficiently manned to meet Singapore’s year-end air passenger traffic targets; and (c) if not, how does the Ministry ensure that there is sufficient manpower to support the ramp-up in capacity so that travellers’ experience that Changi Airport is renowned for is not affected.
15 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked \tthe Minister for Transport with the gradual reopening of terminals at Changi Airport (a) what percentage of its capacity is the airport operating at presently, taking into account the airport’s currently available manpower, retail services and other infrastructure; (b) what are the assumptions underlying the projection that the number of flights handled by Changi Airport will rise to 80% of pre-pandemic levels by end-2022; and (c) what concrete steps are being taken to scale up on the airport’s capacity.
\t
\tMr Speaker: Minister Iswaran, will you be taking Question Nos 14 and 15 together?
The Minister for Transport (Mr S Iswaran): Yes, I am taking Question Nos 14 and 15 together, please, Speaker.
Air travel has recovered steadily since Singapore reopened its borders to all fully vaccinated travellers without testing or quarantine in April 2022. As of the first week of September, average weekly passenger traffic at Changi Airport has recovered to above 60% of pre-COVID-19 levels and it has held at that level steadily. The number of flights at Changi Airport has also recovered to nearly two-thirds of pre-COVID-19 levels.
The number of flights that airlines have filed to operate at Changi Airport by the year end is more than 80% of pre-COVID-19 levels. We expect this to increase further as airlines respond to demand from travellers, following the recent border-easing announcements by key travel markets such as Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.
To accommodate this anticipated growth in the number of passengers and flights, we reopened Terminal 4 on 13 September. We will also be commencing departure operations in the southern wing of Terminal 2 on 11 October, in addition to arrivals which had commenced on 29 May. With this, Changi Airport will have the physical capacity to accommodate up to 70 million passengers per annum, which is about 100% of the passenger traffic levels that we had pre-COVID-19. This also represents about 80% of Changi’s pre-COVID-19 capacity itself. In other words, we have used the intervening time to enhance Changi's capacity as well.
\tOur aviation stakeholders have been concurrently working hard to build up their workforce and train their new hires to support this ramp-up in capacity. This has been an ongoing process since early this year. The air transport sector workforce has recovered to about 80% of pre-COVID-19 levels in the first half of the year. Aviation stakeholders aim to hire another 4,000 workers between September and the end of this year. Cumulatively, this will bring us to about 90% of our pre-COVID-19 workforce. The recruitment efforts of the companies in the sector are currently on track.
And thanks to the efforts of the whole aviation community, including our regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), airport operator, airlines, ground handling companies, unions and workers, Changi has managed the recovery relatively well so far. By continuing to work together as one Changi community, we are confident that Changi Airport will be ready to welcome more passengers back to Singapore and offer them the distinctive traveller experience that Changi is known for.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Sharael Taha.
\tMr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): I thank the Minister for his reply on meeting the short-term ramp-up demands for the industry. Given that Changi Airport is our strategic asset and has still many labour-intensive components, such as baggage handling, catering and training, what lessons can be learnt and incorporated in the future Terminal 5 (T5) design and possible retrofitting of the current infrastructure? And how can we provide more support for the airport workers, such as those represented by Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers Union (SATSWU) to upskill and improve productivity so that we can continue to improve on the renowned service of Changi Airport?
\tMr S Iswaran: Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his questions. Let me take the second question first.
In terms of upgrading and upskilling the workers, this is an ongoing effort. As with all other sectors in Singapore, it is a priority because, ultimately, by upskilling the workers, we enhance their productivity, enhance the competitiveness of the companies and the larger aviation sector and, of course, enable them to have good jobs with good wages. So, it is a virtuous cycle, something that we are continually working on.
The Member's first question was on areas such as baggage handling and what lessons we have learnt that can be incorporated into the T5 design.
The last two years, as Members would know, we had paused in the development of T5 because the trajectory of air travel recovery was uncertain in light of COVID-19. As was recently announced by the Prime Minister at the National Day Rally, we have restarted the design and process for T5. And the key lessons we have learnt include how we can modularise airport operations in order to enhance their resilience – in this case, our civilian airport – to such pandemic-type challenges. Because, as I think all of us would well appreciate, airports are designed for convergence of streams of passengers. And yet, when you are in a pandemic-type situation, the objective is really to separate the streams as much as we can according to their risk categorisation.
That inverts the logic of airport operations and is something that has to be factored into the design early, not just in terms of processes, but in terms of actual physical design. So, modularity and how it can help combine with processes to enhance the resilience of our airport in the face of possible pandemics in the future is one aspect.
Another aspect has been sustainability and how we can focus on ensuring that T5, but more generally all of Changi, can really lead the way as a sustainable air hub. And this is why CAAS is now working on developing a blueprint for a sustainable air hub in Singapore.
And finally, on specific areas like baggage handling which the Member raised, this is actually one of the key challenges and this is not unique to Changi. Because all over the world, baggage handling is one of the most manpower-intensive aspects of airport operations. How we are able to automate this is a key part of the work that is going on.
As I think Members can well appreciate, this is not something you can decide on a standalone basis because it is not only one airport doing this. Whatever we do has to be ultimately coordinated with airlines, aircraft design and what happens in other airports. It is a general effort that is being undertaken to see how greater automation can be brought into the handling of baggage at airports.
In fact, I was in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly earlier last week and this was one of the topics that was discussed by several of the aviation ministers. So, it is an ongoing effort and CAAS is investing in a lot of innovation work in that regard.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.
\tMr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister for his answers. I have got two supplementary questions.
First one is: would Minister envisage the possibility of overshooting the capacity over the next few months into the end of this year and possibly into the first half of next year, particularly if regional airports or other hubs, are seeing any delays in their opening? And that also is in relation to one of my Parliamentary Questions (PQs): what would be the assumptions underlying the projection that the number of flights will rise to 80% and above?
My second supplementary question would be: the Minister mentioned that the recruitment is on track, but is it possible for us to speed up the recruitment of talent, especially since technology and changes over the past two to three years have evolved, and whether some of these technological changes mean that we need new talent locally or globally coming to Singapore?
\tMr S Iswaran: Mr Speaker, the Member said he would ask quick questions but I think I have to give him a slightly longer answer.
On overshooting capacity, I think what the Member meant by that is whether we expect that we will go beyond what we think is the expected volume. To some extent, there is predictability and the reason why there is predictability is because airlines file their flight plans with the airport slots authority, that is, with Changi Airport. In this case, for the next cycle which is really from October through to March next year, it is called the Northern Winter schedule.
From that point of view, we already have a reasonable idea of the kind of flows to expect. Of course, there may be variations to that for a variety of reasons, whether it is disruptions and so on. But by and large, given what has been presented to our airport, we think that the estimations that we have are within the ballpark. Whether it will exactly turn out the way we expect, I think there are many unknowns, as all of us will appreciate. The Minister for Health talked about some of the risks as well.
We need to just bear in mind that we plan with the capacity in mind, but we also need to be vigilant and be prepared to pivot to a more conservative and careful stance if the need arises.
And, of course, the assumptions that the Member asked about – that underlie this planning, apart from what the airlines submit and so on – is, of course, in general, how the source markets are opening up. In particular, in our part of the world, the Asia Pacific, most have opened up, as I mentioned earlier – Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and so on have all opened up.
One of the most significant markets is China and China's opening strategy is something that we have to observe, because every country has to navigate this path based on its circumstances. China is a significant source for us. Pre-COVID-19, China would have accounted for about 20% of our tourism visitor arrivals. That is a major uncertainty as well that we will have to watch out for.
The second point on recruitment and whether we speed up the recruitment, I can assure the Member that all the aviation companies are throwing the kitchen sink at this because this is a very challenging time. We know that there is just a general shortage of manpower and, in particular, for aviation especially on the air side, it is not just about recruitment but we have to make sure that they are trained and they are able to deliver safely for themselves and for all other users of the aviation services. So, this is a major task.
But as I said, if I can just take Members back, we had about one-third attrition in our aviation industry workforce. It was at about 35,000. At the end of last year, we had about 25,000. In the first half of this year, I think about 4,000 were recruited and the aim is really to get another 4,000 workers to join the aviation workforce. That should bring us to about 90%.
In terms of new talent, that really is going to be an important area of focus going forward because of two aspects. Digitalisation and sustainability are going to be key drivers for the aviation industry. For this, we will need specific skill sets. We have to retrain those who are already in the industry and that is happening as we speak. At the same time, we also may need specific types of talent to come on board to augment what we already have. And so, this is something that both the airlines but also the airport and ground handlers are focused on.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Support for Home-based Persons with Motor Neurone Diseases","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"16 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health what support is available for patients with Motor Neurone Disease including (i) patients with mobility needs who cannot easily go from home to clinic for clinical consultations and (ii) patients who are on the home ventilator respiratory support service.
\tThe Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health (Ms Rahayu Mahzam) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, patients with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) are cared for by a multi-disciplinary team, which may include neurologists, advanced practice and specialty nurses, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and medical social workers.
Wheelchair-bound MND patients can tap on private ambulances for transportation between their home and the clinic. Special transport arrangements may need to be planned for more severe MND patients who are bedridden, on tube feeding and portable ventilator support. Those facing financial difficulties may be referred to a medical social worker for help with their medical and transport costs.
The National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) also provides follow-up video consultations for some less mobile MND patients to reduce their need to travel to clinic for consultation. Home-based nursing care has also been available for stable MND patients not on ventilation support through the NNI Community Health Programme since November 2020. Under this programme, NNI has provided inter-professional training and advice to community care partners on the management of persons living with neuro-degenerative conditions, including MND. These community nurses are empowered to make home visits to review patients with nursing needs, such as pressure sores and feeding tube issues.
In addition, MND patients needing respiratory support can tap on the the Ministry of Health (MOH)-funded national Home Ventilator and Respiratory Support Service (HVRSS). The HVRSS team from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) provides home-based ventilation support, caregiver training and routine follow-up for chronic conditions, including blood tests, care coordination and referrals to other specialists, thus minimising clinic visits for the patient.
Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. Introduction of Government Bills.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix, unless Members had asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn.]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend the Broadcasting Act 1994 and the Electronic Transactions Act 2010 to regulate providers of online communication services\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Minister for Communications and Information (Mrs Josephine Teo) read the First time; to be read a Second time at the first available Sitting of Parliament in November 2022, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Accountancy Functions (Consolidation) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority Act 2004, the Accountants Act 2004 and the Accounting Standards Act 2007, to repeal the Singapore Accountancy Commission Act 2013 and to make consequential and related amendments to certain other Acts\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah) read the First time; to be read a Second time at the first available Sitting of Parliament in November 2022, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"International Development Association (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend the International Development Association Act 2002\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) recommendation of President signified; presented by the Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah); read the First time; to be read a Second time at the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Carbon Pricing (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"amend the Carbon Pricing Act 2018\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) recommendation of President signified; presented by the Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) on behalf of the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment; read the First time; to be read a Second time at the first available Sitting of Parliament in November 2022, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Statutes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BP","content":"[(proc text) Order for Second Reading read. (proc text)]
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law (Ms Rahayu Mahzam) (for the Minister for Law): Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Minister for Law, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time\".
Sir, this Bill contains 23 operative clauses. It makes miscellaneous amendments across a number of Acts. Mr Speaker, Sir, with your permission, may I ask the Clerk to distribute an Annex to my speech.
Mr Speaker: Please proceed. [A handout was distributed to hon Members.\t]
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Members may also access this material through the SG PARL MP mobile app. The Annex lists the amendments to be made via this Bill, which I will take Members through.
Clause 2 of the Bill makes two amendments to section 2 of the Interpretation Act 1965. First, the non-exhaustive definition of \"repeal\" will be amended to clarify that it includes \"delete\", which is a term that is used in amending legislation. Second, a new general provision will be inserted, which provides that definitions in written laws apply unless the context otherwise requires. This obviates the need to repeat similar provisions in each definition provision in legislation.
Next, clause 3 amends section 9(1) of the Air Navigation Act 1966 (ANA) in two ways. It will expressly enable the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to make certain insurance-related regulations, including regulations necessary to comply with the 1999 Montreal Convention. It will also specify that the fees that CAAS is currently empowered to prescribe under section 9(1)(t) can be either one-time or periodic in nature.
I now come to the amendments to the Children and Young Persons Act 1993 (CYPA). The CYPA was amended by the Children and Young Persons (Amendment) Act 2019.
Sections 27 and 55 of the 2019 Amendment Act have not been brought into force. Clause 4 of the Bill makes substantively the same amendments as those sections, but updates references to other statutory provisions that have since been renumbered in the 2020 Revised Edition of Acts. It will also allow the First Schedule and the Second Schedule of the CYPA to be brought into force separately.
Turning to the next amendment, clause 5 deletes the definition of \"company\" and \"corporation\" in section 63(1) of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act 2009 (CAAS Act), because they are unnecessary in the context of the CAAS Act.
Next, clause 6 of the Bill amends four provisions in the Copyright Act 2021 (CA).
The first amendment is to section 193 of the CA. The CA makes a distinction between \"works\" and \"performances\", and recognises that both \"works\" and \"performances\", can be fairly used for the purposes of criticism or review. Where works are concerned, section 193 of the CA provides that any underlying materials that are incorporated in works are deemed fairly used if the works themselves are fairly used for the purposes of criticism or review. However, this deeming provision does not currently extend to performances. Clause 6(a) of the Bill thus amends section 193 of the CA, such that section 193 will also apply to underlying materials in performances that are fairly used for the purposes of criticism or review.
Second, section 285 of the CA provides that a \"public act\", which is an act done for the service of the Government, by the Government or by an authorised person, is an exception to copyright infringement. Section 285(2)(a) currently provides that the Government is to inform the relevant rights owner as soon as practicable after the public act is done. Section 285(2)(a) will be amended to signpost that the means by which the Government is to inform a rights owner of the public act is set out in subsidiary legislation.
Third, section 301 provides how copies of a work or a recording of a protected performance should be notated. Subsection (1)(a) will be amended to make clear that the \"copy\" referred to in that subsection refers only to a copy of a \"sound recording\" and not other types of works.
Fourth, the CA, which came into force on 21 November 2021, introduced the right for authors to be identified in relation to the public use of certain works. Section 377(2)(b) provides a transitional arrangement for existing works made before 21 November 2021, whereby the first copyright owner's initial assignee or licensee is exempted from having to identify the author of the existing work.
Section 377(2)(b) will be extended to exempt: (a)\tthe first copyright owner and (b)\tsubsequent assignees and licensees beyond the first copyright owner's initial assignee or licensee as well. This amendment will put the first copyright owner, initial assignee and licensee, and subsequent assignees and licensees of an existing work on equal footing.
Next, I will address the amendments to the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 (COTMA).
As this House is aware, Part 2 and Part 8 of COTMA introduced reliefs for individuals and businesses affected by COVID-19 in certain contracts and situations. The Panel of Assessors for COVID-19 (Temporary Relief) (PACT) and its supporting Registry were formed in April 2020 and heard disputes relating to Part 2 and Part 8.
Since PACT was set up around two and a half years ago, it has issued about 1,070 determinations. This helped parties avoid costly and time-consuming litigation, relating to contractual disagreements arising from COVID-19.
With the COVID-19 situation having stabilised, these urgent reliefs, introduced during very exceptional times, have run their course and are no longer necessary. The Part 2 and Part 8 reliefs are no longer available – they are only applied for prescribed periods, the last of which came to an end on 28 February 2022. It is now time to wind down the PACT Registry.
Clause 7 therefore provides that applications which remain pending at a prescribed date will be deemed to be withdrawn. Determinations and subsequent determinations also cannot be made after a prescribed date.
In this regard, there are 20 applications concerning construction and supply contracts which remain outstanding, which will be deemed withdrawn when this amendment comes into effect. The withdrawal does not affect the substantive rights of the parties. The assessors' role for such applications is to determine whether a Notification for Relief (NFR) was validly issued to enable a party to seek relief under Part 2 and Part 8. For construction and supply contracts, the service of a valid NFR would entitle the affected party to two categories of relief: (i) a moratorium against legal and enforcement action, and (ii) a statutory defence against damages for delays or breaches which are materially caused by COVID-19. Applications relating to the availability of the moratorium are now moot, as the moratorium expired on 28 February 2022, together with the expiry of the prescribed period.
As regards applications relating to the statutory defence, the Assessors' role has always been limited to assessing whether the NFR was valid. The party receiving the NFR could choose to challenge the statutory defence if it is invoked by the serving party in the course of proceedings before a court, tribunal or adjudicator. This right to challenge the availability of the defence before a court, tribunal or adjudicator continues to be available even after these applications for Assessors' applications are deemed withdrawn.
Clause 7 also addresses another issue. Pursuant to section 1(2A) of COTMA, Part 2 expired at the end of 19 April 2022. However, the COTMA regulations permitted applications for an Assessor's Determination in respect of construction and supply contracts to be made up till 30 April 2022. Clause 7 therefore validates applications made from 20 April 2022 to 30 April 2022.
Next, I turn to clause 8. Section 97(5) of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021 (GEWCA) introduced a new section 7(2) to the Customs Act. This section, which has not been commenced, stated that customs officers are to be provided with \"such staves, guns, ammunition and other accoutrements which may be prescribed\". Clause 8 of the present Bill inserts a new section 6A to the Customs Act in place of section 7(2). Section 6A is substantively similar to section 7(2), save that the word \"staves\" is replaced with \"batons\" and the arms to be provided need not be prescribed. Consequently, the amendments made by section 97(5) of GEWCA is superseded and deleted.
I now come to clause 9, which amends the Extradition Act 1968 (EA).
The Extradition Act was amended in April this year to introduce, amongst others, a new mechanism for fugitives to consent to their extradition. Clause 9 makes several clarifications related to that new mechanism: (a) first, that the Magistrate's power to remand a fugitive who has consented to his or her surrender includes the power to remand such a fugitive who is provisionally arrested and where the formal extradition request from the Requesting State is pending; (b) second, a consenting fugitive does not need to additionally waive his or her right to apply for a review of the committal order; and (c) third, that the power to re-arrest fugitives who escaped during their arrest or from custody covers fugitives who have consented to their surrender. This power of arrest is exercised in the same manner as that involving a person accused of an arrestable offence against the law in force in Singapore.
Next, clause 10 makes amendments to section 29 of the Gas Act 2001, which provides for the inspection, maintenance, repair or renewal, of any part of a gas installation or any part of a gas service pipe linking a gas service isolation valve to the gas installation.
The amendments will clarify that the Energy Market Authority will prescribe persons responsible for the inspection, maintenance, repair or renewal of such parts by way of an order in the Gazette; and section 4(b) of the Energy (Resilience Measures and Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2021, which has not commenced, deletes the existing section 29(4) of the Gas Act and substitutes it with new sections 29(4), 29(5) and 29(6). The new section 29(4) of the Gas Act relates to obligations on the gas transporter to inspect gas installations or gas service pipes and to notify certain persons to carry out maintenance, repair or renewal following the inspection. This Bill will amend section 29(4)(c) to clarify that the \"person\" the gas transporter is to notify, is the person prescribed under section 29(3) of the Gas Act to be responsible for such maintenance, repair or renewal, if that person is not the gas transporter.
I now turn to Clause 11, which amends the Second Schedule of the Land Transport Authority of Singapore Act 1995 (LTA Act).
The Second Schedule sets out taxes, fees and charges to be paid to the Land Transport Revenue Account. Paragraph 1 currently relates to fees imposed under the Parking Places Act (PPA). This includes fees under Part 3 of the PPA, which was repealed by the Share Mobility Enterprises (Control and Licensing) Act 2020. Paragraph 1 of the Second Schedule of the LTA Act will be amended to reinstate the original wording that existed before Part 3 of the PPA was introduced.
A new paragraph 26, relating to fees and charges prescribed under the Small Motorised Vehicles (Safety) Act 2020 (SMVA) will be inserted to the Second Schedule of the LTA Act. The SMVA originally made this amendment, but it could not be commenced as there was an existing provision with the same number.
Next, I come to amendments relating to the Medicines Act 1975. Clause 12 deletes provisions in the Medicines Act relating to intellectual property obligations for pharmaceutical products. Those obligations are now found in the Health Products Act 2007 and its regulations. The provisions in the Medicines Act are therefore unnecessary.
In addition, section 76(1) of the Medicines Act 1975 currently provides for the repeal of the Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1955 (MASA) and the Sale of Drugs Act 1914 (SDA) in the same subsection such that they must be repealed together. Clauses 12(2) and (3) of this Bill provides for the repeal of the MASA and SDA in separate sub-sections so that they can be repealed separately.
I will now turn to the next amendment, which is to the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 2000 (MACMA).
Under section 41(1) of MACMA, when Singapore makes a request for mutual assistance or receives a request for assistance in criminal matters, the Attorney-General must notify the Minister. Upon receipt of the notice, the Minister may instruct the Attorney-General to take or not to take action that the Minister thinks is in or against the interests of the sovereignty, security or public order of Singapore.
As part of Singapore's commitment to work with our international partners to combat crime, it is important to ensure Singapore's compliance with international law standards for the timely prioritisation and execution of mutual legal assistance requests.
In this regard, the Minister authorises public officers of appropriate seniority and experience to review such notices from the Attorney-General, in accordance with common law principles. Under these common law principles, which have been upheld by our Courts, a Minister may authorise the exercise of such functions by his or her officers. Nevertheless, as the Minister is responsible to Parliament, the Minister must ensure that such functions are carried out by duly experienced and qualified officers. This has been the case in the context of section 41 notices under MACMA.
Clause 13 of the Bill amends section 41(5) of MACMA to make clear that the Minister's functions under that section may be exercised by a public officer authorised by the Minister. The Minister will nonetheless continue to personally exercise his power for notices as the circumstances require.
Next, I will touch on the amendment to the Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation Funds Act 2014 (PMGFA).
Section 16(1)(a) of the PMGFA provides that a Pioneer or Merdeka Generation Senior is eligible for a cash grant to be credited to his or her MediSave or other CPF account during a prescribed period.
However, there are situations where an individual is determined to be a Pioneer or Merdeka Generation Senior after the prescribed period, after verification by the Appeals Panel. Clause 14 of the Bill amends section 16(1)(a) of the PMGFA to enable such individuals to receive the cash grant in respect of the prescribed period, whether the crediting is made during or after that period. Clause 14 also validates the cash grants that have already been credited in such situations.
I now come to the Police Force Act 2004. First, under section 69 of the Police Force Act, the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Police is responsible for the promotion of a special Police Officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent to the rank of Superintendent. However, the Minister for Home Affairs is responsible for the appointment, reduction in rank, dismissal or discharge of a superintendent.
Clause 15 of the Bill amends section 69 such that the Minister for Home Affairs is the approving authority for the promotion of a special Police Officer to the rank of Superintendent. This ensures that the approving authority for the appointment of, promotion to, reduction of rank, discharge and dismissal of special Police Officers of the same rank is the same person.
Second, clause 15 validates certain previous promotions that have been made by the Minister for Home Affairs or the Permanent Secretary of MHA.
To explain, in previous years, the promotions of special Police Officers from the rank of Inspector to Assistant Superintendent were approved pursuant to the Minister's powers under section 69(1) delegated to the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs. These promotions should have been approved by the Commissioner or Deputy of Commissioner for Police instead. Clause 15 validates these promotions.
I now come to the amendments to the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 (POHA). Clause 16 of the Bill makes four amendments to POHA. Let me elaborate.
First, the definition of \"court\" in section 2(1) currently states that \"court\" for the purposes of sections 12 and 13 and Division 2 of Part 3 means \"a District Court (including the Protection from Harassment Court) or a Family Court\". These provisions provide for Protection Orders, Expedited Protection Orders and orders relating to false statements to be granted.
Aside from the District Court and the Family Court, other Courts such as the General Division of the High Court can make orders under these provisions. The definition of \"court\" will hence be amended to \"a court of competent jurisdiction\". This will ensure that all Courts which may grant Protection Orders, Expedited Protection Orders and orders relating to false statements are included within the definition of \"court\".
Second, under section 6 of POHA, public service workers are accorded enhanced protection against harassment. Some volunteers provide services similar to public service workers and also frequently interact with the public in the course of providing such services.
Sections 6(5) and 6(6) of POHA will be amended to allow such volunteers to be prescribed as \"public service workers\", which will accord such volunteers the same enhanced protection against harassment. The Government is working to identify the classes of volunteers who qualify as public service workers and target to bring this amendment into force in 2023.
Third, section 13(5) of POHA currently provides that there shall be no appeal against a decision relating to Expedited Protection Orders made by the District Court under section 13. As decisions relating to an Expedited Protection Order may also be made by other Courts such as the Family Court or High Court, clause 16 amends section 13(5) to replace \"District Court\" with \"court\" to make it clear that all such decisions made under section 13 are not appealable, no matter which Court makes the decision.
Lastly, clause 16 makes clarificatory amendments to section 16I of POHA.
Section 16I(4) provides that other civil proceedings may be commenced in the Protection from Harassment Court only if \"related to\" Part 3 proceedings under POHA in the PHC. Clause 16 of the Bill amends section 16I to define when civil proceedings are related to Part 3 proceedings.
Next, clause 17 of the Bill amends the Public Utilities Act 2001 to increase the maximum number of Board members from 10 to 13, excluding the Chairperson. This will enable PUB to benefit from the contributions of a more diverse Board.
I now come to the amendments of the Registered Designs Act 2000 (RDA).
Section 30A of the RDA, introduced by the Intellectual Property (Amendment) Act 2022, provides express legal effect to disclaimers filed with the Registrar. Disclaimers are indications or statements that limit the rights conferred by registration under section 30 of the RDA.
However, section 30A only applies prospectively. This means that section 30A only confers express legal effect to disclaimers filed on or after 26 May 2022, the commencement date of section 30A of the RDA.
Clause 18 of the Bill therefore introduces a new subsection 2A to provide express legal effect to disclaimers made before 26 May 2022, if it was filed in a manner that was compliant with the RDA and the prevailing rules.
Next, clause 19 of the Bill makes two amendments to the Sentosa Development Corporation Act 1972 (SDCA).
First, it will be explicitly clarified that the definition of \"Sentosa\" in section 2 includes islands that become contiguous with the island of Sentosa because of land reclamation. This, in turn, clarifies that Sentosa Cove falls within the definition of \"Sentosa\" as part of the land now known as Sentosa Cove used to be a separate island from Sentosa until the narrow channel that ran between the two islands was reclaimed.
Second, section 6(2) of the SDCA will be amended to provide that any person acting under the direction of the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) will be repaid out of the SDC's funds for any expense incurred. This is for consistency with section 6(1) of the SDCA where any member, employee or any other person acting under the direction of SDC is protected from personal liability while acting under the direction.
I now come to clause 20. A Notice to Attend Court is one of the modes of initiating criminal proceedings. It is a notice requiring a person to attend Court at a specified time and date. Currently, where an accused person fails to attend Court on the date stated in a Notice to Attend Court, there are 15 Acts that require an accused person to show cause as to why he or she should not be punished with a fine or imprisonment.
However, other statutes, notably the Criminal Procedure Code 2010, do not have a similar show cause procedure. This means that no additional penalty is imposed on the accused person for the failure to attend Court pursuant to a Notice to Attend Court, even without cause.
To ensure a consistent approach across all criminal proceedings regarding a failure to attend Court, clause 20 of the Bill abolishes the show cause proceedings in the 15 Acts. The Court will continue to be able to issue a warrant of arrest to secure the accused person's attendance in Court. Further, failure to attend Court will ordinarily be taken into account by the Court as an aggravating factor which may justify an increase in the sentence for the underlying offence.
Next, the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (IRDA). When it was introduced, it consolidated corporate and personal insolvency laws found in the Bankruptcy Act and Companies Act in one place. The IRDA made consequential amendments to several Acts to replace references to the Bankruptcy Act and Companies Act with references to the IRDA. We have since identified some inadvertent omissions in these references, which relate to the creation of an entirely new part in the IRDA. Clause 21 of the Bill corrects the references.
I turn now to clause 22. This clause mainly updates references in primary legislation for consistency with the provisions and terminology in the new Rules of Court 2021.
For example, references to \"plaintiff\" in existing legislation are now replaced with \"claimant\" as per the terminology in the Rules of Court 2021 and so on. The changes in terminology do not change the meaning of the amended provisions.
Clause 23 deletes obsolete transitional provisions in four Acts. These provisions were only intended to operate for a transitional period and are no longer necessary today.
To give an example, section 38 of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore Act 2001 (IPOS Act) empowers the Minister to repeal or amend any written law that is inconsistent with any provision of the IPOS Act. The intention of section 38 was to bridge any gap between existing laws and the newly enacted IPOS Act at that point in time. Hence, section 38 of the IPOS Act is no longer relevant today and can be repealed.
Finally, clause 24 of the Bill repeals provisions in five Acts that were never commenced and have since been superseded by other legislative provisions. For good order, these obsolete provisions will be deleted as they will no longer have to be brought into force.
In conclusion, Mr Speaker, this Bill makes miscellaneous and minor amendments in the manner that I have just described. Sir, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Ms Rahayu Mahzam]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
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The Senior Minister of State for Finance (Mr Chee Hong Tat) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance): Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a second time.\"
We sought views from the public on the draft Bill earlier this year and have taken into account the feedback received. We thank the respondents for their inputs.
Let me start with the amendments that give effect to tax measures from Budget 2022.
First, the top marginal personal income tax (PIT), rate of tax-resident individuals will be increased from the Year of Assessment 2024. The portion of chargeable income in excess of $500,000 up to $1 million will be taxed at 23%, while that in excess of $1 million will be taxed at 24% – both up from 22% today.
This move would further enhance the progressivity of our PIT system, where individuals who earn more will contribute more. We estimate that this could raise around $170 million of additional tax revenue per year.
The PIT rates for certain income by non-tax-resident individuals that are pegged to the top marginal tax rate of tax-resident individuals will also be revised to 24%.
Clauses 22, 42 and 44 of the Bill provide for these amendments.
Second, to support data-driven policy-making, operations and integrated service delivery, we propose two amendments to the Income Tax Act and Goods and Services Tax Act to facilitate the disclosure of information by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) for official duties.
The first change relates to the scenario where taxpayers such as individuals and companies have provided consent for their information to be shared.
Today, IRAS can disclose such information to public sector agencies or an authorised person who is engaged by the Government or a Statutory Board, if the disclosure is for the sole purpose of administering a written law or public scheme.
For example, to determine what level of subsidy a patient can receive, healthcare personnel in hospitals designated to administer public healthcare schemes may obtain such information with consent, to provide the appropriate subsidies to patients efficiently and conveniently.
However, the current approach has some limitations where the official duties of public officers go beyond administering written law or a public scheme – such as for policy-making or providing public services in an integrated manner.
For example, Enterprise Singapore needs to regularly review its internationalisation schemes that support local companies expanding into overseas markets. Even if the companies have given consent for their information to be shared with Enterprise Singapore, IRAS is currently unable to do so, because such a review does not fall under “administration of a written law or public scheme”.
Where taxpayers have provided consent for IRAS to disclose their information to a public officer, or an authorised person outside the public sector who is engaged by the Government or a Statutory Board, the proposed amendment in the Bill will enable such disclosure by IRAS for the performance of official duties.
Sir, the second change relates to the scenario where taxpayers have not explicitly provided consent for the data disclosure. This will apply only to company-related information and does not include data of individuals.
To enable public sector agencies to carry out their official duties more effectively, the proposed amendment enables IRAS to disclose a prescribed list of identifiable company-related information to other public sector agencies, for the performance of official duties, without requiring the taxpayer’s consent. This list of company-related information will be prescribed in the Income Tax Act and Goods and Services Tax Act.
Let me provide an example of how this approach benefits our companies. With access to the data on specific companies, a public sector agency will be able to identify which are the companies that could benefit from certain enterprise development schemes and proactively share with them information on the relevant schemes.
Without the data sharing, we are faced with a chicken-and-egg problem. These companies may miss out on the benefits as they do not know that they are eligible and they may not apply for the schemes.
We recognise that this approach can be sensitive and we need to strike a balance between improving service efficiency and convenience, versus protecting data confidentiality. There will be two safeguards.
First, information in the prescribed list will be provided in a less granular form. For instance, the company’s sales revenue will be shared in ranges, rather than the exact value.
Such information will also not be disclosed to any person outside the public sector, even if the person is engaged by the Government or a Statutory Board. It will only be disclosed to public officers.
Clauses 3, 41, 43, 46 and 49 of the Bill provide for these amendments.
The information on taxpayers will continue to be safeguarded under existing tax legislation, the Official Secrets Act and the Public Sector (Governance) Act, as well as data governance policies set out in the Government’s Instruction Manuals.
Collectively, these data protections set out when data can be shared across agencies, limit the access to data to only authorised persons and ensure accountability for access and use of data through penalties for unauthorised disclosure and improper use of data.
All persons with access to such information on taxpayers are bounded by secrecy provisions under the applicable tax legislation – Income Tax Act or Goods and Services Tax Act – and the Official Secrets Act, where any unauthorised disclosure of such data is an offence.
Where personal data is involved, non-Government Entities acting on behalf of the Government will also be subject to the Personal Data Protection Act.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) regularly reviews our income tax regime. Let me now elaborate on two of the proposed amendments arising from the review.
First, we will update the definition of local employee for the Mergers and Acquisitions Scheme, to recognise individuals hired under central hiring and secondment arrangements as employees of the acquiring company.
Currently, only individuals that are directly hired by the acquiring company are taken into account for assessing whether the three local employee condition is met.
As businesses may have different hiring practices, the change allows us greater flexibility to recognize an equivalent material outcome of local workers being hired, be it through direct hiring, central hiring, or secondment arrangements. Clause 21 of the Bill provides for this amendment.
Second, we will amend the provisions relating to the Board of Review, also known as the BOR, which is a tribunal set up under the Income Tax Act to hear and adjudicate tax disputes between the Comptroller and taxpayers.
The BOR provisions will be updated and streamlined by:
(a) removing outdated references such as the requirement for lodgement of the notice of appeal in “duplicate” and the petition of appeal in \"quadruplicate\", which are no longer relevant where documents are sent digitally,
(b)\tclarifying the Minister's regulation-making powers regarding tax appeals, as well as the case management powers of the BOR and chairperson, and
(c)\tmoving BOR provisions on procedures to subsidiary legislation.
In addition, we propose to allow the chairperson to have the option to convene a one-member coram where appropriate. Currently, each hearing committee comprises at least three BOR members. In deciding whether or not to convene a one-member coram, the chairperson will consider the parties’ submissions, as well as the facts and circumstances of the case.
Taken together, these changes will allow greater flexibility and ensure that BOR cases are resolved in a more timely and efficient manner.
Related amendments will also be made to the BOR provisions in the Goods and Services Tax Act.
Clauses 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 46 of the Bill provide for these amendments. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang): Mr Speaker, I support the amendments to implement the tax changes announced during Budget 2022 as well as the other changes to enhance the progressivity of our tax structure.
My speech, in particular, will focus on the amendments to facilitate the sharing of information by IRAS for official duties.
The first change grants powers to IRAS to disclose information to other Government agencies for the purpose of performing official duties as long as the taxpayers have given consent. Under the current section 6 (Official Secrecy) of both Income Tax Act (ITA) and Goods and Services Tax Act (GSTA), IRAS is obliged to preserve the confidentiality of a taxpayer’s information unless it is for the administration of any written law or public scheme. The second change allows IRAS to disclose to other Government agencies company-related information without the consent of taxpayer.
Both changes are intended to support data-driven policy setting, improved public office operations and integrated service delivery.
Sir, I support the intent. Better and judicious use of data can significantly improve the effectiveness of Government, operations and also better service to the public. However, the obvious concern is how do we safeguard taxpayers’ confidentiality; especially where IRAS may be privy to documents containing sensitive commercial information.
In this regard, I have a few questions for the Senior Minister of State.
First, whether the agencies requesting the information from IRAS would need to justify the specific purposes and use of the information?
Secondly, is there an evaluation and approval process for each of these requests for information and is IRAS the approving authority? What is the governance and accountability structure here?
Thirdly, would the changes have any impact our competitiveness as a premier destination to attract international investments, now that we can disclose this information to the agencies?
Fourthly, with this expansion of the scope for data disclosures and sharing, would there be further safeguards to ensure data confidentiality and privacy?
Sir, it is worth noting that the intent to allow disclosure of data without taxpayer consent apply only to corporate entities and not individual data.
Sir, we need to continuously review and strengthen the safeguards to protect confidentiality and privacy of taxpayers’ information so that we uphold the public’s trust and confidence in the public sector’s handling and use of taxpayer data. It is on this basis of high public trust and integrity that we can then look to further harnessing the value of data within the public sector system to provide more effective government and better public service. Sir, notwithstanding my questions, I support the amendments.
Mr Speaker: Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): Mr Speaker, the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill will implement tax changes associated with the Government's 2022 Budget Statement. On balance, I support the Bill. However, I will concentrate my remarks on clause 46, which concerns related amendments to the Goods and Services Tax Act.
My speech will focus on the general merits and principles behind these amendments and, in particular, the impending increase in GST, which in part, necessitates these amendments. More specifically, I wish to revisit the case for rebating fiscal surpluses, in lieu of a more immediate in GST.
As Members of this House are aware, consumer prices continued their stubborn climb in August. Headline inflation clocked in at a scorching 7.5%, a 14-year high last experienced during the throes of the Global Financial Crisis in mid-2008. Pause for a moment and consider what this implies. Were inflation to remain at this rate, prices would double in just nine years.
Think – in 2031, a plate of chicken rice, my favourite example, will cost $7 instead of $3.50. A slightly used Honda Civic would be $220,000 and that is assuming COE prices do not increase further. A four-room BTO flat in Sengkang, the constituency I represent, would go for $700,000 and likely double that in the resale market.
To place this number in even more stark context, for the half decade between 2016 and 2021, median household income rose by a respectable 2.8% per annum, after adjusting for inflation. But had inflation been just at rates experienced over the past six months, paychecks would have shrunk by about half that rate. For those of us that still rent, the hit has been even more severe. Stories of landlords raising rental by up to 40% are not unheard of. What is worse, core inflation, the stable component of price increases, which strips out the more volatile components of private transportation and accommodation struck 5.1%.
This means that, much like in the US and a number of other economies, price rises are gradually becoming entrenched in people's expectations, running the risk of a self-reinforcing inflation cycle.
To be clear, this is hyperbole. I do not expect inflation to remain at an elevated level of more than 7% over the next decade, nor do I expect that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) does either. But that does not detract from the fact that higher prices have significantly eroded the purchasing power of Singaporean families. That real and present danger of inflation becoming persistent means that the monetary authority cannot simply stand pat in the face of price pressures.
What is the MAS to do? It has already adjusted depreciation path of the Singapore dollar four times over the past year and has even taken on a more aggressive stance of adjusting the exchange rate upward over the past two cycles. There is concern that in a small, export-oriented economy, an excessively strong Singapore dollar will erode our competitiveness. Since October of last year, Singapore's exchange rate relative to its main trading partners has appreciated by almost 5%. Even so, the main bilateral rate of interest, the dollar exchange rate between Singapore and the US, for which global commodities such as agriculture and energy which we import are pegged, has gone the other way and depreciated by close to 6%.
Small wonder then, that in our economy, which is almost entirely reliant on imported food and fuel, we have continued to battle under the weight of inflation. Singapore's inflation dynamics appear to closely track that of the US, writ small. And since the Federal Reserve remains undeterred in its effort to raise interest rates to break the back of domestic inflation in the US, it is not unreasonable to expect for MAS to embark on at least another round of tightening monetary policy. Things look to remain challenging at least a while longer before they get any better.
Indeed, it appears increasingly likely that we may need to accept that a soft landing, that our economy, where labour markets remain robust, may be a pipe dream. And we if accept that unemployment has to rise, then, our workers are due for a double whammy. Singaporeans everywhere are already feeling the pinch from increases in the cost of living, hurting from things they were previously able to comfortably afford. But should the economy be slow in response to tighter monetary policy, it is the marginal worker that will be displaced from their jobs, losing their incomes at a time when they least can afford it.
With the economy about to face a right jab and a left hook, do we really want to \"shoryuken\" our workers with a jump in prices of another 1% because of the GST rate hike in January? After all, as I shared in my Adjournment Motion with this House on 5 July, we should not be building up fiscal surpluses at a time when the economy is still in recovery and inflation is biting into our citizens' pocketbooks. I suggested that instead, any excess revenues from taxes and duties should, as much as possible, be rebated back to our people. This is because fiscal policy should be playing a stabilising role rather than amplify the stresses felt by the private sector.
In the time that the speech was delivered, IRAS subsequently reported that tax revenue surged by more than 22% for the financial year 2021/2022. This increase was led by corporate income but individual tax receipts also rose as the revenue across the board for most sources. The largest increase of $2.9 billion was due to higher stamp duties, which due to, in IRAS' own words, \"a buoyant property market\" and \"an increase in property transactions\". Notably, the take from GST, also increased by 22% even without any increase in the rate of GST, telling me observers also expect the tax revenues in the upcoming fiscal year are likely to increase yet further. One analyst said that he expected Government revenue to continue exceeding Budget projections while another believes that this increase will be due to strong corporate profits, rising wage growth and higher property tax and stamp duties.
In my speech on the Budget this year, I suggest that with the inflation fire burning as hot as it did, raising GST would only add fuel to the flame. That was back in February, when inflation was only 4.3%. Inflation is now almost double this rate.
The Government has previously argued that they stand ready to address inflation with additional measures. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong assured this House during his Budget speech and I quote: \"If inflation turns out to be persistent and higher than expected, we as the Government will deal with this separately through other tools\". He reiterated this position in April stating that the Government will assess the overall situation and then consider what additional steps they could take.
One immediate objection to rebating fiscal surpluses is that the increase is only reflective of a low base from repressed collections in the prior year. But the revenues of $60.7 billion booked last year is not only larger than the low base of $49.6 billion booked last fiscal year, understandably due to pandemic related reasons, but also almost $9 billion higher than the average of the three years before.
Whichever our base year, it is evident that last year's revenue was an anomaly larger than previously anticipated. Another objection is that unexpectedly high surpluses, much of which are derived from real estate related duties, are unlikely to be replicated and hence should not be utilised for recurrent expenditure. In principle, this is true. We should not be planning recurring expenditures on the basis of one-off revenue gains.
Yet, what is being proposed here is likewise a one-off expenditure meant to tide households over this difficult period of high inflation. Nobody expects a continuous stream of payout from the Government once inflation returns to historical norms. Moreover, there is the prospect of even more extraordinary revenues in the forthcoming months. This Government had previously indicated that it would be unwise to plan for new revenues arising from the OECD-led BEPS collaboration to roll out a minimum corporate tax. This caution may appear to be warranted, given the unwillingness of the United States Congress to ratify the deal, which ironically, it helped broker.
But Mark Twain, the American novelist and social critic, is often said to have quipped that reports of his own death had been largely exaggerated. And much like this quote, reports of the demise of the global corporate minimum tax appear to be incorrect or at least premature. There are good reasons to believe that in the medium run, there are strong incentives for non-adopters of the treaty, such as the US, to continue to do so, as long as other major economies also ratify it.
The probability that this tax will proceed regardless of American participation or acquiescence lends further reason for the Government to rebate surplus tax revenue now. Were the agreement to proceed, even in slightly diluted form, it will almost certainly require changes to local corporate tax laws that are far more likely to raise corporate tax revenues then diminish them. The takeaway is that we appear to have fiscal wiggle room to move forward with such a rebate, both now and in the future.
What are some options that may be available to the Government should it choose to rebate the $8.7 million windfall revenue? In June, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a $1.5 billion support package, which still leaves $7.2 billion on the table. One approach is to postpone the GST tax increases. Even if we accept that we cannot, in Deputy Prime Minister Wong's own words, \"keep delaying the GST tax increase given our pressing revenue needs\", we can at least try to forestall the increase for another two years. This will afford our households and businesses a breather and allow our economy to avoid a simultaneous constriction of both monetary and fiscal policy next year.
Another alternative is to distribute the amount via GST Vouchers. This will amount to another beefing up of the GST Voucher scheme similar to what had been announced earlier this year. The Government had previously suggested that GST expenses would be fully offset for almost 20 years for our poorest households and even for the richest, they will be covered for around two and a half years. The reality of this claim has now since been eroded by inflation and the vouchers would only make up less than 19 years for those in HDB 1- and 2-bedroom flats, and between one and six months less for others. Another GST Voucher distribution with a for temporary targeted and timely support for our most vulnerable groups and help restore the Government's original promise of the number of years of offset.
A third strategy is to roll another off-Budget support package that would offer broad support, similar to the Resilience, Solidarity, Fortitude and Assurance packages, for which I am sure, the Government will accompany with another clever moniker – perhaps \"Reassurance\".
Such a move recognises not only lower-income quintile groups, while undeniably disproportionately affected by inflation, are not the only ones that have faced difficulties due to a higher cost of living.
Of course, the Government may choose as it did during this year's Budget to combine a broad package that is with additional GST Voucher support. The point is that exercising, any one of these options or them in combination, can make a significant difference to the immediate financial circumstances faced by our struggling households.
Let me be clear. The Workers' Party remains opposed to a GST hike for reasons that we have previously articulated – not least because we believe that there are alternative revenue sources that could still be tapped. However, if the GST hike must go ahead now, the least we can do is to further soften the blow with tools that we already have in hand.
Mr Speaker: Ms Hazel Poa.
Ms Hazel Poa (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Speaker, the Bill permits the Comptroller to disclose information with consent to public offices and private individuals engaged by the Government to assist public officers. These private individuals have to execute a declaration of secrecy and commit an offence if they were to disclose such information received. Can the Minister tell us what is the penalty involved for this offence? Would that be under section 94 of the Income Tax Act, which states that the penalty is a maximum $5,000 fine and in default, imprisonment not exceeding six months. Is this adequate for deterrence purposes?
Under the PDPA, the penalty for unauthorised disclosure of personal data is a maximum $5,000 fine or imprisonment, not exceeding two years or both. This is more severe than the penalty under the Income Tax Act and yet, income information is something that most consider highly confidential and sensitive, more so than other personal data, like addresses, phone numbers and so on.
Will the Minister review the penalty for unauthorised disclosure of income information?
Secondly, what measures are in place to prevent individuals with access to confidential income information on individuals and companies from utilising that confidential information to benefit themselves or their companies financially? What penalties are in place for unauthorised utilisation of information? The financial gains for such unauthorised utilisation may outweigh a $5,000 fine.
The Bill also permits the Comptroller to disclose information listed in the 11th Schedule without the person's consent. I had earlier intended to ask for an explanation of under what circumstances this would be required. But I note from the Senior Minister of State's speech earlier that he mentioned that this is for the purpose of certain Government departments being able to proactively approach companies that may qualify for certain Government financial assistance or other assistance programmes. I appreciate the good intention of this move but feel that it would be better if the Bill then specifies under what circumstances such disclosure without consent can take place, instead of leaving it open-ended, which then throws the gate open for disclosure without consent under any other circumstances.
The 11th Schedule currently lists only company information and not information on individuals. However, clause 41 of the Bill allows the Minister to amend the 11th Schedule. This seems to suggest that the Minister will be able to add personal information into the 11th Schedule subsequently. If so, this would raise privacy concerns and is quite a major departure from what the current Bill contains.
I have grave concerns about this power being vested in a single individual. Any such decision should be justified and debated in Parliament. I therefore suggest that instead of amending section 106(3), to insert instead section 106(4) to allow the Minister to amend the 11th Schedule subject to the barring of any individual information being included.
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, this Bill proposes to implement the changes to the tax system announced in Budget 2022. On the whole, these changes will make our tax system fairer and more efficient, and support Singapore's growth across a whole slew of sectors.
I have clarifications on two areas.
My first point is on information sharing by IRAS. The Bill includes provisions to allow IRAS to share information to public officers and other authorised people. I have four questions on this.
First, can the Senior Minister of State share in what situations do Government bodies envision using the information-sharing provisions in the new section 6(12)?
Second, can\tthe Senior Minister of State share how will IRAS obtain \"express consent\" under the new section 6(12)? When seeking consent, to what standards will the Government bodies hold themselves? Will they state the exact piece of information to be shared, the frequency of this information sharing, the recipient of the information and the intended usage of that information? Or will Government bodies ask for a blanket agreement without providing such details?
Third, can\tthe Senior Minister of State share if someone can be held in contempt of the authority of a public servant for not providing consent to disclose their income information under section 6(12)? After all, many actions involving non-disclosure of information constitute such an offence under the Penal Code, including refusal to answer a public servant authorised to question and obstructing a public servant in discharge of their public functions.
Fourth, the new section 6(12B) allows IRAS to disclose certain prescribed information without consent. One piece of information is whether a company claimed deductions under seven sections in the Income Tax Act. Can\tthe Senior Minister of State share why these seven specific sections were chosen for the 11th Schedule? Why not any of the other deductions in Part 5 of the Act? The rationale for the differentiated treatment is unclear.
My second area of clarifications is on the hearing of appeals by the Board of Review. I have three questions.
First, the new section 78 will allow the chairperson of the Board of Review (BOR) to appoint a single member of the Board to hear a case if the issues involved are not complex. The chairperson is required to have regard to the facts and circumstances of a case in deciding whether to appoint only a single member to hear the case. Can the Senior Minister of State share if the chairperson will take into account the preferences of the parties to the case in deciding whether a hearing by a single Board member is appropriate? For instance, there may be cases where the issues are not complex but the relationship between parties are extremely acrimonious and it may be preferable to have the case heard by a panel.
Second, the Bill proposes substituting a number of terms. Can the Senior Minister of State clarify if these substitutions are intended to be significant? For instance, \"in the absence of a member of Board\" is substituted by \"by committee where a member becomes unavailable\". Should these terms be interpreted differently? Additionally, \"do not consent\" is substituted by \"object\" in a number of provisions. Is this substitution significant and is a positive expression of an objection now required where previously the absence of consent would suffice?
Third, sections 80A and 80B allow parties to object to the hearing of an appeal in various cases. Section 80A provides that \"the parties may object\" whereas section 80B provides that \"any party may object\". Can the Senior Minister of State clarify if the objection of a single party is sufficient in both cases? If not, can the Senior Minister of State clarify when are the objections of both parties required and what is the rationale for drawing this distinction?
Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Income Tax Act is one of the most frequently amended statutes in Singapore. Since the 1980s, it has been amended almost every year so as to carry out the Government's revised fiscal strategy announced in its latest Budget Statement.
This amendment Bill is no different. Many of the matters of policy or principle would already have been debated in this House when the Government's 2022 Budget Statement was presented.
Hence, I would just like to seek some clarifications on the specific changes proposed in this amendment Bill, before touching on a couple of issues which I believe should be considered in our periodic review of Singapore's income tax system. Mr Speaker, in Malay, please.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] This amendment Bill does not seek to implement all the tax changes announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance at Budget 2022.
The headline change in this amendment Bill is the announced increase in the top marginal personal income tax rate with effect from Year of Assessment 2024, where chargeable income in excess of $500,000 up to $1 million will be taxed at 23% instead of 22%, while chargeable income in excess of $1 million will be taxed at 24% instead of 22%.
By my calculation, this change will only affect individuals who are making an average of more than $41,000 per month. The Deputy Prime Minister has commented during the Budget debate that we cannot sustain a tax system and hold our society together if \"the bulk or all of the tax burden is borne by a small group of people at the top end\". Based on current data, may I ask how many taxpayers will this change affect? What proportion of the total personal income tax collected are they already responsible for today?
Further, what are the main assumptions underlying the projected $170 million in additional tax revenue per year? Since the announcement of such an increase in February 2022, has the Government or IRAS detected any efforts by such high-income individuals to \"offshore\" their earnings? I am concerned that the lead-time before 2024 would allow companies and individuals to restructure their remuneration packages and erode the additional revenue we expect to receive.
(In English): Moving on to my second area of focus. Of particular interest to me are the amendments to facilitate disclosure of tax information to support data-driven policy-making, operations and integrated service delivery. Just this year, I have spoken in this House and filed a Parliamentary Question on how we should leverage data and technology to \"push\" schemes and services to Singaporeans and Singaporean businesses.
The amendment Bill broadens the powers of the Comptroller of Income Tax to disclose tax information to any public officer or officer of a statutory board for the performance of any official duties, in some cases without the consent of the person to whom the information relates. We have already seen how useful such tax information can be. As Minister Indranee had shared during this year's Committee of Supply debate, IRAS' data across various tax types was used to automatically disburse more than 110,000 payouts worth almost $1 billion under the Rental Support Scheme.
However, there is no doubt that the tax information is highly sensitive and confidential. If we are to expect an increased flow of such information between Ministries and Statutory Boards, will there be any enhanced safeguards to protect the secrecy of the data? The SingHealth episode tells us that the risks of cyberattacks and data breaches cannot be understated. Government data is not immune from these risks. In fact, they are likely to be higher value targets for malicious threats.
Finally, if the new disclosure regime is aimed at supporting data-driven policy-making, operations and integrated service delivery, what is the basis of distinguishing between the 11th Schedule information which may be disclosed without consent, and other disclosures which will require the express consent of the person to whom the information relates? What percentage of taxpayers have already provided their express consent to the existing disclosure regime and how does the Government or IRAS intend to obtain fresh consent for the new, expanded disclosure regime? Has there been any public consultations with companies which may be impacted and the extent of data which may be disclosed without consent and what the data collected will be used for? I believe the Senior Minister of State has given a brief explanation on what the data will be used for, but I think my other questions are somewhat new in some ways.
The third area in my speech is something that relates to the administrative flexibility that characterises the Government. As I understand it, clause 15 of the amendment Bill seeks to harmonise the accounting basis on which insurance companies prepare their financial statements. Insurance companies will no longer have to prepare financial statements on one basis for the purpose of regulatory returns to be submitted to the MAS and another set of financial statements on a different accounting basis for tax computation purposes.
Even though this change may cause IRAS to have to deal with insurance companies on a different reporting cycle from other taxpayers, I expect such a change to help reduce compliance costs for tax-paying insurance companies. In turn, this could further improve their profitability in the longer term, leading to an increase in the corporate income tax collected. Can this be extended more generally to other types of companies as well?
Taken together with the move to facilitate the disclosure and flow of tax information between Ministries and Statutory Boards, there may even be room for companies to file a single return to satisfy all its regulatory tax and other statutory obligations in future. This may not be a simple switch, but I urge the Government to consider such a possibility as it would boost Singapore's attractiveness as a place for doing business.
My fourth area of focus relates to the changes to the appeal process before the Income Tax Board of Review.
Under the amendments, the chairperson of the Board may appoint a single member, instead of a committee of three members, to hear appeals in a particular case. Will different fees be prescribed for appeals before a one-person panel and before a three-person panel? Will the factors guiding the chairperson's discretion be set out in regulations? Can the chairperson's decision be appealed?
Can I also clarify that the proposed new section 80(2) will not prevent a duly authorised officer of an appellant company, including in-house counsel, from appearing at the hearing before the Board? Because section 80(2) presently states that an appellant can attend \"in person\" but that will be removed under clause 36 of the amendment Bill.
Finally, allow me to wrap up by touching on one final point that have not been dealt with in this amendment Bill, but which I feel should be considered as part of the periodic review of the income tax system.
As I had again raised in my speech during the Budget debate this year, it may be useful to relook the option of assessing personal income tax on a current-year, pay-as-you-earn basis. In the current economic environment, individuals may experience volatility in income levels or in employment from one year to the next. What are the hurdles that would prevent us from moving away from a preceding-year basis to one that can allow Singaporeans to better manage their cash flow by matching tax payments with contemporaneous income? Mr Speaker, Sir, notwithstanding the clarifications sought, I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Senior Minister of State, Chee Hong Tat.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Speaker, I thank hon Members, Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Louis Ng and Mr Saktiandi Supaat, for their comments and suggestions on the Bill. Please allow me to now respond to the points they have raised.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked how many taxpayers will be affected by the increase in the top marginal personal income tax, or PIT, rate, the proportion of the total PIT contributed by them and our projections of additional revenue which can be collected.
The increase in PIT rates will affect the top 1.2% of PIT taxpayers, who account for about 35% of our total PIT revenue. We estimate that this change would raise around $170 million of additional tax revenue per year based on the actual taxpayer base in Singapore in the Year of Assessment 2020 (YA2020).
Mr Saktiandi Supaat also asked whether the Government or IRAS has detected any attempts by high income individuals to \"offshore\" their earnings, such as restructuring or moving their assets overseas to avoid tax in Singapore.
Sir, under our PIT regime, income tax is levied on income sourced in Singapore or received through partnerships in Singapore from abroad. This includes instances where individuals derive income from providing services in Singapore to overseas-based employers. They are subject to income tax in Singapore.
We do not tax individuals on foreign-sourced income. For example, a person who acquires income generating assets overseas such as by investing in overseas property will pay the applicable taxes and other costs in that jurisdiction.
IRAS has a robust compliance and audit programme to identify high risk cases for review. This is a risk-based assessment. In cases of tax avoidance, IRAS also has powers under the Income Tax Act to impose a surcharge of 50% on the amount of tax imposed by IRAS.
Members are aware that we have been raising our taxes for higher-income individuals in recent years such that those who earn more contribute more. As Mr Saktiandi Supaat alluded to in his question, many high net worth individuals are globally mobile and some of them may shift away from Singapore to alternative jurisdictions with more competitive tax rates if our tax rates are too high. If this happens, our tax base and our tax collections will be eroded. We therefore need to weigh the trade-offs carefully.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat suggested that PIT could be assessed on a current year, pay-as-you-earn basis so that taxpayers can better manage their cashflow by matching tax payments with current year income.
Sir, I understand the intent behind Mr Saktiandi Supaat's suggestion. It is an alternative that we considered before and there are pros and cons to adopting such an approach.
First, a current year, pay-as-you-earn basis for PIT assessment means that the tax payable will be withheld every month by employers and then paid to IRAS. While it matches tax payments more closely with the taxpayer's income, it also reduces their take home pay every month instead of giving them the option of paying the tax using their annual bonus or other sources of income.
Second, some individuals, especially self-employed persons and those with higher variable salary components, may have difficulties estimating their current year income for tax reporting purposes.
Third, such a system could result in greater compliance cost for taxpayers and higher administration costs for IRAS compared to the current arrangement where individuals pay their taxes this year based on actual income earned in the previous year.
To help taxpayers with their cashflow, which I think is the intent of what Mr Saktiandi's suggestion is about, IRAS allows interest-free GIRO instalments up to 12 months for individuals and 10 months for companies.
For those who have difficulties paying, sometimes due to unforeseen personal and family circumstances, they can approach IRAS for assistance. During the economic downturn such as in 2020, we automatically deferred GIRO deductions for corporate tax and income tax for self-employed persons to help them manage their cashflows.
Mr Saktiandi also asked if we could extend the approach taken to ease insurance companies' tax filing compliance by harmonising the accounting basis, to other general taxpayers.
I wish to clarify that insurance companies, like any other company, are not required to prepare a separate set of financial statements for tax purposes. Companies use the information in their financial statements primarily to prepare their tax computations.
Due to changes in the financial reporting standard for insurance contracts, the financial statements of insurance companies will no longer include some information needed to prepare their tax computations. We will allow insurance companies to use the relevant information in the regulatory returns filed with MAS for tax computation purposes.
Sir, I would now like to address the comments from Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.
Sir, I think firstly, to clarify, we do not have – if I heard Assoc Prof Jamus Lim correctly – excess revenues. There were some one-off upsides that we got this year\t– I think he acknowledged those points as well\t– from property, for example. But the overall fiscal space for Singapore remains tight, especially because, looking ahead, we also have some structural changes in our society, such as an ageing population which will require us to spend more on healthcare.
This has been explained previously by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and also, I believe, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat when he was the Minister for Finance.
Secondly, on the impact of GST, we have already provided for a comprehensive offset package and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has also given the assurance that we will update the package to ensure that we take into account higher prices. So, yes, inflation is higher than when we first started but our assurance and our commitment remain that we will make sure that lower-income Singaporeans will not feel the impact of the increase in GST for at least 10 years. That commitment remains.
Thirdly, on the impact of higher prices, the Deputy Prime Minister has also said in this House and also at other forums that the Government is monitoring closely what the impact of higher prices is on households and families, especially on lower- and middle-income households. Because as I mentioned in my reply to Mr Ang Wei Neng earlier during Question Time, lower- and middle-income households face a bigger impact from rising prices. Therefore, we want to make sure that we provide more help to these families.
There will be some schemes, as Assoc Prof Jamus Lim also acknowledged, that will be broad-based and would be helping every family like the CDC Vouchers and the Household Utilities Credit, but there will be some that are more targeted towards lower- and middle-income households. This is important.
Also, as we look ahead, how we can help our companies to transform, improve productivity, become more innovative, more competitive, help our workers, through our tripartite partnership with employers and with unions, to upskill and become more productive.
This is still the most fundamental and most effective way of helping our workers to cope with rising inflation. It is to help them to increase their wages in a sustainable way through a combination of policies but also through skills upgrading, productivity improvements, making sure that Singapore's economy remains competitive.
If we can do that, then, as Assoc Prof Jamus Lim mentioned, we can then have real wage growth, real income growth.
Sir, I also want to thank Assoc Prof Jamus Lim for his suggestions earlier. He gave some ideas of what could be done. These are actually very much in line with what the Government has already done. Some of the existing measures – he mentioned GST Vouchers, he mentioned some of the support packages that we have, some of the rebates that we can give\t– these are things that we have done. As Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said, we will continue to monitor the situation and if it is necessary to do so, we are prepared to provide more help, to help Singaporeans to cope with rising prices.
Sir, let me now address questions raised on the amendments related to the Board of Review (BOR).
In relation to Mr Saktiandi Supaat's query, we will not hardwire the factors guiding the exercise of the chairperson's discretion in regulations. Different cases may bring up different factors and considerations. The chairperson would be best placed to make a judgement call, taking into account the pertinent facts and circumstances in individual cases.
Mr Louis Ng asked a related question on whether the chairperson will consider parties' preferences in deciding whether to appoint a single-member quorum. The parties may indicate their preferences in their submissions and these inputs will be considered by the chairperson in making the decision.
On the appearance by an appellant company before the Board of Review, the proposed new section 80(2) is intended to make clear that there is no need for physical hearings to be held. It does not alter the existing position on who may appear before the board as an appellant company representative.
Mr Louis Ng also asked if the substitutions of certain terms are intended to be significant, such as replacing \"do not consent\" with \"object to\" and replacing \"in the absence of member of board\" to \"by committee where member becomes unavailable\" in section 80A. Sir, these changes are meant to streamline the language of the provisions for better clarity. They do not effect a change in the substantive meanings of the terms they replace.
Mr Louis Ng also sought clarification on whether any difference is intended between sections 80A and 80B, as to whether the objection of a single party is sufficient or if such objections will have to be made by both parties.
The intention is the same for both sections. If any party objects, the matter will have to be reheard either by a new hearing committee or the newly appointed single-member committee to ensure fairness to the parties.
Next, I will address the clarifications raised by Members on the proposed amendment to facilitate the disclosure of information by IRAS for official duties.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa sought clarifications on the evaluation process and governance for data sharing. IRAS evaluates each request for information against existing tax legislation as well as a standardised set of criteria set out in the Government's instruction manual. This includes ensuring that the purpose of disclosure is aligned with what is allowed in legislation and that the information requested is proportionate and relevant to the purpose.
Mr Louis Ng asked under what situations IRAS would share information with public sector agencies and authorised third parties with the consent of taxpayers under the amended section 6(12). Currently, with taxpayer's consent, IRAS is already allowed to disclose information to public sector agencies and authorised persons engaged by the Government or Statutory Board if the disclosure is for the sole purpose of administering a written law or public scheme. The proposed amendment to section 6(12) in this Bill allows IRAS to disclose such information for purposes beyond that of administering a written law or public scheme as long as it is for official duties.
Mr Louis Ng also asked if it would constitute a contempt of authority for refusing to provide consent to the disclosure of information under this section. I would like to assure Mr Louis Ng that this will not be the case. The taxpayer is allowed to withhold consent.
Mr Louis Ng and Mr Saktiandi Supaat sought clarifications on the process of seeking consent from taxpayers to share their information. The agency seeking consent will provide sufficient information in any request for consent so that taxpayers can make an informed decision whether to give their consent or not. For example, the taxpayer will be told upfront of the information to be disclosed, the purpose of sharing such information and the persons whom the information may be disclosed to.
Consent that had been provided by taxpayers for IRAS to disclose the information for a purpose under the ambit of \"administering a written law or public scheme\" will continue to be valid. Should public sector agencies require that information for another purpose beyond administering written law or a public scheme in the future, fresh consent will be required. This will need to be obtained under the new section 6(12) as amended by this Bill.
Mr Louis Ng and Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about the basis for the prescribed list in a proposed new section 6(12B), which can be shared by IRAS with public sector agencies without requiring taxpayers' consent for the disclosure. As I explained in my speech earlier, we have taken a calibrated approach to safeguard information confidentiality. The prescribed list of information under section 6(12B) is limited to company-related information that have been more frequently required by public sector agencies. This includes the range of revenue earned by the company and a yes-or-no indication on whether the company has claimed tax deductions such as for R&D expenditure in Singapore or expenditure on overseas business development.
So, these information in the prescribed list will be disclosed in less granular format, in ranges or as a yes-or-no field, rather than the exact value.
Ms Hazel Poa observed that the prescribed list could potentially be expanded to allow sharing of information and I think she acknowledged the point that I made that it would only be for company-related information. I want to assure Ms Poa that this will continue to be the case – the prescribed list will only be for company-related information.
Collectively, these proposed amendments are intended to facilitate efficient data-driven policy-making, operations and integrated service delivery for public sector agencies to serve the public more effectively. I agree with Members on the need for robust safeguards even as we do so. This is very important. Information on taxpayers will continue to be safeguarded under existing tax legislation, the Official Secrets Act and the Public Sector Governance Act, as well as the data governance and security policies set out in the Government's Instruction Manuals.
Besides offences stated in the tax legislation, the Public Sector Governance Act further criminalises the acts of unauthorised disclosure of data, improper use of data and unauthorised re-identification of individuals from anonymised data.
Ms Hazel Poa asked about the adequacy of penalties for unlawful disclosure of information by an authorised third party engaged to assist public officers with their official duties. For unlawful disclosure constituting an offence under section 6 of the Income Tax Act, penalties under section 94 would apply and this carries a maximum fine of $5,000 or in default of which imprisonment not exceeding six months. For such unlawful disclosure, the offender could also be subject to penalties under the Official Secrets Act, Personal Data Protection Act or other relevant Acts. So, it is not only through the tax legislation but also through other Acts.
As Mr Saktiandi Supaat pointed out, there is a need to continually bolster our data security in the face of evolving threats. The Government has been actively strengthening our data security regime to protect sensitive data and this is an important area of work as we become more digitally connected. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
Mr Speaker: Any clarifications? None.
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Chee Hong Tat]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
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The Minister of State for Trade and Industry (Mr Alvin Tan) (for the Prime Minister): Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Minister in charge of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time\".
The Business Trusts Act 2004, or BTA, provides a framework for the governance of registered Business Trusts (BTs), which are enterprises that combine the characteristics of both a company and a trust. The BTA also facilitates the use of BTs as listing vehicles and as a new asset class for investors.
But unlike a company that can only pay dividends out of its accounting profits, a key feature of a BT is the ability to pay dividends out of its cash profits. This makes it particularly suited to businesses with stable growth and high cash flow, such as infrastructure businesses.
Many requirements in the BTA were adapted from the Companies Act. The Bill proposes updates to the BTA that are consistent with amendments that have been made to the Companies Act to enhance the regulatory framework for companies. In addition, MAS has also identified other legislative amendments that are needed to maintain the robustness and relevance of the regulatory regime for business trusts registered under the BTA.
Mr Speaker, I will now go through the key amendments in the Bill.
Let me start, first, with the amendments to better align the BTA with the regulatory regime for companies. These are mainly in three areas.
First, is to enhance transparency and corporate governance. The Bill introduces requirements for unlisted business trusts that are registered under the BTA to obtain and maintain information on their controllers, also commonly known as beneficial owners and to also provide such information to MAS and other public agencies upon request.
With these amendments, unlisted registered business trusts will be subject to the same transparency requirements as unlisted companies regarding their beneficial owners. These requirements will help to mitigate the risk of business vehicles being used for illicit purposes, regardless of whether they take the form of a company or a trust.
Currently, directors of trustee-managers of registered business trusts are required to disclose conflicts of interest in transactions as well as their interests in the registered business trusts. The Bill will extend such requirements to CEOs of trustee-managers, in recognition of the influence that they have on the affairs of business trusts. The change is consistent with existing disclosure requirements that are applicable to CEOs of companies under the Companies Act.
The Bill further introduces requirements for auditors of listed registered business trusts and their subsidiaries to seek MAS' consent if they wish to resign before the end of their term. It also sets out procedures for the appointment of a new auditor where the resigning auditor is the sole auditor, including a reserve power for MAS to make such an appointment.
These requirements will allow MAS to prevent a listed BT or its subsidiary from being left without an auditor. Through the application process, MAS may also be alerted to any potential breaches of the BTA and the Accountants Act. This is in line with provisions in the Companies Act in relation to auditors of public interest companies, which include listed companies and their subsidiaries.
The second key area is to strengthen the rights of unit-holders of registered business trusts. Currently, unit-holders holding at least 10% of the voting rights of unit holders present at a meeting have the power to call for a poll. The Bill lowers this threshold to 5%, making it easier for unit-holders to call for a poll on issues that they are most concerned with.
The Bill also expands the scope of the statutory derivative action in the BTA to allow a unit-holder to apply to the Court for leave to commence arbitration on behalf of all unit holders of the BT or to intervene in an arbitration to which the BT is a party. This amendment will align unit-holders' rights to bring a derivative action with that of shareholders under the Companies Act.
In addition, where an application to wind up a registered BT has been filed in Court, the Bill expands the range of orders that the Court may make, including an order to buy out the interests of one or more unit-holders.
Currently, a Court hearing such an application can only make an order for the registered BT to be wound up. The additional remedy helps to protect the rights of minority unit-holders as there may be cases where the company is still viable and it would be a more efficient solution for the majority to buy out the minority or vice versa.
The third key area is to improve the ease of doing business and to reduce administrative burden. These include changes to simplify deadlines for annual general meetings (AGMs) and the filing of annual returns. Currently, registered business trusts are required to hold their AGMs once every calendar year and not more than 15 months after the preceding AGM and are also required to file annual returns within one month after the AGM. These requirements do not refer to the financial year end of the registered BT. The Bill will align these timelines with the business trust's financial year end.
The Bill will also mirror amendments to the Companies Act to reduce the number of documents accompanying a set of financial statements.
To facilitate electronic communications by registered business trusts, the Bill allows for electronic transmission of notices and documents with unit-holders' implied or deemed consent, in accordance with the trust deed of the registered BT. Currently, a registered BT wishing to publish notices and documents on a website can only do so with its unit-holders' express consent. The amendments will help to increase efficiency in this regard.
Mr Speaker, I will now cover the next set of amendments, which are to strengthen governance standards and safeguards for registered business trusts, taking reference from the regulatory regime for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).
Business trusts are structurally similar to REITs in that both are trusts constituted by a trust deed and, unlike companies, are not legal persons. Both are also usually managed by an external manager. Business trusts are managed by trustee-managers and REITs are managed by REIT managers.
This external management model introduces governance risks such as potential conflicts of interest between the external manager and also unit-holders. Unit-holders' ability to vote to remove the external manager is a fundamental safeguard against such risks.
Currently, a trustee-manager can only be removed by unit-holders by way of a resolution passed by not less than 75% of the voting rights of all unit-holders present and voting at a general meeting. For REITs, there is a lower removal threshold of more than 50% which applies.
The Bill will align the removal threshold for trustee-managers with that of REIT managers. This will help strengthen accountability to unit-holders.
In conclusion, the amendments will enhance the transparency and governance of registered business trusts in Singapore. They will streamline regulatory requirements and reduce compliance costs. This will improve the efficiency and robustness of the BT regulatory regime, benefiting the industry and investors. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, this Bill will align provisions for business trusts with the Companies Act and strengthen governance for business trusts.
Business trusts are a common structure for tapping on capital on the SGX. The proposed amendments to strengthen governance of business trusts are welcomed. I have clarifications on two areas.
Let me start by thanking MAS for conducting a public consultation before bringing this Bill to Parliament. Public consultations not only show that the Government is keen to listen but they also help our Government agencies guard against blind spots they may have during the policy-making process.
I also thank MAS for publishing a response paper to this public consultation. This gives respondents the assurance that their feedback is heard loud and clear.
My first set of clarifications has to do with loans to directors for defending against proceedings.
Firstly, can the Minister of State clarify why loans to directors for defending against regulatory actions are treated differently from loans for defending civil or criminal proceedings? Conditions outlined in the new section 27B of the Business Trusts Act and in section 163A of the Companies Act appear to apply when the loans are for defending civil or criminal proceedings but not when the loans are for defending against regulatory actions. The reason for this distinction is unclear.
Secondly, can the Minister of State clarify whether loans for defending criminal or civil proceedings need to be repaid if charges are withdrawn and the director is issued a stern warning or for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal? The Bill makes clear that repayment must be made in certain other situations such as when the director is convicted in the proceedings but it does not state as much for this situation.
Thirdly, it is common for a defendant in criminal proceedings to be convicted on some charges and acquitted on others. Similarly, in civil proceedings, a defendant may succeed on certain heads of claim but not others. Can the Minister of State clarify how repayment should be treated in such cases? Will the director be required to repay only part of the loan? Alternatively, will the need for repayment be determined by whether the director has succeeded overall in the criminal or civil proceedings? If this is the case, how will overall success be determined? Is this determined by the number of charges or claims, or the severity of the charges or claims that the director succeeds on?
My second set of clarifications has to do with a trustee-managers' duties to maintain information.
The new section 52K requires the trustee-manager of a BT to take \"reasonable steps\" to identify registrable controllers of a BT. The scope of such duties is potentially very large. Can\tthe Minister of State provide illustrations to guide these trustee-managers on what would constitute reasonable steps in the discharge of their duties?
Also, can\tthe Minister of State clarify whether the new section 52N applies to someone who knows or ought to know that someone else may be a registrable controller? If not, can\tthe Minister of State explain why the new section 52K, which enforces a similar requirement to disclose information, does not apply to such a person? It would be helpful to understand why the two sections, similar in their scope, do not apply the burden to the same groups of people.
Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): Mr Speaker, the proposed amendments to the Business Trust Act are predominantly of a technical nature, with the goal of streamlining existing stipulations or to better align the Act with other Acts, in particular, the Companies Act and the Securities and Futures Act, or international standards, such as the International Financial Reporting Standards. To the extent that these amendments further strengthen the Government's provisions in BTs, many of these which have already been incorporated into other Acts, they are welcome.
For my speech, I wish to speak about three issues. I will begin by touching on a number of concerns directly related to the various amendments proposed by the Bill. Next, I will move on to discuss the implications that the Bill may have by further encouraging the BT structure for the economy at large. Finally, I will speak more generally about how trusts, along with foundations, may be repurposed as instruments that would enable the Government to better meet its fiscal objectives.
Before I proceed, I wish to declare that I am the Chief Economist (Emeritus) of Thirdrock, a homegrown boutique wealth management and consultancy business.
The Bill offers a host of amendments, some 124 pages worth, for an original Act that was just 14 pages longer. Some of these strike me as unambiguously good; others just a little bad and yet others just a tad ugly.
First, the Bill makes provision, captured in the revised section 20 of the Bill, that only a 50% majority, rather than the current supermajority of 75% of unit holders' approval is required to remove the trustee manager. This amendment corrects a longstanding, yet glaring discord between BTs and other related trust structures, notably real estate investments trusts (REITs), where only a simple majority was required for removing the manager. Given the enormous power vested into a trustee manager within the BT structure, this change will re-enfranchise the average unit holder. For this reason, the change is good and very much welcome.
Second, I would question the porting of certain amendments just because they have been stipulated in the Companies Act. As this House is likely aware, BTs are distinct from either corporations or trusts. For that reason, certain advantages offered to either pure business enterprises or trusts may not be as applicable to a BT. Let me offer two concrete examples.
The new sections 27B and 27C of the Act allows the trustee manager to extend trust monies via a loan on specified terms to trust directors, akin to sections of the Companies Act. One could credibly make an argument that directors of a firm are integral to its viability as a going concern and hence deserving of such support from the business entity. But the case is much harder to make for a trust. After all, the very design of a trust is already one step removed from the principles to allow business decisions to be rendered sufficiently independently of the directors.
As another example, the new section 52C vests on the MAS the ability to liquidate and deregister BTs. To be fair, this strikes me as a fairly pedestrian change that is likely to be invaluable for operational purposes. Still, I wish to seek the assurance of the Minister, that the MAS will only exercise this power to wind up BTs judiciously. In particular, it should already be clear with exercising this clause, that the trust is already clear defunct, rather than an exercise of this power as a means of regulation. By the same token, I wish to ask the Ministry to clarify the channels of appeal available to a BT in the event that it receives a request to wind up from the MAS, if it were to.
In my view, these appropriations from the Companies Act while undeniably better at aligning the two, do not sufficiently respect the distinctions between the two business structures and therefore, I find them at risk of being a little bombastic, admittedly, just a little ugly.
Third, there is a potential bad that I wish to highlight from promoting the BT structure, especially over and above a REIT structure. Sir, a casual examination of the current list of registered BTs reveals that eight of the 18 are essentially dealing in real estate, while another three had also, arguably have their fortunes tied to real estate assets.
Why should this matter? As industry observers are well aware, a BT is not constrained, in terms of the amount of leverage they are able to take on. In contrast, REITs are only able to be geared up to 50%. This introduces a potential concern, where essentially REITs are registering as a BT to avoid the prudential stipulations related in part to excess leverage. Indeed, while some BTs, do explicitly state that their practices more closely imitate REIT guidelines, such as restraining the amount of leverage that they take on, these are merely self-regulating assurances which are not limited by the force of law.
Sir, I fully grasp the motivation to expand the scope and accessibility of BTs. This vehicle offers greater flexibility in extracting value from cashflow generating assets over how distributions may be made and in structuring of assets under development. Undoubtedly, there are major reasons for their comparative popularity.
I also recognise that the benefits of BT from the perspective of our position as an international financial centre. Making as many possible asset management instruments available strengthens our relative attractiveness as an international financial and wealth management centre. It also allows our financial sector professionals and population at large to germinate keener interest and understanding of the role that increasingly more complex financial instruments play in our domestic and financial and economic landscape.
Even so, there are potential risks to the expanding role of BTs insofar as our economy is concerned. I had already alluded to on, pointing out that BTs are legally unconstrained by loan-to-value requirements and hence may engender greater financial stability concerns as a result.
Allow me to touch on another, one that may carry more profound implications for the average worker in the economy. As Members of this House are undoubtedly aware, business entities, whether taking the form of companies or a trust, typically adhere to the rigours of maximising profits and shareholder value. In a world unencumbered by non-monetary considerations, it would be difficult to fault either entity for being more brutal in imposing market discipline.
But we know that companies, large and small, deviate from this so-called neoclassical ideal all the time. Enterprises in China and Japan often strive to preserve employment, either for reasons of social stability or corporate loyalty. German businesses consider not just shareholder interests, but also stakeholder ones, with labour unions, routinely engage in workplace bargaining with management to deliver extra employment protections or social benefits. Even here at home, this Government has frequently trumpeted the importance of tripartite negotiations to promote aggregate welfare within our corporate context.
This begs the question of how BTs fit into this overall picture of stakeholder capitalism. If BTs increasingly become a favourite structure for managing large business asset holdings, would the additional distance between unit-holders and management afforded by the BT and by design, inadvertently undermine the ability of workers to engage in negotiations with management? Would we see greater willingness by BT-managed businesses to fire employees at the first whiff of a downturn? What are the implications of more REITS and real estate-focused BTs for escalating rent and sales prices, if such structures were to proliferate?
After all, the BT structure, as opposed to other forms of trusts, permit greater, proactive involvement of the trustee manager in the everyday firm operations. If this enhanced interventionism is paired with more flagrant disregard for non-pecuniary objectives – perhaps, because of differences in the investment horizon – then I fear that directed action by the trustee managers or their proxies on corporate decisions may induce more cut-throat behaviour by these firms in favour of capital, to the detriment of labour.
Finally, I would note that BTs do not have a distribution requirement whereas other trust frameworks, such as REITs, must respect a distribution of at least 90% of distributable income under the Income Tax Act. While this allows the trustee manager to exercise greater discretion in how they would translate cashflow into returns and is, in fact, one of the attractive aspects of a BT, one is left to wonder if this distinction ends up promoting excess accumulation and in turn, exacerbating wealth inequality.
This, of course, is a non-trivial matter, as this House is well aware. Social inequality has been rated by Singaporeans as their third most pressing concern, just behind bread-and-butter issues like employment and healthcare. This concern is especially acute among young Singaporeans who, perhaps predictably, feel like they have the greatest state in the yawning wealth gap. It has also been exacerbated by the influx of wealthy individuals from abroad.
What I am suggesting here is that we can go one step further and further refine our existing system. I previously alluded to how we could do this in the context of my Adjournment Motion on wealth taxation. I will now elaborate on this idea in greater detail.
While trusts may seem esoteric and limited to high net worth individuals, most of us would, in fact, be familiar with some form of trust. Most of us would have nominated beneficiaries to our insurance policies or CPF monies. Last year, this House also debated amendments to the Mental Capacity Act, which included extensive discussion of the Lasting Power of Attorney, which is a trust arrangement. Those of us lucky enough to have savings set aside in a unit trust will have some familiarity with such investment trusts. And of course, most of us have contributed to charities at some point in our lives and such philanthropic foundations are the cornerstone of trust institutions.
Thus, even without more involved estate planning, the average Singaporean would have some exposure to the notion of trust. Of course, those with more means will often rely on yet more sophisticated instruments to manage their estate. Private family trusts, as well as family offices are increasingly widespread here, allowing us to harness our global advantages as a wealth management centre. Investment oriented trust, including unit trusts or REITs and BTs – the focus of our debate today – enable such assets to grow in a manner unencumbered by tax considerations prior to vesting.
At the national level, this has promoted a landscape where trust institutions have become ever more important. The REIT asset class has grown to $130 billion in 2020. As Minister Tharman shared in response to my Sengkang colleague, Louis Chua's Parliamentary Question, the number of family offices has also almost doubled between 2020 and last year from 400 to 700. Our listed BTs now boasts a market capitalisation of close to $20.6 billion.
Yet, in spite of this rapid growth in investment-oriented trusts, there are only little more than 400 philanthropic organisations and trusts in Singapore.
The amount of tax-deductible donations received by charities has even receded slightly, from a peak of $1.07 billion in 2018, to $1.01 billion in 2020.
I venture that we can go further in how we manage our trust institutions, to not only accentuate their supply side, the growing of assets within a trust, but also to foster their demand side and evolve them into grant-making institutions and thereby, build a stronger culture of philanthropy among the wealthier in our nation.
Mr Speaker, we have come far as a nation. Since Independence, our per capita income, adjusted for inflation, have increased almost 16-fold, from around 5,800 to around 91,000 last year. We are, undeniably, no longer a developing country. Yet, our philanthropic culture still retains the vestiges of economies that are far less advanced. Our fiscal financing, while diversified, essentially relies on a regime of low income taxes, with charges and fees, which are regressive in nature, still playing a prominent role.
What I am suggesting is that we could put these two together, we could allow private and non-profit sectors to assume greater importance in financing various public expenditures. This goes beyond approaches currently favoured by this Government, such as public-private finance partnerships for infrastructure or the granting of the right to issue tax exempt receipts for Institutions of Public Character.
In many advanced economies, wealthy individuals fund a wide range of socially beneficial activities, from naming rights to hospitals and university buildings and even park benches, to setting up non-profit organisations dedicated to various causes, to establishing foundations that provide grants to groups aligned with the foundation's declared mandate.
One wonders if our tax structure could be further refined to provide additional incentives for business trusts to also be involved in philanthropic activities as well. In other jurisdictions, such activities are all often wholly unconstrained.
As a result, it could give rise to perverse situations where a billionaire's favourite pastimes, such as art galleries or classical music concerts are financed through tax exemptions, while causes that benefit the poor remain relatively underfunded, or foundations could become indirect wealth accumulation vehicles.
To prevent such outcomes, we should insist that our foundations consistently deplete their endowments by funding approved fiscal expenditures until a stipulated closure date. Foundations may retain some independence over their target expenditures, but these areas would be pre-selected by the Government.
This will result in an indirect wealth tax that carries significant social capital, appealing to high net worth individuals' sense of agency, civic responsibility and earnestness. This could also encourage the development of fundraising and grant writing expertise in our domestic workforce.
Besides potentially expanding a small cottage industry in the social sector, it could also increase the awareness of, and affinity towards important causes that are valuable to our society.
In my conversations with those in industry, I have been impressed by the complementarities that exists between the supply and demand sides of the story. Indeed, many donor trusts and foundations, private banking clients and non-profits are served by the self-same assets and wealth management professionals.
As we position ourselves to mature even more as a global wealth management hub, enhancing such intermediary functions is a logical next step. My hopes, Sir, is that trusts and foundations will eventually become a part of our nation's social fabric, that we will not just privilege certain trust structures, such as investments or business trusts, to the detriment of others that will enrich the life of our citizens as well as our economy.
Mr Speaker: Minister of State Alvin Tan.
Mr Alvin Tan: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Mr Louis Ng and Assoc Prof Jamus Lim for their views on the Bill. I will first address specific questions raised in the Bill before tackling the broader questions on the relevance of BTs' structure and the trust foundations in the philanthropy landscape. But I also wanted to say that, for the purposes of this amendment Bill that we focus very much on the core of what we are trying to do, which is to enhance the transparency and strengthen governance of Business Trusts(BTs). And for many other topics, we can leave that on another day.
On the Bill, both Mr Louis Ng and Assoc Prof Jamus Lim raised questions on provisions that will seek to align the BTA with a regulatory regime for companies. Assoc Prof Jamus Lim asked about the appropriateness of replicating the Companies Act's provisions in the BTA, as well as whether we need to strengthen the regulatory regime for business trusts relative to the regulatory regime for REITs.
BTs, as the Member had noted, is also meant to be an alternative business structure to companies. Hence, the regulatory regime for BTs is modelled after that of companies. Similar to the Companies Act, the intention of the BTA is to set out requirements to protect, indeed, the fundamental rights of unit-holders of these registered business trusts and to set out the duties and accountability of the trustee-managers and their directors. That is at the fundamental level.
And then on top of requirements that we have adapted from the Companies Act, MAS has also included relevant governance requirements from the REIT regime. BTs and REITs, of course, share a lot of structural similarity. For example, both are externally managed, as I had mentioned in my speech. MAS has also taken reference from applicable REIT rules when reviewing the BTA, especially in areas where the risks are similar.
For instance, MAS has, in this Bill, proposed that the removal threshold for trustee-managers be aligned with that for REIT managers. If you reference the requirements for REIT managers, MAS is also considering amending subsidiary legislation of the BTA to enhance independence requirements for directors of trustee-managers. MAS will be consulting on its suite of proposed amendments to subsidiary legislation of the BTA in the coming months.
Just a few points about the fiduciary role of the directors of the trustee-manager. The directors of a trustee-manager essentially perform the same fiduciary role as the directors of a company. Hence, we are trying to align the BTA with the Companies Act. The provisions allowing loans to be given to directors of companies are also relevant to the directors of trustee-managers within the BTA.
On whether vehicles are trying to get away with easier regulations as regard to the BT versus REIT – companies, BTs and REITs are, in fact, all subject to corporate governance requirements.
Assets that do not fall neatly under a REIT structure can be included in a company structure. It is important that we have these proper rules and consistent rules for both companies and BTs. And that is why, again, going back to the fundamentals, that is why we are aligning the BTA to the Companies Act.
On section 52, it is an existing provision that MAS may apply to a Court, to appoint a liquidator to wind up, and thereafter, deregister a defunct BT. The new section 52B provides for any persons with reasonable cause, that the BT should not be deregistered to object when MAS issues a notice of its intention to apply to Court for liquidation.
The context of section 52 is actually for a defunct BT, but it is actually not for still functioning BTs – just to clarify that point, which is quite important.
The Member, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim also mentioned about the distance between trustee-managers in a BT, and unit-holders or stakeholders. The trustee-manager, in this regard, has to manage businesses and operations, just in the same way as the board or the management of companies and has to similarly consider the interest of key stakeholders, in order for the business to be successful. Again, going back to it, is really aligning both.
On the distribution of REITs, I just want to clarify that REITs must distribute 90% of the income in order for them to enjoy tax transparency. In fact, REITs are required to distribute least 90% of their distributable income to enjoy this tax transparency, where BTs do not enjoy any tax transparency and, hence, are not subject to similar requirements. There are differences between REITs, as well as BTs and that is why although they are structurally similar, some of the provisions, we have to regard them as separate as well.
I will address other points with regards to trust and REITs. REITs are investment funds which are obviously subjected to investment guidelines and are intended to specifically hold income-producing properties. The business trusts are not investment funds. They are business structures which can hold the wide range of assets. Assoc Prof Jamus Lim mentioned many of the 18 that he raised earlier on. So, they do hold a wide range of assets but they are not limited to real estate, although many that Assoc Prof Jamus Lim raised appear to be linked to real estate, but they can also operate active businesses.
The two regulatory regimes cannot, therefore, be equalised.
What MAS has done is to draw the most appropriate provisions from both the Companies Act and also the REIT regime to design a regulatory framework that addresses the needs of stakeholders in a BT. MAS will also regularly review the regulatory regime for BTs and will make appropriate refinements to ensure that the regime remains robust and also meet the market needs, as and when it is required.
Mr Louis Ng raised a few questions relating to loans by trustee-managers to their directors for defending against proceedings or regulatory actions. Mr Ng also asked about the difference in treatment between loans made to directors for defending against civil and criminal proceedings, compared to loans to directors for defending against regulatory actions.
In the case of loans for defending against civil and criminal proceedings, the Bill requires specific terms to be placed on the loans, namely that the loan is to be repaid no later than 14 days of certain events occurring, such as if the director is convicted. However, similar loan repayment terms are not required to be included for defending against regulatory actions, consistent with the comparatively less severe nature of regulatory actions versus Court proceedings. The difference in treatment also follows from equivalent provisions in the Companies Act and it can also be found in the UK Companies Act as well.
Mr Louis Ng also asked for clarification, whether repayment will be required in situations not specified in the Bill, such as if charges are withdrawn. Loans, by their very nature, are expected to be repaid according to the terms of the loan agreement unless otherwise agreed with the lender. While the Bill will not require trustee-managers to include terms in their loan agreement for repayment of loans under circumstances other than those specified in the Bill, trustee-managers can still choose to include such terms as they deem appropriate.
For repayment terms that are required by the Bill, Mr Louis Ng further asked how these should apply where a loan was granted to a director to defend criminal or civil proceedings and a conviction or judgment against the director was only obtained for some, but not all, of the charges or heads of claims. The provision does not provide for apportionment. The general position is that the loan will need to be repaid according to the required terms, as long as the director is convicted or judgment is made against the director and that the conviction or judgment is final.
The next set of questions Mr Louis Ng raised relates to the transparency requirements for unlisted business trusts regarding their registrable controllers, or controllers in short. He asked what would constitute \"reasonable steps\" for the purpose of a trustee-managers' discharge of their obligations to identify controllers of a BT. MAS intends to issue guidelines on this, similar to the guidelines issued by ACRA, under the Companies Act. Under ACRA's guidance, a company is regarded as having taken \"reasonable steps\" if it sends out a notice at least annually to each member and each director of the company, unless the person has already provided it with the requisite information.
Mr Louis Ng further asked about the differing burdens placed on a controller versus a person who knows or ought to know the identity of a controller. For brevity, I will refer to the latter as third parties.
The Bill requires both controllers and third parties to provide information to the trustee-manager when served with a notice to do so. In addition, controllers are required to notify trustee-managers of their particulars, such as the dates they became controllers of the BTs. However, third parties are not under similar obligations to furnish information on a controller unless they have been asked to do so by the trustee-managers.
The differing requirements are intended to balance between requiring trustee-managers to maintain a complete register of its controllers and the burden to third parties. The duty to notify the trustee-manager of a controller's beneficial ownership of the BT falls naturally on the controller himself, as he is the primary source of information about his own interests in the BT.
The same cannot be said for third parties, who are one step removed. Requiring a third party to provide the trustee-manager with information on another person, the controller, without being asked to do so would impose an excessive burden on the third party.
Nevertheless, where a third party is served a notice by the trustee-manager to provide information on a controller, he would be clearly informed that the information is required of him. He would therefore be obligated to provide the information in this situation.
Mr Speaker, Sir, I will now address the broader questions raised by Assoc Prof Jamus Lim on the role played by business trusts and on the development of the trust and foundation landscape and if there are ways in which the Government can foster a culture of philanthropy.
Business trusts are by design suitable for businesses, as I have mentioned in my earlier speech, that have high cash flows and also stable growth. They add to the array of many alternative structures for businesses to organise themselves in a manner that meets their operating and fundraising needs.
As for Assoc Prof Jamus Lim's suggestions to support a culture of philanthropy, they extend quite beyond the scope of the BTA, as I have mentioned earlier, but we will be happy to take those questions as matters for further study where relevant.
I will also just mention that one of the strategies under MAS' Financial Services Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025, is to help to develop Singapore into Asia's centre for philanthropy and MAS will provide support in line with this ITM. In fact, last week, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a number of measures that we are studying, including reviewing our tax incentive structures and schemes to see how we can encourage family offices to do more philanthropic giving and to support the local philanthropic ecosystem, by structuring their giving through local charities and also non-profit entities.
Just on another point by Assoc Prof Jamus Lim on taking a more interventionist approach to direct high net worth wealth to fund specific causes that are aligned with Singapore's interest, the approach thus far has been to enhance just the overall ecosystem to encourage high net worth individuals to conduct their giving activities in Singapore, effectively just to build the culture of philanthropy until so when these offices and these structures come to Singapore encourage them to give locally as well.
It is also to help them to find ways in which to give to local causes as they gain familiarity over time with what is required in the landscape. We have, so far, stayed away from dictating the causes that high net worth individuals should give to an industry. We just do not want to be that prescriptive in that regard as we start to build up this ecosystem.
Mr Speaker, let me conclude by reiterating the benefits that we seek to bring with this set of amendments. These amendments will bring the BTA in alignment with the regulatory regime for companies, upon which the regulatory regime for BTs is based. It will also strengthen the corporate governance safeguards of BTs.
I also want to just share as a final point that this is not very unique to Singapore. In fact, apart from Singapore, there are few other jurisdictions where BTs are also used as corporate vehicles. Australia, Hong Kong, Canada have business vehicles quite similar to our BTs. But, of course, our own BT regime has its own legal framework with very clear rules that are specifically tailored to the features of our Bts. In fact, it was developed to be as close to a company as possible, as they are intended to be an alternative structure to companies so that they have that flexibility. For example, Malaysia's BT regime is also quite similar to that in Singapore. There are also other jurisdictions – Australia, Hong Kong and Canada, for example – that have different structures, but they have their own regulatory regimes suited to their own ecosystem.
In short, by amending this Bill, the Bill will contribute towards a strong, a robust and transparent regulatory framework for businesses and investors, and also support Singapore's business competitiveness. With that, Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
Mr Speaker: Are there any clarifications? None.
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Alvin Tan]. (proc text)]
Mr Speaker: Order. I propose to take a break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.15 pm.
Sitting accordingly suspended
at 3.52 pm until 4.15 pm.
Sitting resumed at 4.15 pm.
[Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair]
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The Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance): Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time.\"
Sir, the Accountants (Amendment) Bill makes four key sets of amendments to the Accountants Act, as well as several related amendments. These amendments aim to enhance our audit regulatory regime and introduce measures for better compliance with professional requirements and standards for both Public Accountants (PAs) and Accounting Entities (AEs). These amendments will also align Singapore's regulatory practices with those in other jurisdictions with established audit regulatory regimes.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) sought views from the public on the draft Bill last year and have taken in the feedback where relevant and feasible. We thank the contributors for their inputs.
Let me now take Members through the four key sets of amendments.
The first key set of amendments is Quality Control (QC) Inspections.
Today, ACRA is empowered under the Accountants Act to review individual PAs' audit work for selected clients. I will refer to these as engagement inspections. For these engagement inspections, ACRA evaluates whether a PA has complied with the prescribed requirements when auditing financial statements during the audit process. The Public Accountants Oversight Committee (PAOC) adjudicates and decides on remedial actions and sanctions for PAs who fail the engagement inspections.
For AEs, ACRA has been conducting QC inspections on AEs that audit public interest entities such as listed companies. These QC inspections check if the AEs have the internal processes and procedures relating to leadership responsibilities for quality, independence, ethics, client acceptance, human resources, performance and monitoring. However, the QC inspections are currently not formalised under the Accountants Act. This means that when the QC lapses are found, ACRA is unable to mandate remediation or take actions against the AEs.
The first set of amendments therefore seeks to make QC inspections of AEs a statutory requirement under the Accountants Act. The proposed amendments will allow ACRA to conduct inspections on all AEs and compel AEs to remediate lapses uncovered during the QC inspections, including imposing sanctions where necessary. This will bring Singapore's regulatory regime in line with the practices of other audit regulators in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
QC inspections are useful because they check for adequate internal processes and procedures within the AEs, which should be applied consistently across all engagements. This ensures that AEs deliver consistently high-quality audit. If an issue is identified, AEs can make across-the-board improvements that would benefit all engagements. Mandated QC inspections will complement the existing engagement inspections and make for a better regulatory regime for audit work. This amendment is provided for in clause 12 of the Bill.
The second key set of amendments is Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Inspections.
I move on to this second key set of amendments, which aim to bring our regulatory regime into closer alignment with the international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The FATF is an inter-governmental organisation that sets international standards to prevent global money laundering and terrorism financing. As a member of FATF, Singapore is required to meet the international standards set out by the task force. FATF requires PAs and AEs to be subject to effective systems for monitoring their compliance with requirements on the AML/CFT requirements; as well as effective sanctions for failure to comply with these requirements.
The second set of amendments give ACRA powers to conduct inspections for compliance with AML/CFT requirements and to impose sanctions on PAs and AEs if they fail to comply with these requirements.
For avoidance of doubt, let me clarify that AML/CFT inspections only apply to PAs and AEs that carry out FATF-designated activities, which are assessed to have higher money laundering and terrorism financing risks. Such designated activities include, among others, buying and selling of real estate; managing of client money, securities or other assets; organisation of contributions for the creation or management of companies; and buying and selling of business entities. AML/CFT inspections will not apply to PAs and AEs that perform solely audit services. This amendment is provided for in clause 12 of the Bill.
The third set of amendments seek to refine the assessment framework for ACRA's engagement inspections for individual PAs and extend this assessment framework to QC inspections for AEs.
The current assessment framework for engagement inspections is binary. You either pass or fail. If a PA fails the engagement inspection, ACRA may impose remedial actions and/or sanctions. However, the current framework does not cater for situations where a PA's work may not fail outright, but at the same time, some aspects of his/her work may not be up to mark and needs improvement.
Over the years, ACRA has received feedback that such a binary pass-fail system is too blunt. A more granular indication of how well the PA or AE has complied with the requirements would provide more incentive for PAs and AEs to strive for a better assessment outcome.
The third amendment thus revises the assessment framework from a pass-fail regime to a tiered regime. The revised categories are: (a) satisfactory; (b) satisfactory but with findings; (c) partially satisfactory; and (d) not satisfactory.
The \"satisfactory\" outcome, whether with or without findings, gives due recognition to PAs and AEs who achieve good inspection results. This category will not be subject to sanctions or remedial actions.
For the \"partially satisfactory\" and \"not satisfactory\" outcomes, ACRA will impose specific remedial actions and/or sanctions on the PAs and AEs for the findings identified. The findings will indicate the areas of improvement that PAs and AEs should work on in preparation for their next assessment.
This amendment is provided for in clauses 11 and 12 of the Bill.
Let me now deal with the final set of amendments.
Currently, PAs are not required to share the engagement inspection findings on their audit engagement with the entities that they audit. There is public interest in maintaining trust in audited financial statements. If there are significant inspection findings on a PA's audit engagement, the audited entity should be informed. This will allow the audited entity to work with the PA to remediate findings, which may have implications for its audit and financial statements. It will also act as a powerful incentive to the PAs to remedy and improve their performance, and to the AEs to ensure high standards and internal quality control of the PAs they employ.
Under this amendment, the PAOC will be empowered to require a PA with a \"not satisfactory\" grading for that particular engagement-level inspection to disclose the inspection findings to the audited entity. If the PA fails to comply, the PAOC can share the inspection findings on the PAs' audit engagement with the audited entity directly.
ACRA will also ramp up its efforts to help audited entities interpret the inspection findings on PAs' audit engagements. If the PAs disclose the inspection findings on their audit engagements and the audited entities do not know what to do with the findings, we will not be able to raise audit quality. The two need to go together.
In short, this set of amendments aims to increase the transparency of inspection findings which will, in turn, promote trust and confidence in the audited financial statements. The amendments also enhance the ability of audited entities to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of their PAs.
The disclosure of inspection findings on the PAs' audit engagements to the audited entity is in line with the requirements in Canada, Australia and Malaysia.
Clause 11 of the Bill provide for this amendment.
Besides the four key sets of amendments, the Bill also provides for related amendments, such as the prescription of fees, laying out processes relating to appeals and meting out of orders, as well as empowering the PAOC to prescribe professional standards for PAs and AEs. Clause 23 of the Bill provides for consequential amendments to the Banking Act 1970 to align the terminologies used in both Acts.
In conclusion, Sir, the amendments in this Bill serve to enhance our audit regulatory regime and ensure that our audit and accounting professionals and firms comply with the high standards and ethical requirements. This in turn will strengthen Singapore's pro-business and trusted regulatory environment.
But beyond laws and regulations, I also call upon all PAs and AEs – who have the responsibility to the public to uncover questionable accounting practices and to bring to light potential deception or fraud – to uphold the highest professional standards and safeguard the integrity and independence of the audit process. This is crucial in engendering trust and confidence in the quality of audited financial statements and ultimately, in the PAs and AEs themselves. Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I declare that I am an elected Council Member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) but I do not have any commercial interest in any accounting entity.
I support this Bill which proposes to amend the Accountants Act to enhance the audit regulatory regime and introduce measures for better compliance with professional requirements and standards by both public accountants and accounting entities. This will help elevate the level of audit quality in Singapore and enhance Singapore's standing as a trusted business hub through better assurance of information available to investors and the public.
This Bill will undoubtedly impact public accountants; they are expected to implement robust policies and procedures under the new quality control standards and sanction orders will also be imposed for non-compliance.
These new quality control standards are a substantial development and change for the audit profession globally, as they include significant shifts in how firms manage quality. Firms would have to adjust their internal processes and systems to help firms effectively and efficiently implement the new standards. Based on my understanding, the Big Four audit firms have been preparing to implement the new Singapore Standards on Quality Management way before the standards become effective. The smaller firms with limited resources are likely to have lesser time, knowledge and most importantly, the resources to do so.
This Bill came at a time when there is a severe shortage of audit professionals in Singapore. While I believe members of the profession recognise the need for emphasis on quality, the challenges they face should be acknowledged. Therefore, I would like to raise the question of how the Government can help the profession, especially the small and medium-sized audit practices, that is, the SMPs. The support could come in the form of funding to help public accounting entities train their staff and/or employ consultants to help with the implementation of the new quality management standards.
Another area of support is manpower. I would like to touch on the new Employment Pass regulation, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), which comprises six criteria to assess eligibility for Employment Passes.
One of the criteria is the Shortage Occupation List, which considers talents in short supply on the local job market. Each job opening that corresponds to the Shortage Occupation List scores 20 points, which will count towards the total score that will determine eligibility for work pass.
I would like to request that audit professionals be considered for inclusion on the COMPASS Shortage Occupation List. Many SMPs face challenges in attracting and retaining local talent and foreign talent are needed to fill the gap in the local workforce.
I understand that occupations are considered for inclusion on the Shortage Occupation List based on their relevance to Singapore's economic priorities, the degree and nature of labour shortage and the sector's progress in developing the local pipeline in the medium term to address these shortages.
On that note, I believe public accountants and public accounting entities are of key relevance to Singapore's economic priorities. They play an important role in the growth and development of the Singapore economy as they act as an industry multiplier, providing professional services to businesses.
Next, there is an increasing power given to the oversight committee and it becomes critical on how the oversight committee members are being selected and appointed.
The new section 38E empowers the oversight committee to appoint any employee of the authority or any other individual who is suitably qualified as entity reviewers to carry out a review of quality control standards or AML/CFT requirements or both.
Given that the reviewer has an important role in performing the heavy lifting of the inspection, there should be minimal qualifying criteria for the selection of the reviewers. Can the Minister elaborate on the abovementioned points?
According to the Global Financial Services Index, Singapore has overtaken Hong Kong to become Asia's top financial centre and the third in the world after moving up three places recently. This creates many opportunities for the accounting firms, provided they have enough staff to support their growth.
I would like to request for the relevant sector lead to work closely with the industry and the accountancy bodies like the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and CPA Australia's Singapore Division on this matter.
I hope the challenges of the public accountants and accounting firms are recognised and the Government can consider providing more support as the profession continues to uphold quality in financial reporting and audit as well as contribute to Singapore's position as a global financial centre and business hub.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip Hong Weng.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I declare my interest in this Bill as a finance professional working in an investment firm.
I support the Bill as it enhances the audit framework. It also introduces measures for better compliance with professional requirements and standards for both public accountants (PAs) and accounting entities (AEs). Notwithstanding, I seek some clarifications on the proposed amendments.
Firstly, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, what is the estimated cost of compliance, given the new regulatory measures and increased inspections?
I agree with the risk-based approach to focus quality control inspections on AEs with higher risk and public interest clients. This would provide a balance between increased regulatory costs and meeting the objective of the said Bill. However, the burden on these higher-risk AEs in terms of financial costs and time would still be increased. These AEs will need to dedicate time and manpower towards compliance and prepare for the audits.
Would the Government provide subsidies as part of the easing-in period to help PAs and AEs to adapt to the changes? Likewise, would there be any form of compensation for the opportunity cost lost by these firms in preparing for the inspections?
Secondly, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we improve the framework for the accounting industry, investment in training of accounting talents is also necessary to raise the overall audit quality in Singapore. PAs and AEs would have to keep up with the new regulatory regimes. The best way to do so would be through professional upskilling.
Would the Ministry provide avenues for PAs and AEs to receive training so that they may meet the new requirements? Going upstream, are MOF and ACRA working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and our Institutes of Higher Learning to ensure that the new compliance regimes are incorporated into the curricula of accounting diploma and degree programmes?
Thirdly, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have to stay abreast with the trend of companies moving into the realm of cryptocurrency and even Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in recent years. It is important that we do a meticulous audit of such companies or companies that may have invested in these new monetary realms. It is important to note that cryptocurrencies have been used to launder money.
As cryptocurrencies and NFTs are emerging technologies and complex, they may be poorly understood. This would present challenges in navigating through the accounts to ensure that all relevant transactions are properly accounted for. Building on my earlier point, can we leverage on training programmes supported by the Government to inculcate the necessary skills in our accounting and auditing professionals?
Fourthly, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, will there be a designated timeframe for remediation of lapses before sanctions are imposed? If adequate remediation efforts are not met within the time limit for AEs and PAs which are deemed to be \"Need Improvement\" or \"Unsatisfactory\", is there a clear escalation mechanism in place for non-remediation and sanctions?
To ensure audit firms deliver consistently high audit quality, I agree with having stringent deterrent measures and penalties. Be that as it may, this should not be at the expense of impacting the long-term attractiveness of the profession. Having a clear remediation framework would reduce uncertainty and anxiety, especially for those who are just entering the profession and veterans who are wary about the new regulations.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my last point is on encouraging innovation. This is especially so with the launch of the Jobs Transformation Roadmap for In-house Finance and Accounting Functions and Accounting Practices at the beginning of this year.
The constant call for innovation and transformation is highly relevant as accounting is a profession with roles that may soon be automated.
I am heartened that ACRA, as a regulator, continues to maintain a close watch on emerging developments and risks and stands ready to intervene or make the necessary adjustments. The financial landscape for existing regulated activities has changed and continues to change rapidly, requiring a constant relook at the rules.
Take, for example, some of the key emerging technologies that are disrupting the sector, namely, AI and analytics, intelligent automation, blockchain, cybersecurity and cloud computing. Many of these could boost auditing quality, allowing the collection and analysis of broader industry datasets which may previously be less accessible. Conversely, some of these technologies, being less established or in the hands of someone less technologically-inclined, may give rise to problems in audit quality.
Even as we tighten the framework to promote quality auditing, how can we also grant leeway to facilitate the experimentation of new innovations and productivity measures amongst AEs, yet safeguard compliance?
In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I profess that I am not an accountant by training. My expertise lies in financial engineering and econometrics. I am speaking on this Bill for a few key reasons.
Singapore is an established international financial centre, but competition for this global position is rife. We always want to project ourselves further, to be a leading global financial centre. This means that we must stay abreast with global developments and consistently work on areas that can be improved upon. This is in line with the Financial Service Industry Transformation Map 2025 just launched a few weeks ago to guide our ambitions in the financial sector.
The financial services industry is interlinked with every other industry. It supports the growth of other sectors. What happens in it has systemic implications across the economy.
Accounting is more than a mere reflection of financial information. Accounting underpins the financial sector. Its outcomes move market participants and thereby influences our decision-making.
This Bill will ensure that the information received by investors is transparent and is of high quality.
I also hope that more of our Singaporean students, especially those listening in, will be attracted to accounting as a profession. This is amidst our hunt for local talent to keep Singapore running, knowing the critical role that they will play.
Having good local talent, coupled with a strong legislative framework buttressed by this Bill, will, in turn, translate into more efficient and secure investment decisions. This also equates to higher returns and greater investor confidence, thereby entrenching Singapore's position as a global financial centre. I support the Bill.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, this Bill will strengthen the audit regulatory regime and the complaint and disciplinary process for public accountants and accounting entities. I have three areas of clarification.
My first clarification has to do with the refusal to undergo practice monitoring programme and review by public accountants and accounting entities. I have two questions.
Firstly, under the new sections 38A and 38K, public accountants and accounting entities may be suspended for up to two years if they refuse without a reasonable excuse to undergo a practice monitoring programme or a review respectively. Can the Minister provide examples to explain what constitutes a reasonable excuse under these sections?
Secondly, section 38K(6) lists the scenarios where a public entity is deemed to refuse to undergo a review. These include refusing to allow a practice reviewer to inspect documents or refusing entry to premises. These actions are clearly made by individuals who act on their own accord, possibly in defiance of their accounting entity's instructions. Can the Minister clarify what the Oversight Committee or the Courts should consider in determining whether acts of refusal by individuals are attributable to an accounting entity?
My second clarification has to do with the practice review of a public accountant set out in sections 37 and 38. Based on the report of a practice reviewer, the Practice Monitoring Sub-committee provides recommendations and the Oversight Committee makes orders. Neither authority seems to have the remit to conduct further investigations.
Can the Minister share whether and how the Sub-committee and the Committee can conduct further investigations so they can make a more informed decision? Is there any opportunity for a public accountant to present their side of the story to the Sub-committee or Committee before an order is served? After all, once an order is served, it could be 30 or more days before the General Division of the High Court responds to the public accountant's appeal. Even if successfully appealed, an order may still have serious professional consequences for the public accountant. So, it is important to ensure the right decision is made the first time.
My third clarification has to do with appeals against the orders of the Oversight Committee. Various sections of the Bill provide a public accountant or accounting entity who is aggrieved by an order of the Oversight Committee to appeal to the General Division of the High Court.
To ensure that there is meaningful access to review by the Court, can the Minister share if the Oversight Committee will, as a matter of course, provide a written decision on the basis for its orders? This will enable the public accountant or accounting entity in question to consider whether any appeal is necessary. This is important, given that the costs involved in pursuing an appeal at the High Court can be significant.
Additionally, during the public consultation on the Bill, feedback was provided to MOF and ACRA to redact sensitive information in the inspection report presented to the Oversight Committee to ensure that commercially-sensitive firm-level information remains confidential.
While MOF and ACRA noted the feedback, the position taken was that the Oversight Committee will require a full and complete set of information to make considered decisions. However, MOF and ACRA also acknowledged confidentiality concerns and stated that they intend to appoint only retired public accountants on the Oversight Committee to ensure that sensitive information remains confidential.
Maintaining confidentiality over sensitive information may be a consideration against accounting entities seeking recourse to the High Court. Once an appeal is filed, sensitive documents reviewed by the Oversight Committee may now become part of the public record.
Accounting entities can apply to the Court for sensitive information to be redacted. To provide greater assurance to accounting entities, can the Minister share if MOF and ACRA will generally consent to the redaction of confidential information if such an application is made by the accounting entities to the Court? If not, for what reasons will MOF and ACARA reject such requests?
Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Minister Indranee Rajah.
Ms Indranee Rajah: Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank Mr Don Wee, Mr Louis Ng and Mr Yip Hon Weng for their support of the Bill and their comments and suggestions. Members have raised questions around the three themes of: one, compliance in terms of cost and support for capability building; two, the appointment and powers accorded to the Public Accountants Oversight Committee (PAOC); and three, manpower-related matters within the accountancy sector.
Let me address them in turn.
First, compliance. Mr Don Wee and Mr Yip Hon Weng asked how the Government can help the profession, especially the Small- and Medium-sized audit Practices (SMPs) with the training and implementation of the new regulatory regime. Mr Yip also raised the issue of cost of compliance.
To be clear, the Quality Control (QC) standards that the Accounting Entities (AE) need to comply with are not new. All AEs would thus have to maintain a system of QC to ensure compliance with professional standards and the relevant regulatory requirements. As I mentioned, for AEs that audit public interest entities (PIEs) such as listed companies, ACRA has already been conducting QC inspections on them. If AEs have been duly complying with the requirements and putting in place the necessary QC, ACRA's QC inspections should just serve as a check to ensure that the QC and systems put in place by the AEs are indeed adequate.
Also, based on the nature and circumstances of the AE and the engagements performed by the AE, some of the requirements set out in our QC standards may not be applicable to certain smaller AEs. For example, larger AEs with international networks would need to look into policies relating to network resources requirements, but SMPs with no international network would not have to meet such requirements.
To Mr Yip Hon Weng's question on how the Government would help AEs manage cost of compliance, ACRA's QC inspections will take a risk-based approach to avoid unnecessary inspection and compliance burden. There will be a greater focus on inspecting AEs that audit higher risk PIE clients. AEs that audit lower-risk non-PIEs will be inspected less frequently. In addition, AEs that performed well in their previous inspections will be subjected to less frequent inspections compared to AEs with more issues identified during inspections. Such a risk-tiered approach is meant to keep the compliance burden manageable.
To ensure cost of compliance remains reasonable, ACRA will be setting fee caps for inspections of AEs in the non-PIE segment. The fee caps will be calibrated to ensure that they will be manageable for SMPs.
The Government will also help the profession, especially SMPs, with capability building to meet the new regulatory regime.
ACRA is already working closely with the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), which is the national professional accountancy body, on various initiatives to support the profession. ISCA has organised webinars and workshops on how AEs can implement the QC standards effectively. In addition, ISCA has provided tips and examples to guide SMPs on the implementation of the QC standards.
Mr Yip also asked if MOF works with MOE and the Institutes of Higher Learning to update the accounting curriculum. The Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC), works with IHLs to ensure that the curriculum is up to date and aligned with the Skills Framework for Accountancy. This ensures that accountancy graduates are equipped with the right skills based on the prevailing standards. However, as accounting or auditing standards are regularly updated, continuing professional education for accountancy professionals to ensure their relevance is also important. ACRA works with ISCA to ensure this.
Mr Yip also asked whether time will be given to PAs and AEs to remediate lapses uncovered during inspections before sanctions are imposed. Further, he asked about the escalation process for non-remediation of lapses found during inspections. I will take them together.
When ACRA imposes a remedial order on the PA and AE on lapses found during its inspections, time will be given to the PA and the AE to complete the remediation. The remedial actions may include completion of training programmes and/or subjecting certain audit engagements to further reviews before finalising the audit reports. If areas of non-compliance are not too severe, orders imposed on the PAs and AEs will primarily be remedial in nature. However, for very severe and recurring non-compliances, sanctions may be necessary to protect public interest and send a strong deterrent message in addition to the remedial orders. There are existing processes and an escalation framework for the PAOC to manage non-compliances with its orders. This will continue to be the case.
I will now move on to the second set of questions, raised by Mr Don Wee and Mr Louis Ng, relating to the PAOC.
Mr Wee asked how the PAOC members are appointed. ACRA, with the Minister for Finance's approval, appoints the PAOC members. There is a rigorous appointment process to ensure that the PAOC comprises experienced professionals from the public service, the business community and the audit profession.
To safeguard the objectivity and independence of the PAOC, majority of the PAOC, including the Chairman, will comprise members who are non-audit practitioners. The PAOC members will also recuse themselves if there is a conflict of interest. This is to ensure that decisions taken are impartial and can withstand scrutiny.
Mr Wee also asked about the minimal qualifying criteria in the appointment of the entity reviewer by the PAOC. Entity reviewers are similarly subject to a robust appointment process. They will need to possess the necessary professional qualifications and relevant work experience, at the very least, at a managerial level, in audits or in handling quality control aspects in an AE.
To ensure that the entity reviewers stay updated on the developments of the professional standards and practices, they will also be required to undergo training and continuing professional education regularly.
Mr Ng raised several questions about the powers and processes of PAOC and its subcommittee. First, Mr Ng asked, what would constitute a reasonable excuse for refusing to undergo practice monitoring programme or a review. This depends on the facts, applying the perspective of a reasonable person in the PAs' or AEs' shoes at the relevant time. One example of a reasonable excuse is where the PA had been certified to be medically unwell.
Second, Mr Ng asked what the PAOC or the Court would consider in determining whether acts of refusal of individuals are attributable to an AE. Our intent is to ensure that all PAs and AEs corporate with the practice and entity reviewers when they are selected for inspection and to allow ACRA to take regulatory actions against the AE. This is particularly so if there is evidence to suggest that the PA's refusal was done with the consent or connivance or was attributable to any neglect on the part of the AE as provided for under the proposed section 38(K)(2)(b).
For example, if the evidence clearly establishes that an AE has told an individual to simply ignore the review, there is no reason not to attribute the PA's refusal to the AE. Ultimately, this is a question of fact. The PAOC will carefully consider the full facts of each case, in deciding whether to attribute the acts of refusal by an individual practitioner to the AE
Third, Mr Ng asked about the powers of and how the Practice Monitoring Subcommittee (PMSC) and the PAOC can conduct further investigations so that they can make a more informed decision. The PMSC and the PAOC can and do from time to time make inquiries or seek clarifications from the PAs or practice reviewers, if necessary, to help them make an informed decision.
Fourth, Mr Ng asked whether the PA can present his or her side of the case before an order is served. PAs are given the opportunity to make written representations to the PMSC and the PAOC before any decision is made. In addition, where the PAOC is of the view that the matter requires an oral hearing such as when complex issues are involved, a hearing before the PAOC would be arranged.
Fifth, Mr Ng questioned if the PAOC will as a matter of course provide a written decision on the basis for its orders. Today, as a matter of practice, the PAOC already informs the PAs and AEs in writing on the findings raised. The PAOC may in certain cases, provide a more detailed written explanation, for example, where the matter is complex, or the issues raised therein require clarification and elaboration.
Finally, Mr Ng asked if MOF and ACRA will generally consent to the redaction of confidential information, if such an application is made by the AE to the Court and if not, what are the reasons for rejection? This will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, as we will need to weigh all the relevant factors such as the nature of information concerned.
I will now move on to the last set of questions relating to manpower, training and productivity.
Indeed, as Mr Don Wee and Mr Yip Hon Weng highlighted, accountants and auditors play a critical role in growing Singapore as a business hub. As our economy grows, so too, will demand for accounting services, both in terms of volume and scope – beyond financial reporting and assurance to also cover sustainability reporting, IT audits, business advisory and more.
It is therefore critical that our accounting and audit professionals continually upgrade their knowledge and skills, and stay abreast of emerging areas like sustainability and digital assets, as highlighted by Mr Yip. To encourage our PAs to upskill, we currently require all PAs to maintain at least 120 continuing professional education hours over a rolling three-year period.
From 1 January 2023, ACRA will also include Information Technology as a core expertise area that PAs would need to obtain a minimum number of training hours in. This ensures that audit professionals upskill their digital competencies and adopt technology and innovation in their audits. PAs can look to the professional accountancy bodies for training and workshops on new and emerging topics.
As Mr Yip highlighted, we are also encouraging our AEs to innovate and harness automation technology to raise productivity. There are several schemes to support AEs to do so, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant.
On the issue of foreign manpower. I note Mr Wee's request for audit professionals to be included in MOM's COMPASS Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The SOL awards bonus points under the COMPASS for employment, pass for Employment Pass (EP) applications, filling occupations requiring highly specialised skills that are in shortage in our local workforce. The SOL is designed for niche and highly skilled occupations required by the economy where EP holders are required because there are not enough Singaporeans who can do the job, even though wages in the sector are high, particularly in frontier industries. MOM will place occupations on the list judiciously, through a comprehensive review of evidence.
At the same time, I also encourage firms in the audit industry to do their part to attract local graduates and mid-career professionals to ensure a sustainable pipeline of manpower in the long term.
Mr Deputy Speaker, in conclusion, the proposed amendments to the Accountants Act seek to enhance audit quality and standards in the industry and are a move in the right direction. The changes ensure that our PAs and AEs continuously improve their high standards and are necessary to ensure the continued integrity of our financial system. This is key to Singapore maintaining our reputation of being a trusted global business and finance hub. Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Ms Indranee Rajah]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Adjournment","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"[(proc text) Resolved, \"That at its rising today, Parliament do stand adjourned to 1.30 pm tomorrow.\" – [Mr Zaqy Mohamad]. (proc text)]
The Deputy Leader of the House (Mr Zaqy Mohamad): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, \"That Parliament do now adjourn.\"
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has repeatedly stressed the need to rein in public expenditures before we increase taxes like the GST.
Our Budget has been increasing at a fast pace over the last 20 years and it is not only because of increases in healthcare and social welfare spending.
In recent months, two significant outlays of taxpayers' money have reminded us of the urgency of ensuring better oversight of public expenditures. The first one is the $900 million for funding the SPH Media Trust over the next five years and the second is the $1.5 billion to terminate the public-private partnership operating the Sports Hub. This is a total of $2.4 billion of taxpayers' money.
Based on my 30 years of experience in business and financial management, I question the financial reasoning behind these expenditures. The Government and this House must ensure that every tax dollar is properly spent. The Government must respond in full to my queries, or Singaporeans can take it that taxpayers' money has been wasted.
The first significant outlay of taxpayers' money is the Government's provision of up to $900 million to fund the media operations of SPH Media Trust over the next five years.
I believe that the deal to restructure Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) that the Government has approved, is questionable, because SPH shareholders should have left behind a larger share of SPH's property assets to support the print media business under the SPH Media Trust.
In the past, SPH used the monopoly profit of the print media business to accumulate numerous property assets, such as The Paragon and Clementi Mall. These assets were sold for $3.9 billion after the restructuring. But only $110 million of cash and shares were left behind to fund the loss-making media business and taxpayers will be footing the rest of the bill moving forward.
It makes no business sense for the Government to have agreed to this proposal. Since the property assets were accumulated over the years with media profits, it is reasonable to expect that more than $110 million should have been left behind to continue funding the loss-making media operations.
Even then-Chairman of SPH, Dr Lee Boon Yang, said during SPH's Extraordinary General Meeting in 2021 that it is not unreasonable for SPH shareholders to make a contribution to SPH Media Trust to sustain the media business. It would have been a fairer arrangement if SPH shareholders had left behind $900 million to capitalise SPH Media Trust, instead of the Government footing this bill using taxpayers' money. The shareholders of SPH would still have $3 billion of property assets to distribute after that.
When the Government announced the establishment of SPH Media Trust, then-Minister for Communications and Information, Mr Iswaran did not mention the potential cost to the taxpayer. When I questioned the new Minister, Mrs Josephine Teo during the Committee of Supply 2022, she replied that there might be no deal if the Government had insisted that SPH bore the $900 million bill.
But as stated in the reply to my Parliamentary Question on 4 April 2022, the Ministry actually holds the power to withhold in-principle regulatory approval for the SPH's restructuring. The Government should not have agreed to SPH's proposal unless more assets were left behind to fund the media business. So, now, the Government should explain why it chose not to do so to this House and Singaporeans.
The second significant expense incurred by taxpayers is the $1.5 billion contract termination cost to be paid to Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL), which is said to comprise $300 million for the open market value of the Sports Hub and $1.2 billion for taking over the outstanding loans taken up by SHPL for the construction of the Sports Hub.
I support the Government's takeover of the Sports Hub and I am fully aware of the developmental and financial benefits. However, I believe that the Government has been overly generous in estimating the \"fair open market value\" and the remaining financial liabilities of the Sports Hub. If this is so, it will unfairly benefit SHPL which is a private consortium at the expense of taxpayers.
Firstly, I believe that the Government should not be compensating SHPL for the market value of the Sports Hub, if this market value is based on the Sports Hub's name value. The name value has primarily come from the Sports Hub being a national icon, carrying the branding of the \"National Stadium\" and occupying the site of many of our national memories, like the Kallang Roar.
When SHPL constructed the Sports Hub, it did not pay the Government for the value of the \"National Stadium\" brand. Therefore, there is no need for the Government to compensate SHPL for this name value now. As SHPL has failed to transform the Sports Hub into a leading venue for local and international events, it is also not justifiable to say SHPL has increased the value of the Sports Hub since its completion.
Second, I believe that the cost of the $1.2 billion outstanding financial liabilities disclosed by the Government was too high.
In 2010, then-Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament that financing for the Sports Hub was being raised via a funding competition among the banks, so I would expect the construction loan for Sports Hub to carry a very competitive interest rate. However, Minister Edwin Tong shared recently, in response to mine and Ms Hazel Poa's queries, that 65% of the Government's annual fee payments to SHPL goes towards debt servicing.
As the annual fee is $193.7 million, the debt repayment works out to about $125 million per year according to the Minister. If we assume that the construction cost of $1.33 billion was fully financed and debt repayment is constant over 22 years from 2014 to 2035, the $125 million debt repayment implies a loan interest rate of more than 8% a year, which is way too high based on the market conditions in 2010.
In contrast, a 4% interest is more in line with the market conditions in 2010. At 4%, I estimated that the annual financing payments should only be about $90 million a year from 2014 to 2035. This is much lower than the $125 million quoted by the Minister.
After nine years of repayments from 2014 to 2022, the outstanding loan principal should have reduced to about $920 million by end 2022. This is also much lower than the $1.2 billion quoted by the Minister which the Government is prepared to pay SHPL.
In addition, if the debt servicing is indeed $90 million a year, then SHPL may have accumulated surpluses or reserves from the annual fee payments in the past nine years of operations.
As Minister Edwin Tong has also shared, operating cost is $68 million per year for the Sports Hub. In that case, SHPL should have accumulated reserves of about $36 million per year, which is derived from subtracting the debt servicing and operating costs from the annual fee.
Thus, the total accumulated reserves after nine years accumulated by SHPL should be about $320 million. The new holding company set up by Sport Singapore to own and manage the Sports Hub should take over this $320 million from SHPL.
To sum up, I have estimated an outstanding loan of $920 million and total accumulated reserves of $320 million. Hence, the Government should only be paying the difference between the two amounts, which is $600 million, as outstanding financial liabilities to SHPL.
This $600 million figure is definitely much lower than the $1.2 billion agreed by the Government to pay SHPL. Hence, I would like to seek clarifications from the Minister to justify the $1.5 billion termination cost to be paid to SHPL.
(a) What actually is the detailed debt repayment schedule since 2014 of SHPL?
(b) What is the loan's interest rate and the outstanding loan amount as of today?
(c) Has SHPL accumulated reserves from the annual fee payments that should be taken over by the new Sports Hub holding company?
(d) What is the justification for paying SHPL a market value of $300 million for the Sports Hub?
Finally, if the Government needs to pay more than what the financial analysis allows because it is contractually committed to honour such a generous financial deal for SHPL, would Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister who signed the original contract, come forward and explain why this was necessary?
Mr Deputy Speaker, I am worried that the Government's behaviour in commercial deals can potentially lead to a waste of taxpayers' money. SPH Media Trust and Sports Hub are good examples of this. Together, they cost taxpayers $2.4 billion.
This may be small relative to the national reserves and the $130 billion annual revenues at the disposal of the Government. But $2.4 billion can go a long way in helping Singaporeans who are struggling financially.
For example, it is enough to exempt average Singaporeans from two years of additional 2% GST or to fund 10 years of ComCare cash payouts for the poor Singaporeans. We could also apply the $2.4 billion to help young Singaporeans experiencing great difficulties to buy an HDB flat now or reducing inflation pressure on all Singaporeans earlier.
From a professional point of view, I conclude, I believe the Government should have spent far less than $2.4 billion on these two projects. The Government owes Singaporeans a more detailed explanation and should be proactive in exploring ways of reducing the cost to the taxpayer.
This House can do a lot more to tighten oversight of public expenditures. We must not turn a blind eye to these two expenditures. I urge the Ministers to address my concerns in clarifications to this House. I also hope that this House will refer these two expenditures to the Public Accounts Committee for follow-ups after this Adjournment Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Minister Indranee Rajah.
The Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Deputy Speaker, the thrust of Mr Leong Mun Wai's speech is that the Government is not fiscally prudent and public expenditure is not well managed. He makes various allegations about the Sports Hub and SPH Media Trust in purported support of these allegations. He says that he requires the Government to answer in full.
Sir, these assertions are without basis. The Government has already responded in full many times.
The issues with regard to the Sports Hub and SPH Media Trust were explained in detail in this House. However, so that Members of this House as well as members of the public are not misled by Mr Leong Mun Wai's presentation, let me restate the facts briefly.
On the Sports Hub, Minister Edwin Tong explained in his Ministerial Statement on 1 August 2022 that MCCY decided to terminate the public-private partnership (PPP) agreement as the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans would be better served by the Government taking over the ownership and management of the Sports Hub.
The key consideration was the Government's desire to bring stronger community participation and activities to the Sports Hub and unlock the full potential of the Kallang Alive! precinct.
Minister Edwin Tong has already explained why we chose the PPP approach for this project and how we benefited from it.
In particular, the construction risks were borne by the consortium. We did not have to bear the cost of construction delays, defects, such as roof leaks, issues with the pitch and sound quality. This also freed up our financial resources during the Global Financial Crisis.
Mr Leong Mun Wai claims that the termination sum of $1.5 billion is too high but Minister Edwin Tong had already explained the basis for this figure.
The termination sum is derived based on a formula stipulated in the project agreement. Most of it is made up of the capital expenditure, which the Government would have had to bear if we had opted for the traditional procurement model.
Minister Edwin Tong had also explained that the full cost of termination is comparable to the financial obligation that we would have had to pay under the PPP if we had chosen to continue with it.
In other words, the entire transaction is financially neutrally because we are not paying SHPL more than what we would otherwise have committed to under the PPP model.
Unfortunately, Mr Leong Mun Wai has chosen to ignore these detailed explanations and instead makes a completely baseless and false claim that the termination sum can be lower.
Likewise, for SPH Media Trust (SMT), this was addressed by Minister S Iswaran as to the reasons why it was necessary to do this in his Ministerial Statement on 10 May 2021. Minister Josephine Teo further explained at length in this House on 15 February 2022 and at MCI's Committee of Supply Debate this year the rationale for Government support for SMT's transformation and how doing so would serve the larger public interest and how the Government will ensure accountability.
As explained by them, Government support will allow SMT to make long-term investments in capability development in the areas of technology and talent. This is needed to sustain and develop our local news media and ensure that we have a trusted, credible source of news and information for Singaporeans.
Our local media companies provide citizens with a valuable Singaporean lens to make sense of global events. If they were to wither and fail, we would become reliant on foreign media. That would not be in our national interest.
It is also necessary in order to support our vernacular print media, the Malay, Chinese and Tamil press, which play a crucial role in preserving our mother tongues and cultural inheritance.
Next year, Zaobao will be celebrating its 100th anniversary, Berita Harian, its 66th and Tamil Murasu, its 88th. It would be a great loss if they could not continue.
To be clear, the challenges faced by the media are not unique to Singapore. Media outlets around the world have seen their revenues fall with the rise of digital content platforms and new avenues for free content.
Publications elsewhere have received life support from wealthy financial backers or funds. Billionaires have acquired established newspapers for philanthropic or other motivations. These include the South China Morning Post and the Washington Post.
Other governments, too, are providing funding for news media. The French government spends hundreds of millions of Euros annually to support the press, including prominent papers like Le Monde and Le Figaro. Scandinavian governments have supported their newspapers for decades, both through direct subsidies and tax breaks.
Mr Leong Mun Wai asked why SPH shareholders cannot pay more. But Minister Josephine Teo has already explained that the shareholders voted and agreed to an injection of $80 million in cash and $30 million worth of shares for SMT.
If the restructuring involved an even higher contribution, the shareholders could have walked away, in which event there would be no SMT and, along with that, all the downsides already mentioned.
Mr Leong Mun Wai fails to recognise the realities facing the media industry in the real world and that if we were to do as he suggests, it would leave SPH Media on a trajectory of decline and, eventually, result in a Singapore without a viable English language domestic media and without our Chinese, Malay and Tamil media, which is not in our national interest.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Mr Leong Mun Wai's allegations about the Government's management of public expenditure and his objections to the Sports Hub and SPH Media Trust transactions are completely without basis. Yet, he has continued to pursue them repeatedly despite it having been explained to him many times.
What he does today is to pull certain figures from public sources and then start to build on them this giant edifice of figures which one has no idea how he arrived at these conclusions. Then, in a giant leap of illogic, he then attempts to link the Sports Hub and the SPH Media Trust matters to a completely unrelated issue, GST and now, also to ComCare.
You have to wonder why he does this.
A charitable view is that Mr Leong Mun Wai genuinely does not understand the expenditure figures or the rationale that has been explained but, as he constantly reminds us and reminded us again today, he has 30 years' experience in business and financial management. So, he should not have any difficulty understanding them.
So, objectively, the rationale and figures are laid out. If he does understand them, then there is only one other conclusion, which is that this can only be a deliberate and cynical attempt to stoke anxiety and disquiet, confuse Singaporeans and damage the Government.
I ask Members of this House and Singaporeans not to be taken in but to reject these bogus allegations and to support the Government. Then, we can continue to sustain good governance and sound policies for the benefit of all Singaporeans, especially to take care of our elderly and to support the disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our society.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Mr Leong Mun Wai's entire motion is an attempt to portray the Government as profligate and heedless of our expenses. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In persisting with these insinuations, Mr Leong Mun Wai is doing a disservice to Singapore, to our Government and to our public servants charged with the sacred responsibility of looking after the public purse.
Since the People's Action Party (PAP) Government was first elected 60 years ago, we have made financial probity, honesty, prudence, incorruptibility and transparency our watchwords. We have put in place structures to check ourselves strictly and repeatedly. We have carefully built up our reserves and resources for the benefit of our people.
We have just steered our people and our country safely through the most devastating pandemic of our generation. Unlike other governments, we did this without having to borrow.
This was not serendipitous and it was not by chance. We were able to do so only because we have been consistently careful and prudent with public funds and this is so, despite repeated calls by the Opposition, Mr Leong Mun Wai included, to save less and spend more, use more of the reserves, draw more than 50% of the Net Investment Returns Contribution (NIRC). It is this side of the House that has repeatedly said no to all these suggestions of wanton profligacy.
For our part, the PAP Government will continue to exercise prudence in our public expenditure and act, as always, in the interest of Singaporeans and Singapore. [Applause.]
Mr Deputy Speaker: We are at the 28th minute of a 30-minute hard cut, according to the Standing Orders 2(8)(b), so you are allowed, Mr Leong, a clarification, but this Parliament will adjourn, according to the Standing Orders, within about two minutes. So, please make your clarification short and allow the Minister a response.
Mr Leong Mun Wai: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Two questions. One, so the Minister agrees, or is of the view that by allowing SPH to take away $3.9 billion and leaving behind a burden of $900 million for Singapore taxpayers, is agreeable by the Government? The Government accepts that?
Secondly, I have offered a lot of information, in her words, \"an edifice of information\". The way she put it is that this information is totally useless, it does not help the explanation of the situation. But what I can say is that – the second question – if the Government did not bother to answer the questions I raised, can the Government allege that the information is not useful and so all my allegations are without basis?
Mr Deputy Speaker: Minister Indranee Rajah.
Ms Indranee Rajah: With respect to the first question, or clarification, the answer is no. I do not agree with what Mr Leong says. What Mr Leong fails to understand is that the support put in by the Government for SPH Media Trust is because there are certain things that we hold dear. One, it is to have a media that can see things through a Singaporean lens and that can report things from a domestic viewpoint. That is very important to us. The second thing is to preserve our vernacular media. That means something. That has value. That is worth supporting. And that is why we are willing to put that money forward to support it – for that purpose and in pursuit of those values.
With respect to the second thing, Mr Leong's consistent approach – every time the Government responds and explains a set of figures, he will ask a question; we will set out the explanation and that explanation reflects the reasons why these figures are the way they are and what the figures are. Mr Leong will then say, \"Oh, but what about this? How about if we change that? How about let us say we have another Scenario A? How about Scenario B? How about Scenario B and a half? How about Scenario C?\" And every time, the Government, is required, according to Mr Leong, to respond to all of these which have no bearing to the figures of the original transaction. That is not something which is a useful use of the Government's time to do.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Order. The time allowed for the proceedings has now expired. I adjourn the House pursuant to the Standing Order. Order, order.
[(proc text) The Question having been proposed at 5.02 pm and the Debate having continued for half an hour, Mr Deputy Speaker adjourned the House without question put, pursuant to the Standing Order. (proc text)]
Adjourned accordingly at 5.32 pm.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":"Matter Raised On Adjournment Motion","questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Landslides Reported and Review of Stability of Land Close to Deforestation Sites","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"20 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for National Development (a) in each of the last five years, how many landslides are reported; (b) how often and under what circumstances are the integrity and stability of the land in close proximity to building or deforestation sites reviewed and assessed; and (c) whether any update needs to be made to the monitoring and rectification regime to enhance safety and to take preventive action to prevent future landslides from occurring.
Mr Desmond Lee: The scale and impact of landslides, which are movements of a mass of soil down a slope, vary greatly, depending on the amount of soil movement.
There were an average of four landslide incidents reported to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) per year between 2017 and 2019, and 21 per year in 2020 and 2021. These were all relatively minor cases involving the movement of shallow layers of soil and did not cause significant damage to infrastructure. Higher-than-normal rainfall was recorded in 2020 and 2021, which could be one factor that contributed to the higher number of incidents in these two years.
As of end-September this year, there has been one landslide incident reported to BCA so far. This was the incident which occurred at the Clementi NorthArc Build-To-Order construction site on 2 September 2022. This was caused by slope failure, which refers to the sudden collapse of a slope due to changes in soil strength or the destabilisation of the slope. BCA has inspected the surrounding buildings and found them to be structurally sound. The cause of this incident is currently being investigated.
Soil movements may be triggered by various factors, such as heavy and prolonged rainfall, additional loads on the slope, or changes to the slope profile due to construction work.
Agencies that manage public land carry out regular inspections on slopes that may pose a risk to public safety and implement appropriate mitigation measures to stabilise the slopes as needed. Our agencies may also conduct inspections more frequently, such as on a weekly or monthly basis, during periods of intense wet weather.
In addition, BCA requires all slopes that are formed or modified by building works to be assessed for risk of failure by a Qualified Person (QP) before construction commences. The QP is required to recommend slope protection measures to be put in place, such as earth retaining walls and stabilising structures, to ensure that the slope remains stable under adverse weather conditions, including extreme rainfall.
The QP is also required to recommend measures to monitor the condition of the slope while works are ongoing. The frequency of monitoring may vary depending on the complexity of the works. For example, slopes may be monitored twice a week for relatively shallow excavation works and daily for works in close proximity to other buildings.
As an additional precautionary measure following the slope failure incident on 2 September 2022, BCA has reminded QPs and builders to inspect slopes on or adjacent to construction sites and to take additional measures to ensure that these slopes remain stable, as needed. BCA will conduct checks to ascertain that project parties have taken these measures.
BCA also issues regular advisories to remind land and building owners to implement measures to manage the risk of landslides for their slopes. These include ensuring adequate drainage and proper maintenance of slope- and earth-retaining structures.
BCA will review the cause of the recent slope failure incident after the investigations have been completed and assess if additional measures are required to ensure the safety of slopes on or near construction sites.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Review of Licensing Regulation for Senior Drivers to Ensure Road Safety","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"23 Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will consider revising the \"no age limit\" rule for driving licences in Singapore; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider setting a maximum age beyond which the licence automatically lapses with exceptions made on the advice of doctors or the taking of a safety driving test.
24 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Home Affairs in order to increase road safety and ensure that only fit and competent senior drivers are able to drive on the road, whether the Traffic Police will consider imposing a maximum age limit or enhanced medical examination on a shorter two-year basis for Class 3 driving licence or other requirements similar to that for senior drivers holding Class 4, 4A and 5 driving licences.
Mr K Shanmugam: Today, all motorists aged 65 years and above must pass a medical examination and be certified fit-to-drive by a Singapore-registered medical practitioner, before they can revalidate their Singapore driving licence. The medical examination covers eyesight, hearing, movement, past medical history and physical or mental conditions which may render the person unfit to drive.
For Class 2 and Class 3 driving licences, which are for motorcycles and light motor vehicles respectively, the revalidation cycle is every three years. There is no maximum age limit.
For Class 4, 4A and 5 driving licenses, which are for various categories of heavy vehicle, the revalidation cycle is every year. In addition, motorists must clear a Proficiency Driving Test annually as well. The maximum age limit is 75 years. Motorists above this age are not allowed to drive heavy vehicles.
The regime strikes a balance between road safety and giving senior citizens the convenience of driving and for some, it is also their livelihood. The Ministry will continue to monitor the situation and review as necessary.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Probe into Potential Human Trafficking by Job Scam Syndicates in the Region","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"25 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Command Office is looking into the potential human trafficking of scam victims who are baited by scam syndicates to \"work\" in Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar; and (b) whether Singapore is partnering or is intending to partner with other countries in the region to combat this problem which seems to target victims from across East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Mr K Shanmugam: The Police are monitoring potential human trafficking of scam victims, who are lured by scam syndicates to \"work\" in other countries. As the Minister for Home Affairs informed Parliament in September 2022, since 2021, there has been one Police report involving potential Singaporean victims.
In this report, the complainant claimed that he had heard from another party, that there were Singaporean victims possibly being kept against their will in Myanmar to work for scam syndicates there. The complainant stated that he had not personally spoken to the said Singaporeans and did not have any other information or details regarding the identity of the Singaporeans. The Police have referred this case to their counterpart in Myanmar for assistance.
Singapore participates in various regional efforts to discuss cooperation on combating transnational crime, including scams and trafficking in persons. This includes the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime and its Working Group on trafficking in persons, as well as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime. We will continue to work closely with other countries to address the threat of scams and trafficking in persons.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ensuring Road Safety in Marina South Area Given Presence of Construction Sites and Heavy Vehicles","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"27 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many construction work sites are located at the Marina South area; and (b) whether the Ministry monitors the number of heavy vehicles plying the roads leading to Marina South.
Mr Desmond Lee: There are currently five construction worksites in Marina South. They support infrastructure development such as roads, drains and sewers, as we progressively develop the area. The Ministry of National Development (MND) does not monitor the number of heavy vehicles on the roads leading to Marina South.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Decarbonising Government's Investment Holdings and Reducing Government's Exposure to Climate-related Financial Risks","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"29 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in the wake of the European Central Bank's latest announcements of measures to decarbonise its corporate bond holdings and to reduce exposure to climate-related financial risks, whether there will be similar moves to be made by MAS and Government's investment entities to do the same.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The European Central Bank intends to decarbonise its corporate bond holdings by tilting its exposure to companies whom they assess to be doing better in mitigating climate impact. This is part of its broader commitment to take into account climate-related financial risk in the Eurosystem's monetary policy framework.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the investment entities have integrated sustainability considerations in their investment processes across a range of asset classes, not just limited to corporate bonds. They consider climate risks in their investment strategies and calibrate these strategies to mitigate climate-related risks based on their investment portfolios.
MAS will exclude from its portfolio the equities and corporate bonds of companies that derive more than 10% of their revenues from thermal coal mining and oil sands activities. It will also customise its equities benchmark to gradually tilt its portfolio towards exposures that are less carbon-intensive and more aligned with the low-carbon transition over time.
GIC contributes to the global decarbonisation by investing in companies which develop solutions that help to accelerate the low carbon transition in the real economy and supporting existing companies in their transition towards more sustainable business practices.
As part of Temasek's plans to achieve a decarbonised and carbon-efficient portfolio, some of the actions it has taken include investing in businesses and funds that support decarbonisation and engaging its major portfolio companies on their climate transition plans.
While the Government does not prescribe individual investment actions, MAS and the investment entities will continue to emphasise sustainability in their investment strategies and processes. More information can be found in MAS' Sustainability Report and the Sustainability chapters in GIC's Annual Report and the Temasek Review.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Assistance for Hawkers to Meet Requirements for Nutri-Grade Mark for Freshly-prepared Drinks","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"31 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Health in light of the Ministry’s announcement to introduce Nutri-Grade mark for outlets selling freshly prepared drinks by the end of 2023 (a) when will the Ministry provide greater clarity on how the sugar and fat levels of drinks will be measured across local coffee shops and hawker centres; and (b) whether the Government will give support to these stallholders to assist them in promoting healthier drink options.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Ministry of Health/Health Promotion Board (MOH/HPB) will implement the mandatory labelling in a practical way. For example, instead of using laboratory analysis, establishments may refer to nutrient databases to estimate the sugar and saturated fat content from the amount of individual ingredients added into the beverage. We will provide further industry guidance later this year, ahead of implementation of mandatory labelling by end 2023.
MOH/HPB will also apply measures to only larger establishments and exempt smaller establishments at the start. We will review this concession over time and adjust as appropriate.
We encourage F&B establishments to come on board HPB's Healthier Dining Programme, which provides product development and commercialisation support to develop healthier food and drink products.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Cost Benefits of Provision of Home Phlebotomy Services","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"33 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry has studied (i) the role and provision of home phlebotomy services, for patients with mobility needs who are clinically stable and can be cared for in the community, but who require blood tests and (ii) the estimated savings in transport costs and time for such patients and their caregivers.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Patients with mobility issues who need blood tests can obtain home phlebotomy services from certain Home Medical and Home Nursing providers, public healthcare cluster diagnostic service providers and private laboratories. Such home-based services reduce their need for travelling. The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not track patients' savings on transport costs and time.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Assistance for Low-income Persons with Monthly CPF Drawdowns Lower Than ComCare Long-Term Assistance Payout Amounts","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"34 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry tracks the number of low-income individuals currently drawing down on their CPF balances at a monthly rate that falls below the current ComCare Long-Term Assistance (LTA) payout of $640 per month; and (b) whether any ComCare top-up to the LTA threshold is possible for such individuals who would otherwise be eligible for LTA.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: I refer the Member to my reply to his written Parliamentary Question on 11 May 2021. As previously explained, ComCare Long-Term Assistance (LTA) beneficiaries with some CPF payouts or other regular sources of income will have their LTA cash payouts adjusted. However, the sum of their CPF or other income and the LTA payout will still be higher than what a beneficiary with no CPF payout or other forms of income would receive.
My earlier written reply also provided the number of households receiving both CPF payouts and LTA. These would be the same households where their CPF payouts would be less than the LTA threshold for their household.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Suicide and Deaths amongst Home Team Officers in Active Duty","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"36 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many Home Team officers have passed away during active service in the past five years; (b) of these, how many are suicide cases; and (c) what is being done to ensure the mental health of our Home Team officers.
Mr K Shanmugam: Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Dr Shahira Abdullah had also asked similar questions scheduled for a future Sitting. I will address these questions together with Mr Melvin Yong's question for a holistic reply.
Between January 2018 and September 2022, 74 uniformed officers in the Home Team passed away while in service. The majority of these deaths were due to illnesses or natural causes. Eight deaths were ruled as suicide. The cause of death for three others which had elements to suggest possible suicide, are pending coronial investigations.
As regards mental health: Home Team officers are provided with avenues of support from the time they join us. Resilience and stress management training are provided to all new officers. We provide training on detection of personal distress and this includes suicide prevention. Staff feedback is collected through regular staff engagement and pulse surveys, and the concerns raised include issues which officers may face in the workplace. Home Team supervisors are trained with the skills to identify and support officers who need help. This approach and culture have been built over several years.
Across the Home Team Departments, in-house psychological services are made available to officers, including first responders. Psychologists in the Home Team Departments attend to the mental health needs of the officers.
Peer support programmes, such as para-counsellors, have also been implemented in Home Team Departments to provide care and support. For the Singapore Police Force (SPF), there is also a 24/7 helpline managed in-house by our psychologists and SPF senior para-counsellors. We have another external agency-administered 24/7 helpline which is available to all Home Team officers.
The Home Team makes external counselling services available to all our officers, including frontline officers. The aim is to make it easier for them to access external help. This is confidential and anonymous, and we do not track who attends these services. The external counsellors will activate emergency services if they assess that there could be a threat of harm by the officers to themselves or to others.
The Police do not track the number of officers who have sought counselling or para-counselling assistance. Officers are not required to report their engagement of such assistance, as the confidentiality of help-seeking is important to encourage officers with problems to come forward. Officers who seek help are not specifically disadvantaged in their career because they had sought help. They are assessed on their on-the-job performance and their promotion is based on merit and their potential to assume higher appointments.
SPF psychologists try and demystify the myths and stigma of help-seeking during their regular mental health outreach to all the Police officers. There is increased outreach every October, in line with World Mental Health Day, to build awareness of the importance of mental health and to encourage help-seeking.
Where the bearing of firearms is concerned: all Police officers and Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) undergo security vetting before employment. Medical and psychological assessments are conducted as part of the recruitment process for the SPF and for most of the Auxiliary Police Forces (APFs).
Supervisors engage officers to check on their well-being. Officers are also encouraged to alert their supervisors if they think their peers may need help. If officers are assessed at any point to be unsuitable to carry firearms, they will not be issued with firearms and will be redeployed to other duties to allow them to settle down and recover from whatever strains they may be facing.
We will continue to strengthen the support for the mental health and well-being of officers in the Home Team and the APFs.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Research on Link between Mental Health and Variables such as Gender, Socio-economic Status and Race","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"37 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will put more funding into research on mental health and suicide, particularly to understand how factors related to gender, socio-economic group, race, education, marital status and income level, intersect to present the level of suicide risks in individuals.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Mental health and well-being, including studies exploring suicide and suicide-related behaviours and risk factors, is an area of interest amongst researchers.
For instance, the Singapore Mental Health Study (SMHS) examined the prevalence of common mental disorders and suicidal ideation among the adult population in Singapore. The Inter-Agency Research Workgroup for Youth Suicides led by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) brought together various public agencies1 to study the risk and protective factors of suicides and suicidal behaviours in the young.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has also been supporting research in this area through various competitive research grant schemes under the national Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) Plans. In the current RIE2025 Plan, MOH has identified mental health as one of the priority areas for research. MOH also launched the $90 million Population Health Research Grant in July 2022, of which mental health is one of the priority research themes.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : The inter-agency research workgroup comprised representatives from Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Health Promotion Board (HPB), Health Sciences Authority (HSA), IMH, National University Hospital (NUH) and the State Courts."],"footNoteQuestions":["37"],"questionNo":"37"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for National Mental Well-being Office","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"38 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Health (a) whether he can provide an update on whether the Government will set up a permanent national mental well-being office; (b) whether the Government will consider placing the office under the Prime Minister’s Office; and (c) what are the considerations for this placement decision.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being was set up last July to oversee and coordinate mental health and well-being efforts, focusing on cross-cutting issues that require interagency collaborations. The Taskforce has recently concluded the public consultation to seek views on its preliminary recommendations. The Taskforce is currently reviewing the feedback from the public consultation to refine its recommendations and how it can best coordinate national efforts in this regard.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Annual Arrears from Medical Services Provided at Public Hospitals to Foreigners","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"39 Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the amount in arrears for medical services that are owed to public hospitals by foreigners in each of the last five years; and (b) whether the Government will consider requiring all travellers seeking entry into Singapore to be insured for at least $30,000 for medical bills in addition to the $30,000 insurance coverage for any COVID-19-related cost.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Between 2017 and 2021, arrears by foreigners constituted less than 0.1% of the total bills issued by Public Healthcare Institutions (PHIs). This includes foreigners residing and working in Singapore, as well as some short-term visitors.
Nevertheless, PHIs take various steps to mitigate the risk of arrears, such as offering downgrading options to assist patients with managing costs, sending reminder letters, as well as follow-up calls to patients to prompt for settlement of arrears. If the arrears situation deteriorates significantly, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is prepared to consider additional measures.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Enforcement against Illegal Use of Active Mobility Devices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"40 Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Transport since the Active Mobility Act came into force in May 2018, what are the number and types of enforcement actions taken against persons who have illegally used their active mobility devices, such as power-assisted bicycles, personal mobility devices and personal mobility aids, along HDB void decks, pavements and other common areas.
Mr S Iswaran: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) deploys several teams of Active Mobility Enforcement Officers daily to deter and detect errant active mobility device riders. From May 2018 to December 2019, prior to strict enforcement of the ban of e-scooters on footpaths on 1 January 2020, there were a total of about 7,500 offences detected on public paths, or an average of about 370 per month. Offences included users using non-compliant devices, riding on the wrong paths, speeding or riding recklessly.
Subsequently, from January 2020 onwards, when the Government stepped up enforcement against the use of e-scooters on footpaths and introduced new rules such as mandatory inspections, the number of offences detected increased, with an average of about 870 offences per month in 2020. As the public grew accustomed to the new rules after strict enforcement and public education efforts, the monthly number of offences detected decreased to about 670 in 2021 and 610 in 2022.
Enforcement actions have been taken against errant users found to have contravened the law and non-compliant devices were immediately seized. Where the offence is egregious, LTA will investigate and take appropriate action, such as prosecuting offenders in Court.
In addition to LTA's enforcement at public paths, LTA also supports other agencies in their enforcement at numerous other public spaces in town centres, Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates, and parks. For example, LTA supports Town Councils in joint operations at town centres and around HDB estates, as the use of active mobility devices at common areas in HDB estates outside of public paths is regulated under Town Councils' by-laws.
We will continue to enforce against errant users, but enforcement alone is insufficient. We will press on with our education efforts and to remind all path users that path safety is a collective responsibility and all users need to look out for one another and use our shared spaces in a responsible manner.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Applications and Eventual Approval for Enterprise Development and Productivity Solutions Grants","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"41 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Minister for Trade and Industry in the past three years (a) what is the number of Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) and Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) applications (i) received and (ii) subsequently approved and disbursed respectively; and (b) how do these compare to the annual budget set aside for EDG and PSG respectively.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The Enterprise Development Grant (EDG), helps Singapore businesses build capabilities, innovate and internationalise. From Financial Year (FY) 2019 to 2021, Enterprise Singapore received over 20,400 EDG applications. Approximately 85% of complete submissions were approved. Many enterprises that receive the EDG implement transformation projects over a few years. About 80% of the EDG projects were completed and received the grant within three years.
The Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG), supports businesses in their adoption of pre-scoped digital solutions, equipment and consultancy services. Between FY2019 and FY2021, over 116,100 PSG applications were received. Nearly 95% of complete submissions were approved. The time taken to implement PSG solutions tends to be shorter compared to EDG. Close to 80% of the approved projects were completed and received the funds within 13 months.
It is a key priority of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and Enterprise Singapore to help companies upgrade their capabilities and become more competitive. No application has been turned away due to budgetary constraints. In fact, we have provided more support when needed. For example, to encourage businesses to continue to digitalise, restructure and transform during the pandemic, we raised the maximum support levels for EDG and PSG to 90% and 80% respectively, up from 70% before COVID-19. As a result, the demand for EDG and PSG rose and exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The Government topped up funding for these schemes during the 2020 Resilience Budget and October 2020 Ministerial Statement.
As Singapore emerges from the pandemic, we encourage more companies to tap the suite of enterprise development schemes available to strengthen their capabilities and seize new growth opportunities.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Reducing Use of Disposables for Dine-in Meals at Hawker Centres","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"42 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) for each year in the past five years, how many and what percentage of stallholders at hawker centres have not provided disposables for dine-in meals; and (b) what steps the Ministry will take in the coming years to further reduce the use of disposables for dine-in meals at hawker centres.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Since November 2016, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has disallowed the use of disposable crockery and cutlery for dine-in meals at all new hawker centres. Since September 2018, this policy has also been applied to all new stallholders at existing hawker centres. All stallholders in the eight hawker centres that have adopted centralised dishwashing services under the Productive Hawker Centres programme have also switched to using reusable common crockery for dine-in meals.
While NEA does not collect statistics on the number of stallholders at hawker centres that provide disposables for dine-in meals, the majority of our stallholders use reusable crockery and cutlery to serve meals.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of and Reasons for Teenagers Committing Offences of Voluntarily Causing Hurt","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"43 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) for the past five years, what is the number of teenagers aged between 14 and 18 years old who are being investigated or charged for voluntarily causing hurt; (b) of these teenagers, what is the breakdown of their gender; (c) whether there is an increasing trend in the number of teenagers committing such offences; and (d) what are the main reasons that led them to commit such acts.
Mr K Shanmugam: From 2018 to the first half of 2022, about 1,100 teenagers aged between 14 and 18 years old were investigated for the offence of voluntarily causing hurt. About 80% were male and about 330 were eventually charged. The number of such cases has decreased over the past five years.
Police do not track the reasons behind the commission of such offences, but their general sense is that the top reasons would include disputes between known parties, retaliatory actions, conflict arising from staring incidents or passing of remarks and relationship issues.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"White-collar Crime Cases Investigated and Resolved by Police Land Divisions","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"45 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs for each of the past five years (a) how many white-collar crime cases are handled in total by the Police Land Divisions for investigation; (b) what is the corresponding total subject matter value of these cases; (c) what are the solution and clearance rates respectively for these crimes; and (d) what steps have been identified to enhance the white-collar crime investigative capabilities at the Police Land Divisions’ levels.
Mr K Shanmugam: The Police do not separately track statistics of crimes handled by the Land Divisions vis-à-vis the specialised units. In fact, criminal investigations often require close collaboration between the Land Divisions and the specialised units.
The Member asked for the number of white-collar crimes. For this reply, we have focused on traditional financial crime, which includes cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery and fraud. We have not included cybercrime, such as hacking offences and scams.
From 2017 to 2021, the Police investigated about 18,700 cases of white-collar crime, with a total subject matter value of about $4.49 billion.
The time taken to solve cases depends on many factors, many of which are case-specific. These include the availability of evidence and witnesses, the number of transactions involved and the complexity of the funds flow, as well as the need to obtain evidence from foreign law enforcement agencies. As cases differ significantly from one another, it is not meaningful to publish an aggregate solution or clearance rate.
We would like to point out that there is a limit to what Police can do, if the perpetrators are based overseas. Furthermore, with greater digitalisation and advancements in technology, such crimes have increased in numbers and complexity, and are straining investigative resources.
The Police have taken steps to try to mitigate these challenges.
First, re-organisation to optimise use of scarce resources. In March 2021, to consolidate expertise, a new Financial Investigation Division was formed to specialise in investigation of complex fraud cases, such as insurance fraud, trade financing fraud and counterfeit currencies.
Second, by employing a suite of technological solutions to augment our manpower resources. For example, the Police implemented the Digital Forensic Kiosk in 2020, which enables all investigation officers, whether in the Land Divisions or the specialised units, to more easily retrieve and analyse information from digital devices such as mobile phones and portable storage media.
Third, they have built strong partnerships with other Government agencies as well as private sector stakeholders such as banks, digital platforms and telecommunications companies. For example, the Police work with financial institutions to swiftly freeze bank accounts suspected to be involved in crime and to identify money mule accounts. The Police also work closely with foreign counterparts and INTERPOL to investigate cases with a foreign nexus.
Fourth, investigation officers performing white-collar crime investigations are sent for specialised training to improve capabilities to address increasingly complex cases. For example, officers attend courses conducted by the Home Team School of Criminal Investigation to deepen their understanding of white-collar crime investigation, as well as the interpretation and application of relevant laws. The Police also conduct financial investigation workshops at the intermediate level for investigation officers, which involve sharing of best practices and case studies.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Motorists Jailed for Careless Driving since 2019 Amendment to Road Traffic Act","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"46 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Home Affairs how many motorists have been jailed for careless driving since the Road Traffic Act was amended in 2019.
Mr K Shanmugam: The amendments to the Road Traffic Act came into force on 1 November 2019. As at August 2022, 470 motorists have received a jail sentence for committing the offence of careless driving.
47 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will introduce non-conviction-based civil forfeiture of assets believed to be derived from \"drug dealing\" or \"criminal conduct\" within the definition of Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992.
Mr K Shanmugam: There are existing mechanisms for non-conviction-based confiscation of benefits from criminal conduct in Singapore. The Organised Crime Act provides for the civil confiscation of benefits derived from organised crime activities without a need for a conviction. The Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA) also allows for such confiscation, albeit only in exceptional circumstances where the defendant is deceased or has absconded.
Non-conviction-based confiscation mechanisms can complement conviction-based confiscation mechanisms, to deprive criminals of financial gain. This is increasingly important as the operating environment for profit-generating crime becomes more complex. In fact, strengthening asset recovery and enhancing law enforcement’s ability to target criminal assets are priorities of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – an inter-governmental body that sets international standards to prevent and combat money laundering, terrorism and proliferation financing, of which Singapore is a member.
We will review our non-conviction-based confiscation mechanisms.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Classification of Families with Special Needs Children for ComCare Assistance","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"48 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how does the Ministry classify families with special needs children for the purposes of ComCare assistance, specifically whether these are evaluated for Short-to-Medium Term Assistance (SMTA) or Long-Term Assistance (LTA); (b) if these families are classified as SMTA cases, whether they may instead be considered for LTA; and (c) if not, why not.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Families with special needs children receive Government subsidies for various services and programmes, such as subsidies for dedicated transport under the Enabling Transport Subsidy Scheme, the Assistive Technology Fund for purchasing assistive technology devices and subsidised fees for the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC). The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has been enhancing the affordability of disability services. For example, this year, we increased the subsidies for the Enabling Transport Subsidy and the Assistive Technology Fund. In July 2020, we increased subsidies and broadened the income criteria to qualify for the Student Care Financial Assistance Scheme (SCFA).
ComCare, on the other hand, helps families in low-income households with their basic living expenses. In each ComCare application, the income and expenses of the specific household is considered holistically. This takes into account the household's disability needs.
If a child with special needs is under the care of parents or guardians who are able to work, the household would generally be assessed for Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance (SMTA). This provides temporary assistance while the family is supported to get back on their feet. For instance, the Social Service Office (SSO) would help the work-capable adults in such households to take steps towards gaining employment or a higher-paying job. The steps may include securing alternative care arrangements for the child. If a child with special needs is permanently unable to work and the household has limited or no means of income and support, they would be considered for Long-Term Assistance (LTA).
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Additional Workfare Income Supplement Cash Support to Cushion Inflation","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"49 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry can provide additional Workfare Income Supplement in cash to support the beneficiary to better cushion the impact of inflation.
Dr Tan See Leng: The Workfare Income Supplement Scheme encourages lower-income Singaporeans to work and build up their CPF savings, by supplementing their income through cash payments and CPF contributions if they have a job and are working.
The Government reviews Workfare regularly. As announced at Budget 2022, Workfare will be enhanced from 2023 and the maximum annual Workfare payout will be raised for all age bands. For example, eligible lower-wage workers aged 35 to 44 currently receive up to $1,700 in Workfare payouts per year, of which up to $680 will be provided in cash. From 2023, they can receive up to $3,000 in Workfare payouts per year, of which up to $1,200 will be provided in cash. This will provide a significant boost for lower-income workers.
As we enhance Workfare, we are also taking significant steps to raise the wages of lower-income workers. In the past five years (2016 to 2021), real1 income2 growth at the 20th percentile of full-time employed residents was 2.7% per annum, higher than the median income growth of 2.1% per annum. We are in the midst of expanding Progressive Wages to new sectors and occupations, and have also implemented the new Local Qualifying Salary requirement. These efforts will cover up to nine in 10 full-time lower-income workers by 2023. The National Wages Council will also continue to recommend wage increases for lower-income workers annually.
The Government also supports Singaporeans with other measures, especially for the lower-income groups. In particular, the $1.5 billion support package, announced by MOF in June 2022, has provided immediate and quick relief, with more support for lower-income and vulnerable groups.
The Government will continue to monitor the situation and will provide additional targeted help for lower-income and vulnerable groups if the situation worsens.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Deflated by Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all items at 2019 prices (2019 = 100).","2 : Based on gross monthly income from work (including employer CPF)."],"footNoteQuestions":["49"],"questionNo":"49"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Response to Research Showing Correlation between Increased Social Media Use and Suicidal Behaviour","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"50 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Communications and Information as studies have linked increased screen time and social media use to suicidal behaviour, whether the Ministry will consider having a suicide prevention strategy which demands social media companies to take responsibility for upstream measures like education on, and providing resources for, suicide prevention, in line with the upcoming proposed Code of Practice for Online Safety and Content Code for Social Media Services.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Under the proposed Code of Practice for Online Safety, designated social media services with significant reach or impact in Singapore will be required to protect Singapore users of social media services from harmful online content that may affect their physical and mental well-being. This includes content relating to suicide and self-harm.
Social media services must provide easily accessible online safety information on the service, which should include information on Singapore-based safety resources or support centres and be easy to understand. If users, including young users, use high-risk search terms such as terms relating to self-harm and suicide on the service, the designated social media services will be expected to actively offer to them relevant safety information, including local suicide prevention hotlines.
A whole-of-society approach is necessary to prevent suicide in Singapore. There are several initiatives and strategies across several agencies. The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) will also continue to partner the community and industry in this effort to keep our online spaces safe for users who are at-risk.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Determination of Top-tier Universities Listing in Complementarity Assessment Framework","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"51 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Manpower (a) which international rankings are being used to determine the list of the top 100 universities under the top-tier institution category in the Complementarity Assessment Framework; and (b) whether the Ministry will publish a list of all the educational institutions that are considered top-tier institutions.
Dr Tan See Leng: We are currently reviewing which international rankings we should use to determine the list of the top 100 universities under the top-tier category in the Complementarity Assessment Framework.
Details of the international rankings referenced for the top 100 universities, as well as the full list of educational institutions that are considered top-tier will be published on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s website in March 2023.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Inclusion of Mental and Intellectual Disabilities in Employment-related Programmes for Persons with Disabilities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"52 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether mental and intellectual disabilities are excluded from employment-related programmes such as the Open Door Programme and Enabling Employment Credit; and (b) if so, why.
Dr Tan See Leng: The Open Door Programme (ODP) and Enabling Employment Credit (EEC) provide employment-related support to persons with disabilities. Under the Enabling Masterplans, persons with disabilities refer to those with physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental impairments. This includes persons with intellectual disability and persons with autism. The ODP, which is administered by SG Enable with support from Workforce Singapore, provides job placement and job support services for these individuals and their employers. The EEC provides employers with wage offsets of up to 30% for each Singaporean with disability earning below $4,000 per month that they hire.
Jobseekers and employees with mental health conditions beyond intellectual disability and autism can tap on pre-employment training, job matching and post-placement support provided by agencies including the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore Association for Mental Health, and Singapore Anglican Community Services.
There is a wide spectrum of mental health conditions. With proper treatment and care, some people with mental health conditions can function normally at work. However, others may require special support and work arrangements, and the needs could vary over time for each case. The support is thus customised to address the specific needs and challenges of such individuals.
The Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being has been set up to look at how the Government, our partners and society can strengthen support for persons with mental health conditions. This includes reducing stigma on persons with mental health conditions, raising their access to counselling and treatment, as well as improving employment and employability of those who are deemed job-ready. The proposals are being discussed. We will share the recommendations with the public when ready.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Training for Work Pass, Long-term Visit Pass and Dependant Pass Holders","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"53 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Education (a) whether there are any Government-subsidised training schemes available to work pass holders, long-term visit pass holders and dependant pass holders; and (b) if so, what are these schemes and what is the amount of subsidy spent on each group in each of the past three years.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Continuing Education and Training (CET) schemes and subsidies provided by the Government primarily benefit Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. These schemes seek to support our local workforce in upskilling and reskilling to improve their employability, as well as to meet the industry and enterprises' skills demand.
Training subsidies for MOE/SSG-supported modular courses and Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) courses that Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents enjoy are extended only to Long-Term Visit Pass Plus (LTVP+) holders, who are eligible foreign spouses of Singapore Citizens, in recognition that they are likely to remain in Singapore, contribute to the financial support for their families and contribute to our economy.
Since October 2021, the expenditure on CET subsidies for LTVP+ holders enrolled in modular courses and WSQ courses is less than 0.02% of the total CET subsidies that SSG provides for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"School Programmes for Students to Engage in Grassroots Activities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"54 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Education (a) in the past three years, how many schools have organised programmes for their students to (i) engage with People’s Association grassroots organisation and (ii) work with Members of Parliament (MPs), such as attachment programmes and volunteering at their Meet-the-People sessions; (b) how many students are currently involved in such programmes; (c) whether schools are empowered to reach out to any MP to organise such programmes for their students, regardless of party affiliation; and (d) if not, why.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Our schools are places of learning and are kept free from partisan politics. Hence, schools do not participate in political activities organised by any Member of Parliament or political party.
On community issues, schools may support programmes organised by People's Association and their network of organisations, if there is an educational objective and age-appropriate.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) does not track students who participate in community activities in their own personal capacity.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Revision to Audit Requirements with New Workplace Safety Code of Practice","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"55 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Manpower in addition to the introduction of the Workplace Safety Code of Practice for businesses, whether the Ministry will also be reviewing and revising its current audit requirements for workplace safety and health.
Dr Tan See Leng: The scope of workplace safety and health (WSH) audits required by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is based on established industry standards and reviewed whenever the occupational safety and health management standards are revised. The WSH audit standards was last revised in 2018.
The audit scope comprehensively covers all the important components of safety and health management systems including worker participation, leadership commitment, organisational roles and responsibilities, planning and actions to address WSH hazards, competency and communications.
MOM will review the audit requirements after the new Code of Practice (COP) for Chief Executives' and Board of Directors' Workplace Safety and Health Duties is gazetted and implemented.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Benchmarks and Tracking of Customer Experience and Standards in Singapore's Hospitality and Retail Sectors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"56 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Ministry tracks the customer experience and standards of the hospitality and retail sectors; (b) if so, how have such sectors rebounded in terms of customer experience and standards since the start of 2022; and (c) what are the metrics and benchmarks used to measure customer experience.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) does not collect data on the customer experience and standards of the hospitality and retail sectors. For such information, we will refer to data or surveys from external sources. For example, Singapore Management University (SMU)'s Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) publishes a yearly Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG), while The Straits Times and Statista have produced a ranking of \"Singapore's Best Customer Service 2022/23\". Some of the metrics used to rank Singapore’s retailers and service providers include (a) the quality of communication, (b) professional competence, (c) range of services, (d) customer focus and (e) accessibility.
Based on the data from CSISG, the scores for the retail sector declined in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been some improvement, customer satisfaction is not back to pre-pandemic levels. Similar data for the hotel sector is not available as SMU’s ISE discontinued the survey in 2020. This was due to the low level of international visitor arrivals during the pandemic and other priorities of the university. Going forward, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will review how they can assess the level of customer satisfaction through individual hotel surveys.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Public Education on Opting for Lease Buyback Scheme or Downgrading to Smaller Flats","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"57 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for National Development (a) between 2017 and 2022 (to date), what is the annual number of seniors aged above 65 who downgraded from their existing HDB flats; (b) what is the average waiting time for them to secure new 2-room Flexi flats; (c) whether there is a sufficient supply of such smaller new flats to meet their demand in the next five years; and (d) whether the Ministry will promote more public education on the option between the Lease Buyback Scheme and downgrading to a smaller flat.
Mr Desmond Lee: Between 2017 and 2021, the average annual number of seniors aged 65 and above who owned a 3-room and larger flat, and subsequently booked a 2-room Flexi flat in Housing and Development Board (HDB)'s Build-To-Order (BTO) exercises ranged from about 90 to about 440. For 2022, up to the month of August, the number of such seniors was 331.
As seniors might not apply in consecutive BTO exercises, it is not meaningful to track the average time between their first flat application and when they book a 2-room Flexi flat. Based on HDB's records, the average number of attempts for seniors to secure a 2-room Flexi BTO flat was about 1.6.
To increase seniors' chances of securing a 2-room Flexi flat, at least 40% of the 2-room flat supply is set aside for them. To meet the strong demand for public housing, we are also ramping up BTO flat supply and will launch up to 23,000 flats per year in 2022 and 2023, an increase of 35% from the 17,000 flats launched in 2021. The increased flat supply provides more housing options for all buyer groups, including seniors.
In November 2022, we will be offering some 9,500 BTO flats. Of these, 2-room Flexi flats will be offered in Bukit Batok, Tengah, Yishun and Queenstown. The flats in Queenstown will be our second Community Care Apartments (CCA) pilot, with about 200 CCA units on offer.
Next year, we will continue to launch 2-room Flexi flats in different towns. For instance, for the first BTO exercise in 2023, 2-room Flexi flats are planned in Kallang/Whampoa and Tengah. We will continue to monitor demand, and ensure that the supply of public housing remains responsive to the housing needs of our population, including seniors.
We have adopted a range of efforts to reach out to seniors on their housing monetisation options. On top of providing the details on the HDB InfoWEB, HDB works with media outlets, organises public talks and seminars, and sets up mini-exhibitions and enquiry booths at local community events. CPF Board invites members turning 55 and 65 years old to attend a CPF Retirement Planning Service which includes sharing on available housing monetisation options. HDB and CPF Board also send out letters on housing monetisation options to seniors. The letters provide seniors with personalised estimates of the proceeds and additional CPF monthly payouts they can receive if they take up the Lease Buyback Scheme and information on right-sizing with the Silver Housing Bonus.
We will continue to explore ways to increase our outreach and communication efforts to seniors on the various housing monetisation options.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Guidelines for Regulated Financial Institutions to Limit Financing of Businesses in Hard-to-abate Sectors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"58 Mr Don Wee asked the Prime Minister given that Singapore has committed to achieve net-zero emissions by around 2050, how does MAS require all its regulated financial institutions to limit their financed emissions of the hard-to-abate sectors to align with the net-zero emissions policy.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): Hard-to-abate sectors refer to sectors where the technology to significantly reduce carbon emissions is either not available or remains expensive. These include the heavy industry, aviation and maritime transport sectors. It is still necessary to finance these hard-to-abate sectors because they are important parts of the economy and alternative technologies to reduce emissions significantly have yet to be commercially viable or to achieve scale. The solution thus lies in helping firms in these sectors progressively reduce their carbon emissions and transit to cleaner energy over time.
Financial institutions should thus provide firms in these hard-to-abate sectors transition financing to decarbonise, so long as these firms have credible transition plans that are aligned with the Paris Agreement goals.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has taken several steps to promote responsible and credible transition financing by banks in Singapore.
We have given guidance to banks that indiscriminate credit withdrawal from hard-to-abate sectors deemed to be of higher climate-related risk would adversely impact companies with credible transition plans.
Instead, MAS expects banks to guide and support their clients’ transition plans with appropriate financing. We are working with the Association of Banks in Singapore to develop a template on the kinds of information banks could collect from their clients in order to guide their financing decisions.
Second, MAS has issued guidelines on environmental risk management to all financial institutions, including banks, insurers and asset managers. MAS expects all financial institutions to assess and mitigate their exposures to environmental risks, including those stemming from the transition to net-zero. We have also begun to engage the banks on their transition plans to reduce their financing of emissions over time.
Third, MAS has published a set of pieces highlighting emerging and good practices by financial institutions, including the approach towards sectors identified as posing higher environmental risks. The three local banks have established sector-specific policies to guide their risk assessment and lending decisions for clients in sectors with higher environmental risk.
Beyond supervisory expectations, a number of financial institutions in Singapore have voluntarily pledged net zero goals as members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and have set or are working towards setting interim targets to achieve these goals. More recently, with MAS’ support, the GFANZ Asia-Pacific Network was set up in Singapore to spearhead Asia’s efforts to transition towards net zero in a credible and inclusive manner.
MAS has been playing an active role as one of the leading regulators internationally who are seeking to promote finance as a critical enabler for global decarbonisation efforts. We will continue to engage financial institutions in building resilience to environmental risks and supporting an orderly transition towards a sustainable economy in Singapore and in the broader region.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Monitoring Road Surfacing and Related Works to Ensure Safety and Comfortable Ride for Motorists","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"59 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA regulates the frequent digging and excavation of roads by contractors; (b) whether there is any supervision of the reinstatement of road surfaces after excavation works; and (c) what measures can be taken to ensure that road surfacing is properly carried out in order for a more comfortable ride for motorists.
Mr S Iswaran: This response will also address the question raised by Mr Leon Perera for the Sitting on or after 4 October 2022.
Roads are excavated for various reasons, such as for the laying of utilities and road maintenance. At the planning stage, the multi-agency Road Opening Coordination Committee (ROCC), which comprises Government agencies and utility services providers, meets monthly to coordinate planned road works over the next six-months, to minimise road excavations.
Subsequently, the work-commissioning agency must obtain a permit from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) before commencing works. The permit fee increases for each additional day required and is valid for a maximum of three weeks. This has helped to incentivise agencies to complete the road works expeditiously. As part of the permit approval, the work-commissioning agency is also required to reinstate roads to the standards in LTA's Code of Practice for Works on Public Streets. This includes the levelness of the reinstated road.
To ensure compliance, there are three layers of checks. First, contractors performing the works are required to engage qualified personnel to supervise the road reinstatement process. Second, the work-commissioning agency is required to ensure that the reinstatement works meet the requirements of the Code of Practice. As a third and final check, LTA also conducts ad-hoc audit checks.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Installation of On-demand Audible Traffic Signals at Pedestrian Crossings","subTitle":"In line with Recommendation 16 of Enabling Masterplan 2030","sectionType":"WANA","content":"61 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport with reference to Recommendation 16 of the Enabling Masterplan 2030 (a) what proportion of all pedestrian crossings will be equipped with 24/7 on-demand audible traffic signals; (b) what will be the design and features of these new traffic signals; and (c) how will the new traffic signals overcome the current constraint of being switched off at night to avoid disturbing nearby residents.
Mr S Iswaran: About 1,300 or 20% of all signalised pedestrian crossings (PCs) have audio signal devices that beeps a soft locating tone intermittently to help persons with visual impairment (PwVI) identify a PC. It emits a louder crossing tone during the Green Man time to aid them in crossing the road. The device operates from 7.00 am to 9.00 pm daily to reduce noise disamenities to residents nearby. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has plans to add these audio signal devices to a further 160 PCs.
LTA has been progressively upgrading these PCs with audio signals to allow PwVIs to activate the audio signal outside of operating hours. Of the 1,300 PCs with audio signals today, about 460 can be activated beyond its usual operating hours. When PwVI pedestrians tap their SGEnable card, they will be able to activate the crossing tone for the next Green Man.
LTA has also worked with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to implement an additional feature of having the softer locating tone operate for 24-hours to allow PwVIs to easily locate such PCs at all times. This will be implemented at 325 PCs in 10 towns with a higher number of PwVIs by 3Q 2025. We look forward to the support of the community in this effort to make our land transport system more inclusive.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Efforts to Reduce Negative Environmental Impact on Singapore Waters Given Plans to Boost Cruise Ship Infrastructure","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"63 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of plans to boost the cruise infrastructure in Singapore, what measures are in place for more green efforts to reduce any negative impact on Singapore waters, such as improper waste disposal and the potential destruction of marine wildlife.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: New developments near marine and coastal areas, including cruise and ferry infrastructure, undergo an in-depth consultation process with relevant technical agencies such as the National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA). This involves discussions on the scope of works, the possible environmental impact and mitigation measures. Where required, environmental studies, such as Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), will be conducted by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Mitigation measures will also be implemented during the development phase.
All ships, including cruise ships, are required to comply with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) for waste disposal. Cruise ships engage NEA-licensed service providers to collect waste such as oily water and sewage while at the terminals. MPA regularly inspects ships in port to ensure that waste onboard is not disposed indiscriminately. MPA also provides garbage collection services for vessels at anchorages. Under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, penalties for improper disposal of waste into the sea include a fine not exceeding $20,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both.
The global cruise industry is at the forefront of the maritime sector in developing innovative technologies and has invested more than US$26 billion in new ships with energy efficient technologies and cleaner fuels. In line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030, Singapore is well-positioned to facilitate the cruise industry’s shift towards a more sustainable future. We will continue working with the cruise industry to implement more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of Applicants Rejecting Chance to Choose BTO Flats","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"64 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the contributing factors leading to four in 10 HDB BTO flat applicants not choosing their flats when invited to do so; (b) what operational impact does such a rejection rate have on HDB; and (c) what steps it intends to take in this regard.
Mr Desmond Lee: From the Housing and Development Board (HDB)'s past sales launches, about four in 10 applicants who were invited to book a flat under a Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise did not do so. Such applicants cited reasons such as their preferred units not being available, wanting to apply for flats in other sales exercises, or having decided to purchase a resale flat instead.
While some of these applicants may have genuine reasons for non-selection, they do crowd out others with more pressing housing needs. HDB also has to expend resources to process their flat applications and to prepare the non-selected flats for future sales exercises.
HDB therefore encourages all flat applicants to select a flat when they have the chance to do so. Those who choose not to book a flat will be issued a non-selection count. First-timer families who accumulate two non-selection counts will have their subsequent flat applications moved to the second-timer category for a year. Second-timer families who accumulate two non-selection counts will not be able to participate in subsequent sales exercises for a year.
Additionally, first-timer families who have been unsuccessful in two or more attempts for a BTO flat in the non-mature estates (NMEs) receive an additional ballot chance for each subsequent NME BTO application. Virtually all first-timer families who apply for NME BTO flats are successful within their first three tries. However, the count of unsuccessful NME BTO applications will be reset to zero if a first-timer family chooses not to book a flat when offered a chance to do so.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Beneficiaries and Targeted Competencies under Talent and Leaders in Finance Programme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"65 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Prime Minister under the Financial Services Industry Transformation Map 2025, involving $400 million in grant funding to the Talent and Leaders in Finance programme over 2021 to 2025 (a) who are the beneficiaries under this programme; (b) what are the targeted competencies which will be built under the programme; and (c) how will these competencies help Singaporeans to gain a larger share of the senior finance jobs in the future.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): The Talent and Leaders in Finance (TLF) programme aims to help Singaporeans working in or looking to join the financial services sector take on deep specialist or senior leadership roles in the sector. It will also benefit the financial services sector in Singapore by adding to the skills, expertise and global networks of our local workforce.
The programme will support our finance professionals at each stage in their careers. It will help them adapt to a changing financial services sector and take up opportunities in new growth areas.
At the entry level, TLF will focus on ensuring our polytechnic and university students are well-equipped with the needed skills. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is working with financial institutions and institutes of higher learning to structure internships with clearly defined goals to acquire skills and to update course curriculum so our students are equipped with in-demand skills. The programme will also co-fund job rotation schemes that provide training and mentorship for new entrants joining financial institutions.
At the mid-career level, TLF will provide opportunities for finance professionals to reskill and upskill themselves, so as to help them respond to the fast-changing demands of their roles. These include subsidised course fees and career conversion programmes, and defraying expenses so as to encourage financial institutions to send their employees on overseas stints.
Importantly, the programme will help develop Singaporean specialists in the two key growth areas of technology and sustainability. MAS is working closely with the industry to identify talent needs in these areas and develop relevant training programmes.
In the technology sphere, the Institute of Banking and Finance and MAS studied the impact of data analytics and automation on job roles in the financial sector. They then used this information to launch career conversion programmes that enable existing professionals to acquire skills for new job roles. More than 4,400 individuals in consumer banking, operations and insurance roles have been trained or are undergoing training and more than 2,100 individuals from this group have successfully taken on new job roles. The Technology in Finance Immersion Programme (TFIP) has helped 600 workers with no prior work experience in the areas offered under the programme, acquire skills to start a career in fields such as software engineering, data analytics and agile IT project management.
Sustainability is an emerging field in the financial services sector, with high demand for talent and skills. In close consultation with industry, MAS has developed the Sustainable Finance Technical Skills and Competencies (TSCs), which define the standards of proficiency and knowledge that workers need to perform various job roles in sustainable finance. Training providers and financial institutions can use these TSCs to develop relevant training programmes.
Finally, leadership development is an important area of focus for TLF. As Singapore grows in stature as a leading global financial centre, it is attracting more regional and global functions, and consequently leadership positions being based here. The recently announced ONE Pass programme is thus important, as it helps us attract high-quality global talent that can take on some of these leadership roles and help anchor these regional and global functions here, to create good jobs and value-added growth. At the same time, within the limited size of our local talent pool, we must groom and develop as many Singaporeans as possible so they have a strong chance to take on these senior leadership roles that we are creating and anchoring here.
As many of our financial institutions serve the region using Singapore as a base, having deep knowledge of the region’s operating environment is critical for taking on senior leadership roles. MAS will provide funding support for financial institutions to develop more high-potential Singaporeans to grow their leadership capabilities through overseas postings and other development programmes. This will help them take on global and regional leadership roles. MAS is also stepping up its efforts to foster a strong network of Singaporean leaders in finance and enable a community of leaders to mentor our next generation leaders.
We have seen some success. MAS estimates that more than 3,500 Singapore Citizens held senior roles in the financial sector in 2021, more than double compared to 2016.
MAS will continue to work with financial institutions and tripartite partners to review and enhance the programme, upskill Singaporeans and better equip them to take on senior roles in finance and grow Singapore’s status as one of the world’s leading financial centres.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Wait Times from Application to Offer of BTO Flats and Applicants' Rejection Rate","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"66 Ms Janet Ang asked the Minister for National Development (a) in the past 20 years, what is the (i) average and (ii) longest wait times for HDB BTO flats from the point of submitted application to when the first flat was offered and accepted; and (b) what percentage of these applicants were offered flats but did not eventually take up the offers.
Mr Desmond Lee: As flat applicants might not apply in consecutive Build-To-Order (BTO) exercises, it may not be meaningful to track the average and longest wait time between applicants’ first flat application and when they book a flat. Furthermore, not all applicants who have the opportunity to book a flat proceed to do so. From past sale launches, about four in 10 applicants did not book a flat when invited to do so.
As such, we monitor the average number of attempts for applicants to secure a BTO flat, which was less than two times over the last five years.
We are committed to help Singaporeans own their first home. From the recent August 2022 BTO exercise, HDB has increased the first-timer BTO allocation quotas for flats in Non-Mature Estates (NMEs) to give first-timer applicants greater certainty in securing an NME flat. At least 85% of the 3-room and 95% of 4-room and larger BTO flat supplies are now set aside for first-timer families, an increase from 70% and 85%, respectively. At least 95% of BTO flat supply in the Mature Estates (MEs) continue to be set aside for first-timer families. HDB has also been ramping up the supply of BTO flats and will launch up to 23,000 flats per year in 2022 and 2023. This is a significant increase of 35% from the 17,000 flats launched in 2021. We are also prepared to launch up to 100,000 flats in total from 2021 to 2025, if needed.
We will continue to closely monitor public housing demand and supply, so that we can meet the housing needs of Singaporeans, especially those buying their first home.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Childcare and Infant Care Providers and Vacancies in Bukit Panjang","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"68 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) for childcare and infant care places in Bukit Panjang Town with a breakdown by anchor and private operators respectively, what is the current (i) number for infant care and childcare places that are available (ii) enrolment rate for such places and (iii) average waiting time for enrolment; and (b) what is the expected number of new infant care and childcare places in Bukit Panjang Town by 2023.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Over the past five years, infant and childcare places in Bukit Panjang have increased by 70% and 60% respectively. These growth rates are notably higher than the 50% increase in infant care places and 30% increase in childcare places nationally over the same period. We will continue to increase capacity where needed, to meet demand for preschool, especially in estates with new HDB developments, which tend to have many young families.
As of July 2022, there are 300 infant care places and 5,400 childcare places licensed for operation in the Bukit Panjang planning area. Over 80% of these places are offered by Anchor Operator and Partner Operator preschools as well as MOE Kindergartens. About 250 or 80% infant care places and 3,800 or 70% childcare places have children enrolled. About 12 preschools in Bukit Panjang have immediate vacancies, while another 13 are expected to have vacancies within a year.
Parents who registered interest for a preschool place in Bukit Panjang on ECDA's Preschool Search Portal experience waiting times ranging from a few weeks to a few months. Parents may have to wait longer if they prefer to send their children to specific centres.
By 2023, ECDA will develop another 30 infant care and 190 childcare places in Bukit Panjang. These places will be built in tandem with the new Build-To-Order (BTO) housing development and will be run by Anchor Operators. This does not include additional places developed by other non-Government supported preschool operators.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Singaporeans Registered as being in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"69 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how many Singaporeans are registered as being in (i) Armenia (ii) Azerbaijan (iii) Kyrgyzstan and (iv) Tajikistan respectively; and (b) whether the Ministry is in touch with the respective Singaporeans.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: On part (a) of the question, as of 2 October 2022, the number of Singaporeans that have registered with MFA in the stated countries are as follows. For:
Armenia: four;
Azerbaijan: one;
Kyrgyz Republic: one; and
Tajikistan: one.
MFA reaches out to them to offer consular advice and assistance when there is an emergency or crisis.
MFA strongly encourages Singaporeans who travel or reside overseas to e-register on the MFA website.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Support for Social Service Agencies to Provide More Suicide Prevention Support","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"70 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Social and Family Development what are the current efforts by the Ministry to support social service agencies to provide more suicide prevention support, particularly to the higher risk groups such as men and specifically Indian men who have a disproportionately higher rate of suicide than other demographic groups.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: There are more suicide deaths among men than women and international literature generally suggests that this could be due to the lower likelihood of help-seeking among men due to stigma and gender stereotypes.
Nevertheless, the reasons for suicides are often complex and multi-dimensional. To prevent suicides, the Government works with community partners to build mental resilience, encourage help-seeking and early identification, provide support to at-risk groups and offer crisis support.
The Government supports Social Service Agencies (SSAs) in suicide prevention by providing them with funding and training to support at-risk groups and those in crisis. For example, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) recently funded the capacity expansion of Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) to provide more timely assistance to callers and supported SOS to introduce a text messaging service for individuals in distress. The Institute of Mental Health also partnered President’s Challenge to develop a pilot curriculum that can better prepare SSAs to support youths with mental health needs and provide a continuum of care.
Early identification and encouraging help-seeking are vital. NCSS and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) provide training to equip frontline officers, caregivers and social service professionals to identify individuals in distress and reduce immediate risk of suicide. To address stigma and encourage help-seeking, NCSS works with community partners to develop targeted strategies for different population groups through the \"Beyond the Label\" (BTL) movement. NCSS plans to work with specific community groups that have outreach into different communities, to provide interventions that will address the unique nature of stigma in those communities.
We will continue to strengthen our support for SSAs to better assist individuals, including those from higher risk groups, who are at risk of suicide. We also encourage everyone to continue looking out for one another.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Maintenance Order Amounts and Reasons for Breakdown in Relations Recorded by Commissioner for Maintenance","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"71 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the top three most common factors that exacerbate a breakdown in relations which see parents seeking help for conciliation at the office of the Commissioner for Maintenance; (b) whether these factors differ for parents applying for maintenance orders and, if so, what is the difference; and (c) under the terms of the maintenance orders that are issued, what is the (i) average amount of payout for orders issued since 2021 and (ii) current average duration for the payouts.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Under the Maintenance of Parents Act, maintenance can be awarded to a parent when the parent is unable to maintain himself, the child is able to afford it and where it is just and equitable for the child to maintain the parent. The Tribunal may also dismiss the application or reduce the quantum if it is satisfied that the parent had abused, neglected or abandoned the child.
Parents are required to attend conciliation at the Office of the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents (CMP) before they can file for a maintenance order against their children. In their applications, applicants are not required to share the reasons for their breakdown in relationships with the children. From CMP's experience, poor familial relations are often caused by a myriad of interwoven factors.
In 2021, the Tribunal received 29 applications, of which 19 were granted a maintenance order. It is not very meaningful to evaluate the maintenance orders by the quantum awarded, as the amount depends on what is requested, the adult child’s means to pay and also the particular circumstances of the case. Nevertheless, the average amount of maintenance was about $400 per month. Unless rescinded by the Tribunal, a maintenance order typically expires upon the death of the parent or the child.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Review of Water Conservation Tax Structure for Potable Water Usage","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"72 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the rationale for there being only two water conservation tax rates for potable water usage; (b) why is 40 cubic metres set as the threshold between the two tax rates; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider conducting trials on introducing a more progressive, multi-tiered volumetric water conservation tax.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The Water Conservation Tax, or WCT, serves to encourage every individual and business to play a role in conserving our precious water resources.
The WCT has a two-tier rate structure with the first 40 cubic metres of water drawn per month attracting the basic rate and the volume above 40 cubic metres at a higher rate to discourage consumption. This structure has been implemented since 2000, with the lower-tier WCT covering the majority of households. WCT has an effect of conserving water over time. We have seen an increasing proportion of households that consume less than 40 cubic metres of water per month since then. Today, 96% of households pay only the lower-tier WCT rate.
We price water to reflect its scarcity value. We do not see the need to introduce more tiers. For lower income households, the Government provides targeted assistance for their utility bills through GST U-Save rebates and vouchers.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Sustainability Criteria Applied to Infrastructure Projects under Singapore Green Bond Framework","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"73 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance with regard to the first issue under the Singapore Green Bond Framework (a) how will concerns be addressed about using proceeds to fund expenditures of the Cross Island Line, given the environmental issues raised about the construction of the line; and (b) what are the specific rigorous sustainability criteria applied to be considered \"eligible green expenditures\" to ensure that the projects funded remain true to their green credentials.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Prior to embarking on any development project, the Government undertakes a thorough review of the project's potential impact on various factors including the environment, traffic, public health and heritage, before a decision is made to proceed. The Government works closely with various stakeholders such as nature groups and other agencies to mitigate potential risks and impacts. This is undertaken regardless of whether the project is financed by bond issuance under the Singapore Green Bond Framework.
The planning process for the Cross Island Line follows this approach. The impact of the Cross Island Line on the environment has been addressed previously in this House. Environmental Impact Assessments have been shared with the public and will continue to be shared when such studies are conducted for the Cross Island Line. Agencies will study views gathered during the feedback period and incorporate further measures where possible to mitigate potential environmental impact.
The Singapore Green Bond Framework sets out additional requirements for projects financed using green bonds issued by the Government, guided by market best practices. This includes specific and stringent eligibility criteria for green projects. For instance, the Cross Island Line qualifies as a green project under the \"Clean Transportation\" category as it is an electric rail line with zero direct emissions.
Our Green Bond Framework was independently assessed by an external reviewer to be credible, impactful and aligned with international standards. The framework and external reviewer’s report can be readily found on the Ministry of Finance (MOF)'s website. The strong investor demand received during the inaugural Singapore sovereign green bond issuance also affirmed the market’s confidence in our framework and the green credentials of our projects, including the Cross Island Line. To provide transparency to investors and the public, the Government will publish annual reports on the allocation and impact of the green bonds, in accordance with the framework.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Progress of Scale-up of National Recycling Programme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"74 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there is an update on the progress and plans to scale up the National Recycling Programme; (b) whether the frequency for collection of recycling bins at HDB estates can be increased to more than three times weekly; (c) whether the Recycle Right Campaign launched in 2019 has been effective; and (d) what are the ways that proper use of recycling bins by the public can be further improved.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The Ministry's approach to improving household recycling is to make recycling more convenient for everyone and to encourage households to recycle right. All Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks, all private landed properties, as well as condominiums/ private apartments that opt in to the National Recycling Programme (NRP), have been provided with blue recycling bins by the Public Waste Collectors (PWCs). Since 2014, all new HDB blocks have also been fitted with recycling chutes.
To complement the NRP, recycling bins have been deployed beside litter bins in non-residential public areas such as traffic junctions, near MRT station exits and selected areas in the Central Business District. New initiatives, such as the e-waste Extended Producer Responsibility scheme and the proposed beverage container return scheme, complement the NRP by providing avenues for households to recycle e-waste and beverage containers as dedicated waste streams. We will continue to track the progress of the NRP and review it from time to time.
We continue to face challenges such as contamination of the recyclables collected, when items containing food or liquid waste are disposed of in recycling bins. Non-recyclable items such as soft toys and clothing are also mistakenly placed in recycling bins.
To improve household recycling behaviour, the National Environment Agency (NEA) launched the inaugural Recycle Right Campaign in 2019. In January 2022, NEA introduced a new recycling mascot, Bloobin, as well as educational and user-friendly content to encourage the community to cultivate right recycling habits. A search engine has also been developed to help residents search for and identify items that can be recycled (www.go.gov.sg/recycleright). From the recycling data collected, there has been a decrease in the contamination rates since the campaign launched in January 2022.
Since April 2020, the frequency of recyclables collection for the 660-litre recycling bins at HDB estates has been raised to at least three times weekly, to keep pace with the recycling rate. Side-loading recycling bins with three times the usual capacity have also been introduced in estates where space allows, with a collection frequency of once a week due to its larger capacity. We are working with the PWCs to deploy more resources to collect recyclables from locations with a higher recycling rate.
Recycling, which is an integral part of our efforts to develop a truly circular economy, is a whole-of-nation effort. To support the community to increase the domestic recycling rate, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) and NEA have collaborated with the Singapore Institute of Technology to design a compact recycling container for households to better collect and sort recyclables at home. More details on the distribution of the recycling containers will be announced when ready. I encourage everyone to tap on this initiative and to recycle right.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Employment Pass Applications by Family Offices in Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"75 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Manpower (a) since the time that family offices are allowed to set up in Singapore, how many applicants of employment passes who seek to work in family offices in Singapore are declined; (b) of these, how many of them are immediate members of the owner of the family office; (c) what are the reasons for the rejection; and (d) whether they will be considered under the new Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass scheme.
Dr Tan See Leng: Based on the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)'s estimates, there are about 700 Single Family Offices (SFOs) in Singapore as at end-2021.
Employment Pass (EP) applications from SFOs are handled in the same way as other EP applications. EP applications from SFOs are also rejected for reasons similar to other EP applications. These include the inability to meet the salary criteria as well as the inability to pass the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s verification checks on the profile of the applicant and hiring company.
The Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass is open to top talent across all sectors. Applicants will need to earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 within the last year or with their future employer based in Singapore. In addition to meeting the salary criteria, overseas candidates will also need to demonstrate that they have been working for an established company overseas for at least one year or will be working for an established company in Singapore. For a company to be considered established, it must have a market capitalisation of at least US$500 million or an annual revenue of US$200 million.
Applicants from SFOs can apply for ONE Pass if they are able to meet the above criteria. If not, they can continue to apply for other work passes.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Guidelines for Cruise Ship Industry's Practice of Overbooking","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"76 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Government will consider regulating or introducing guidelines for the practice of overbooking by cruises operators for the protection of consumers.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Overbooking is a common practice in the global cruise industry. Cruise operators allow some bookings above their capacity in anticipation of cancellations and no shows. This allows cruise operators to make more sailing date options available for consumers, avoiding situations where fully booked sailings are not available for sale and yet there are empty cabins due to cancellations or no-shows. In addition, if cruise operators are not able to balance the impact of cancellations and no-shows on their revenue through overbooking, this may result in higher cruise fares to account for the revenue loss.
Importantly, when consumers are affected, it is the duty of cruise operators to offer adequate compensation or reschedule the bookings.
So far, all affected passengers in Singapore have been compensated by cruise operators. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will continue to engage cruise lines to ensure that this practice is carried out responsibly and the high standards of cruise experiences from Singapore is maintained.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Practice of Allocating by Ethnic Group Public Holidays for Gazetting","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"77 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the current approach to gazetting public holidays retains the historical colonial-era practice of allocating two holidays per ethnic group; (b) if not, what considerations led to the abandonment of this principle; and (c) if so, whether the Government can explain the current mapping of holidays by ethnic group.
Dr Tan See Leng: The current configuration of public holidays in Singapore has been in place since 1968. At the time, faced with the British withdrawal and the need to compete in global markets, the Government decided to reduce the number of public holidays.
The Government conducted consultations with the various religious groups and reached a consensus on which religious festival should be gazetted as a public holiday. Difficult compromises were made as religious groups had to give up observing some of their significant festivals as public holidays. Muslims chose to give up Prophet Muhammad's Birthday as well as an extra day for Hari Raya Puasa. Christians chose to give up the Saturday after Good Friday and Easter Monday. Hindus had to choose between Thaipusam and Deepavali, and chose the latter. Buddhists, who comprised the largest faith and had only one public holiday to begin with, Vesak Day, were not asked to give it up.
Our calendar of public holidays thus reflects the outcome of these consultations with religious groups. Maintaining this balance has served us well and it continues to be the sensible approach.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Average Number of New Citizens and PRs Enlisted for Full-time National Service","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"78 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Defence of the 20% of enlisted National Servicemen consisting of new citizens by registration and permanent residents (PRs), what is the current average number of new citizens and PRs enlisted respectively for full-time National Service.
Dr Ng Eng Hen: In 2021, about 2,500 citizens by registration and 2,000 Permanent Residents (PRs) enlisted for full-time National Service.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Traffic Mitigation Efforts with Moving-in of Residents at New Mass Condominium in Tampines","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"80 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Transport in view of the upcoming grant of Temporary Occupation Permit for the 2,203-unit condominium Treasure at Tampines along Tampines Street 11 (a) what is the expected impact on road users' and motorists' experience; (b) whether LTA finds the developer's plans to mitigate traffic congestion sufficient; and (c) what is the approach taken by LTA to ensure that the needs of existing and new residents are balanced for such large-scale residential projects.
Mr S Iswaran: For all new major developments, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) requires the developer to conduct a Transport Impact Assessment (TIA), including the need for any additional infrastructural improvements or mitigation measures. In this case, the developer of Treasure at Tampines has conducted a TIA and will be implementing several measures to enhance the active mobility and public transport experience, and facilitate smooth traffic flow in the vicinity.
Treasure at Tampines is located within a 10-minute walk to Simei MRT Station. It is also served by feeder bus service 292 that connects residents to main transport nodes such as MRT stations along the Tampines East-West Line and Downtown Line, and the Tampines Bus Interchange, as well as key amenities such as Our Tampines Hub. To further enhance the Walk-Cycle-Ride (WCR) experience, the developer will provide more footpaths, covered linkways, a new cycling path and replace the existing bus stop with a larger one to accommodate the expected increase in commuters.
To meet the expected increase in vehicular traffic, the developer is also constructing a new public road, Tampines Lane, which will directly link Tampines Street 11 to the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) slip road. This new road will help ensure that motorists who wish to access PIE do not add on to the traffic volume on Tampines Street 11 and the junction of Tampines Avenue 1/2/5. In fact, the new road will also benefit other residents along Tampines Street 11 to access PIE more directly.
The developer will also carry out improvement works to the junctions of Tampines Avenue 2 with Tampines Street 11 and Tampines Avenue 1/2/5. Construction works for these improvements are ongoing and will be completed in tandem with the development.
Based on these WCR and road improvement plans informed by the TIA, LTA's assessment is that traffic in the vicinity would be manageable. LTA will work with the developer to conduct a follow-up transport study after the completion of the development to determine if further improvements are needed.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Lessons from Recent URA Public Engagement Exercise for Government's Long-term Land Use Review","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"81 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the key takeaways gleaned from the public after the Space for Our Dreams exhibition undertaken by URA; and (b) how will these be considered as part of the next steps in the process for the Long-Term Plan Review to chart Singapore’s future.
Mr Desmond Lee: As part of the Long-Term Plan Review, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) reached out to more than 15,000 people over a one-year period. Many Singaporeans shared their aspirations and hopes for Singapore's future, which helped shape our long-term land use strategies and plans.
These were encapsulated in the Space for Our Dreams exhibition at The URA Centre and roving exhibitions in the heartlands from June to August this year. Close to 50,000 people visited these exhibitions.
The positive response to the public exhibition reaffirmed our shared aspirations for a good quality living environment – one with diverse home typologies to meet different needs and aspirations, located in inclusive, well-connected and future-ready towns. Singaporeans also want to create distinctive spaces that convey a sense of identity, steward our natural capital and develop in a sustainable and resilient manner that will provide options and flexibility for future generations.
We will translate the long-term planning strategies into the next Draft Master Plan to guide development for the next 10 to 15 years and continue to work closely with the public in the process.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Audits to Improve Road Safety","subTitle":"Recommended adoption of International Road Assessment Programme","sectionType":"WANA","content":"82 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry will consider engaging the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to conduct periodic audits with the view to improving local road safety; and (b) if so, how often does the Ministry intend for the audits to be done and how will the Ministry assess the suitability of iRAP’s recommendations for implementation.
Mr S Iswaran: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Traffic Police (TP) take a comprehensive approach to road safety, from the planning and construction of roads, the conduct of regular road safety audits, to the development and enforcement of driver and vehicle safety standards. For instance, for new road infrastructure, LTA requires the contractor to submit reports demonstrating that safety requirements can be met throughout the project's lifecycle. These reports are reviewed by an independent, professional safety team that considers key components such as the contractor's ability to mitigate safety hazards prior to public exposure. LTA also monitors the existing network and traffic data closely, and uses the information to conduct annual road safety audits. Adjustments are then made to specific roads where necessary.
Beyond that, the Government works to increase the overall safety level of our roads. LTA has been progressively implementing various road safety enhancement initiatives, such as Silver Zones and School Zones, and Red-Amber-Green arrows that have resulted in fewer accidents.
Apart from infrastructure enhancements, driving behaviour is also critical to road safety. TP's training and licensing regime ensures that all drivers are trained to drive safely before they can be licensed to drive on our roads. TP also actively enforces against errant road users. The Singapore Road Safety Council regularly conducts public education campaigns to promote good road safety habits.
Traffic accident rates on our roads have improved over the past decade. In 2010, the fatality rate was 3.80 per 100,000 population. This decreased to 2.07 per 100,000 population in 2019. In 2021, the rate was 1.96 per 100,000 population, but this could partly be due to lower traffic volume arising from the pandemic. While the overall trend is encouraging, our agencies are closely monitoring this and will continue to study ways to improve road safety in a holistic manner.
Agencies have assessed that there is no need at present to engage the International Road Assessment Programme to conduct safety audits.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Pegging Affordability of HDB Flats to Median Household Incomes or Other Income Indicators","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"84 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development given that salaries within the 30th percentile and below are significantly less compared to the median percentile on the salary scale (a) whether affordability of HDB flats should be pegged to (i) median household incomes or (ii) other income or wealth indicators instead; and (b) if so, what will these be.
Mr Desmond Lee: Member Mr Yip Hon Weng's question on public housing affordability will be answered during the Parliamentary Sitting on 4 October, together with other Parliamentary Questions on public housing affordability. [Please refer to \"Affordability of Rising Public Housing Prices and Impact of Prices on Marriage and Fertility Rates\", Official Report, 04 October 2022, Vol 95, Issue 70, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Peak Ridership Levels of Public Buses and Moves to Rationalise Services","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"86 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether public bus ridership at peak hours has recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels; and (b) if not, whether public bus services need to be rationalised to account for the post-pandemic new normal.
Mr S Iswaran: Public bus ridership during peak hours has reached about 85% of pre-COVID-19 levels as of August 2022, up from about 75% at the end of March 2022 when safe management measures were relaxed. LTA has been monitoring demand on the public bus network closely and will work with bus operators to adjust bus capacity where necessary.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Donations Made to Rare Disease Fund and Alternative Fundraising Arrangements with Matching Donation Support for More Diseases","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"88 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the sum of donations received by the Rare Disease Fund (RDF) in 2021 and thus far in 2022; and (b) given that parents of children with rare diseases not presently covered by the RDF are resorting to online crowdfunding to raise funds, whether there can be consideration for plans to structure an alternative fundraising arrangement that will allow for a different ratio matching donation support for the funds that these parents are able to raise by themselves.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Rare Disease Fund (RDF) was established in 2019 to provide financial support to Singapore Citizens with rare genetic diseases who require high-cost treatments on a lifelong basis. As of 31 July 2022, the RDF has raised about $137.9 million from both public donations and the Government's three for one matching contributions since inception. This includes $37.9 million raised in FY2021 and $8.6 million raised in FY2022 as of 31 July 2022.
However, RDF does not accept donations that are earmarked for specific individuals. This is to be fair to all patients. The RDF Committee in turn has the difficult task to decide on which patient to support, after assessing their medical conditions, the effectiveness and cost of the treatment, and funds available.
As patients with rare diseases often require high-cost medicines on a lifelong basis. Let me take this opportunity to encourage Members and the public to support the RDF with their donations so that we can cover more conditions. Donations attract three for one Government matching and enjoy tax deduction of 2.5 times the donation amount.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Improvement and Maintenance of Mountain Biking Trails","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"89 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for National Development (a) how often are the mountain biking trails such as those at Bukit Timah, Mandai T15, Chestnut South and North maintained; (b) whether additional resources can be provided to improve the drainage and maintenance of the mountain biking trails; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider expanding the number of mountain biking trails in Singapore.
Mr Desmond Lee: The National Parks Board (NParks) manages over 28 kilometres of mountain biking trails in our nature parks and areas, such as at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Chestnut Nature Park and Pulau Ubin.
As part of our maintenance regime, each trail is inspected once every three months. In between scheduled inspections, we will conduct additional inspections, if there are prolonged periods of heavy rainfall or reports of trail-related issues. Following each inspection, NParks will carry out repair works as necessary. Through regular maintenance, NParks keeps our trails in good condition for the safety of mountain bikers, while preventing damage to the surrounding environment.
Given that most mountain biking trails are situated in our nature parks, constructing more of such trails could have an adverse impact on our natural habitats, including our flora and fauna. We will continue to carefully balance our nature conservation efforts with the needs of the mountain biking community.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Safe Riding Habits for Students Using Active Mobility Devices to Get to School","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"90 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport how does the Ministry work with schools to promote safe riding among students who use active mobility devices like bicycles as a mode of transport when going to school and riding through congested or residential areas.
Mr S Iswaran: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) partners schools in promoting safe riding practices amongst students.
For example, LTA offers school assembly talks to share with students how they can use active mobility devices safely and graciously. Schools that are interested can also sign up for the Confidence on Wheels programme to help students understand active mobility rules. The programme incorporates a practical component with students riding through a circuit. Since its launch in December 2021, LTA has conducted over 40 sessions at schools. As part of the outreach effort, LTA also shares a safe riding toolkit with educators in student care centres and primary schools, who help to nurture a safe path-sharing culture among their young charges.
LTA also collaborates with partners such as the Singapore Kindness Movement and the Municipal Services Office to incorporate safe riding and path-sharing content into their student outreach initiatives.
We will continue with such public education efforts to build a safe and gracious path-sharing culture, beginning with young school-going children. We encourage interested schools to get in touch with LTA to explore such collaborations.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Use of Grassroots Organisation Scheme in Obtaining BTO Flats and Executive Condominiums","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"91 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what is the number of People's Association grassroots leaders who benefited from the MND Grassroots Organisation Scheme when obtaining their (i) HDB BTO flats and (ii) Executive Condominiums (EC) in each of the last five years; and (b) what is the total number of HDB BTO flats and ECs launched in each of the last five years which they were eligible to apply for.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Under the MND Grassroots Organisation (GRO) Scheme, eligible grassroots leaders (GRLs) can apply for HDB BTO flats and ECs in constituencies within the Town Council boundary they serve in. GRLs are eligible after performing three years of continuous and active service at their GROs.
In the last five years, about 87,000 homes were launched for public sale. An average of 42 GRLs obtained their flats under the scheme each year.
As explained to this House in previous Sitting of Parliament, the number of GRLs who have obtained their flats under this scheme in each year accounts for approximately 0.1% of all GRLs.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Remuneration Disclosures for Statutory Boards and Government-linked Firms","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"92 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Prime Minister considering the Singapore Exchange Regulation and Corporate Governance Advisory Committee's recommendations for remuneration disclosure of directors and CEOs to be made mandatory (a) whether the Ministry will consider mandating remuneration disclosures for Statutory Boards and Government companies such as entities listed in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution; and (b) if not, why not.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): The Corporate Governance Advisory Committee (CGAC) has recommended that SGX considers making CEO and Board Director remuneration disclosures mandatory for listed companies. This recommendation was made as members of the public who are shareholders in these companies will have an interest in knowing the remuneration of the CEO and Board Director to assess if the pay is commensurate with business performance.
Statutory Boards are set up by the Government and are governed by the Public Sector (Governance) Act. The remuneration of Statutory Board CEO and officers are subject to oversight of the supervising Ministry as well as the Public Service Division.
Board Directors who serve on Statutory Boards receive an annual allowance commensurate with the size and complexity of the organisation. The allowance quanta are centrally determined by the Public Service Division.
As for the Fifth Schedule entities which are not statutory boards (namely, GIC and Temasek), the Government, as shareholder, holds their boards accountable for instilling good corporate governance practices, including remuneration.
GIC and Temasek currently disclose information on their compensation approaches in their annual reports. Both GIC and Temasek adopt remuneration frameworks that are based on performance and industry benchmarks to ensure that they can attract and retain talent. These frameworks tie a portion of remuneration to long-term performance, including for senior management, which reinforces prudent risk taking.
Together, these measures and safeguards remain effective in ensuring that Statutory Boards and Government companies put in place proper governance systems, are held accountable and continue to deliver services for the benefit of all Singaporeans.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Sufficiency of Exchange Rate, Fiscal and Macroprudential Measures to Contain Rising Cost of Living","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"1 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Prime Minister (a) what is the Government's assessment on the sufficiency of our exchange rate, and fiscal and macroprudential measures to contain the rising cost of living for Singaporeans; and (b) what other tools remain for us to deploy should the rise in inflation and interest rates continue unabated.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): The Government's approach to addressing inflation and its effects on households has been multi-pronged. Tighter monetary policy has dampened imported inflation, while targeted fiscal and credit support have assisted vulnerable Singaporeans to cope with the rise in the cost of living and attendant cash flow pressures.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) estimates that its monetary policy moves since October 2021 will restrain core inflation by an average of 1.2 percentage points each year over 2022 to 2023. In other words, had MAS not adjusted monetary policy, core inflation would be on average 30% higher.
Given the sharp increase in global food and energy prices, it is not possible or judicious for monetary policy to completely offset their effects. Central banks in other countries will similarly not be able to completely offset this surge in global prices in the near term. The International Monetary Fund expects world inflation to reach 8.3% this year.
This is where the Government's fiscal support, to cushion the impact of inflation on middle- and lower-income families, comes in. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance had in July in Parliament highlighted the scale of the Government's support and addressed questions on the same.
Besides rising prices, rising interest rates also impact Singaporeans. Domestic interest rates are likely to increase further in tandem with global interest rates. This will affect borrowing costs for home purchases. As Members know, MAS and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) have just taken steps to prevent excessive borrowing for home purchases.
There is considerable uncertainty over global economic and financial developments. This affects countries all over the world, including Singapore. The Government and MAS will continue to deploy fiscal, monetary and macroprudential measures as appropriate, to ease inflationary pressures and help cushion the impact of rising prices on Singaporeans.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Registration or Licensing of Family Offices in Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"2 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Prime Minister with regard to the increase in the number of Family Offices (FO) being set up in Singapore (a) whether the Government will consider requiring the registration or licensing for all FOs, including Single Family Offices; and (b) whether the Government has data on the areas that FOs in Singapore typically invest in.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): Family offices can be either multi-family offices (MFOs) that manage third party assets of two or more families, or single family offices (SFOs) that manage assets belonging to only one family. MFOs are subject to licensing and regulation under the Securities and Futures Act (SFA), which provides safeguards to protect the interests of the different families served by the MFO. As SFOs manage the monies of a single family, they are not subject to licensing and regulation under the SFA. There are no plans to review the current licensing and regulatory approach for SFOs, which is also similar to that in other major jurisdictions.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) does not have comprehensive data on the areas that family offices in Singapore invest in. Investments typically span a globally diversified portfolio of assets including commodities, equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, insurance, structured products, private equity and venture capital.
There is also increasing interest from SFOs in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) -related investments, private equity and venture capital investments which supports local and regional startups, and philanthropic and impact investments in Singapore and the region. Local investments by SFOs in Singapore could also increase as more SFOs set up here.1
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : SFOs applying for the section 13O and 13U tax incentive schemes from April 2022 are required to allocate at least 10% or S$10 million of their assets (whichever is lower) to local investments. Local investments include equities listed on Singapore exchanges, funds distributed by Singapore financial institutions, private equity investments in unlisted Singapore-incorporated companies or qualifying debt securities."],"footNoteQuestions":["2"],"questionNo":"2"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Duties Due from Under-declaration of Imported Cars from 2011 to 2021","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"3 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance from 2011 to 2021 (a) what is the total amount of duties due from the under-declared value of cars imported into Singapore; and (b) whether the measures in preventing under declaration have improved and been effective.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Singapore Customs employ various measures to deter the under-declaration of the value of imported cars. These include the requirement for importers to provide supporting commercial documents so that suspicious transactions can be detected. Surprise audits and inspections on motor vehicle importers are conducted to verify the accuracy of declarations. Importers who are found to have under-declared the values of imported cars may be prosecuted.
Through these efforts, the excise duties due from the under-declared value of cars imported into Singapore has been kept low at $1.3 million over 2011 to 2021, which is less than 0.1% of the total excise duties collected by Singapore Customs for motor cars over the same period.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures against Insider Gifting of SGX-listed Shares and Unit Trusts to Approved Charities for Tax Deduction","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"4 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has in place procedures and policies to detect and deal with cases of insider gifting that involve gifts of public shares listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX), or of units in unit trusts traded in Singapore, to approved Institutions of Public Character by individuals who possess price sensitive information at the material times to obtain tax deductions.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has processes to review high-value donations, including donations of shares and unit trusts, before the tax deductions are applied. Where there is reason to believe that the arrangement leading to the donation was made for the purpose of tax avoidance, including cases involving insider gifting, IRAS will not hesitate to investigate and will work with the relevant agencies such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Where appropriate, IRAS will take action under section 33 of the Income Tax Act, which empowers the Comptroller to disregard or adjust the tax deduction claims and impose relevant tax surcharges against the donor.
In order to attain Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status, charities must have in place robust internal processes of transparency and accountability. This includes carrying out proper due diligence checks on their donors.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Tax Treatment of Full-time National Serviceman Allowances","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"5 Mr Leon Perera asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the number of full-time National Servicemen (NSF) whose parents qualify for tax relief stemming from child caretaking duties, such as the Qualifying Child Relief (QCR) or Working Mother Child Relief (WMCR) in the past five years; (b) what is the rationale behind the $4,000 annual income cap of the child under the QCR and WMCR; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider treating NSF allowances like other forms of allowances, such as transport and meal allowances for tax purposes.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Qualifying Child Relief (QCR) is given to taxpayers to recognise their efforts in supporting their children. The Working Mother's Child Relief (WMCR) is given to encourage women to continue working after their marriage and childbirth, and to encourage more births.
Given the objective, the child must be unmarried and financially dependent on the parent (that is, not earning any income), and meet the following criteria: (a) below 16 years old; or (b) studying full-time at any university, college, or other educational institution at any time in the year.
As a concession, like all other dependant tax reliefs1 (for example, Parent Relief), children who derive incidental income can qualify as a dependant if their income is not more than $4,000 a year.
The number of full-time National Servicement (NSFs )whose parent(s) had QCR and/or WMCR claims allowed in respect of them in the last five years is in Table 1.
NSFs receive an allowance to support their basic personal upkeep, including for transport and incidentals. Lodging, food, clothing and medical care are provided for by the Singapore Armed Forces as most NSFs stay in camp. Hence, they are not considered financially dependent. However, in line with the concession, if they receive a total NS allowance and income of less than $4,000 in a particular year (for example, because they were in National Service for only part of the year), they could qualify as a dependent for QCR and WMCR.
On the suggestion to treat NSF allowances like transport and meal allowances for tax purposes, this is already the case. NSF allowances, like fixed monthly transport and meal allowances, are considered income and subject to tax if the individual's chargeable income is $20,000 or more.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : with the exception of handicapped dependant tax reliefs (for example, Handicapped Sibling Relief)."],"footNoteQuestions":["5"],"questionNo":"5"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Total Profit Before Tax and Corporate Tax Paid by Companies from 2018 to 2022","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"6 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in each of the years from 2018 to 2022, what is the total profit before tax and corporate tax paid by companies with (i) up to $10,000 (ii) from $10,000 to $200,000 (iii) from $200,000 to $1 million (iv) from $1 million to $10 million (v) from $10 million to $100 million (vi) from $100 million to $1 billion and (vii) more than $1 billion, in profits respectively.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Table 1a shows the requested information for the total accounting profit before tax (PBT) by companies in the respective PBT brackets. The information is based on companies assessed by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) in each Year of Assessment (YA). Information for YA 2022 is not yet available.
Table 1b shows the total corporate income tax (CIT) paid by companies in the respective PBT brackets.
The Member may be asking for the above data to compute the effective tax rates (ETR) for companies. But to compute the ETR, we use the chargeable income before group relief, loss carry back, partial tax exemption and startup tax exemption, and not their accounting PBT. As mentioned before, the average ETR for SMEs (that is, companies with turnover of up to S$100 million) was 3.4% for YA 2010 and 2.8% for YA 2019. The average ETR for non-SMEs (that is, companies with turnover exceeding S$100 million) was about 8% to 10% over the same period.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Exemption of Amount Granted to National Servicemen under NS Excellence Award from Income Tax","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"7 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Defence (a) for each of the last five years, what is the amount granted to Operationally Ready National Servicemen under the NS Excellence Award (NSEA); (b) what is the amount of personal income tax clawed back from NSEA payments; and (c) whether such a reward for good performance can be tax-exempt, in line with NS recognition awards.
Dr Ng Eng Hen: The NS Excellence Award (NSEA) recognises excellent performance by Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) during In-Camp Training or National Service (NS) training courses. The table below shows the total amount awarded to NSmen under the NSEA from 2017 to 2021. The amounts were lower in 2020 and 2021 due to the scaling down of NSmen activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on our taxation policies, payments which are gifts from the Government to express appreciation for NSmen, such as the NS55 Recognition Package, are not taxable. Monetary incentives and awards tied to performance during NS such as the NSEA are taxable, as they are treated similarly to employment income. However, all NSmen are also eligible for a tax relief of between $1,500 and $5,000 each assessment year as a recognition of their service.
As the personal income tax payable by each individual varies depending on multiple factors including overall assessable income, personal reliefs including NSmen relief and marginal income tax rate, we are unable to determine the amount of personal income tax paid by NSmen that is specific to the NSEA. However, in effect, only those who earn higher incomes are taxed for their NSEA.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Effect of US' \"Strategic Clarity\" over Taiwan on Regional Security and Stability","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"8 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs how will the United States' \"strategic clarity\" over Taiwan affect regional security and stability.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Taiwan is one of the most sensitive issues in the relationship between the US and China. No one wishes to go to war, but there is a real danger of an escalatory spiral of response and counter-response.
Stable US-China relations are vital for regional peace and prosperity. We welcome efforts by both countries to communicate directly with one another, such as the recent meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
The priority is for all sides to exercise restraint and de-escalate tensions. It is important for the US and China to maintain open channels of communication and work out a modus vivendi in order to move forward despite their differences. We hope that these engagements will reduce the risk of misunderstanding, mishap and accidents that would otherwise undermine regional stability.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Attracting Top Talent to Continue Representing Singapore in Diplomacy","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"9 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what is the Ministry doing to attract the top talent needed to continue representing Singapore in diplomacy at home and overseas.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The Foreign Service offers unique opportunities for our officers to represent Singapore on the global stage. Our Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) have to respond swiftly and astutely to emerging developments around the world that have consequential impact on Singapore's national interests and the well-being of Singaporeans.
Young FSOs are given opportunities to represent Singapore early in their careers through engagement with foreign counterparts at international conferences like the United Nations General Assembly and ASEAN meetings and postings to Overseas Missions. It is thus critical that we continue to recruit top talent to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) with the necessary attributes to operate in a complex, volatile global environment.
MFA continually reviews our career schemes to meet the challenges posed by the increased competition for talent. Foreign Service Officers are in demand in many other fields, including the private sector, because of their training, experience and versatility. We review our Foreign Service remuneration package regularly to ensure that we remain competitive.
We will continue to actively recruit top talent through our outreach programmes and internships conducted in MFA's Headquarters and at our Overseas Missions. Beyond tangible elements, it is the honour of representing our nation and sense of fulfilment that motivates all MFA officers.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Developing Responses to Expected Spike in Crimes from Increased Digital Activities and Transactions in Metaverse","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"10 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs what steps are being considered to develop responses to the widely expected spike in the number of crimes as more Singaporean residents engage in digital activities and transactions in the metaverse and the dollar value of such activities and transactions increase.
Mr K Shanmugam: Many activities and transactions that take place in the metaverse would be covered by existing laws. For example, the Penal Code criminalises various forms of cheating and theft of digital assets; and the Computer Misuse Act criminalises unauthorised access or modification of computer material. These laws apply to activities conducted online, and certain offences will continue to apply even if the perpetrators are based overseas.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) monitors developments in the online space closely and have updated our laws where necessary. For instance, the Protection from Harassment Act was amended in 2019 to enhance protection for victims of online harassment, such as through the criminalisation of doxxing. MHA is currently studying the developments in the metaverse and will take further steps as necessary to address novel harms.
Despite our best efforts to enhance our laws and enforcement capabilities, crimes in the online space will continue to be challenging to investigate and prosecute. Perpetrators may be situated overseas and our efforts to solve these cases will depend on the cooperation of overseas law enforcement agencies. Perpetrators may also adopt anonymous personas, making it difficult to identify them.
Given these challenges, we cannot rely on enforcement alone. MHA and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) will continue to work closely with industry stakeholders and online service providers to enhance the safety of online spaces. This will be complemented by public education efforts to inform users how they can participate in online activities safely and what they can do to protect themselves.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Cases of Resellers of Luxury Items Defrauding Buyers and Plans for Public Education and Regulation","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"11 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past three years, how many cases of resellers of luxury items defrauding buyers have been reported; (b) what are the Ministry's plans to educate the public; and (c) whether the Ministry has plans to regulate such businesses.
Mr K Shanmugam: It will be difficult to define a clear list of luxury items. The Police do not specifically track the number of cases involving resellers of luxury items defrauding buyers.
The Government's public education efforts on scams prevention is led by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS). The IMCS works with the private sector to educate the public on scams and the measures that they can take to protect themselves. For example, in view that e-commerce scams have been consistently among the top scam types, IMCS worked with e-commerce platforms to introduce the E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR), which educates consumers on what safety measures to look out for. These include measures to verify user authenticity and secured payment options. The TSR also assigns an overall safety rating to major e-commerce marketplaces in Singapore – namely, Amazon, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee, Carousell and Facebook Marketplace – based on the anti-scam measures they have in place.
Buyers need to verify the legitimacy of sellers, such as by checking the seller's track record and reviews, before making payment. If a deal appears too good to be true, it could possibly be a scam or a fraud.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Dark Web Crimes and Cryptocurrency-related Crimes in Past Two Years","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"12 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past two years, how many people who committed crimes via the dark web have been apprehended; (b) what are the three most common types of crimes committed; and (c) whether there is a trend whereby an increasing number of illegal activities are being abetted by cryptocurrency transactions.
Mr K Shanmugam: We do not track the number of crimes which are committed via the dark web.
The number of crimes that involved the transfer of cryptocurrency has increased over the last three years: from 94 cases in 2019 and 122 in 2020, to 498 in 2021. This is in line with the increasing usage of cryptocurrencies, but remains a small proportion of the total number of crimes. The majority of these crimes were cheating offences.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Claims Filed Annually at Small Claims Tribunals Since 2019","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"13 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Law since 2019 annually (a) how many claims are filed at the Small Claims Tribunals; and (b) of these, broken down by year, how many have (i) individuals as both claimant and respondent (ii) an individual claimant and a corporate or non-individual respondent (iii) a corporate or non-individual claimant and an individual respondent and (iv) entities of a corporate or non-individual nature as both claimant and respondent.
Mr K Shanmugam: Statistics on the number of claims filed with the Small Claims Tribunals since 2019, are as follows:
14 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Trade and Industry in light of the structural economic concerns, demographic pressures, continued zero-COVID-19 policies and intensifying major power competition that China faces, what are the steps being taken to (i) mitigate risks for Singapore Government-linked projects and investments in China and (ii) diversify and manage Singapore's economic exposure to China.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Singapore proactively diversifies our economic relations and industry development. We have strong economic ties with many countries and are party to many free trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This strategy allows us to mitigate cyclical and country-specific risks.
Within this context, Singapore has good economic relations with China, which is our largest trading partner, accounting for 14.2% of our merchandise trade in 2021 and our top investment destination, with 14.4% of Singapore's stock of direct investment abroad in 2020. China's strong growth over the years has benefited Singapore's and the world's economy.
Our government-to-government projects with China are doing well. For instance, the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative – New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has enhanced connectivity between Singapore and China, with cargo flows growing 30% year-on-year in the first half of 2022. Bilateral cooperation in the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park continues to expand, with recent investments in the biomedical sector, financial services and advanced manufacturing. These projects are underpinned by a strategic commitment on both sides and are less vulnerable to the vagaries of economic cycles.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Most In-demand Services at SME Centres and Key Metrics Used to Measure Success in Transforming SME Clients","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"15 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) from 2016 to date, what have been the most in-demand services at SME Centres; (b) what is the median duration that SME Centres spend engaging each SME client; (c) what are the key metrics that SME Centres use to measure their success in transforming the SME clients they advised; and (d) to what extent have these metrics been tracked.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The duration of SME Centres' engagement with their clients varies, depending on the nature and complexity of the assistance rendered. Most companies engage SME Centres for business advisory services, including on capability and business development, Government assistance, as well as safe management measures during the pandemic. On average, SME Centres conduct about 20,000 business advisory sessions annually.
SME Centres also work with relevant industry players to organise capability-building workshops on key areas such as productivity improvement, digitalisation, innovation and internationalisation. SME Centres conduct an average of 190 workshops, reaching out to more than 6,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) annually.
The indicators used to measure success depends on the types of assistance rendered. Simple consultations are tracked on an output basis, such as the number of SMEs that participated in capability workshops, whereas some cases involving more in-depth consultation and facilitation are tracked based on the project-specific outcomes.
For example, Asyura Paste, previously a home-based business, approached SME Centre@SMCCI (Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry) in 2018 for advice on internationalisation and productivity improvement. Given the focus areas of the project, outcome indicators such as sales volumes, sales channels and international presence are tracked. With guidance from the Business Advisors, Asyura Paste had significantly improved both its sales volume and channels. It had also built up a presence in China.
I encourage SMEs to leverage the comprehensive suite of assistance schemes available, including SME Centres, to kickstart their growth and transformation.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Plan to Train 1,000 Automotive Technicians to Maintain Electric Vehicles and Build Up Workshop Capabilities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"16 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Trade and Industry given the rise in the number of electric vehicles and the setting up of the Singapore Motor Workshop Association Training Academy in December 2020 (a) whether we are on plan to train the 1,000 automotive technicians in Singapore to maintain electric vehicles as initially projected; and (b) how many automotive workshops have tapped on schemes such as Enterprise Development Grant and Enterprise Financing Scheme administered by Enterprise Singapore to build new capabilities to maintain electric vehicles and charging systems.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: We understand from the Singapore Motor Workshop Association (SMWA) that their Training Academy has trained around 100 automotive technicians to maintain hybrid and electric vehicles (EV) since January 2021. SMWA shared that their courses have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions. However, alternative training providers in the same field are also increasingly available. SMWA is reviewing their plans on the number of automotive technicians to be trained.
More broadly, Government agencies such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) are also working with the Institutes of Higher Learning and the industry to facilitate the upskilling of the workforce in EV maintenance roles.
Between December 2020 and September 2022, 13 automotive workshops have been awarded the Enterprise Development Grant to build new capabilities to maintain EV and charging systems. No automotive workshops have tapped on the Enterprise Financing Scheme for this purpose.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Liquefied Natural Gas-Powered Commercial Ships Using Singapore Ports in Past Five Years","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"17 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Transport (a) for each year in the past five years, what percentage of commercial ships using our ports are powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG); and (b) what steps will the Ministry take to facilitate the shift towards use of LNG-powered ships.
Mr S Iswaran: Vessels that use low or zero carbon fuels in the Port of Singapore can apply for a 25% or 30% reduction in port dues respectively under the Green Port Programme (GPP). In 2020, 17 ocean-going vessels using LNG called at the Port of Singapore and enjoyed a 25% reduction in port dues. This figure rose to 24 in 2021.
Ocean-going vessels that qualify for port dues concessions under the GPP can enjoy an additional 10% port dues reduction if they are serviced by LNG-fuelled domestic harbour craft during their port stay. Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) incentivises the adoption of LNG-fuelled domestic harbour craft by providing a waiver of harbour craft port dues for a period of five years for such new builds. Today, we have six LNG-fuelled harbour craft in our port, which MPA has supported through co-funding.
Under the Green Ship Programme (GSP), Singapore-flagged ships capable of using LNG can enjoy a 75% reduction on the Initial Registration Fee and 50% rebate on the Annual Tonnage Tax.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Regulation of Home-based Private Dining Businesses to Safeguard Public Health","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"18 Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry tracks the number of home-based private dining businesses in Singapore; (b) if so, what is the current number; (c) whether the Singapore Food Agency expects the number of such businesses to increase in the future; (d) whether the Ministry sees a need to regulate such businesses as food retail establishments to safeguard public health; and (e) if not, what are the reasons.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Home-based private dining businesses are permitted to operate under the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)'s home-based business schemes, for residents living in HDB and private residential premises respectively.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) takes a risk-based approach in regulating food businesses. As home-based food businesses, including those offering private dining services, are small-scale and the associated food safety risks are low, SFA does not require them to be licensed. SFA also does not track the number of home-based private dining businesses in Singapore.
While there is no requirement to be licensed, all home-based food businesses, including home-based private dining businesses, are still subject to the regulations under the Environmental Public Health Act and the Sale of Food Act. They are required to ensure that the food they sell is prepared in a manner that is safe for human consumption.
While we do not expect the number of home-based private dining businesses to increase substantially, SFA will continue to monitor the industry and periodically review the regulatory requirements for home-based private dining businesses.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Percentage of Outcome-based Cleaning Contracts with Implementation of Progressive Wage Model for Cleaning Sector","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"19 Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in the implementation of Progressive Wage Model for the cleaning sector where outcome-based contracts are encouraged (a) whether the Ministry tracks the percentage of cleaning contracts in Singapore that are now outcome-based; and (b) if so, what is the percentage.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: To uplift wages and jobs in the cleaning industry, the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the cleaning sector has been implemented under the cleaning business licensing regime since September 2015. All licensed cleaning businesses are required to implement PWM.
The PWM works in conjunction with the other strategic initiatives under the Environmental Services Industry Transformation Map (ES ITM) to engage stakeholders and uplift the industry. Service buyers are encouraged to adopt outcome-based contracting when procuring cleaning services. This is done by adjusting procurement practices to focus on outcomes instead of deployed headcounts. This facilitates the adoption of technology, as well as optimisation of work processes and manpower deployment, thereby improving productivity.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has been working with industry partners such as the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners to promote the adoption of outcome-based contracting. As of 23 September 2022, the adoption rate of outcome-based contracting amongst large service buyers is about 40%.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Percentage of Hawker Centres with Centralised Dishwashing Services","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"20 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) for each year in the past five years, how many and what percentage of hawker centres have centralised dishwashing services; and (b) whether an update can be provided on the steps the Ministry will take to further increase the use of centralised dishwashing services.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Of the 111 hawker centres, 16 have implemented Centralised Dishwashing (CDW) services. These include all the eight Socially-Conscious Enterprise Hawker Centres, as well as eight hawker centres that have leveraged the Productive Hawker Centres (PHC) programme to adopt CDW services as well as other centre-level productivity solutions. Some stallholders at other hawker centres have also taken the initiative to adopt ad-hoc CDW services with their cleaning contractors as it helps to improve productivity.
Support from the Hawkers' Associations (HAs) and stallholders' buy-in are critical factors for the adoption of the PHC programme and CDW services. To support stallholders to adopt CDW services, the National Environment Agency (NEA) provides transitional subsidies under the PHC programme. For existing hawker centres, these include subsidising 70% of the CDW fees for the first two years, 50% for the third year and 30% for the fourth year. CDW services will also be implemented at all new hawker centres and subsidies of 50% and 30% of CDW fees are extended to stallholders for the first and second year respectively.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of Small Deposit Charge for Pre-packaged Beverages on Diners and Refund Mechanism for Dine-in Users","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"21 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment when the small deposit charge is applied to all metal and plastic containers for pre-packaged beverages in 2024 (a) how will this affect diners at coffeeshops and hawker centres; and (b) whether a different refund mechanism will be available for dine-in users.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: In designing the scheme, we will make it easy for consumers to understand, to enable each of us to play our part in building a circular economy. The National Environment Agency (NEA) will work with the future scheme operator to set up a network of conveniently located return points, such as reverse vending machines and over-the-counter return points, to enable consumers to easily claim their deposit refunds.
At food and beverage (F&B) premises, including coffeeshops and hawker centres, operators and stallholders have the flexibility to decide whether to collect the deposit and pass the beverage containers to their patrons. We recognise that in more casual settings, such as coffeeshops and hawker centres, shop owners would typically have their customers pay the deposit and take the beverage container.
Operators of F&B premises could consider setting up return points at their premises, which could be manual over-the-counter return points or automated reverse vending machines. Operators of return points would be paid handling fees to reimburse costs incurred.
We will continue to engage our stakeholders as we develop the scheme and work with the future scheme operator to prepare operators of F&B premises for the implementation of the scheme.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Local Supply of Live and Chilled Chicken","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"22 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether an update can be provided on the local supply of live and chilled chicken.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Singapore’s overall supply volume of chicken is stable. To date, there are 25 countries accredited to export chicken to Singapore. Food businesses and consumers can purchase chilled chicken from countries like Thailand and Australia, and frozen chicken from the United States and Brazil.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) continues to work with the industry to open up new sources of chicken. One of these new sources is Indonesia, which has been exporting frozen chicken to Singapore since July 2022. Businesses from Indonesia have also expressed interest to export live and chilled chicken to Singapore.
While the Government works to minimise the impact of supply disruptions, Singapore will continue to face disruptions in our food supply from time to time, due to external factors. We encourage businesses to review their business continuity plans and to diversify further. This helps the industry to spread out and reduce their risks of supply disruptions.
Households and individuals too can contribute to our food resilience by being flexible with our food and ingredient choices, and switching to alternative products or sources when necessary.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Root Causes of Increase in Rodent Infestations","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"23 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether there has been an increase in the number rodent infestations nationwide; and (b) if so, what are the root causes.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The National Environment Agency (NEA) carries out regular surveillance to identify areas with rat activity. The data is shared with other agencies and Town Councils for them to undertake targeted and sustained rodent control efforts. Based on NEA's surveillance, the average number of rat burrows detected in public areas in each two-month surveillance cycle for 2020 and 2021 were 4,300 and 3,900 respectively. With the resumption of social and economic activities, the number in 2022 is around 4,100 as of August 2022. This is lower than the pre-COVID-19 number of 4,740 in 2019.
Rats thrive when food, water and shelter are readily available. Factors contributing to rat infestation include poorly-managed bin centres and refuse chutes, left over feed for stray animals, improper disposal of food waste and poor housekeeping, all of which provide conducive conditions for rats to feed and nest.
All stakeholders including landowners, building management, food shop operators, supermarket operators and individuals must establish good housekeeping and refuse management practices. They should also conduct routine pest control checks and treatment to prevent rat infestation. Failure to do so can result in the creation of conditions favourable to the propagation or harbouring of vectors which will be subject to enforcement actions by NEA under the Control of Vectors and Pesticides Act and the Environmental Public Health Act.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Support for Self-employed School Canteen Stallholders to Manage Higher Costs of Ingredients and Utility Charges","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"24 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Education in light of the higher costs of food ingredients and utility charges in Singapore (a) what measures will be in place to support self-employed school canteen stallholders to manage these costs to sustain an adequate income for their livelihood, without them increasing the costs charged to students; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider a separate fixed utilities price plan for canteen stallholders through bulk negotiation among schools with SP Group or other electricity retailers to help these self-employed stallholders.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Schools monitor canteen food quality, food portions and prices based on guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education (MOE). Schools help to keep canteen food prices affordable and support school canteen stallholders by charging nominal rental rates for canteen stalls, ranging from $5 to $15 per month. Nevertheless, with inflation, we have to carefully strike a balance to ensure that canteen food meets the nutritional needs of our students, that prices are affordable for students and yet still provide a meaningful income for our school canteen stallholders.
From time to time, MOE provides guidelines to schools on the range of canteen food prices. Together with those guidelines, we also review the school meal subsidies for students from low-income families to ensure that they continue to be able to afford school canteen meals even as prices rise because of inflation.
Schools have been affected by rising utility charges and MOE continues to seek favourable rates from the market, including through demand aggregation. Where we are able to secure favourable rates for our schools, we extend the same rates to the canteen stallholders in their respective schools.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Review of Qualifying Income Criteria for MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"25 Mr Abdul Samad asked the Minister for Education (a) when was the income criteria for the Ministry’s Financial Assistance Scheme last reviewed; (b) how often is the income criteria reviewed; (c) what are the parameters used to ascertain the qualifying income criteria; and (d) which household income percentile does the group that qualifies for financial assistance belong to.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Ministry of Education (MOE) Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) aims to provide financial support to Singaporean students from low-income households, at around the bottom 20% by household income.
MOE reviews the income eligibility criteria for MOE FAS periodically. This was last revised in 2018. MOE is currently conducting a review and any changes will be announced in due course.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Workplace Grievances Surfaced to NTUC-affiliated Teachers' Unions and Associations","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"26 Mr Abdul Samad asked the Minister for Education (a) how many workplace grievances has the Ministry received from NTUC-affiliated teachers' unions and associations on an annual basis in the past five years; and (b) how many of these have been resolved.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Ministry of Education (MOE) engages the four NTUC-affiliated Teachers' Unions – The Singapore Teachers' Union (STU), The Singapore Chinese Teachers' Union (SCTU), The Singapore Malay Teachers' Union (SMTU) and The Singapore Tamil Teachers' Union (STTU) –regularly to allow for mutual sharing of staff-related issues and for the unions to provide ground sensing and feedback on staff policies to MOE.
MOE receives about 60 cases a year referred by the unions to represent members on various issues. Some are related to workplace grievances such as perceived unfairness in appraisal or workplace relations, whereas others may involve requests such as those related to posting or leave matters. Besides these individual cases, unions also surface enquiries from members, to seek clarification on general HR policies.
MOE follows up on all cases referred from the unions and then closes the loop with the individual member as well as the union.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Support for Students on Financial Assistance Scheme to Develop Good Reading Habits and Access Digital Devices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"27 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Education in light of the recent survey by the National Institute of Education on reading habits of Singapore teenagers which found low ownership of books amongst students on the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) (a) what are the Ministry's plans to support students on the FAS to (i) develop good reading habits and (ii) increase their access to reading materials; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider providing digital e-book devices to students that are on the FAS.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: To develop positive reading habits in our students and ensure access to reading materials, schools provide a wide range of print and digital reading resources. The school library collections are complemented by digital reading materials hosted on the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) and those from the National Library Board (NLB).
In addition, at the primary level, schools are provided with selections of story books for each class. For older students, the Ministry of Education (MOE) also facilitates their access to the news, including digital resources, to cultivate their interest in current affairs.
Schools have reading programmes within and outside of curriculum time. To support the development of students' reading habit from young, time is set aside in the primary English Language curriculum for extensive reading. Other activities organised by schools include reading festivals and library week. Schools also work with partners like the NLB to promote reading, such as through kidsREAD, where volunteers read to children from lower income families.
All secondary students are equipped with Personal Learning Devices (PLDs) under the National Digital Literacy Programme, allowing students easier access to online reading materials.
For secondary students on the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), MOE will ensure that they are able to have a PLD with zero cash payments required. In addition, students on the MOE FAS can take advantage of Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)'s Home Access programme or NEU PC Plus programme, which enable lower-income households to have affordable Internet access.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Teachers Breaking Teaching Bonds in Past Five Years and Their Reasons","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"28 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Education for each year in the past five years (a) how many and what percentage of teachers break their teaching bonds respectively; and (b) what are the top three reasons for breaking their bonds.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: In the past five years, about 10 teachers a year (or 1.5% of our average annual recruitment) left service without completing their teaching bonds. The top three reasons for leaving service were to pursue other career interests, or due to family or medical reasons.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Allied Educators Hired to Support Teachers at Special Education (SPED) Schools","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"29 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Education (a) how many allied educators are hired to support teachers at Special Education (SPED) schools on a (i) contract or part-time basis and (ii) permanent basis respectively; (b) whether there are any plans to increase the number of allied educators in SPED schools; and (c) what are the current recruitment needs and gaps for specialised instruction or education at SPED schools.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: In Special Education (SPED) schools, allied staff such as Teacher Aides (TA), Allied Professionals (AP) and Vocational Education (VE) personnel serve alongside SPED teachers. TAs support SPED teachers in the classroom to manage students' learning and behavioural needs while APs take care of the students' therapy, psychological and well-being needs. VE personnel such as instructors and Job Coaches provide training in hard skills and soft skills to enable SPED students to gain access to different forms of work.
Social Service Agencies (SSAs) recruit allied staff to join their schools or buy specialised services from other organisations, such as therapy hubs. There are around 1,000 such staff in the 22 SPED schools, who complement the 1,600 SPED teachers. Besides recruiting direct staff, SPED schools also buy specialised services, for example, speech and language therapists from therapy hubs.
As more SPED schools will be starting in the coming years, the Ministry of Education (MOE) together with the National Council of Social Services and SG Enable will work with the SSAs to hire more SPED teachers and allied staff. Together, we will attract talent to join and stay in the SPED sector through (a) strong professional development opportunities, (b) career progression roadmaps; and (c) structures to support the well-being of SPED staff.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ratio of School Mental Health Professionals to Students","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"30 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for Education what is the current ratio of mental health professionals, who have been assigned to work with schools, to students in Primary, Secondary and tertiary schools respectively.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: All schools are resourced with at least one to two School Counsellors, while each polytechnic and ITE college currently has an average of six counsellors. The autonomous universities similarly employ a varying number of counsellors depending on their enrolment and student profile.
Beyond counsellors, schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) also offer a support network of teacher- and para-counsellors as well as access to community resources to students with counselling needs. Schools and IHLs will continue to enhance their peer support networks.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Setting Up Framework to Administer Simple and Accessible Trusts for Seniors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"31 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider setting up a framework to administer simple and accessible trusts for seniors, for example, by broadening the scope of the Special Needs Trust Company so that our seniors, especially those who are vulnerable, can have access to such resources.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) allows parents or caregivers to set up a trust account for their loved ones with special needs. Assets in the trust will build up over time and be paid out for the care needs of the beneficiary when the parent or caregiver eventually passes on or loses mental capacity. Thus, the focus of SNTC's trust service is to safeguard the monies which parents or caregivers intend to leave for their dependants with special needs.
With regard to seniors, our approach is to encourage them to make a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and appoint a donee to manage their personal welfare, and property and affairs after the loss of mental capacity. The donee may be granted powers by the donor to manage the finances of the senior, which include making investments and managing the expenses in the interest of the senior. Seniors without suitable next-of-kin to appoint as a donee may consider engaging a professional deputy.
Seniors who need help with the LPA making process (for example, finding a professional deputy or not-for-profit organisation who offers LPA Certificate Issuing service) can refer to the Office of the Public Guardian's website. Assistance is also offered by various Social Service Agencies (for example, Life Point by Sheng Hong Welfare Services and Potter's Place Community Services Society), grassroots and private organisations (for example, law firms, insurance companies).
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will continue to review the support available to vulnerable seniors, to ensure their needs are adequately taken care of.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Plans to Convert Preschools to Senior Care Centres and Preschool Staff to Carers for the Elderly","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"32 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there are plans to (i) convert some preschools to senior care centres as the population ages and (ii) provide career conversion pathways for preschool staff to senior care.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Both preschool and senior care services are seeing rising demand and will continue to require more space and manpower in the coming years. Demand for preschool has been growing and will continue to grow with more dual income families and working grandparents, as well as greater recognition of the importance of early childhood development.
To meet growing preschool demand, Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has added over 50,000 full-day preschool places since 2017, a 30% increase in capacity; and will develop another 5,100 affordable, quality places by 2023. Nevertheless, if there are preschools that are no longer required, ECDA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) will work with service providers to release these sites so that they can be available to meet other community needs.
To support preschool expansion, the number of early childhood educators has grown by more than 30% since 2017 as well and more educators will be required in coming years. Nevertheless, for those who wish to join the community care sector, there are already existing career conversion pathways for all mid-career locals. For example, the Senior Management Associate Scheme (SMAS) by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) supports the recruitment of PMETs and the Healthcare Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) facilitated by MOH Holdings helps mid-careerists acquire relevant training to join the healthcare sector in selected disciplines.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Prevalence of People with Physical, Mental and Intellectual Disabilities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"33 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Social and Family Development what are the current total number and prevalence rate of people with physical disabilities, mental and intellectual disabilities, with these figures also divided according to age.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The latest estimates of disability prevalence that we have are based on Census 2020. For the first time, we collected data on the estimated proportion of persons who were unable to perform or had a lot of difficulty performing at least one basic activity of living. The census adopted the guidelines from the United Nations Statistics Division's Washington Group on Disability Statistics, which is internationally recognised for disability measures suitable for censuses and national surveys. However, the questions do not use the term \"disability\" and therefore cover a broader group than the definition used in our Enabling Masterplans.
The data from the census, across different age groups, is as follows:
34 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Health (a) for every 1,000 births, what are the statistics on the number of children who are born with birth defects in Singapore; (b) what are the most common birth defects found in our population; and (c) what is the average cost borne in the testing and treatment of children who are born with birth defects.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Based on the latest National Birth Defect Registry Report in 2016, about 30 newborns had birth defects for every 1,000 livebirths in Singapore.
The most common birth defects for the newborns in our population are of the circulatory system.
Depending on the complexity of the condition, the costs of testing and treatment for children with birth defects can vary widely. Based on data in 2020 tp 2021, for newborns with birth defects in the circulatory system, the average annual out-of-pocket cost for testing and treatment in their first year of life is around $850 after accounting for Government subsidies, MediShield Life, Integrated Shield Plans and MediSave.
Parents can tap on their MediSave or their child’s MediSave Grant for Newborns to pay for medical expenses under the prevailing MediSave withdrawal limits. Singaporeans who have difficulty paying for their healthcare bills may approach medical social workers in the public healthcare institutions to apply for financial assistance.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Influenza Vaccination to Reduce Risk of Infection and Disease-related Complications","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"35 Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Minister for Health in view of the easing of mask-wearing rules (a) whether the Ministry expects the number of influenza cases to increase significantly; and (b) whether the Ministry has plans to encourage more Singaporeans, especially persons aged 65 and above, to get the influenza vaccination to reduce the risk of infection and disease-related complications.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Influenza cases are expected to increase and revert to levels similar to pre-COVID-19 levels. However, we hope that individuals will keep the good practices of isolating themselves if they feel unwell and wearing a mask if they have to go out. That will moderate the infection rate of diseases like Influenza.
The National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS) and National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS) recommends that individuals at a higher risk of developing severe influenza infection and adverse outcomes should receive influenza vaccination. These include all persons aged 65 and above, young children between six months and below five years, and vulnerable persons between five and 64 years of age with certain medical conditions predisposing them to severe influenza. The public is encouraged to consult their family doctors for more information about the vaccinations.
The influenza vaccinations are highly subsidised for at-risk groups to keep them affordable and accessible to the public. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Promotion Board will continue to work with our primary care partners and other stakeholders to promote influenza vaccination.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Suitability and Efficiency of Nasal COVID-19 Vaccines","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"36 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry is assessing and looking into the suitability and efficiency of nasal COVID-19 vaccines to be used in Singapore.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Ministry of Health (MOH) continues to monitor developments in COVID-19 vaccines, including nasal vaccines and assesses their safety, efficacy and suitability in meeting the needs of our population.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Support for Nurses Undertaking Caregiving for Their Families","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"37 Dr Tan Yia Swam asked the Minister for Health (a) how does the Ministry support local nurses in undertaking caregiving for their families; and (b) how does the Ministry support foreign nurses who may have dependants that they need to provide caregiving for.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: In line with the Employment Act and Child Development Co-Savings Act, local and foreign nurses working in public and private healthcare institutions in Singapore are entitled to various types of leave, including annual leave, maternity leave and childcare leave. Further, the Child Development Co-Savings Act provides paternity leave and unpaid infant care leave if the child is a Singapore Citizen.
There is also support that is extended to all staff, including foreign nurses. To support staff with care responsibilities, public healthcare institutions and some private sector employers also offer family care leave and flexible work arrangements (FWAs) such as staggered hours, compressed work week and flexi-load, subject to the organisation's requirements. There are also childcare centres located onsite in certain hospitals for the staff to enrol their children while at work.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Campaigns to Promote Respect for Nurses","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"38 Dr Tan Yia Swam asked the Minister for Health what campaigns are in place to elevate the role and respect for nurses.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH) introduced the \"Care to Go Beyond\" (CTGB) campaign in 2013 to profile nursing as a meaningful career and build recognition of the important role that nurses play in the healthcare ecosystem. CTGB also aims to grow public awareness of nursing jobs and career opportunities, encourage students and mid-career individuals to consider nursing as a career and celebrate the inspiring work of our in-service nurses.
This national level campaign complements the long-standing outreach and engagement efforts of our healthcare employers and nursing schools. However, campaigns can only do so much. Ultimately, it is the sense of purpose and dedication, that were amply demonstrated by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic that engender the regard and respect for the profession.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Average Duration Patients Are Warded at IMH for Treatment and Average Nurse-to-patient Ratio","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"39 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the average duration that patients are warded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for inpatient treatment for mental health conditions listed under the Chronic Disease Management Programme; and (b) what is the average inpatient nurse-to-patient ratio in IMH for 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The mental health conditions1 listed under the Chronic Disease Management Programme are Schizophrenia, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Anxiety. In 2021, the average length of stay for admitted patients with schizophrenia was 50 days, major depression was 14 days, bipolar disorder was 33 days and anxiety was 16 days.
In 2020, 2021 and 2022 (up to August), the general ward nurse-to-patient ratio in IMH has remained relatively stable at one nurse for every five or six beds. On the ground, staffing ratio will vary according to the levels of care required by patients.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : According to the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) Handbook for Healthcare Professionals 2021 (published on 1 August 2021), dementia will not be considered a mental illness under the CDMP as of 1 January 2014."],"footNoteQuestions":["39"],"questionNo":"39"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Increasing Cap on MediSave Withdrawals for Mental Health Patients and Waiver of 15% Co-payment for MediSave Claims","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"40 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Government will consider increasing the cap on MediSave withdrawals for mental health patients seeking treatment for conditions listed under the Chronic Disease Management Programme; and (b) whether there are circumstances where the Government will consider lowering or waiving the 15% co-payment for MediSave claims for these patients.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Patients can use up to $500 or $700 a year from their MediSave for the treatment of mental health conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP), depending on the complexity of their condition. In 2021, about nine in 10 of all patients who withdrew MediSave under the CDMP did not reach their annual $500 or $700 limits. These limits therefore remain adequate.
Under Healthier SG, the 15% co-payment requirement will be waived when patients use MediSave for CDMP treatment at the clinic they enrol with. As always, patients who face difficulties paying for their medical bills may also apply for financial assistance such as MediFund at public healthcare institutions.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Percentage of Young Couples with Successful Applications for HDB Flats Through Existing Schemes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"41 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for National Development for each of the past five years, what is the percentage of young couples who have successfully applied for a HDB flat through (i) Sale of Balance Flats exercises (ii) Open Booking of Flats exercises and (iii) temporary housing scheme under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme.
Mr Desmond Lee: The percentages of young couples who successfully applied for an HDB flat through the Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises, open booking of flats and Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) in each of the past five years between 2017 and 2021 are shown in Table 1.
Unlike Build-To-Order (BTO) flats, SBF flats and open booking flats are not the mainstay of HDB's flat supply. The number of flats offered for sale depends mainly on the unsold flats from previous BTO exercises. Given the limited supply, we encourage young couples to apply for BTO flats in the non-mature estates (NMEs) instead.
On average over the past few years, almost 90% of first-timer families applying in NMEs managed to secure their BTO flats within two attempts. Those who have been unsuccessful in two or more attempts for a BTO flat in the NMEs are given an additional ballot chance for each subsequent NME BTO application. As a result, virtually all first-timer families who apply for NME BTO flats are successful within their first three tries.
First-timer families may also consider buying a resale flat on the open market and can receive up to $160,000 in housing grants.
The Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) provides an additional temporary housing option for households waiting for the completion of their new flats.
In August 2021, we fine-tuned the PPHS criteria to accord priority to applicants with more urgent need for temporary housing. We are also on track to increase the PPHS supply from 800 in 2021 to 1,800 in 2023. As a result, the share of young couples who had a chance to select a PPHS flat has risen in 2022 (up to September) to about 20%.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Littering Problem Caused by Marketing Pamphlets and Materials from Estate Agents","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"42 Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for National Development what measures are there to ensure that the Council for Estate Agencies manages its members’ behaviour, such as the way they conduct their businesses so as not to cause disturbance or nuisance to the public through excessive marketing pamphlets and printed publicity materials, which result in littering problems in the estates.
Mr Desmond Lee: The conduct of property agents is governed by the Estate Agents Act (EAA) and its Regulations, including the Code of Ethics and Professional Client Care (CEPCC) which sets the standard of performance required of property agents in their dealings with clients and the public while carrying out estate agency work.
The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) also has in place practice guidelines to provide detailed guidance to property agents on various areas, including advertising content and distribution methods. For example, property agents must distribute their marketing pamphlets properly, such as through mailboxes or under the doors of property units.
CEA will investigate complaints against property agents and take action against those who breach the EAA and its Regulations. Depending on the severity of the infringement, errant property agents may be issued with warning letters, financial penalties and/or have their registration with CEA suspended or revoked. CEA will continue to study ways to further tackle the problem of improper flyer distribution. For instance, under the Real Estate Industry Transformation Map (RE ITM), CEA is engaging the industry to shift towards digital advertisements.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Environmental Impact Assessments In Import Permits for Sand Consignments","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"43 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Government is exploring any toughening of sand import regulations; and (b) whether the Government will consider requiring import permits for sand consignments to include environmental impact assessments in line with Singapore industry norms.
Mr Desmond Lee: The import of sand for construction and reclamation purposes is done on a commercial basis. Importers are expected to abide by the laws and regulations of the source countries. These include sourcing from legally permissible areas, obtaining the proper export documentation and permits from the relevant authorities, as well as complying with local environmental regulations governing the proper extraction and transportation within source countries. Where applicable, our agencies will check that the necessary environmental-related approvals from the source countries are in order, before contractors are allowed to commence sand imports.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Future Plans for Park Connector Networks","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"44 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the future plans for our park connector networks (PCNs); and (b) whether the PCNs can increase in number and length so as to provide more options to residents to exercise near green spaces or along water bodies like canals.
Mr Desmond Lee: Our park connectors are located near to green spaces, along water bodies and provide recreational opportunities for Singaporeans to exercise and explore outdoor spaces. Some examples include the Changi Bay Park Connector and Alexandra Park Connector. Over the years, we have been expanding our park connector network. To date, there are about 370 kilometres (km) of park connectors islandwide, and the National Parks Board (NParks) aims to increase the length of park connectors to 500 km by 2030.
We are also establishing a 360-km island-wide network of recreational routes across Singapore, comprising park connectors and trails. For example, the first phase of the Round Island Route was opened in January 2022, providing a 75-km recreational connection along the Eastern coastline, from Rower's Bay to Berlayer Creek. When completed, these island-wide recreational routes will provide more opportunities for Singaporeans to walk and cycle in natural spaces for longer distances.
Besides providing opportunities for nature-based recreation, our park connectors and island-wide routes also help to enhance ecological connectivity between natural habitats, strengthening Singapore's ecological resilience as we transform into a City in Nature. Together, these efforts contribute to our goal of enabling all households to be within a 10-minute walk from a park by 2030.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Successful Appeals by HDB Flat Owners against Sale of Their Flats Compulsorily Acquired by HDB","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"45 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development (a) in the past five years, what is the number of successful appeals by HDB flat owners against the sale of their flats which are compulsorily acquired by HDB; and (b) for unsuccessful cases, whether the compensation paid by the HDB is in line with or at a discount to the market valuation of the flat.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) undertakes compulsory acquisition against flat owners who commit major infringements, such as the unauthorised renting out of their flat. HDB may also take compulsory acquisition action as a last resort, in mortgage arrears cases where the flat owners persistently refuse to resolve their arrears, or work towards a sustainable solution, despite the assistance given by HDB.
HDB's compensation policy for flats that are compulsorily acquired takes into account various factors, including the severity of the infringement and the circumstances of the case, as well as the administrative and holding costs in acquiring the flat. The policy also ensures that flat owners who infringe the rules will not enjoy undue financial gains.
Flat owners who are aggrieved by HDB's decision to compulsorily acquire a flat or the compensation amount can make a statutory appeal to the Minister for National Development. From January 2018 to June 2022, the Minister has acceded to 140 appeals against the compulsory acquisition of an HDB flat.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Utilisation Rate of Parking Lots in Multi-storey Car Parks of Newer HDB Estates","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"46 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB has conducted any study on the utilisation rate of parking lots in multi-storey car parks (MSCPs) of newer estates such as Sengkang and Punggol; (b) if so, what is the average usage-to-empty lot ratio in a given month or year; and (c) whether there are plans to utilise empty lots or levels in MSCPs for other purposes if they are underutilised for extended periods of time.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) monitors the utilisation rate of HDB car parks to ensure that there is a good balance between providing season parking lots for residents and having sufficient capacity for short-term or visitor parking. Parking utilisation rates vary across car parks as these are dependent on various factors, such as the flat mix and profile of residents. On average, the season parking take-up rate is around 66% across all HDB car parks islandwide. For the HDB car parks in Sengkang and Punggol specifically, the season parking take-up rate ranges from 50% to 70%.
For car parks where parking utilisation is lower, HDB currently considers repurposing them to other uses, subject to factors such as technical feasibility and an assessment of the potential dis-amenities to residents. For example, as part of efforts to intensify greenery in HDB estates under the HDB Green Towns Programme, suitable HDB Multi-storey Car Parks (MSCP) rooftops are being converted to community gardens or commercial urban farms.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Quarter-on-quarter Change in HDB Rental Price Index and Average Rentals of HDB Flats in Open Market","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"47 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for National Development for each quarter in the last five years, what is the quarter-on-quarter change in (i) the HDB rental price index and (ii) average rentals by flat type for the letting of HDB flats in the open market.
Mr Desmond Lee: HDB does not publish a rental price index. It publishes median rental figures on the HDB InfoWEB. Median rentals are a better indication of open market rental price trends, as average rentals could be affected by outliers.
The median rentals by flat type for the letting of HDB flats in the open market are given in Table 1. Overall, there has been an increase in the median rental for all flat types from 3Q2017 to 2Q2022 of $100 to $500.
48 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for National Development (a) in 2021 and 2022, how many applications are received by HDB for interim housing assistance under the Provisional Parenthood Housing Scheme; (b) how many applicants are allocated flats under the scheme; and (c) what is the average waiting time for such applicants from the signing of tenancy agreement to moving in.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) provides an additional temporary housing option for households awaiting the completion of their new flats.
The number of unique PPHS applicants in 2021 and 2022, and the corresponding number of applicants who were allocated a PPHS flat are shown in Table 1 below. While the total number of PPHS applicants was much higher than the number of applicants who were allocated a PPHS flat, almost half of the applicants who were invited to select a flat did not do so, suggesting that many of them have other options.
Successful PPHS applicants are invited to select a flat and sign the tenancy agreement in the month following their application. They will collect the keys to the PPHS flat at the same time and can move in immediately.
The demand for PPHS flats has increased significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as we work to double the supply of interim flats for PPHS by 2023, the supply remains limited and we will not be able to offer a PPHS flat to every applicant. We encourage families awaiting the completion of their new flats to seek other interim housing arrangements where possible, such as staying with their family or renting on the open market. Low-income households with no other housing options can approach the Housing and Development Board (HDB) for assistance and HDB may offer them Interim Rental Housing on a case-by-case basis.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Guidelines and Education Efforts on Shared and Designated Lane Usage along Park Connectors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"49 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether there are plans for implementing official guidelines for lane usage via lane markings for all park connectors that are demarcated with separate lanes; (b) if so, what are these plans and the timeline for its implementation; and (c) whether there are public education efforts to educate users of the Park Connector Network about the distinction between shared and designated lane usage.
Mr Desmond Lee: To provide greater clarity to users of our park connector network (PCN), the Nationl Parks Board (NParks) has been reviewing the lane markings on our park connectors in consultation with the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the Friends of the Park Connector Network (FoPCN) and the Active Mobility Advisory Panel.
Most of our park connectors are shared paths due to land constraints in Singapore. For these paths, the revised lane markings will include signs to remind all users to keep left when using the park connectors. For park connectors that are demarcated with separate lanes, the revised lane markings will clearly indicate the different types of users allowed on each lane, such as pedestrians, cyclists and users of personal mobility devices. NParks has started to roll out the revised lane markings at selected park connectors and will review public feedback before implementing them progressively across park connectors island-wide.
NParks works closely with LTA, volunteers and the community to conduct joint engagement sessions on the safe use of our PCN, especially for park connectors with high usage and more frequent feedback on user conflicts. NParks has also collaborated with the Singapore Kindness Movement to raise public awareness on PCN etiquette through its Kindness Ambassadors. NParks will continue to work with the FoPCN and the community to promote gracious path sharing through workshops, cycling events, social media and banners along park connectors.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Incidents of Unscheduled Disruption of Fibre Broadband Service Due to Construction Activity","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"50 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Communications and Information since 2019 annually (a) how many incidents of unscheduled disruption of fibre broadband service have occurred due to construction activity; (b) what is the average number of households that have been affected during each of such incident; and (c) what penalties have been applied against the contractors involved.
Mrs Josephine Teo: The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) takes a serious view of fibre broadband service disruptions that have occurred due to construction activity. In 2019, IMDA introduced the Cable Cut Preventive Measures and Earthworks Requirements to minimise the risk of cable cuts due to construction activity and earthworks. The number of cable cut incidents causing broadband service disruptions since 2019 is in Table 1. During this period, an average of 570 end-user connections, comprising both residential end-users and commercial entities, were affected by each cable cut incident.
Under the Telecommunications Act 1999, IMDA may impose composition fines for minor cable cut cases, or prosecute errant contractors in Court for failing to comply with the earthworks requirements and for causing damage to telecommunications cables in the course of carrying out earthworks. The contractors shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding $1 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both. Since 2019, more than $1.13 million in composition sums and court fines have been meted out to errant contractors found to have damaged telecommunication cables due to the conduct of earthworks.
IMDA also conducts regular dialogues with contractors and disseminates content to educate workers on the earthworks requirements and the precautionary measures needed to prevent cable damage.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Increasing Number of Libraries in Neighbourhoods and Efforts to Cultivate Love for Reading Physical Books","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"51 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Communications and Information how does the National Library Board aim to attract each new generation of children to cultivate the love for reading physical books.
52 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether the National Library Board will increase the number of libraries in estates and neighbourhoods so as to bring books and news closer to residents.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Singaporeans are served by an extensive network of 29 physical libraries (including the National Library, public and partner libraries) conveniently located across the island. Besides the new Punggol Regional Library slated for opening in 2023, there are currently no plans for more regional libraries. Instead, the National Library Board (NLB) actively supports communities that are keen to set up and run their own reading corners through providing a seed collection.
NLB has consistently prioritised efforts to nurture a love of reading in children. Based on NLB's annual Reach Survey, more than 85% of children aged seven to 12 years benefited from NLB's services, such as accessing NLB's books and e-resources or attending programmes in the past 12 months.
To cultivate the love for reading among the young, NLB employs a three-pronged approach. First, NLB has carefully curated collections and services targeted at different age groups. In 2016, NLB introduced the Babies Can Be Members Too! programme with library membership and curated materials for children aged 0 to two years. From 2019 to 2021, more than 96% of each birth cohort on the LifeSG app have been signed up as library members through this programme. This is complemented by the A Book A Day reading programme, which encourages parents (with children aged six years and below) to read daily to their children.
Second, NLB encourages reading among children through gamification campaigns, such as Book Bugs, which allows children to redeem collectible cards using points earned by borrowing books. Currently in its fourth iteration, Book Bugs encourages children to read, learn and play together, supported by a host of reading activities available in the public libraries and online. The most recent edition of Book Bugs, which also sought to encourage reading in Mother Tongue, had over 74,000 participants.
Third, NLB builds strong partnerships to ensure sustained support for a child's reading habits. Together with schools, volunteers and self-help groups, NLB promotes reading to young children and teens. kidsREAD is a nationwide reading programme that engages children from less privileged families. With the support of partner organisations, more than 170 kidsREAD clubs have been set up in community spaces and schools to engage participants in weekly story-related activities.
In addition, NLB has an extensive collection of e-books, e-newspapers, e-magazines and audiobooks that Singaporeans can seamlessly access from the comfort of their own homes or when they are on the move, through the NLB Mobile and Libby apps.
NLB also recently launched LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025) to meet the evolving reading and learning needs of Singaporeans. By reimagining our libraries and archives, NLB seeks to make our libraries and collections easily accessible for all Singaporeans and inspire more lifelong readers and learners.
To encourage more citizens to discover NLB's rich resources, NLB nodes were rolled out at shopping malls, food and beverage spaces, and workplaces starting from October 2021. These nodes feature interactive installations and immersive wallpapers that serve as entry points to NLB's digital collections. New deployments of nodes are also being planned for other public spaces such as parks.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Supporting Athletes Competing in Sports Not Represented by National Sports Associations","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"53 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether support is provided to athletes who compete in international sporting events where that sport does not have a National Sports Association; and (b) if so, what are the various forms of support available to these athletes.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Athletes may receive support to compete in international sporting events whether or not their sport is supported by a National Sports Association (NSA). Sport Singapore (SportSG) provides high-performance grants to NSAs1 that in turn will allocate these grants to support the training and development of their athletes. Athletes may also receive funding directly from SportSG through programmes such as the Sport Excellence Scholarship (spexScholarship). The spexScholarship was also recently extended to athletes competing in sports that do not feature in the Major Games, such as Indoor Skydiving. SportSG may also provide access to training facilities for athletes.
Athletes who do not receive such support may also apply to the Temasek Foundation Inspire Fund (TFIF), jointly administered by the National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI) and SportSG, for funding support to represent Singapore at international competitions. This includes airfare, accommodation, registration fees, visa fees (if any) and travel insurance. Since January 2021, almost 50 applications have been approved under the TFIF, such as for athletes in Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling and Ultimate Frisbee.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Only NSAs that are registered charities that demonstrate the required governance threshold to receive public funding are considered for the various Sport Singapore support schemes and grants. This includes having a sound multi-year sport plan that is geared towards achieving goals that are aligned to the sporting objectives of Singapore."],"footNoteQuestions":["53"],"questionNo":"53"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Limit on Number of Dependants an Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass Holder Can Bring In","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"54 Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will place limits on the number of dependants, besides spouses, which an Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass holder will be able to bring in, such as children, parents and parents-in-law.
Dr Tan See Leng: Similar to Employment Pass (EP) holders who meet the salary criterion for sponsoring dependants, Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass holders will be able to bring in their unmarried children under 21 years old and parents as dependants, with no limit placed on the total number of eligible dependants. This notwithstanding, less than half of EP holders actually bring in dependants and those that do, typically bring in an average of two.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass for Healthcare Professionals","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"55 Dr Tan Yia Swam asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether a personalised pass such as the Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass can be created for healthcare professionals to attract top talent into Singapore; and (b) whether dependant passes for the spouses and children of healthcare workers can be expedited.
Dr Tan See Leng: The Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass is a personalised pass for top talent earning a fixed monthly salary of at least $30,000. It is open to talent from all sectors, including the healthcare sector.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) appreciates the importance of speed and certainty in processing applications for work passes and dependant passes. As stated on MOM's website, dependants of Employment Pass and S Pass holders can expect to obtain an outcome for their Dependant's Pass (DP) application within three weeks for most cases. This includes applications from the healthcare sector.
Most DP applications in the healthcare sector are processed within three weeks and the average processing time is well within our service standard. Applicants should take into account the processing time needed and submit their applications early.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Jobs Taskforce Set Up in 2021 to Grow Talents in 10 Key Sectors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"56 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Manpower whether he can provide an update on the work of the Jobs Taskforce which was set up in 2021 to help grow local talents in 10 key sectors.
Dr Tan See Leng: The Jobs Taskforce was formed in September 2021 against the backdrop of elevated resident unemployment and long-term unemployment rates, which stood at 3.5% and 1.2% respectively. The Taskforce thus focused on the immediate task of facilitating placements of locals into jobs in key sectors.
With the reopening of borders and recovery of the economy, the resident unemployment and long-term unemployment rates have since improved to the pre-COVID-19 levels of 2.8% and 0.7% respectively as at June 2022.
As of May 2022, the targeted efforts of the eight Ministries and agencies in the Jobs Taskforce have helped nearly 9,000 local workers enter new jobs. The agencies' efforts involved working with employers in industries such as Information and Communications, Financial Services, Manufacturing and Logistics to hire mid-career jobseekers through Workforce Singapore's Career Conversion Programmes and sectoral job matching programmes, reskill existing workers for new or expanded job scopes as these sectors undergo transformation and adopt progressive human capital practices.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"English Language Qualification Requirement for Employment Pass Applicants","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"57 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether there are English language qualification requirements for Employment Pass applicants; and (b) if not, what are the reasons for not imposing such a requirement.
Dr Tan See Leng: There are no English language qualification requirements for Employment Pass applicants. It is more appropriate for the employer rather than the Government to specify the level of English proficiency required, based on their business needs and other job-specific hiring requirements. Therefore, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not make this a requirement.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Repatriation Costs for Work Permit Holders and Migrant Domestic Workers Terminating Employment on Own Accord Within First Month","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"58 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Manpower since the Ministry has no plans to shift the cost of repatriation to the work permit holders regardless of how or when the employment ends (a) whether the Ministry can consider having this information shared upfront with employers; and (b) with regard to migrant domestic workers terminating their employment on their own accord within the first month, whether the Ministry can reconsider for the cost of repatriation to be borne by both the agency and the employer.
Dr Tan See Leng: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) informs employers of the work pass conditions in writing, before the work permit holders enter Singapore. This includes the employers' responsibility for the cost of repatriation, regardless of the circumstances of contract termination. This information is also publicly available on MOM's website and covered as part of the Employers' Orientation Programme, which all first-time employers of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) are required to attend.
MOM has put in place measures to help employers achieve a better match with their MDWs and alleviate the financial burden on MDW employers in the event of premature contract termination. For example, MOM has implemented the service fee refund policy on 1 June 2022, where employment agencies (EAs) are required to provide employers an option for a refund of at least 50% of the service fees paid by the employers if the MDW's employment is terminated within the first six months.
Employers can also transfer the MDW to a new employer through an EA if the MDW wishes to continue working in Singapore. EAs who agree to facilitate the transfer will take over the responsibility to upkeep and maintain the MDW until she is deployed to a new employer and will bear the costs of repatriating the MDW if the transfer is unsuccessful. Employers can refer to a list of 478 participating EAs on MOM's website.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Extend Mandatory Safety Review to All industries to Inculcate Safety First Culture in All Workplaces","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"59 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many companies in the relevant industries have failed to conduct the mandatory safety timeout as stipulated in September 2022; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider extending the mandatory safety review to all industries, including lower-risk sectors, to inculcate a safety first culture in all workplaces.
Dr Tan See Leng: As part of the measures for the Heightened Safety Period, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) required all companies in the construction, manufacturing, marine, process and transport and storage industries as well as companies in other industries that use heavy or industrial vehicles to conduct a mandatory Safety Time Out (STO). Companies are required to temporarily suspend their operations to review their safety procedures and complete the STO activities in the STO checklist. Industry associations are supportive of the STO and have helped to reinforce the importance of the STO to their members.
MOM had earlier extended the deadline for the mandatory STO to 30 September 2022 to provide the industries with more time to carry out a thorough review of their safety procedures. We have started compliance checks since 1 October 2022 and are tracking the number of companies that have failed to comply with the mandatory STO.
While MOM had adopted a targeted approach for the mandatory STO, taking into consideration recent workplace safety trends, the STO checklist is relevant to all industries. In addition to the STO, MOM has launched the Code of Practice on Chief Executives' and Board of Directors' Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) duties, which applies to companies in all industries. MOM has also expanded the StartSAFE programme to strengthen support for all small and medium enterprises who need help to improve their WSH practices and processes. We strongly encourage all company directors to set a safety-first culture in their workplaces, which will shape WSH practices on the ground.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Definition of \"Discrimination\" under Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"60 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Manpower how does the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices define 'discrimination' for the purposes of its investigations and referrals to the Ministry for enforcement actions to be carried out.
Dr Tan See Leng: Employers are required to abide by the principles of fair employment practices set out in the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP). These include recruiting employees on the basis of merit – such as skills, experience or ability to perform the job – and rewarding employees fairly based on their ability, performance, contribution and experience. Recruitment, in-employment promotion and rewards, and dismissals based on factors that are not relevant to the job requirements are breaches of the TGFEP.
The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) looks into all reports of workplace discrimination. Employers found to have hired a foreigner without considering similarly qualified local candidates, or shortlisted candidates for reasons that are not related to job requirements such as age or race, are clearly in breach of TGFEP. In such cases, TAFEP would refer these employers to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for further investigation and enforcement action to be taken, including suspension of work pass privileges.
When workplace fairness legislation is enacted, the offences on discrimination will be made clear, for which a wider range of enforcement actions can be taken against offending employers. Work and discussion on this are ongoing.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null}],"writtenAnswersVOList":[],"writtenAnsNAVOList":[],"annexureList":[],"vernacularList":[{"vernacularID":5209,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Saktiandi Supaat","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20221003/vernacular-Mr Saktiandi Supaat - Income Tax Bill.pdf","fileName":"Mr Saktiandi Supaat - Income Tax Bill.pdf"}],"onlinePDFFileName":""}