The following question stood in the name of Mr Desmond Choo –
1 To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how has the Singapore-Shanghai Comprehensive Cooperation Council benefited Singapore since its inception; and (b) what are the plans to deepen ties between Singapore and Shanghai.
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\tMr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Question No 1.
The Minister of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Trade and Industry): Mdm Deputy Speaker, Singapore and Shanghai share strong and close relations. The Singapore-Shanghai Comprehensive Cooperation Council (SSCCC) plays an important and valuable role in fostering and deepening the ties and engagement between Singapore and Shanghai, as well as the broader Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region.
Established in 2019, the SSCCC continues to enhance cooperation between Singapore and Shanghai. Thus far, 37 agreements have been signed to promote collaboration across the six areas of financial services, technology and innovation, urban governance, people-to-people exchanges, ease of doing business, and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Notable partnerships include the establishment of the Singapore-China YRD Joint Innovation Call, which has received over 50 project applications from Singapore companies embarking on joint innovation projects with partners in Shanghai and the greater YRD region. Through the SSCCC, Singapore entities such as DBS, Raffles Hospital as well as home design and lifestyle brand Commune have expanded operations in Shanghai, while agencies like the Ministry of Health, Singapore Tourism Board as well as National Gallery Singapore have established closer collaboration and exchanges with their Chinese counterparts.
Singapore and Shanghai continue to actively advance collaboration in new growth areas such as the digital economy and green development. For example, at the fourth SSCCC meeting held in Singapore last month, Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Shanghai Municipal Economy and Informatization Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore initiatives in digital connectivity, digital utilities and innovation. Singapore companies such as RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd and Amtronic will be leveraging the SSCCC platform to explore green building projects in Shanghai.
As key financial centres and logistics hubs, there are also opportunities for Singapore and Shanghai to further deepen cooperation in these sectors. In the area of financial services, Shanghai-headquartered UnionPay International is partnering with Singapore banks, such as DBS and OCBC Bank, to facilitate cross-border payments, which will allow their customers in Singapore to make UnionPay QR Code payments at over 40 million merchants globally. To enhance collaboration in the transport and logistics sector, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Shanghai Maritime University are facilitating more talent and knowledge exchanges in areas such as maritime port management.
These collaborations reflect the deepened bilateral relationship between Singapore and China towards an \"all-rounded, high-quality and future-oriented partnership\" announced during Prime Minister Lee's visit to China earlier last month.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Murali Pillai.
\tMr Murali Pillai: Mdm Deputy Speaker, on behalf of the hon Member Mr Desmond Choo, who is away on official business, may I ask the hon Minister of State how would the SSCCC benefit small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and Singaporeans, in relation to the areas for which MOUs have been signed, particularly the finance, digital and green economies?
\tMs Low Yen Ling: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I want to thank the Member Mr Murali Pillai for asking the question on behalf of the Member Mr Desmond Choo. I think there are two parts to the question: how can SMEs and the people benefit from the SSCCC, as well as, I think, he asked for a bit more insight in three areas.
Allow me to share some trade numbers. I want to assure the Member that Singapore and Shanghai share strong economic relations that have continued to grow despite the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, last year, in 2022, total trade between Singapore and Shanghai increased 8% year-on-year to RMB100 billion. Exports from Shanghai to Singapore increased by about 20% year-on-year to about RMB53 billion. In terms of investment, Singapore was Shanghai's largest foreign investor last year, while Shanghai is Singapore's second largest investment destination in the People's Republic of China (PRC) as of end 2021.
Based on our interactions with the SMEs in Singapore, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry platform as well as the Enterprise Singapore platform, Singapore SMEs and companies see Shanghai as a very attractive investment destination and the key port of call – in fact, the first port of call – to expand their operations in PRC. As of end last year, there were more than 6,000 Singapore projects in Shanghai in sectors, such as real estate, financial services, manufacturing, lifestyle and the consumer sector.
I want to assure the Member that since the SSCCC was set up four years ago, and out of the past four years, for three years we were mired in the COVID-19 pandemic. And despite that, we managed to facilitate the inking of 37 agreements.
Certainly, the SSCCC has encouraged and contributed to the growth of business ties, and opportunities between Singapore and Shanghai; and certainly, generating economic spin-offs for our SMEs.
In the three areas that he asked about – and I touched on these in my original reply – allow me to share a little bit more insight. In financial services, for example, the SSCCC platform has improved market connectivity and business opportunities, as well as facilitated the expansion of Singapore and Shanghai's financial institutions in our respective market. A quick example, in 2021, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the first Singapore-China Securities Joint Venture company was set up, which then saw DBS underwriting and trading onshore securities products. Singapore is now home to Shanghai-headquartered firms, such as Guotai Junan Futures, Bank of China Investment Management and, more recently, Green Link Digital Bank.
The Member asked about the new areas in the digital economy and the green economy. To grow our digital economy, the MOU between IMDA and Shanghai Municipal Economy and Informatization Commission will promote cross-border data flow, as well as paperless trade, which is a very significant milestone.
In the area of green finance, where Singapore and Shanghai have very complementary interests, we will certainly continue to foster more opportunities for partnership. For example, I shared at the recent SSCCC platform which was held in Singapore that Singapore's Marketnode, a digital market infrastructure operator, is collaborating with Fudan University and China Chengxin Credit Rating Group to set up a green bond platform.
So, I want to assure the Member that both Singapore and Shanghai are very committed to working closely together, leveraging the SSCCC platform to identify more opportunities to deepen our collaboration, generating economic spin-offs for our SMEs and Singaporeans.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Collection Rate of Bloobox for Recycling Campaign","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"2 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what are the typical reasons given by households for not collecting the Bloobox; (b) what is the feedback given by households that have collected the Bloobox regarding its usefulness for their recycling efforts; (c) what are the measurable targets that NEA has set to determine the success of the Bloobox initiative; and (d) what will the Ministry do with uncollected boxes after the deadline for collection on 30 April 2023 has lapsed.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Mr Baey Yam Keng) (for the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment): Mdm Deputy Speaker, may I have your permission to address Question No 2 and Question No 16 for written reply in today's Order Paper in a combined reply?
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Please proceed.
Mr Baey Yam Keng: Thank you. I will also respond to Question No 27 for written reply raised by Mr Melvin Yong and Question No 28 for written reply raised by Dr Wan Rizal from the Order Paper on 8 May 2023.
The Bloobox initiative was launched in November 2022 as part of our national Recycle Right campaign. Blooboxes carry labels to help households identify what can and cannot be recycled. By facilitating and encouraging households to set up a recycling corner, we hope to encourage recycling and raise the recycling rate. By the end of the distribution period on 30 April 2023, about 530,000 or 93% of the Blooboxes have been distributed.
To facilitate the distribution of Blooboxes, vending machines were placed across Singapore, including at community clubs and bus interchanges. Distribution booths were also set up at community events, shopping malls and hawker centres. These distribution efforts were publicised through flyers, posters and digital notifications via the Singpass mobile application. Blooboxes were also distributed to interested primary and secondary schools to encourage students to recycle in school and at home.
The strong and positive response by the public reflects the community's interest in recycling at home or offices, and their appreciation of the utility of the Blooboxes. Nevertheless, not every household requires a Bloobox as many may already have existing recycling corners using other containers, and this was taken into consideration when we planned for the number of Blooboxes to be distributed in this initiative.
Following the end of the Bloobox distribution period, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will continue to collaborate with our various partners to encourage households to recycle as part of the Recycle Right campaign. The remaining Blooboxes will be used to support this campaign.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
\tMr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. Do areas where there is a higher percentage of Blooboxes collected, have a higher recyclables collection rate? On a related note, for these areas, is there a higher percentage of recyclables that can actually be recycled that are not contaminants?
Finally, as the deadline for collection is now over, for residents who have not collected the Bloobox but wish to have one, how do they go about getting one?
\tMr Baey Yam Keng: Madam, our recyclables collection data is done on the annual basis. I would need to check whether we have micro data at the level of the estates or neighbourhoods, according to what the Member has asked for, based on the rate of the Bloobox collection.
The effort to promote recycling as well as recycling right is one that is ongoing and long term. So, this is one of the many initiatives that NEA has done and will be doing over time. We thank the Member for his interest and to get his residents to do more recycling.
As for the Blooboxes, if there are members of the public who would like to have access to Blooboxes after the deadline, do look out for the various recycling initiatives by NEA and our partners, as that is where members of the public can have access to the Blooboxes. If the Member is interested to promote recycling as a community, NEA would be happy to work with him to do so.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.
\tAssoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): Just a quick follow-up to the Member Yip Hon Weng's question. I am wondering if you would be willing to share the total cost of the Bloobox programme and, after you have finally collected the data on recycling, whether there is a certain threshold percentage for which we would regard this programme as cost effective.
\tMr Baey Yam Keng: I do not have the cost of the Bloobox campaign. As I mentioned in my reply, we had estimated the number of Blooboxes required. We did not produce or procure Blooboxes to cover all households in Singapore because that would not be realistic and we know that not every household would require it. We were quite close to our estimate – 93% of the Blooboxes were collected. The remaining will not be put to waste because they will be used in our efforts to promote recycling.
Most importantly, with 93% collected, there are these households who have interest in the Bloobox and we hope that they would put the Blooboxes to good use. We will continue our efforts to promote recycling in the community.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of \"Bilge Dumping\" by Tankers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"3 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Transport in relation to the illegal practice of \"bilge dumping\" by tankers, which is the dumping of oily wastewater from the engine room of ships (a) what is the Government's assessment of the impact this has on Singapore; (b) what means are currently used to track the extent of bilge dumping in Singapore waters; and (c) whether Singapore works with authorities in neighbouring countries to track ships carrying out this practice and take enforcement action against them.
\tThe Senior Minister of State for Transport (Mr Chee Hong Tat) (for the Minister for Transport): Madam, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) inspects ships regularly to ensure their compliance with international regulations, including the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
MPA has not detected incidents involving ships deliberately and illegally discharging oil from their engine room in the last five years.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Ms He.
\tMs He Ting Ru (Sengkang): Just a quick follow-up because I understand that there have been reports of this being done in international or maybe Indonesian waters around Singapore. So, I am just wondering whether there are any initiatives or joint actions being taken with our surrounding neighbours to make sure that this is not affecting – because of the transnational nature of these actions, to explain to us whether or not we are doing anything with our neighbours in order to tackle this issue.
\tMr Chee Hong Tat: Madam, in the event that MPA detects pollution that might have originated from beyond Singapore's port waters, MPA would share information with the relevant authorities in the region for their investigation and enforcement. MPA also has implemented measures to monitor and ensure that ships in our waters are not illegally discharging oily wastewater into Singapore port waters.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Reviewing Income Criteria for Student Care Fee Assistance to Reduce Out-of-pocket Expenses","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"4 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the income criteria for the Student Care Fee Assistance to reduce out-of-pocket Student Care Centre fee expenses.
\tThe Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Eric Chua) (for the Minister for\tSocial and Family Development): Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) scheme provides help to lower-income families who require assistance with student care centre, or SCC, fees. Families receiving ComCare Financial Assistance automatically qualify for maximum SCFA subsidies. Around three in five families on SCFA receive maximum subsidies.
Out-of-pocket fees vary, depending on families' household income and the SCC that they enrol their children in. The median family receiving the SCFA pays out-of-pocket fees of $29 per child. Those receiving the highest subsidy pay as low as $5. The median fee for SCCs without assistance is $295 and has remained stable over the past few years.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) reviews the SCFA from time to time to ensure that student care fees remain affordable for those who need help and will continue to do so.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Edward Chia.
\tMr Edward Chia Bing Hui (Holland-Bukit Timah): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I would just like to ask the hon Senior Parliamentary Secretary: because student care operators are likely to face cost pressures, does MSF anticipate that student care fees would actually inch up and would MSF be prepared to increase the quantum for support in the coming years?
The second supplementary question is: for families which have more than one child, the family expenses do not increase proportionately. So, will MSF consider stepped-up assistance for child two onwards?
Thirdly, I understand that student care assistance schemes do not extend to enrichment programmes in student care. Would MSF look into supporting, especially children from resource-low families, in terms of the fees for enrichment programmes to promote a more inclusive learning environment in after school care?
\tMr Eric Chua: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank the Member for his additional supplementary questions. To the first point, the SCFA was last enhanced in 2020 and we do review it from time to time. So, rest assured that we do review this scheme. For larger families, we do look at the per capita income condition, so that each family, if they do qualify, they can qualify for higher subsidies where plausible.
The Member rightly said that the SCFA is not meant for enrichment. There is perhaps one component that I did not mention and that is the startup grant, and that helps the families to pay for initial enrolment costs – things like buying a mattress, putting in centre deposits, buying uniforms, for instance. So, we do take quite a varied approach in helping families where the needs are most prescient.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Myocarditis Cases amongst Applicants for Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"5 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health (a) among the myocarditis cases which have been diagnosed in Singapore patients after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, how many of these cases have reported the initial symptoms within (i) one day, (ii) two days and (iii) one week of the vaccination; (b) how many of these cases have been referred to the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP); and (c) what are the VIFAP outcomes for such cases.
6 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health whether there is updated information as of April 2023 on (i) the number of Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) applications that have been received for persons presenting with cardiac conditions after COVID-19 vaccination and (ii) the number of such VIFAP cases that have undergone further retrospective review in light of subsequent updated information on COVID-19 vaccination side effects including myocarditis.
\tThe Minister for Health (Mr Ong Ye Kung): Mdm Deputy Speaker, may I have your permission to answer Question Nos 5 and 6 together, please?
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Please go ahead.
\tMr Ong Ye Kung: My response will also cover the matters raised in the written question by Mr Shawn Huang, which is scheduled for a subsequent Sitting. I would invite the Member to seek clarifications, if need be. If the question has been addressed, it may not be necessary for him to proceed with the question for a future Sitting.
Let me, first, give an update on the current COVID-19 infection wave. By all indications, the wave peaked about two weeks ago, at an estimated 4,000 infection cases per day. It has since subsided to about 3,000 infections per day.
The key strains circulating are XBB.1.9, XBB.1.16 and XBB.2.3 – each accounting for about a quarter of all infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) has re-designated XBB.1.16 from being a Variant under Monitoring to a Variant of Interest. There is however no evidence, internationally or locally, that any of the variants have a clear growth advantage over the others or can lead to more cases of severe illnesses. The Ministry of Health (MOH) will continue to monitor the characteristics of the various strains.
There are now over 300 patients infected with COVID-19 in our hospitals. It is a fraction of the hospitalisations at the peak of the pandemic. For the Delta wave, it was about 1,800. Now, it is about 300-plus. Nevertheless, that added a significant workload to our hospitals. We should also see the number of COVID-19 hospitalisations falling in the coming week as the infection wave subsides.
This is the first infection wave we have encountered after transiting to Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) Green and treating COVID-19 as an endemic disease. We have weathered through it, without imposing any further public health measures. Many members of the public, in fact, are not even aware that we are undergoing a COVID-19 infection wave. This is what we have planned for when we transited to DORSCON Green and it is another important and noteworthy milestone.
However, we can maintain this public health posture, provided we continue to take our COVID-19 vaccinations. It is of critical importance that we understand that COVID-19 did not become a milder disease just because we transit to DORSCON Green. WHO no longer declares COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern, but it also added that it does not mean that COVID-19 is no longer a threat. In fact, it remains a dangerous disease. But our population resilience has strengthened due to vaccinations, boosters and safe recovery from infections. These are the reasons that enabled us to treat it as an endemic disease. So, it is of critical importance that we continue to take vaccinations, based on MOH's latest recommendations, to keep the level of our resilience high.
To illustrate what I just said, let me share some data collated over the first four months of 2023.
Seniors aged 60 and above continue to be more vulnerable to developing severe illnesses if infected with COVID-19. But amongst these seniors, the incidence of severe illnesses – that is, the infected persons need to be hospitalised or require oxygen supplementation – differs, depending on the vaccination status of the individuals. So, I am going to cite some incidence rates of severe illnesses, but please bear in mind what I am about to cite are over-estimates because, these days, cases are under-reported. So, these are over-estimates. But the point in the comparison is still the same.
For those seniors 60 and above who are unvaccinated, about 7.5% of them developed severe illnesses and have to be hospitalised. For those with minimum protection, that is, three doses of mRNA or Novavax, or four doses of Sinovac, the rate of severe illnesses was about 4%, half that of those who are unvaccinated. For those with minimum protection and kept their vaccination status up-to-date – that is, most of them got themselves boosted and their last shot was less than 12 months ago – the incidence rate of severe illnesses is even lower at 3.4%. So, it is 7.5%, 4% to 3.4%.
Hence, if you are aged 60 and above or are vulnerable due to underlying illnesses, please get your minimum protection of three shots of mRNA or Novavax, or four shots of Sinovac as soon as possible, if you have not already done so. And if you have minimum protection, please take a booster every year. This will enhance your protection against the Omicron variants and minimise the risk of being infected and developing severe illnesses.
Unfortunately, despite the benefits of vaccinations, the proportion amongst seniors aged 60 and above who are updated with their vaccinations have been declining. From 58% at the beginning of this year, it has slowly declined to 50% currently. Because once they pass their 12-month mark, they are no longer updated. So, every day, every week, that number is dropping. Now, it is only 50%. So, if this trend continues, our resilience against COVID-19 will weaken over time, making ourselves vulnerable to the virus again. Falling vaccinations, even amongst the vulnerable segments of the population, is due to a few reasons.
First, there is a common thinking amongst seniors and amongst the public, \"that I seldom go out of my home and hence, I do not have to take the vaccinations\". This is not recommended. The current Omicron variants are highly infectious and we no longer impose social restrictions, which means that even if you do not go out of your home, it can find its way to your home through visiting family members or anyone you may come into contact with. So, it is much better to get the vaccinations and consider going out from time to time, meet friends, have coffee and join us for group exercises. It is, actually, good for your health.
Second, some seniors are also concerned about the risk of side effects if they take further vaccination shots. To date, hundreds of millions of vaccine doses have been administered globally. The incidence of severe adverse reactions is very low in Singapore, at about seven in 100,000 doses, and it is even lower at one in 100,000 doses with the latest bivalent mRNA formulations. These severe adverse reactions are mostly myocarditis, anaphylaxis, serious allergic reactions and most resolve after some treatment.
So, let me summarise what is the deal. If you belong to a vulnerable segment of the population and choose not to take vaccinations, there is a significant chance that you will get infected at some point by the Omicron variant, which can cause severe illnesses that require hospitalisation and oxygen supplementation.
If you attain minimum protection and keep your vaccination status updated through boosters, the chance of developing severe illnesses will be significantly reduced if you are infected. There is an added risk of developing a severe adverse reaction after vaccinations but that is very low, especially with the new bivalent formulations. In other words, the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines continue to far outweigh the risks and you should keep your vaccination updated. This is the recommendation of both the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination as well as Health Sciences Authority.
Specifically on myocarditis, this is a known illness associated with infections, including those by the COVID-19 virus. It can also occur, albeit at a lower probability, when taking COVID-19 vaccines, and it tends to affect young males aged 12 to 30 years old. The local incidence of vaccine-related myocarditis in this age group is low, at about one in 100,000 doses, and it is even lower at 0.1 in 100,000 doses with the latest bivalent mRNA formulations.
As of 27 April 2023, out of more than 17 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Singapore, there were 160 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis linked to the vaccines. Of these cases, 32% had initial symptoms reported within one day of vaccination, another 20% reported within two days and another 24% reported within one week. The majority of cases of myocarditis from vaccination are generally mild and respond to treatment.
As of 27 April 2023, about 340 Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) applications are cardiology-related. Eighty-one of the applications were approved and financial assistance has been extended to the applicants. Myocarditis was picked up as a safety signal and reported in June 2021. A look-back at VIFAP applications from before June 2021 did not identify anyone with myocarditis. At present, COVID-19 vaccines are not known to be causally associated with any other cardiac conditions other than myocarditis.
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\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Dr Tan Wu Meng.
\tDr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong): I thank the Minister for his detailed answer and exposition. I declare that I am a medical doctor at a public hospital and I have seen first-hand how vaccinations has saved lives, when people are ill with COVID-19. I raise this Parliamentary Question in my capacity as a Member of Parliament.
Deputy Speaker, there are Clementi residents, fellow Singaporeans, who, early in the pandemic, underwent COVID-19 vaccination to protect themselves, their loved ones and the community. Some had applied for the VIFAP. Can I ask the Minister two supplementary questions?
Firstly, would Minister agree that if the policy intent of VIFAP is to provide goodwill financial assistance to persons whose serious side effects were assessed to be related to the vaccination, then the assessment must be based on the latest up-to-date scientific and medical understanding?
Secondly, would Minister consider that as the understanding continues to improve, older VIFAP cases should be subject to retrospective review closer to the three-year dates of limitation of claims, so that the latest up-to-date scientific and medical understanding can be applied to older cases as part of that review?
\tMr Ong Ye Kung: Thank you. The answer to both questions is yes. VIFAP applications have to be based on scientific and medical assessment. That is why we have an independent group of doctors who assess the VIFAP applications. And of course, if there are new understandings and/or new findings establishing the causal links of adverse reactions versus vaccines, old cases will be relooked at.
\t
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Prevalence of Home Rental Scams Using Online Platforms as Conduit","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"7 Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the number of home rental scams using online platforms has increased in the past 12 months; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider introducing further safeguards to protect homeowners whose homes have been used in such scams from liabilities.
\tThe Minister of State for Home Affairs (Ms Sun Xueling) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mdm Deputy Speaker, the number of home rental scams perpetuated via online platforms, such as e-commerce platforms and social media platforms, increased from 192 cases in 2021, to 979 cases in 2022.
These cases generally involved scammers impersonating property agents and listing home rentals on online platforms. Victims who come across these listings would contact the scammers via the phone numbers on the listings. The scammers would impersonate legitimate property agents by sending the victims pictures of a legitimate property agent's business card, as well as pictures or videos of the home units to be leased. There were also cases where the scammers posed as landlords.
In both these variants, the scammers would inform the victims that they are required to place a deposit in order to secure a viewing or to rent the unit. After the victims transfer the monies to the scammers, the scammers would become uncontactable.
The Member asked about safeguards to protect the real home owners, whose homes have been used in such scams, from liabilities. Such home owners will not be penalised unless they are involved in perpetrating the scams.
The Police have been working with online platforms to remove suspicious accounts and advertisements, as well as with the Council for Estate Agencies, or CEA, to include advisories on rental scams on CEA's social media channels.
The best defence is a vigilant and discerning public. We also encourage the public to verify the identity of the persons with whom they are dealing with. If the person claims to be a property agent, please verify their identity via the CEA Public Register. They can also contact the person's property agency before entering into any dealings with them. If a search of the advertised phone number does not lead to the property agent's profile page, this could be an indication that the listing is a scam, even if the property agent's name or registration number has been verified against the CEA Public Register.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Ms Yeo Wan Ling.
\tMs Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): I thank the Minister of State for the answer. Given that there has been an uptick of home rental scams using online platforms as the conduit, will the Ministry be taking ownership and enforcement measures against this online host?
One Punggol resident who saw me at a Meet-the-People session told me that his home had been used, not once, but multiple times in home rental scams and he had multiple victims turn up at his doorstep over a period of a few months with their belongings ready to move in. Thankfully, the victims understood that my resident had nothing to do with the scam.
However, for home owners whose homes and identities had inadvertently been used in these rental scams, what protections would be afforded to them from the Government, should civil suits and Police investigations be launched against them?
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\tMs Sun Xueling: I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. I will answer the second point first. As I have mentioned in my main reply, as long as the home owner is not involved in perpetuating the scam, the home owner will not be penalised. On the point about working with the social media platforms, indeed, we have been actively following up with online platforms to work with them to take down fake listings.
In May 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs had launched the e-commerce marketplace transactions safety ratings, which rates major e-commerce marketplaces on the extent to which they have adopted the identified safety measures. This would include user verification, user authentication, secured payment options, so on and so forth.
In the particular case of property rental scams, we will urge the public to go to formal online platforms whose main business is in property rentals such as Property Guru and other marketplaces, and not to go to other online platforms, such as Facebook or Carousell, whose not main business is not in the property rental space.
As I mentioned, the most important thing is to verify that the so-called estate agent is a bona fide estate agent. You can do so by looking at the phone number that is being advertised, check it against the CEA public register. It is a simple search function: just put in the phone number and if that phone number is a legitimate one, it will then lead you to the details of the estate agent who is registered with CEA. If the phone number that you put into this search function under CEA does not give you the property agent's name or leads to no search results, then it means that this so-called property agent is a fake and that you are looking at a fake listing.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Inclusion of Animal Welfare Content in Character and Citizenship Education Syllabus","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"8 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Education (a) whether he can provide an update on the inclusion of content relating to animal welfare in the Character and Citizenship education syllabus; (b) what have been the findings from the introduction of this teaching element in terms of student engagement and impact; and (c) whether this teaching element makes reference to recent cases of animal cruelty.
\tThe Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Education): Mdm Deputy Speaker, animal welfare is incorporated into subjects such as Character and Citizenship Education, Social Studies and Science. The contexts used to discuss such issues are regularly refreshed to include contemporary examples.
At the primary level, students learn about responsibility and care towards animals, including responsible pet ownership. Students at secondary and pre-university levels learn about making a positive difference to social and environmental issues including animal welfare. Some students have embarked on Values-In-Action Projects that contribute towards animal welfare and even started interest groups to promote animal welfare.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Leon Perera.
\tMr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for her reply. A few supplementary questions. One is, does this curriculum also educate children about the penalties associated with acts of animal cruelty and what recourse they have if they witness acts of animal cruelty? Secondly, does the curriculum afford opportunities for students to interact with animals and shelters or other kinds of settings where they can have some actual interactions with groups that are promoting animal welfare and advocating against cruelty to animals?
\tMs Gan Siow Huang: I thank the Member for the two supplementary questions. Our teachers do incorporate useful information, including the impact of committing offences related to animal cruelty. On working with the community, our schools do have choices to work with community partners. I think we all understand that safeguarding the welfare of animals is indeed a shared responsibility, something that our schools endeavour to do together with parents and community partners.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
\tMr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Madam. I think Minister Grace Fu always says I ask for more and so, I should again. Could I ask whether the Ministry of Education (MOE) is going to expand this curriculum in terms of animal welfare? I think we have had it for many years and I am hoping that we can expand it further, so that we can create greater awareness on animal welfare issues and go upstream, in terms of solving some of the animal abuse that we are currently seeing in our community.
\tMs Gan Siow Huang: I thank the Member Mr Louis Ng for that question. We always review our curriculum and the curriculum is being published on MOE's website. On reviewing animal welfare content in our subjects, we will certainly do so, in due course, to meet our students' learning needs.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ridership Demand Considerations in New Fare Adjustment Formula","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"9 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Transport (a) with the replacement of Network Capacity Factor to exclude ridership in the new Fare Adjustment Formula, how will fare changes take into account lower ridership or demand; and (b) besides the Thomson-East Coast Line, whether the Capacity Adjustment Factor has considered the anticipated opening of additional stations in the Downtown Line, Circle Line and Jurong Region Line from 2025 to 2028.
\tThe Minister for Transport (Mr S Iswaran): Mdm Deputy Speaker, my reply will also address questions by Ms Hany Soh1 and Mr Shawn Huang which had been filed for a subsequent Sitting on the same topic.
The Public Transport Council (PTC) has released its recommendations on changes to the fare adjustment formula and mechanism to reduce volatility of fare adjustments, while ensuring fare affordability for commuters and the financial sustainability of the public transport system. The Government has accepted the PTC's recommendations. The new fare formula will be applied from this year's Fare Review Exercise, which will be carried out in the later part of this year. There will be no changes in fares until then.
The new fare formula replaces the Network Capacity Factor with the Capacity Adjustment Factor, or NCF with \"C\". Both measure public transport capacity, which benefits commuters through improved connectivity and faster journey times. The difference is that NCF was computed every year and factors in ridership alongside capacity – it is positive when capacity grows faster than ridership and negative when ridership grows faster than capacity.
In its first three years, the NCF ranged from 1.6% to 3.9%. But the NCF was not designed for situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, when ridership fell sharply. As a result, NCF was suspended when it spiked to 50% in the 2021 Fare Review Exercise.
To reduce this variability, the PTC proposed \"C\", which is fixed for the next five years at 1.1%. This reflects both the actual and planned growth in public transport capacity from 2020 to 2026, largely arising from the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). Aside from TEL, \"C\" also takes into account short segments of the North-East, Downtown and Circle Lines which will open during this period. The Jurong Region Line is slated to open from 2027 and will only be considered in the next fare formula review.
\t
The PTC opted to exclude ridership from \"C\" because of uncertainties in ridership recovery over the next few years, with changing commuting patterns and flexible work arrangements. While ridership at the system level is at about 90% of pre-COVID-19 levels, the recovery has been uneven. For example, journeys to the Downtown Core are still at about 70% of pre-COVID-19 levels and ridership could be considered in subsequent fare formula reviews when ridership fully recovers. In the meantime, fixing \"C\" at 1.1% for the next five years will reduce potential variability in fares arising from the uncertain recovery of ridership.
Whatever the formula, the Government remains committed to keeping fares affordable. And that is why on top of fully funding the public transport infrastructure, we subsidise public transport operations at more than $2 billion every year or, as I have said just yesterday, more than $1 for every public transport journey. As a result, households now spend a smaller share of their income on public transport compared to a decade ago.
In addition to the broad-based subsidy that all commuters enjoy, more than two million commuters – one in two Singaporeans – including students, seniors, persons with disabilities (PwDs) and lower-wage workers pay concessionary fares which are up to 70% lower than adult fares. And these groups either receive their concession cards automatically or are invited to apply for them.
Monthly passes can help heavy users cap their public transport expenditure. For example, seniors can purchase a monthly concession pass for $64 to enjoy unlimited journeys on buses and trains for about $2 per day. Concession card holders can purchase a monthly pass at mass rapid transit stations and bus interchanges or through the SimplyGo mobile app or website if they have upgraded their cards. Singaporean and Permanent Resident adults can similarly enjoy unlimited journeys by applying for an identifiable card and purchasing a monthly pass through the same means.
The PTC had suggested that more could be done to raise awareness of these passes and prompt heavy public transport users who benefit from such passes to do so. The Government will look into how to support this suggestion.
Finally, when fares increase, the Government makes available Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs) to eligible households to help defray their higher public transport expenditure. Arising from the fare adjustment last year, 600,000 PTVs with a value of $30 are available for resident households with monthly household income per person of not more than $1,600. The 240,000 households that received a PTV from the previous exercise, and continue to meet the eligibility criteria, have automatically received their PTVs via post. Other eligible households can apply online or at the community centres. Those not eligible can also appeal online or at community centres. This information is publicised via posters in buses and public transport nodes. And I seek Members' assistance to inform your residents as well, so that more can benefit from these schemes.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Zhulkarnain.
\tMr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang): Thank you, Madam. Firstly, I thank the Minister for the clarifications. I also wish to thank the members of the PTC led by Mdm Chairperson, our Nominated Member of Parliament, hon Ms Janet Ang. I thank the work that they have done to make sure that the fares remain fair and equitable for all.
My supplementary question is: given the connectivity plans for the future lines and the projected increase in ridership, does the Ministry foresee that the current transport subsidy assistance schemes available will be tweaked further? For instance, increasing the PTVs or maybe have a more calibrated approach to the PTVs, as I had suggested in one of my Parliamentary Questions – for instance, for those who do not qualify strictly for the PTVs, maybe a smaller quantum of less than $30 be provided to cushion the impact of any projected increment.
\t
\tMr S Iswaran: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank the Member for his questions. His first point, his essential point is whether transport subsidies – and I think by this he means specifically for commuters – will be increased, given that we are increasing the scale. So, if I may, as a starting point, reiterate that in the provision of public transport in Singapore, our aspiration has always been to raise the quality and accessibility. At the same time, to make sure that it is affordable for Singaporeans and also ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the provision. This is essentially the triangulation that the PTC seeks to achieve through its recommendations and the Government seeks to attain through the implementation of various policy measures.
Having said that, in terms of the level of subsidy that we accord public transport, it is at different levels. The first and at the systemic level is what we do for buses and trains. And I have said this before, today we provide about a billion dollars each for buses and trains by way of subsidy from the Government. I would add that any fare increase that is not implemented is also rolled over and that adds to the subsidy and/or the support that is accorded public transport from the Government, the public purse. So, because we deferred a significant portion of the fare increase last year, we now have another $200 million of subsidies – a fare deferral consequence. That is at the system level.
Secondly, we have provisions for targeted assistance and that was what I was elaborating on earlier. Whether it is concession fares, where there is the normal adult fare, and then those who hold concession cards can pay at a reduced rate. And also, there are the cards that you buy per month, the season passes if you like, which as I have explained, for example, it is at $64 \tfor senior citizens at this point, which is approximately $2 a day for unlimited travel. So, we do that for seniors, for PwDs, for lower-income workers, for students and so on.
And then, finally, when there is a fare adjustment made – in other words a fare increase – in tandem with that, we typically implement PTVs or issue them especially to help those who are in the more vulnerable brackets, and that is what we did in the last exercise.
To the Member's question on whether there is scope to increase or enhance the support that is accorded, I think that is an area that we continue to work on across all three levels. So, whether it is in terms of the systemic support through subsidies, through the targeted support that we do through concession fares and so on, and also through specific moves in tandem with any fare adjustment through PTVs. And we are continuing to see how we can improve this to better meet the needs of specific groups of commuters.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Ms Hany Soh.
\tMs Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Thank you, Madam. And I thank the Minister for his reply. I have one supplementary question and one suggestion.
The supplementary question is in relation to whether the Ministry has been tracking the redemption rates of the concessions, our monthly passes and the PTVs respectively? Are we beginning to see an uptick trend in terms of these applications and approvals, from pre-COVID-19 to post-COVID-19 period?
And the other point, in relation to the suggestion to increase awareness and provide more help, is whether we can explore to train the relevant staff at the respective train stations, where members of the public or commuters applying for the concession passes can also enquire about the availability and application of the PTVs?
\t
\tMr S Iswaran: Madam, I thank the Member for her question and suggestion. Whether we track for concessions, basically, this is a function of how much the concession card holder uses, whether it is for a train or a bus, because every time they use it, they will tap and get that discounted fare – that is the concession card formulation.
I do not have a precise number, but I think ex ante, as I have said, our public transport ridership is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now about 90% of the pre-pandemic level and it also is a quite variegated outcome. Because when you look at the Downtown Core, the recovery is lower. But when you look at some of the heartland areas and the industrial areas, it is much stronger. I think it is a reflection of changing habits and work-from-home, and so on. So, we need to see how this thing pans out.
But specifically, then, what it means is we think the usage patterns amongst some of the specific groups, like seniors and so on, has recovered in tandem with this overall rise. And I would be happy to give a more specific response if the Member wants to file something more precise on that.
Then, on the issue of take-up rates of the PTVs, as I said, they work in different tranches. One tranche is when we just send it out by post to all those who were previously eligible and continue to be eligible; and they get it automatically. Then, there is the second tranche where they can apply and the application can go through the website and also to the community centre and so on. And then, the third tranche is when they make appeals and so on.
Our take-up rates, I know that they are quite significant. We were quite generous in providing for PTVs in the last round – 600,000. And the reason was because of the combination of both the fare increase and the economic circumstances. It is not fully taken up, but I know that more than half, or quite a significant proportion, has been taken up, or in that order of magnitude.
The key point is we are ready to help not just as a first cut, but also where there are instances where additional help is needed, we are happy to look into this and render the necessary support.
On the point about staff being well trained, I agree with the Member fully. That is why we do emphasise this. It is not just about how you can access concession fares or PTVs and so on. That is one important element. It is also about things like inclusivity, rendering assistance to those who may have difficulties moving around, information on wayfinding and so on, because these things are important complements to what we already do through the infrastructure. So, the Member's point is well taken, and this is an ongoing effort to improve the frontline service level that we have in our public transport system.
\t
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Transport in view of the new public transport fare adjustment formula announced by the Public Transport Council on 25 April 2023, what are the Ministry's outreach efforts to increase public awareness especially so that eligible commuters are informed of their eligibility and the methods to apply for concessions, monthly passes and public transport vouchers, such as senior citizens, lower-wage workers, persons with disabilities, students and full-time National Servicemen."],"footNoteQuestions":["9"],"questionNo":"9"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of Higher Interest Rates on Residential and Commercial Mortgagee Listings, and on Bankruptcy Applications","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"10 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Prime Minister (a) whether the Government is anticipating a further rise in bankruptcy applications in 2023; and (b) whether residential and commercial mortgagee listings are at risk of rising further amid higher interest rates and a tougher business climate.
\tThe Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Trade and Industry (Mr Alvin Tan) (for the Prime Minister): Madam, the number of bankruptcy applications filed by individuals was 959 in the first quarter of 2023. This is slightly higher than the average quarterly bankruptcy applications of 912 in 2022.
Bankruptcy applications could pick up further, as a small segment of more vulnerable borrowers face higher risks of financial distress amid higher interest rates and slower economic growth.
The Member also asked about mortgagee listings. There has not been a pick-up in property-related foreclosures thus far. Five commercial and five residential loans were foreclosed by financial institutions (FIs) in the first quarter of 2023, compared to an average of four commercial and 12 residential foreclosures per quarter in 2022.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.
\tMr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I have two supplementary questions. The first is in relation to what the Minister of State replied earlier in terms of the data. I refer to the Ministry of Law's (MinLaw's) data recently, which highlighted the number of mortgagee listings jumped in the first quarter of 2023, with more distress sales expected in the second half of the year as bankruptcy applications increased – I think this from a Business Times article in relation to the MinLaw data. That was the first supplementary question in relation to what the Minister of State had shared. Can the Minister of State reconcile that MinLaw data for the first quarter?
The second is in relation to my concern about the high interest rates and increase in the mortgagee-listing statistics. I am seeing some residents coming up to me to seek help with FIs in regard to their mortgages. I think the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) just replied to me yesterday on my written Parliamentary Question, that 27,000 home owners have refinanced in the past 12 months and also indicated that MAS estimates that an increase in mortgage payments for these home borrowers was around $240 on average. For some households, a $240-on-average increase in mortgage payments can be quite substantial.
Can the Minister of State share whether there are any further updates on the household debt situation in Singapore at the current situation and also going forward as well?
\t
\t
\tMr Alvin Tan: I thank the Member for his two supplementary questions. I will address the household debt situation question first, in reference to the written Parliamentary Question that MAS answered yesterday.
First is that households with outstanding mortgages will naturally see higher borrowing costs as interest rates rise from the exceptionally low levels in the past decade, so they will face the impact of a rise at different points of time, depending on the types of loan packages that they have taken up.
As of the first quarter of 2023, about 38% of mortgages extended for private residential property purchases by FIs were on floating rate packages that move in tandem with market interest rates, while the remaining 62% were either on rates linked to board rates or fixed deposit rates, which track market interest rates but with some lag or it could be fixed interest rates over the first few years of their loans.
With regards to the written Parliamentary Question yesterday, the \"$240 on average\" accounts for about 2% of their monthly income and the average monthly income of the 27,000 homeowners who refinanced their loans had increased by about 10%. So, 2% for increase in mortgage payments versus a 10% increase of monthly income over the last three years. While we understand and empathise that there are raises in how much mortgage layouts there are, this comparison between 10% increase in money income as well as 2% increase in mortgage would have helped cushion the increase in mortgage payments.
The other point here is also, maybe to give the Members some more updated information and details on borrowers who refinanced between August 2022 and February 2023. They would have faced a larger mortgage payment increase given the sharper increases in interest rates during that period. An example of an upper bound that I can share with the Member, borrowers whose loans were incepted, or at least last refinanced in February 2020 at the interest rate of about 1.8%, faced an average increase in monthly payment of about $730 or about 6% as a share of monthly income after refinancing in February 2023 at an interest rate about 3.9%. Again, if you take it on as a whole, the average increase in monthly income or those who had refinance in the past 12 months was about 10% over the last three years. It would have, to some degree, helped to cushion the increase in their mortgage payments. MAS estimated that the income increase over the last three years was because most of its borrowers had secured a new loan or refinanced that existing loan three years ago.
Let me now refer to the first Parliamentary Question which the Member has raised on mortgagee listings. The use of mortgagee listings as an indicator of households and businesses in distress may be limited. The extent of distressed sales could be or likely be overstated, in part due to double counting.
We are not privy to the auction houses' methodologies, but there are challenges in tracking such listings as there is no central database. For example, a property that is put up for sale may count as several listings at the bank or the owner listing it with multiple agencies.
The Member mentioned the recent media report last month that suggested that there is a spike in distressed property listings in its headline. This sharp increase referred to a quarter-on-quarter change from Q4 of 2022, which may reflect a low-based effect from the muted market activity in the year-end period. I just wanted to give the Member that context on mortgage listings.
That said, may I take this opportunity to also share and remind Members that MAS has put in place, over the years, measures to limit the amount one can borrow to buy property, including the Total Debt Servicing Ratio, which applies to both residential as well as commercial property. And now with higher rates and increasing uncertainty over global growth prospects, MAS continues to urge all borrowers to exercise caution and to ensure that you are able to service your debts when taking on long-term financial commitments, including big ticket items such as property purchases.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures to Prevent Cases of Seniors Passing Away Undetected in Their Homes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"11 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry plans to track cases of seniors who pass away undetected in their homes with a view to introducing preventive measures; and (b) for seniors who are not open to community engagement, what specific measures will be taken to identify when a senior living alone may have passed away and check on them, such as visiting the unit when they have defaulted on rent and utilities payments.
\tThe Minister of State for National Development (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for National Development): Madam, the Ministry for National Development (MND) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) contribute to the whole-of-Government effort in supporting seniors living alone, through the provision of alert alarm systems which they can use to call for help during emergencies, in studio apartments or selected rental blocks. HDB also checks in on flat owners and tenants on lease management and tenancy matters as needed, or upon receiving ground feedback. HDB will know of cases where seniors passed away undetected at home, either directly or through other agencies called upon to respond.
The community remains a critical source of help in times of emergency. There are existing community efforts to engage seniors who are at-risk, including proactive outreach by Silver Generation Ambassadors under the Agency for Integrated Care, and care and support services offered by the Active Ageing Centres (AACs). For seniors who are not open to community engagement, community partners continue to use different ways to build trust and rapport over and above their check-ins and visits. We will work with these agencies to consider the idea raised by the Member as we work to enhance community support for seniors.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
\tMr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I have one supplementary question for the Minister of State. Will the Ministry consider including elderly monitoring technology that uses sensors, motion detectors and so on as part of the EASE or the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme. This is to encourage and incentivise seniors and their family members to adopt such systems and prevent seniors living alone from passing on undetected.
\tAssoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Madam, I thank the Member for the supplementary question and also for the suggestion. Indeed, we are reviewing the EASE programme and we are also exploring technological solutions for seniors to live and age well, as well as in the community.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Dennis Tan.
\tMr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for his answers. Could I ask that the Ministry or various Ministries consider apportioning more resources to the AACs, so that their staff and volunteers can make better efforts to engage seniors who live alone, whether in 2-room Flexi flats or in normal 3-room, 4-room flats, where they live alone and especially for those who are not open to community engagement. And in that respect, can we even consider reviewing the law to see how we can improve the access of these AAC offices, staff or volunteers, so that they can actually pay more regular attention, rather than engage just like once off, once a year, or something like this.
I know the Parliamentary Question relates to seniors who pass away, specifically that was mentioned. But what is more important is for us to engage seniors who are living alone, who may be estranged from their families or are not close to them and before they start to decline physically, mentally, or if they are suffering from diseases, to reach out to them and make sure that they would be taken care of and, if necessary, to even arrange for alternative care before the inevitable.
\tAssoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Madam, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. In fact, if the Member has followed the discussion in this House, as well as what is happening on the ground and if the Member looks back, maybe over a decade, the whole ecosystem has been enhanced.
Recently, the Ministry of Health (MOH) also shared about AACs and I work very closely with the AACs within my constituency as well and I can see that not only have resources been enhanced, but I think what is key is that there are more hands on deck today. And not only those who are paid or employed, but also those from the community coming forward. You have the Social Service Agencies coming up with different ideas, some very innovative ideas to see how we can persuade the seniors to come out, to be engaged, to be part of the whole process of living well and ageing well.
MOH has shared what the plan is ahead, and in fact, earlier this year, we updated the Ageing Action Plan, the Live Well, Age Well programme. All this shows that a lot more is being done. But what is key in my view, as I have shared earlier, is how we can continue to galvanise the community because, ideally, no one should die alone. Nevertheless, things happen, for example, someone has a heart attack and he or she may live alone. But what is key is that as we continue on this journey, we strengthen the ecosystem, we look out for one another, we minimise the effects of the elderly dying alone or we minimise the effects of how someone would not be engaged, and at the same time, holding on to the aspiration of how we want them to live and age well in the community.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
\tMr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Madam. Could I just follow up on Member Yip Hon Weng's point and ask whether MND can work closely with the Red Cross, who already have a HoME+ programme? I think it stands for the Home Monitoring and Elder Care, which is about placing motion sensors in the house of seniors and when they detect any unusual movements patterns, then the Red Cross call centre is notified. I have seen how it is effective for our Nee Soon East residents, but I think that with more funding and perhaps partnership from the Government, they can expand further and perhaps even be nationalised.
\t
\tAssoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I thank the Member for the supplementary question. As I shared earlier, we are exploring technological solutions. So, and we will look at existing programmes as well as explore how we can enhance this journey for our seniors.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Use of Mattresses in Migrant Worker Dormitories","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"12 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether there have been instances where the Ministry has prohibited the use of mattresses in migrant worker dormitories; (b) if so, what are the reasons for the prohibition; and (c) how long are the prohibitions for.
\tThe Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Dr Koh Poh Koon) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not prohibit the use of mattresses in migrant worker dormitories. All dormitory operators are required to provide each dormitory resident with a bed, which should include a bed frame and a bed board or mattress.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
\tMr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Could I then check if the MOM is following up with some of the migrant worker dormitories and checking whether some of them have prohibited the use of mattresses at the dormitories? And if so, what is the percentage or number of dormitories that actually ban the use of mattresses.
\t
\tDr Koh Poh Koon: Madam, let me just share two pieces of information. The first is that, between the recent years 2018 and 2022, in fact, there were no active complaints received from any worker related to beds, bed boards or mattresses in dormitories.
But the Member was asking whether MOM does proactive checks – in fact, we do. Between 2018 and 2022, MOM investigated a total of 19 cases on issues related to beds, bed boards or mattresses at the dormitories. At that point in time, it involved only dormitories that are governed by the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act, which was only recently enhanced on 1 April. At that time, the inspection was for larger dormitories to purpose-built dormitories. And I would say that all these inspections were proactive, but none of the cases that were investigated – as I said in my earlier answer of 19 cases being investigated – were related to the prohibition of the usage of mattresses or bed boards.
In fact, those cases were investigated because of two scenarios. One, the migrant workers themselves discarded or misplaced the mattresses or the bed boards because some of them have preferences to sleep on a harder surface or prefer to not use a mattress, because it could be a little bit warm. The other situation that arose was because the bed spaces were unoccupied and so the bed boards were not placed there. But having engaged the operators, they are aware of what they need to provide to workers when the beds are occupied.
I just want to reassure the Member that there were actually no cases in which workers were denied the use of mattresses when they chose to do so.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
\tMr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Thank you, Madam. Just one last follow-up question. I visited some migrant worker dormitories recently and none of them had mattresses. I asked some of them and I think there is this misconception because they told me that MOM had prohibited the use of mattresses.
Could I ask MOM to follow up on this and make sure that there is some awareness out there, that migrant workers have a choice with regard to the use of mattresses in their dormitories?
\tDr Koh Poh Koon: Yes, certainly. Dormitory residents who feel that they have been told otherwise could either approach our Assurance, Care and Engagement officers who are on the ground, engaging with the dormitory operators, or they could access the feedback channel through the FWMOMCare app, which all workers are able to access and download, and then, they can contact MOM directly to investigate any cases in which they had been prohibited.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Completion of Review by Community Advisory Panel for Quantitative Noise Threshold for Neighbourhoods","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"13 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development when does the Government expect to conclude its review of the Community Advisory Panel on Neighbourhood Noise's recommendation for a quantitative noise threshold and introduce legislation to respond and enforce against unacceptable neighbourhood noise levels.
\tThe Senior Minister of State for National Development (Ms Sim Ann) (for the Minister for National Development): Madam, the Municipal Services Office (MSO) is following up on the key recommendations submitted by the Community Advisory Panel on Neighbourhood Noise.
At present, we are focusing on consulting relevant community stakeholders on the feasibility of extending the quiet hours as recommended by the Panel. We are also working with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Law to strengthen the inter-agency Community Dispute Management Framework, which includes preparations for the pilot unit of dedicated personnel to address serious cases of neighbour noise disputes.
The review on whether to establish a residential noise threshold has begun. We plan to work with academia on a technical study and draw on references from thresholds practiced in other jurisdictions before commencing wider consultations with relevant agencies and experts. We expect to be able to conclude the review before end-2024.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Chua.
\tMr Chua Kheng Wee Louis (Sengkang): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. Just two very quick supplementary questions for the Senior Minister of State. Firstly, is the plan for MSO to adopt the six key recommendations by the Community Advisory Panel? And second, I understand from the Committee of Supply debate earlier this year that the pilot team of dedicated personnel for the pilot scheme was supposed to be in place by the end of this year. I was just wondering if that is still on track and what the expected duration for the pilot phase will be before the whole programme is rolled out islandwide.
\tMs Sim Ann: Madam, I am afraid I could not hear very clearly.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Chua, could you please repeat it?
\tMr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: The first is: whether or not the six key recommendations of the Community Advisory Panel report will be taken up, is that the plan? And second, in terms of the pilot team of dedicated personnel that was supposed to be rolled out by the end of this year to deal with the egregious cases, I am just wondering what is the expected duration for the pilot phase and also, when should we expect the full implementation of the programme?
\tMs Sim Ann: Madam, MSO will respond to all the recommendations of the Community Advisory Panel in due course. As for the unit of dedicated personnel, we will share more information of the duration of the pilot. The intention is to eventually roll this out to the whole nation. The purpose of the pilot is more to determine whether the processes are working as intended and also, whether the resourcing is right.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures to Mitigate Risks of Data Compromise via Public Charging Stations and Wifi Access Points","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"14 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Transport with the growing vulnerability of mobile devices and data being compromised via public charging stations and wifi access points (a) whether there have been any recorded attempts to breach such stations and points at our public transport nodes; (b) what measures are in place to secure these nodes to reduce the risk of compromise for users; and (c) whether the Ministry will implement public education measures, such as billboards at MRT stations, to remind users to take precautions to protect their devices and data.
\tThe Minister for Transport (Mr S Iswaran): Madam, there have been no reported attempts to breach wifi access points or public charging stations at our public transport nodes.
Wi-fi access points at transport nodes operate via the Wireless@SGx network and comply with prevailing standards by the Infocomm Media Development Authority. Data transmitted via Wireless@SGx is encrypted. Charging stations, which are provided by public transport operators (PTOs), can only transmit power, and not data, to and from devices. Specifically, the USB ports in public transport nodes already have their data transmission pins removed. Only power transmission pins are present in the ports. The PTOs' staff can pick up signs of physical tampering through regular visual inspection and feedback from commuters. Closed-circuit television cameras can also detect and deter such attempts.
The charging stations are accompanied by signs reminding users to practise good cyber hygiene, such as using their own power plugs and cables. In addition, members of the public are encouraged to refer to the joint advisory by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and Singapore Police Force on 18 April 2023 on protecting mobile devices from malicious wireless and wired connections.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
\tMr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I just have a very short supplementary question. How often are the checks and inspections on these charging stations to ensure that they are not being tampered with or compromised on our public transport system?
\tMr S Iswaran: I thank the Member for his question. The PTO staff conduct inspections of the various facilities, including the buses and the transport nodes, on a daily basis. As part of the protocol, this includes the charging points as well. So, it is not specifically just about these charging points for these USB ports; it is part of the larger regular inspection regime that they have and conduct. They are trained to pay particular attention to this, as I elaborated earlier.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Device Management Application and Antivirus Software in Government-issued Mobile Devices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"15 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Prime Minister (a) whether all Government-issued mobile devices used by civil servants and political office holders are pre-installed with device management application (DMA) and antivirus software; (b) if so, how does the Smart Nation Digital Government Group (SNDGG) ensure that sensitive information passing through these devices does not fall into the wrong hands; and (c) if not, how does SNDGG ensure that only approved apps are downloaded, only appropriate websites are accessed and only malware-free email attachments are opened on these devices.
\tThe Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Prime Minister): Madam, Government-issued mobile devices are secured through technical controls and policies on appropriate use.
Technical controls include the installation of Mobile Device Management software, which allow for remote removal of data from compromised devices. Connectivity to the Government network must be done via a virtual private network. Emails are screened by a security application that blocks emails containing suspicious attachments. As a policy, such devices cannot be used to process and store highly classified information that may cause serious damage to national interests.
We also educate public officers through regular training so that they are aware of cybersecurity risks, including rogue apps or spoof websites. As Members will appreciate, cyber risks can never be fully eliminated. We will implement appropriate safeguards while enabling officers to be effectively supported with information technology tools.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
\tMr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Has the Government assessed the risk that the apps installed on these phones, whether they are personal or official mobile phones of public servants and civil servants, may be able to surreptitiously access official secrets that may be stored on the phone or accessible on the phones? And what mitigation measures are done to prevent this – for example, do all official devices require anti-malware software to be installed?
Also, the Senior Minister of State mentioned quite a bit of restrictions on the official mobile phones. What rules are in place to ensure that civil servants do not use their personal devices for official purposes, just to get around the official phone restrictions in an effort to communicate with one another or with the public?
\tDr Janil Puthucheary: Madam, I thank the Member for the questions. His supplementary questions touch on a number of areas – malware mitigation, installation of software, installation of apps, the use of personal devices versus official devices. We do have policies as well as technical solutions that apply to all of those areas that he had asked about.
But the key issue is the behaviour of our personnel. Every single one of these technical software solutions can be weakened by inappropriate behaviour. So, the key is really to make sure that our public officers understand what they are allowed to do and how what they do exposes themselves as well as our systems to risks, and to make sure that their behaviour is not compromised. The short answer is, we do have technical solutions to each of the issue that he has brought up, but what we really need to emphasise is the process and people factors in order to make sure that we secure this space. And I thank him for his questions.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ensuring Development and Maintenance of Ethical Artificial Intelligence Standards","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"16 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Communications and Information considering the advances in artificial intelligence (AI) with platforms such as ChatGPT and the GPT-4 architecture, what attention is being given to promoting and ensuring (i) the development of ethical AI which responds in a manner consistent with human values and (ii) maintenance of ethical standards in the development, dataset training and deployment of AI.
\tThe Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Minister for Communications and Information): Madam, Singapore supports the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), so that its benefits may be enjoyed in a trusted and safe manner. Our approach was explained at the 19 April 2023 Sitting.
Among other measures, we introduced the Model AI Governance Framework and AI Verify, a self-testing toolkit to demonstrate responsible deployment of AI. Later this year, we plan to issue the Advisory Guidelines on the Use of Personal Data in AI Systems under the Personal Data Protection Act. We regularly engage industry and international counterparts, such as through our Advisory Council on Ethical Use of AI and Data and the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, to keep abreast of developments.
Where necessary and useful, we will update our measures to take into account the impact of developments like Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) and GPT-4. For example, the Public Service has introduced guidelines for public officers using similar technologies to draft documents. These guidelines make clear that public officers are accountable for their work and are responsible for fact-checking and vetting AI-generated content. The guidelines also aim to safeguard data security by reminding officers not to input sensitive information into these applications.
\tMdm Deputy Speaker: Dr Tan Wu Meng.
\tDr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong): Deputy Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for his answer. I have got two supplementary questions. The Senior Minister of State, in his example of the Public Service gaining experience with the use of ChatGPT and GPT-4, essentially alluded to the idea of a responsible person when AI is being deployed for a purpose. Can I first ask the Senior Minister of State whether this approach will be encouraged in other settings, including in the private sector? So that, for example, if a firm uses AI to make decisions on human resources, there can be appropriate accountability if the AI results in discriminatory behaviour against job applicants.
Secondly, can I also ask the Senior Minister of State if agencies might wish to study the role of a proof of human marker for certain AI applications and platforms? This is so that Singaporeans and members of the public interacting with an online portal can know whether the chat is being generated by an AI or by a fellow human being.
\tDr Janil Puthucheary: Madam, I thank the Member for the questions. The role of the private sector is important. We have significant representation from the private sector in our Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI. We hope through that platform, these best practices as well as the moves that the public sector is making can also influence the standards and approaches that occur in the private sector; and vice versa, as we learn best practices from the private sector for our role and mission in the public sector.
On his second question about the role of a proof of human marker, I think it is something worth studying. But I would caveat that it is not necessarily something that you may want to introduce as a general rule across all AI mechanisms. I think the Member would appreciate there are a fair number of tasks which can be very safely and reasonably automated without the need for demonstrating a human in the loop. In our day-to-day work and our interactions with our many devices, we know that this is the type of technology that is being deployed safely and to good effect.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: We are out of Question Time. Order. End of Question Time. Introduction of Government Bills.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Women's Charter (Family Violence and Other Matters) (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend the Women's Charter 1961 to better protect against family violence and for other purposes, and to make related amendments to certain other Acts.\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Ms Sun Xueling) on behalf of the Minister for Social and Family Development, read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament on or after 3 July 2023, 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":"Building and Related Works (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend certain Acts as regards the approval requirements for building works, to introduce in the Environmental Protection and Management Act 1999 and the Environmental Public Health Act 1987 approval requirements for building and related works, and to make consequential and related amendments to certain other Acts.\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Senior Minister of State for National Development (Mr Tan Kiat How) on behalf of the Minister for National Development, read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament on or after 3 July 2023, 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":"Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":"Introduction of Bill by Private Member","sectionType":"BI","content":"Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Seah Kian Peng.
Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move*, \"That leave be given to introduce a Bill intituled 'An Act to amend the Maintenance of Parents Act 1995'\", or MPA, in short.
[(proc text) *The Motion also stood in the names of Mr Murali Pillai and Ms Tin Pei Ling. (proc text)]
Twelve years ago, I led a Working Group comprising about 10 members and we tabled the 2010 Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill.
We introduced the conciliation-first approach to help elderly parents and their children resolve maintenance disputes out of Court. This was a major change as they used to apply directly to the Tribunal for the Maintenance of the Parents for an order, for their children to pay them maintenance. This tended to worsen the already strained family ties.
The conciliation-first approach has seen positive results. Since its implementation in March 2011, about 90% of the claims referred annually to the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents were settled at conciliation. Consequently, the number of elderly parents who applied to the Tribunal has dropped significantly from 183 in 2010 to 110 within the first year of implementation. The applications dropped steadily over the years, have now stabilised and number at around 30 per year.
It is timely to review the MPA. So, I formed a nine-member Work Group comprising of Parliamentarians here. We formed this group more than a year ago and we have completed our deliberations and review.
My Work Group's key thrust is to strike the right balance in strengthening provisions for parents while introducing measures to prevent its misuse. Our recommendations are two-fold.
First, we propose to amend the MPA to enhance the powers of the Tribunal and the Commissioner in ensuring that neglected elderly parents are adequately supported.
Second, we propose to put in place new processes to prevent the misuse of the MPA by parents who have abandoned, abused or neglected their children and did not fulfil their parental duties. In so doing, we also protect and spare their children from unnecessary distress.
We conducted two rounds of public consultation in January and November last year with citizens, stakeholders and professionals from the social and legal sectors. We also had an online survey as part of our consultative process.
All said, there was general support for the proposed amendments.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Resolved, \"That leave be given to introduce a Bill to amend the Maintenance of Parents Act 1995.\" (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Who is prepared to introduce the Bill?
Mr Seah Kian Peng: I am, Madam.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Please proceed.
Mr Seah Kian Peng: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to introduce a Bill intituled \"An Act to amend the Maintenance of Parents Act 1995.\"
[(proc text) Bill read the First time. (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Second Reading, what day?
Mr Seah Kian Peng: At the next available Sitting, Madam.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: So be it. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the Day.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BP","content":"[(proc text) Resumption of Debate on Question [8 May 2023], \"That the Bill be now read a Second time.\" – [Second Minister for Home Affairs]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Question again proposed. (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Madam, the Bills will strengthen our ability to tackle scams through the misuse of bank and Singpass accounts. The Bills will also introduce new offences of rash and negligent money laundering, expand the scope of money laundering offences and introduce new offences to prevent Singpass abuse. The proposed amendments will allow us to more effectively investigate and prosecute money mules who allow their Singpass or bank accounts to be used for scams. I have three points to make.
My first point is on the new offences of rash and negligent money laundering. A person may commit an offence if they enter into an arrangement acting rashly as to the fact that it relates to benefits from criminal conduct. The Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA) has said that a person acts rashly if they had suspicions but did not make further enquiries to address those suspicions.
Does the offence require that the person must be suspicious that the arrangement is linked to criminal conduct? Is it sufficient that the person is suspicious that the facts they were given, for example, people's identities or reasons for the transaction that may not be true? Can the Minister elaborate on the extent of verification that a person should make to address any suspicions?
A person may also commit an offence if they negligently enter into such an arrangement. MHA explained that a person is negligent if they continue with a transaction despite the presence of \"red flags\" that are noticeable by an ordinary, reasonable person. Can the Minister elaborate further on what these \"red flags\" are?
Money mules who are implicated in money laundering may not have a clear understanding of money laundering arrangements. For instance, they may be elderly persons or less financially sophisticated persons. Can the Minister explain if the standards of the \"ordinary, reasonable person\" will be calibrated to factor in the individual characteristics of the accused?
My second point is on the new offences under both Bills which involve a failure to verify details. Under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, or CDSA (Amendment) Bill, a person can be deemed liable for money laundering if they allow certain transactions to take place through their accounts without verifying the purpose of the arrangement, the source or destination of the country, or the person's identity and physical location.
Under the Computer Misuse Act or CMA (Amendment) Bill, a person is presumed to believe that the disclosure of his Singpass credentials was for the commission of an offence if the person fails to take steps to find out the identity and physical location of the recipient. Again, can the Minister elaborate on the extent of verification that is expected?
It is possible that an individual may provide another with access to their account or to their Singpass credentials for a legitimate purpose, but the access is later abused for criminal purposes. Can the Minister share what is expected of the individual in this situation to avoid committing an offence? Is there an ongoing requirement that the individual periodically verifies the transactions going through their account?
For example, an elderly parent may give their children access to their account to help manage their finances. They may also give their children their Singpass details to help with a transaction.
While MHA has stated that owners of payment accounts must be responsible for how their accounts are being used, the reality is that a financially illiterate elderly person may trust their children and be content to leave control of their accounts to their children. It is also possible that they may not be in a position to regain control of their accounts after allowing their children initial access, even if they are aware that the accounts are being used for illegitimate purposes. Can the Minister share how the Police will view such cases?
My third point is on the responsibility of network access facility operators and service providers. The Computer Misuse Bill clarifies that network access facility operators and service providers are not guilty of making available any Singpass information that comes across their platforms. However, platforms, too, have a role to play in addressing illegal or harmful content transmitted on their platforms.
Can the Minister elaborate on what it views as the responsibility of network access facility operators and service providers in addressing the illegal use of accounts and Singpass credentials? What are the regulatory frameworks in place to ensure that network access facility operators and service providers are not complicit in the use of their platforms for illegal purposes? Notwithstanding these clarifications, Madam, I stand in support of the Bills.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Murali Pillai.
Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of both Bills. These Bills are really about equipping our Home Team with the necessary legal tools to combat the scourge of scams.
The hon Second Minister for Home Affairs apprised us of the staggering numbers involved here – tens of thousands of victims, tens of thousands of bank accounts used to launder money from local victims, and billions of dollars lost.
The pain and suffering caused to the victims of the scams is very real. I have spoken to several residents in the Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency who have fallen victim to scams and lost their life savings to criminals who preyed on their vulnerabilities. It is heartbreaking for them to realise that, given the international nature of these crimes, there is little prospect of them recovering their monies stolen from them once the monies get transferred overseas, despite the best efforts of our enforcement officers.
The introduction of these Bills represents a decisive step in Home Team's strategy to deal with this scourge. Madam, before I go further, I wish to pay tribute to our Home Team officers who have been waging an all-out battle against the perpetrators of the scams, especially the officers charged with the responsibility of investigating these cases.
Our officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASC), which includes the Scam Strike Teams in all land divisions, have been working feverishly on thousands of cases since the Command was set up last year. Their job is complex. Frequently, cross-border cooperation is needed to bring perpetrators to book and recover funds transmitted overseas. This can, admittedly, be a frustrating exercise.
Also, speed is of the essence as these officers, through their network of more than 80 partners, try to freeze and recover monies belonging to the victims before they leave our jurisdiction. These officers deserve our appreciation and full support as they discharge their duties to the best of their abilities.
I now turn to the proposals set out in the Bill. I appreciate the policy underpinning of the decision to make account holders responsible for the transactions in their accounts, so that their accounts would not be used by scammers. I have no issue with the proposal to extend criminal liability to an account holder who engaged in rash money laundering activities.
As I see it, the account holder would have been put on notice but decided to assume the risk nonetheless, usually for profit, as explained by the hon Second Minister in her speech. Hence, he should be made criminally liable for helping the scammers. I am, however, concerned about the proposal for an account holder to be criminally liable if he was negligent and that led to his account being used for money laundering activities.
The reality is that account holders have different levels of knowledge and experiences. Their susceptibility to overtures and influences of a scammer may also vary. This is an observation made by the hon Member Ms Sylvia Lim in her speech yesterday and by the hon Member Mr Louis Ng in his speech today.
In these circumstances, to apply an objective standard may operate unfairly against some of the account holders who do not have sufficient knowledge and experience and, therefore, are less discerning than others.
On the other hand, I do appreciate though that this may give a free pass to too many people who can feign ignorance after the fact. This is especially unhelpful, given the sheer number of scams that we face on a daily basis – on an industrial scale, actually.
Clearly, there is a pressing need to clamp down on accounts that may be accessible by scammers. Hence, I appreciate why a tough stance has to be taken. I wonder though, if the potential harsh effect of applying an objective standard on certain account holders, by reason of their personal backgrounds, can be mitigated by two measures.
First, to have what I call a \"whitewash\" policy which allows for the account holders to not be held criminally liable if he were to lodge a Police report soon after they received monies which they believe to be derived from ill-gotten gains, even if they may be criminally liable in the first place for facilitating the transfer of these monies into their accounts owing to their negligence.
By lodging the Police report, the ASC will be placed in a position to freeze the monies in the accounts and prevent the monies from falling into hands of the scammers.
For the account holders who do not act with diligence, I will imagine that the penny would drop for them as soon as they are put into funds. So, these account holders should be incentivised and given credit for proactively reaching out to the authorities in such circumstances.
Second, for the Home Team to set out clearly in legislation or other platforms what its expectations of the account holders are. In this regard, I note that the hon Second Minister mentioned that the rash or negligence concept is not new and is employed in the Penal Code as well as the Road Traffic Act. I would suggest that the hon Minister consider the approach taken under the Immigration Act in relation to persons who are found to have harboured immigration offenders as a result of their negligence.
As some Members here may recall, in the 1980s, we had a big problem with illegal immigrants. Hence, the Government passed strict laws to deal with this problem by making it an offence for employers and landlords to harbour illegal immigrants.
In 1993 and later in 1998, the Government set out the due diligence requirements in legislation, so that employers and landlords were put on notice on the checks they have to perform, failing which they will be deemed not to have exercised due diligence. In short, all these measures will make it harder for someone to say, \"But I didn't know!\". The response would be, \"Well, you ought to have known.\"
I also would like to take this opportunity, as an aside, to deal with a scenario that I believe may come up from time to time in Police investigations against suspected money mules for not exercising due diligence in allowing their accounts to be used by others.
The suspects may explain that this is because the subject to whom he provided access to his account is unbanked, meaning that they had no access to a banking account, and had sought his assistance to receive or send monies.
Whilst at first glance this explanation may be rejected as being unbelievable, there is anecdotal and statistical evidence to suggest otherwise. The Government statistics show that while more than 98% of Singapore residents here have bank accounts, about 2% do not. This works out to about more than 200,000 persons here who are unbanked. I have also come across cases of adult Singaporeans who have not being able to open bank accounts because of their criminal past, or because they are subject to investigations of certain offences. As a result, the banks have assessed them to be high risk cases and rejected their applications to open bank accounts.
I suggest that more be done between the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and banks to ensure that even if a person has a criminal past or is a subject of investigation, he or she should be able to open an account to at least to have access to basic banking services. No bank regulated by MAS should be allowed to reject an application for basic banking services on the basis that he is high risk. This should be a universal right and, in fact, this is not a controversial point. I note that in 2020, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, in response to a Parliamentary Question filed by the hon Member Louis Chua, stated that MAS was working with banks on further ways to enhance financial inclusion whilst ensuring that risks were adequately managed.
Should we be able to ensure that all Singaporean residents have universal access to banking services, this can help in the fight against scams too. Money mules will no longer be able to provide the excuse that the third party who took control of their account is unbanked.
I now proceed to deal with the proposed amendments to the CMA. I support the hon Second Minister's proposal to make it an offence for an individual to disclose his Singpass credentials to another knowingly or having reasonable grounds to believe that the purpose of the disclosure is to facilitate the commission of an offence. Such access would enable criminals to open bank accounts, registering companies and sign up for new phone lines.
There is one further area that I would like to respectfully suggest to the hon Second Minister with a view to further bolster the steps, to prevent unauthorised disclosure of Singpass credentials.
As part of our efforts to be a digital nation, the Government offers Singpass Application Programming Interface (API) to both Government and private entities. As a result, Singaporeans now, through Singpass, can gain access to a plethora of services provided by both Government and private entities.
With the convenience, unfortunately, comes the risk of some Singaporeans being scammed. We have heard and seen cases of people falling prey to phishing and spoofing scams by scammers allegedly representing the Government and private entities that led them to disclose their Singpass credentials to scammers.
For this reason, I would like to suggest that it should be made a regulatory must for all entities using Singpass APIs for access into their services be given the responsibility to proactively conduct due diligence to identify phishing and spoofing attempts on unsuspecting people.
By imposing a regulatory responsibility, I hope that alarm can be raised sooner rather than later and the number of victims falling prey to such scams can be reduced.
There is no sure way to guard against the ill intentions of malicious men, just as there is no way to match the ingenuity of criminal minds, save by the ingenuity of all of us who stand against them.
My first set of proposals requires the presence of minds from individuals to pay attention to the rules of engagement in a digital world. My second requires institutions to play this role too. Together, we can form a tighter net against those would wish us harm.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Mdm Deputy Speaker, our nation is moving towards a digital-ready future, as part of our Smart Nation strategy. Correspondingly, this comes with the increasing prevalence of digital transactions. As a financial hub, it is imperative that we tighten our legislations on the digital front. The amendments to the two Bills are therefore timely and necessary. I have several clarifications.
First, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I wish to raise some general queries on the implementation of the two Bills.
Recent media reports have shed light on a different aspect of scamming incidents. Specifically, some individuals who were believed to be scammers, were, in fact, victims of scam syndicates. They may have been lured into committing offences.
From such incidents, we understand that there is a myriad of factors involved. This includes the fact that these individuals may themselves have been deceived and were unaware as to where the truth lies. With the constantly evolving nature and increasing complexity of scams, how does the Ministry ascertain whether a suspect is adequately educated, or can recognise a scam? How does the Ministry determine whether the suspect was cognisant of their role in a scam?
Next, I note that between 2020 and 2022, the Police investigated over 19,000 money mules. Yet, fewer than 250 cases were prosecuted. Is the rate of prosecution a result of insufficient evidence? As such, does this Bill seek to remedy the inherent difficulty of proving that money mules have knowingly assisted in money laundering offences? Moreover, how will the changes proposed in the Bills specifically address the challenges?
My second concern is regarding the enforcement of penalties against criminal masterminds in scam and cybercrime syndicates. While going after the small fry or runners is important to break the chain, these people are just a cog in the wheel, who are easily replaceable. We need to also target the mastermind behind these criminal operations. Can the Government share what is being done to track the syndicate masterminds, even if the crimes are transnational in nature?
While it may not be directly under the purview of the two Bills, can the Government share what is being done to track and retrieve the amount of money stolen via cybercrimes? What is the current success rate of the retrieval of stolen funds? And is this level deemed satisfactory? This is an issue that is of utmost importance to scam victims and residents who are becoming increasingly wary of cyber transactions.
Third, Mdm Deputy Speaker, while we take action against those who intentionally give away their Singpass credentials for criminal activities, we must also consider the security weaknesses that may lead to the compromise of Singpass credentials. These deficiencies can arise from both technological vulnerabilities and social engineering, such as manipulating not just the user, but also customer service staff who handle the affected accounts. What measures are Government taking to enhance the security of these systems? How can we leverage technology to prevent users from unintentionally or wilfully disclosing their Singpass login information during any part of the login process? Will the system require additional levels of authentication to ensure better safeguards?
How will the Government balance the need for increased authentication, with the goal of expanding the use of Singpass for various transactions and services, which is a critical aspect of our Smart Nation initiatives?
Will the Government be more selective in granting access to Singpass to more companies and services? This is something which Member Mr Murali raised earlier. Additionally, what measures are in place to mitigate the risks associated with the exposure of Singpass credentials, if these services are compromised? How can the security of users' credentials be guaranteed?
To ensure the full support of our people in our Smart Nation ambition, we must build their confidence not only in the robustness of our cyber networks and systems, but also in the solutions available, in case of system failures and vulnerabilities. Citizens should not have to fear losing money or personal data with each attempt to conduct a digital transaction.
Fourth, Mdm Deputy Speaker, some aspects of the Bills pose concern for seniors, who may be less savvy with online transactions and scams. Many banks are shifting towards digital transactions, which is disconcerting for seniors who may not be familiar with online banking technology. Despite the lack of confidence, some of them invariably may have to resort to conducting their banking activities online. In such cases, they may seek assistance from others, which puts them at risk, if these individuals have malicious intentions.
Amongst seniors who conduct banking activities online on a regular basis, can the Government share what percentage have fallen victim to scams or have become involved in money transfers for illegal activities? How will the law address cases where seniors willingly hand over control of their Singpass or bank accounts to family members or caregivers who may then use them for illegal activities? What measures will be taken to mitigate the exploitation of seniors who may not fully understand the nature of their actions, when transferring money under the guidance of others, such as \"friends\" or acquaintances?
In my Yio Chu Kang estate, there are many senior residents who live alone or spend a significant amount of time alone as their children are working. These vulnerable individuals are often not digitally savvy, making them more susceptible to falling prey to scammers who pose as friends or manipulate or force them into becoming money mules. Scammers often take advantage of their victims' fears and insecurities to extract more money or account information. If the victims' accounts are frozen due to illegal activity, they face a double whammy of being charged with a criminal offence for acting out of fear.
While my grassroots leaders and I do our best to raise awareness, emotions and panic tend to cloud judgement, as often seen in love or kidnap scams. Will the law consider the circumstances and susceptibility of elderly victims in these cases?
Another important consideration is how the proposed law will affect our ongoing efforts to educate seniors about digital and cyber safety, such as the Seniors Go Digital initiative. Could the law make seniors more apprehensive about using digital technology and undermine our progress in this area? It is disheartening to hear seniors express reluctance to transact online when we discuss new scams with them. Their reaction suggests that they may forsake digital transactions altogether, to avoid the risk of being scammed.
In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, it is important that individuals face penalties for allowing the use of their personal and banking accounts to abet criminal activities. But there needs to be a balance between allowing for easier prosecution and collaborators who may have genuinely been misled by syndicates.
My concern is for seniors. We cannot ignore the fact that vulnerable seniors and genuine scam victims exist. We must adopt a comprehensive approach to safeguard our seniors' personal data, whilst also provide education on digital and cyber safety to vulnerable groups. The Government and relevant organisations should also continue to work towards enhancing the security of their systems to prevent the compromise of personal data.
I pause here to note that the effect of the Bill makes it easier for the prosecution to prove an offence. In part, the Bill removes the burden on the prosecution to prove that the accused had actual knowledge or reasonable grounds to believe, and puts the onus on the accused to rebut the presumption of reasonable grounds of belief.
Whilst the Bills may be contrary to the general position that one is innocent until proven otherwise, ultimately, I agree that the proposed amendments set out in the Bills are vital to meet the ever-evolving financial crimes in a digital age. Further, I firmly believe that our Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) prosecutors and our Singapore Police Force investigation officers will act judiciously in deciding whether to prosecute individuals. I support the Bills.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Sharael Taha.
Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. The number of reported scams and the amount lost to scams are steadily increasing, with significant impact on individuals and their hard-earned money.
In 2022, there were 31,728 scam cases reported in Singapore, a 32.6% increase from 2021, and victims lost a staggering $660.7 million in 2022 alone, up from $632 million in 2021. Hence, in the last two years, $1.3 billion had been lost through scams and some of these are the retirement funds of many of our residents.
During my Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) at Pasir Ris, one of my residents, who is a professional, came up to me, sharing that he had lost more than $200,000 to a scam and that the majority of the money lost was his mother's retirement savings.
It is essential to address this issue promptly and effectively. Whilst scammers continue to change their modus operandi, our agencies are diligently working to catch up with them. It is encouraging to witness the collaboration between the MHA and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office as they work closely together to strengthen our collective defence against scams.
However, I have three points of clarification for the Minister. My first point will be on clarifying some of the clauses in the amendments. My second point will focus on how we continue to educate the general public effectively on scams. And my third and last point will be focusing on how we improve the recovery of the monies lost to scams.
The proposed amendments in the Bills stipulate that the payment account owners, including bank accounts, must exercise responsible conduct in the utilisation of the said account. They will be held accountable for any transaction that takes place through their accounts. In considering requests by others to use their payment accounts to receive and transfer monies, owners are always expected to find out more about the other party, to verify the other party's identity and to understand the origin or destination of the monies.
Can I confirm with the Second Minister that payment accounts include other types of platforms beyond banks or Singpass accounts, such as e-wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Grab Pay, Google Pay and We Chat Pay?
In the amendments, when an account owner receives money from or transfers money to another person, he must also take reasonable steps to enquire and identify the source or destination of the money. He would be deemed to have acted rashly if he proceeded to carry out transactions while he had suspicions, but did not make further enquiries to address those suspicions. Furthermore, he would be deemed to have acted negligently if he continues with a transaction despite the presence of \"red flags\" that are noticeable by an ordinary, responsible person.
Given that scammers will often impersonate officials, trusted entities and even family members, what is the threshold required to prove that the account owner has acted negligently or recklessly? Very often we hear of how victims were completely convinced that the scammers were from trusted sources. The burden of proof has shifted and we must be careful how we manage this threshold, so as not to make it even more challenging for victims who have already lost their money and compound their predicament by holding them responsible for allowing money to be transacted out of their account.
The proposed amendments to the CMA were prompted by instances of Singpass account being sold by individuals, which is a worrisome occurrence. In light of this development, it is pertinent to inquire as to the current prevalence of such incidents and the total number of such cases reported to the Police.
The proposed penalty for obtaining or dealing with Singpass credentials is a maximum penalty of a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, for a first offence. For a second or subsequent offence, the maximum penalty will be a fine of up to $20,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both. This seems similar to the penalty for theft.
However, given that in Singapore, an individual's Singpass account provides access to many other facilities and has bigger implications if abused as compared to physical theft, the proposed penalties for obtaining or dealing with Singpass credentials should serve as an adequate deterrent. How do we ensure that this is enough of a deterrent to prevent the illegal sale and theft of Singpass account access?
This brings me to my second point of whether individuals who had sold or inadvertently divulged their Singpass details to scammers were cognisant of the potential ramifications of such actions. How do we continue to educate people on the importance of keeping this information private and not sharing it with others? How effective has our outreach been? How do we continue to better educate people in ensuring that they always remain curious and enquire about sources and the destination of transactions and not just trust others openly?
Educating the public about scams is crucial for prevention. It is a misconception that only the old and the digitally illiterate gets scammed. Contrary to popular belief, more than 53% of scam victims were between the ages of 20 and 39 years old. These individuals are digital natives, indicating a need for targeted education efforts that debunk misconceptions about scam victims and cater to the unique challenges faced by the younger generations too.
Lastly, while the amendments to the two Bills strengthen our collective defence against scams, for most scam victims, recovery of the monies lost to a scam is just as important as apprehending the scammers, if not more so. I am pleased to see in the report that over $200 million has been recovered by Anti-Scam Centre since its inception in 2019 to 2022. How has this improved since then?
How do we stop money from quickly exiting the accounts of the victims to multiple banks and then quickly channelled outside of our jurisdiction? How do we balance between the efficiency of money transfers through banks versus providing adequate protection for victims of scams? Is there a fail-safe system to immediately stop fraudulent transactions from crossing our boundaries?
How much responsibility is placed on the banks to ensure that it is not easy for the scammers or money launderers to move money quickly around? How are we using technology tools such as blockchain and AI to detect and prevent such fraudulent transactions?
To elaborate more on my last point, the continuous rise in the number of scam cases is deeply concerning. In fact, the number of scam cases reported in 2022 at 31,728 cases is far higher, almost 50% more than the number of cases of physical crimes.
As our hon colleague Mr Murali earlier mentioned, the number of scam cases has reached an industrial scale. Do we have enough resources and capability along with the correct organisational structure within our Police force to take on this changing nature of crimes effectively? How can our Police force be equipped with the right technology like generative AI to help \"patrol\" the digital space and investigate such crimes? Mdm Deputy Speaker, in Malay please.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The rise in scam cases continues to be a worrying trend. The number of cases and amount lost to scams continue to increase. Over the past two years between 2021 and 2022, about $1.3 billion of workers' hard-earned money has been lost due to scams.
The modus operandi of scammers changes frequently, and our agencies are working together to strengthen our collective defence against scams. However, I have three points of clarification for the Minister.
The first point seeks clarification on some clauses in the amendments, namely, to ensure that this Bill covers all forms of payment, not just bank accounts, but also e-wallets, such as Google Pay or Apple Pay.
In addition, while the amendments mean that account holders will be responsible if there are fraudulent transactions going through their account, we must ensure that we set the threshold so that we do not make it even harder for scam victims who have already lost their money.
My second point is about educating the public on scam prevention. It is not only the elderly that fall prey to scams, and in fact, 53% of scam victims are between 20 to 39 years old. So, we must continue to stay vigilant and further enhance our capabilities to work together to prevent and stop these scams.
Finally, I would like to see more focus on improving the success rate of recovering monies that have been lost to scams.
(In English): Mdm Deputy Speaker, with all the scam cases that are happening around us, it is unnerving to hear that between 2020 and 2022, more than 19,000 money mules were investigated by the Police, but only fewer than 250 cases were eventually prosecuted.
Hence, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to see how our agencies are working together to strengthen our collective defence against scams with the amendments to the Bills. Notwithstanding the clarifications above, I stand in support the Bills.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Ms Yeo Wan Ling.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mdm Deputy Speaker, it is in the middle of the afternoon and you suddenly receive a call from a \"long-lost bro\" who strangely asks you to remember his name and needs a quick loan of $500 from you; or perhaps you receive a text from a private number promising you your dream job without you needing to really put in any effort for a disproportionately dreamy salary.
Madam, I am sure many in this Chamber and beyond have experienced such similar scam scenarios, given the multitude of channels and methods that are digitally available to innocent victims, citizens and pernicious actors alike. Most worryingly, more Singaporeans are falling prey to such scams, and national statistics aside, on a local level, I have seen a stark increase of residents coming to see me at MPS on scam matters. Some devastated, seeking justice for monies and life savings lost, some seething, seeking redress for loved ones who have been found guilty of being involved in scams.
Dealing with scams presents a set of distinct and novel challenges for law enforcement. To navigate and patrol the digital space while ensuring freedoms and privacy of our citizens will be a perennial balancing act; to heavily monitor and limit online interaction presents not only an ethical conundrum of over-policing, but also an operational problem, given the rapidly changing techniques and technology that is used by scammers.
Yet, we cannot allow for the present situation to persist and scammers to exploit the identified loopholes in our current legal system. Therefore, the latest amendments to the two Bills have sought to redress the reach of law enforcement by encouraging online vigilance and responsible behaviour regarding the use of bank accounts and Singpass details, these are which information that was identified to have been critical in facilitating the perpetration of scams and other similar offences.
While I support the intention and aim of these amendments, I cannot help but consider the potential repercussions of placing significant onus on individuals to take responsibility for how they dispense and share their personal data online, especially in the ever-evolving situation of scams. In an age where there is an ever-growing digitalisation of i-banking and Government services that require the use of bank accounts and Singpass details, we have to be mindful of how this Bill may implicate those in our society who are not tech-natives, particularly our senior citizens, and persons with special needs and mental disabilities.
Scams today are no longer overt, blatant advertisements which are easily recognisable, but they reach us in a host of ways that can appear subtle and very genuine. Scams get to the best of us. Just last evening, after MPS, one of my volunteers, a smart savvy individual in his 40s, sheepishly admitted to me that he was a phishing scam victim last year, having inadvertently given his OTP to a fake delivery site. Indeed, by transferring the responsibility of online vigilance onto our senior citizens, or our less digitally inclined, it presents a twofold problem.
Firstly, for senior citizens who attempt but struggle to navigate these online services and fall prey to scams, they now possibly have no clear and simple path of redress, should they be found to have willingly shared their information online or with their loved ones. For such seniors, they not only suffer financial loss as victims of scams, but are re-victimised by their \"failed\" attempt to utilise digital services.
Secondly, because this Bill potentially leaves the digitally illiterate with less protection and more risks, I fear that this may only serve to provide greater inertia for our senior citizens who view our online spaces with scepticism, fostering a sense of digital alienation that we, as a nation, have worked hard to bridge.
Furthermore, by shifting the onus onto the individual, I fear the impact it may have on vulnerable communities such as adults with special needs. Many such adults currently have no right to create a bank account. This new amendment will only serve to setback the timeline for financial inclusion. If one struggles with managing sensitive data on a day-to-day basis, doing so in the complex digital sphere without empathetic safeguards can only be exponentially more difficult.
A conversation with a resident in my constituency highlighted the struggles her stepson faces as an adult with special needs. Without the right to create a bank account, the family faced much difficulty in receiving monies due to him via his father's will when his father passed on.
As the world become ever more dependent on digital services for daily functions, we must continue to consider what byproducts our laws may have on those on the fringes of society and ensure that we do not systematically inhibit the access to the life they desire.
In the spirit of \"Forward Singapore\", I believe that this Bill is best served with supplementary safeguards and policies to ensure our vulnerable communities are not inadvertently affected. We must continue to provide and amplify present digital literacy initiatives for seniors and other vulnerable members of our community who face difficulty dealing with the growing digitalisation of Government and banking services. Furthermore, given the ever-evolving nature of scams, we need to keep on our toes and feed our communities through digital ambassadors and other agency representatives active in our local community.
I call on the Ministry, as we enhance our crime enforcement safety nets, to also augment this with community outreach efforts to provide timely and up-to-date scam advisories, enabling our communities to develop long-term know-how on identifying and reacting to scams.
Yet, the Government should not be the sole stakeholder to ameliorate potential gaps. Banks and other digital platforms can do more to provide additional protection for our vulnerable. Creating sandboxes to experiment with new solutions, such as increased levels of authentication or the tailoring of experiences suitable to certain age groups or demographics, may be the first step towards mitigating the exposure to scams and providing financial inclusion. What are the Ministry's plans in involving more stakeholders, especially our businesses, in our endeavour towards scam awareness and protection?
As we address the present lapses in our efforts to combat scams, I hope that we do not lose sight of the potential effects this new Bill can have on our technologically vulnerable. We have to be cognisant of the implications in placing greater responsibility on individuals to navigate the digital world, seek to provide support and aid and ensure that we do not leave vulnerable groups to greater risk and alienation. These concerns notwithstanding, I support the Bill.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Minister Josephine Teo.
The Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mrs Josephine Teo): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank the Members for their support of the Bills. The eight Members who spoke raised important questions, which I will try my best to address.
Let me start with the scope of the new offences, which Mr Yip Hon Weng, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Louis Ng, Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Sharael Taha all spoke about.
They raised two broad types of concerns: one, what if a person was genuinely tricked into giving up control of their bank accounts or disclosing their Singpass credentials; and two, what if a person needed help making transactions and gave up control of their bank accounts or disclosed their Singpass credentials to a family member or friend, and subsequently had their trust betrayed?
Let me assure the Members that the intention is not to penalise such persons through these new offences.
Mr Yip shared his strong belief that our public prosecutors and Police Officers will act judiciously. They will indeed do so. The provisions of the Bills are not targeted at persons who had no reasonable grounds to believe they were dealing with criminal proceeds or facilitating offences. The Police also recognise that there are indeed situations where there is a genuine need to share credentials for legitimate transactions.
The Police will investigate the cases comprehensively, considering factors such as the person's mental capacity – which Ms Lim, Ms Yeo and Mr Ng all asked about – and also the context of the incident. They will consider any credible evidence that a person was genuinely tricked into entering their banking or Singpass credentials on phishing websites.
The AGC will also carefully consider each case on its own facts and circumstances, and assess if there is public interest to pursue prosecution even if the evidential threshold is crossed. This is already the case today.
Mr Zhulkarnain cited a story of a 19-year-old who responded to a job ad and gave up control of his bank and Singpass account to an unknown employer he had never met, for income. This is a common money mule recruitment tactic observed by the Police, which typically does not involve any real work, especially considering the high wages being offered.
In one such case which occurred in 2021, also involving a 19-year-old money mule, two money mules helped to facilitate the laundering of $1 million belonging to scam victims. For every money mule investigated, there are usually many more victims who will never recover their monies lost. This must surely be considered when deciding whether or not to prosecute someone.
Mr Murali suggested having a policy not to hold individuals criminally liable if they speedily report transactions to the Police, even if they might have been negligent in the first place. The authorities will take this into account during investigations, though I will not go so far as to say that they should be automatically freed of criminal liability. Each case has to be assessed on its own facts and circumstances.
Mr Louis Ng asked about the \"red flags\" that individuals should watch out for. He and Mr Zhulkarnain also asked about the extent of verification needed to address suspicious behaviour.
It begins with having a clear understanding of our payment accounts, including our bank accounts, and Singpass. First, everyone must understand that these accounts are for our own use. They should not be used by another person, especially if we do not know who the other party is or what the transactions are for. Second, as a rule, we do not share details about these accounts because they should only be operated by ourselves.
With this understanding in mind, the common tactics used by scammers to approach prospective victims become easier to recognise. I will outline three.
One common tactic by scammers is not to present themselves in person. Instead, they tend to connect out of the blue through phone calls or video calls, claiming to help you or to need help from you. Can such a mysterious person be trusted with privileged information? That is the question we must ask.
Another common tactic is to give various fairly well-rehearsed reasons for you to let someone else use your account to receive or transfer monies. It should cause us to ask – why can this person not use their own account instead? It is also common for scammers to give reasons for wanting your bank account login or Singpass credentials. But think a little bit – why should you hand over the keys to anyone to unlock your valuables? These \"red flags\" are by no means exhaustive, but they should set off alarm bells.
In general, my advice to the public is: if you are told something very bad has happened to you or your loved ones, pause and think. Scammers love to make people panic because that is when we lose our best judgement.
On the other hand, if you are told something that sounds too good to be true, also pause and think. Scammers know that greed can make fools of geniuses. Also, the bigger the amount at stake, the more carefully you should proceed. To summarise, we would like everyone to be vigilant and take proper care of our payment accounts and Singpass accounts.
At the same time, it is not our intention to penalise anyone who was genuinely tricked into giving up control of their bank accounts or disclosing their Singpass credentials, or those who needed help from their family members or friends and subsequently had their trust betrayed. The Police and the AGC will act judiciously. Let me now move to other queries on the Bills.
Mr Sharael Taha asked whether platforms such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are included in the amendments to the CDSA (Amendment) Bill. It is a good question because the money mules do not only use traditional banking accounts. In the CDSA, payment accounts are as defined by the Payment Services Act 2019. Hence, the new offences will apply to various types of payment accounts, including e-wallets.
On Singpass abuse, Mr Sharael asked how prevalent the problem is and whether individuals selling or inadvertently giving their Singpass credentials to scammers were aware of the implications. While the large majority of money mule cases involved abuse of bank accounts, the Police has observed a worrying trend of Singpass abuse. I spoke about the challenges to prove wrongful intent when trying to prosecute offending Singpass users. We have seen cases where the user is taught by scammers how he can lie to the Police to get himself off the hook.
As Dr Tan Wu Meng reminded us during Question Time yesterday, we cannot be fighting yesterday's war only, but must be ready to tackle new scam tactics as they evolve. Having seen such behaviours with Singpass, I seek Members' support to empower the Police to arrest a likely trend and not wait till cases have snowballed.
Mr Sharael also asked whether the proposed penalties in the CMA (Amendment) Bill are sufficient. Mdm Deputy Speaker, the penalties of the new offences are pegged to similar offences in the CMA. We will monitor the situation after the offences come into effect and see whether adjustments are needed, including to deal with other forms of cybercrime, which is also something that Ms Janet Ang mentioned.
Ms Lim asked whether prosecution rates of money mules will increase with the new offences. Ms Ang also raised questions about the enforcement of the new laws, including the challenges relating to the transnational nature of the scam syndicates.
Madam, these Bills will definitely allow the Police to better act against money mules and those who abuse Singpass. However, both Bills are also intended to clearly set the guardrails for the proper use of payment accounts and Singpass accounts. The goal is therefore not to increase the number of prosecutions per se, but to have far fewer money mules.
If the introduction of the new laws deters individuals from acting as money mules in the first place, resulting in fewer being prosecuted, this will be a welcome development. But, like Ms Lim, I will not be so sanguine. We must remain vigilant and be ready to up the ante, if needed. For cases involving offences committed overseas, we will work with our international counterparts, though I am sure Members are familiar with some of the challenges of overseas enforcement.
I also fully agree with Mr Sharael, Ms Ang, Ms Yeo and Mr Zhulkarnain on the need to educate the public. This work will never end. We will cooperate with key stakeholders and intensify public education efforts before implementing the Bills to explain the dangers, the new guard rails and the \"red flags\" that we should be mindful of. If passed, the Bills are intended to come into force approximately six months later to allow time for members of the public to familiarise themselves with the new laws.
Mr Louis Ng spoke about section 8B(4) of the CMA Bill, which states that the mere transmission of Singpass credentials by network access providers and data transmission service providers does not amount to an offence under the new section 8B.
For avoidance of doubt, section 8B(4) makes clear that service providers, such as telecommunication companies (telcos), will not have committed an offence merely because their networks or services were used as the conduit or platform for the transmission of credentials. This is because it would neither be fair nor reasonable in these circumstances to expect such providers to know whether a person was using their networks or services to transmit the credentials of another person.
Mr Ng asked about the responsibility of these providers in addressing the illegal use of bank accounts and Singpass credentials. The bigger question is how they can help prevent scams from taking place. I have spoken previously about our efforts in this area, including the Infocomm Media Development Authority's work with the telcos to block spoofed calls and SMSes. We are also working with the telcos to block suspicious websites in a speedier fashion.
On Mr Yip's comment that the CMA Bill may be contrary to the general position of \"innocence until proven guilty\", let me assure Members that this is not so. The presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle, and in fact the foundation of our criminal justice system. Both the CDSA and the CMA Bills continue to uphold and are consistent with the presumption of innocence. In both Bills, the overall burden remains on the Prosecution to prove the offences beyond reasonable doubt.
Next, I will deal with the questions and suggestions which relate to our broader anti-scam efforts. I will do so briefly because these fall outside the scope of the Bills and some of them have been discussed in this House before.
Let me recap our approach to fight scams. We have taken proactive measures to: educate the public; prevent and block scammers from being able to reach victims in the first place; make it easier to detect and report scams; and enforce and recover lost monies. I have given some examples in my opening speech, which address Mr Yip, Ms Ang and Mr Sharael's questions about our efforts in these areas.
We will step up our efforts, including enabling our Police with technology like Mr Sharael suggested. In line with Ms Yeo's suggestion, we will continue to work with relevant Government agencies like MAS and the banks to provide assistance to scam victims, and also leverage analytics to detect and mitigate scam-related transactions. In line with Mr Murali's suggestion, we will also continue to work with parties which rely on Singpass to do more to prevent scams.
Mr Yip and Ms Ang asked about Singpass security. The Smart Nation and Digital Government Group has introduced the following measures to better protect Singpass users.
GovTech has put in place early detection mechanisms and fraud analytics to detect potential scams involving Singpass. For higher risk transactions, users may also be asked to further verify themselves with Singpass Face Verification. These measures allow GovTech to take prompt action to investigate and, where possible, prevent or stop the scams.
GovTech has also given users the option to block their Singpass from overseas access. This is a useful feature because most scammers operate outside of Singapore. So, if you block your Singpass from overseas access, in essence, you are preventing it from being abused by overseas scammers.
Some of these measures can also help to protect the more vulnerable members of our society, which Mr Zhulkarnain had asked about. I thank him for his other suggestions to better protect individuals with special needs from being scammed. GovTech and the Police will study how best to implement them.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, let me conclude by thanking the Members for their support of the two Bills.
Everyone has a role to play in the fight against scams and should exercise care and responsibility in the use of our payment accounts and Singpass. Scammers are not remaining static and neither can we. We will continue to conduct regular security reviews and enhance our defences.
Even as we prepare to respond to future threats, I am glad that Members agree on the need for these Bills to tackle the pressing issues at hand. The proposed amendments will build up our collective defence against scams, disrupt scam syndicates and better protect Singaporeans. If we are able to do so, it will help preserve Singaporeans' confidence in going digital, even for the elderly and more vulnerable. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Murali Pillai.
Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Mdm Deputy Speaker, on a point of clarification. I note the hon Second Minister's response to my suggestion about not holding persons criminally liable in the event that they lodge a Police report of monies that they have received in their accounts.
I would just like to clarify that what my proposal is, is actually in the context of persons who were negligent in having their accounts being used and subsequently realised when the monies came in, that their accounts were misused, and therefore they proceed to lodge a Police report. Certainly not advocating a carte blanche to deal with all scenarios. That is the first point.
And in relation to my suggestion that the Ministry consider putting up due diligence measures that account holders should generally subscribe to, something akin to the Immigration Act, I wonder whether the hon Second Minister has the response to that?
Mrs Josephine Teo: Mdm Deputy Speaker, firstly, I would like to thank the Member for his clarification that he is not advocating a carte blanche. And indeed, the Police will look at the situation, understand where the person who made the report was coming from, examine the circumstances carefully and if indeed, it was a matter of negligence and perhaps not much harm had been done, the Police will certainly take these into consideration in deciding whether or not to proceed with further action.
On the Member's second question which has to do with due diligence, he had referred to the actions that landlords can take under the Immigration Act to, in some sense, demonstrate that they have done their part in trying to prevent illicit activities. In principle, we would like to get to a point where these due diligence steps can be very clearly articulated and all of us can take part in preventing scams from happening.
But as many Members have noticed and commented on during their speeches, the scam types and tactics are evolving so quickly. At present, it would be very hard to say that \"here are the three things you can do\", and you would have been considered to have fulfilled your due diligence. In fact, the measures that we have to take to protect ourselves are still a matter that is evolving each day. As the scam types present themselves, we notice increasingly new actions that we will have to take to protect ourselves and to protect our accounts from being misused.
So, appreciating the Member's very well-intended suggestions, we would certainly like to get to a point where we can articulate \"here are the three things or five things that you can do\". If and when we are able to get to that situation, please be assured that we would be very willing to consider his suggestions being taken forward.
[(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. – [Mrs Josephine Teo]. (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":"Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BP","content":"The Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mrs Josephine Teo): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time.\"
The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill is associated with the previous Bill on the Order Paper, the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) (Amendment) Bill. In the Second Reading speech for that Bill and the debate we just had, I have explained the main amendments proposed in both Bills.
Although Members have already raised their questions and expressed their views on both Bills during the earlier debate, I welcome Members to raise any additional questions they may have on the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Are there any other clarifications or questions? Alright.
[(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. – [Mrs Josephine Teo]. (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":"Financial Services and Markets (Amendment) Bill ","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BP","content":"[(proc text) Order for Second Reading read. (proc text)]
The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Trade and Industry (Mr Alvin Tan) (for the Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies): Mdm Deputy Speaker, 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\".
Madam, a clean and trusted financial sector is the basis upon which both Singaporeans and foreigners choose to invest and have their funds managed here in Singapore. MAS supervises and works closely with financial institutions (FIs) to strengthen Singapore's defences against money laundering (ML), terrorism financing (TF) and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. I shall refer to these as \"financial crimes\" for convenience, throughout my speech.
While FIs have made significant strides to strengthen their defences against financial crimes, they are currently unable to warn one another about unusual activity involving their customers, given customer confidentiality obligations. Criminals exploit this by making illicit transactions through different FIs to avoid detection.
To address this problem, MAS proposes to establish and maintain a secure digital platform for FIs to share, with one another, information on customers who exhibit multiple \"red flags\" that may indicate potential financial crime concerns, if stipulated thresholds are met. These include those who seek to be or have been a customer of an FI. This platform will be named COSMIC, which is short for \"Collaborative Sharing of ML/TF Information and Cases\". COSMIC will make it easier for FIs to detect and, thereby, deter criminal activity.
The Bill amends the Financial Services and Markets Act 2022 to permit this sharing of information and provides the legal framework for it. It will set out when and how such sharing of risk information relating to the customer may take place. The Bill also sets out robust legal and operational safeguards to protect the confidentiality of the information being shared and the interests of legitimate customers.
The Bill incorporates feedback from MAS' public consultation on COSMIC in October 2021. The consultation received broad support for COSMIC and its objective of combatting financial crime. Let me briefly provide an overview of COSMIC, before elaborating how the Bill will support reasonable information sharing within it.
As mentioned earlier, COSMIC will allow participant FIs to share with one another information, on a confidential basis, on customers whose profile or behaviour exhibits potential financial crime concerns. Such risk information could include \"red flag\" behaviours and details of the concerning transaction. Sharing on COSMIC would provide a recipient FI with better information to augment its risk understanding of a customer, thus enabling the FI to detect suspicious behaviour more accurately and expediently.
An FI may use this information to confirm if a customer's explanation for a financial transaction makes sense. If the FI assesses that the customer may be handling proceeds of a crime, it is required under existing law, specifically the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992, to file a suspicious transaction report (STR) with the Singapore Police Force's Suspicious Transactions Reporting Office (STRO).
COSMIC will initially focus on three key risks which MAS and the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) have identified, based on their observed cases relating to criminal networks. These are areas which we have judged to benefit most from information sharing between FIs at scale, and which are also high on Singapore's priority list of risks, as identified through our continued risk surveillance.
The first risk area is the misuse of legal persons, for example, the abuse of shell companies. The ease of setting up a company and opening a corporate bank account supports the development of local enterprises and makes Singapore an attractive commercial centre. But we do not want criminals to take advantage of this convenience to commit financial crime, by using legal persons such as shell companies to launder monies. The misuse of legal persons to launder illicit proceeds and layer funds is also a concern related to international financial crime.
The second risk area is trade-based money laundering. This is the use of financing related to trade for illicit purposes. As Singapore is a global commercial and trading hub, many companies here actively participate in and facilitate regional and global trade. Our FIs provide key services that enable such activity. However, criminals can use trade as a disguise to transfer their illicit monies across borders undetected, for example, using fraudulent trade documents. Suppliers and customers featured in a trade payment could be controlled by the same nefarious company that is trying to launder illicit funds under the guise of genuine businesses. Mitigating trade-based money laundering is important to protect the trust in our FIs and companies, and to also protect legitimate trade flows.
The third and last risk area is proliferation financing and the evasion of international sanctions. Singapore's deep financial and trade linkages expose our FIs and companies to this risk. As a responsible member of the global community, Singapore must act strongly against the financing of such activity.
As information sharing under COSMIC is a new paradigm in the fight against financial crime, MAS plans to introduce COSMIC in phases.
MAS will prescribe the FIs that will participate in COSMIC. In the first phase, MAS will make COSMIC available to the six major Singapore banks which it is already co-developing the platform with. They are DBS, OCBC, UOB, SCB, Citibank and HSBC. This sharing of information between MAS and these six banks will be voluntary in this first phase. This allows the COSMIC platform to achieve operational stability, and also enables MAS to closely engage participant FIs to calibrate COSMIC's features and address operational concerns. Subsequently, MAS plans to expand COSMIC's coverage to more focus areas and FIs, and make sharing mandatory in higher-risk circumstances.
Madam, let me now explain in more detail how the Bill will allow participant FIs to warn one another of potential criminal behaviour, while safeguarding the interests of the vast majority who are legitimate customers. I will first elaborate on the scope of information sharing permitted on COSMIC, including the three modes and the objective thresholds for sharing. I will also share about the safeguards in place to protect legitimate customers from being adversely impacted by such sharing, and also how data shared on COSMIC will be protected.
I earlier mentioned that participant FIs may use COSMIC to share customer information with one another only for detecting or preventing financial crimes, if these customers exhibit multiple \"red flags\" that indicate potential financial crime concerns and if the stipulated thresholds are met. The Bill will set out how this information may be shared, and the types of cases that are serious enough to warrant such sharing.
There are three modes under the Bill in which information may be shared via COSMIC. They relate to: one, a participant FI requesting information from another participant; two, a participant FI proactively providing information to another; and three, a participant FI placing the customer on a watchlist to alert other participant FIs. An objective threshold needs to be crossed before information can be shared using any of the three modes. Which mode is to be used is largely guided by the extent of a customer's \"red flag\" behaviours. The thresholds are progressively higher for Request, Provide and then, finally, Alert.
To establish an objective standard for when information may be shared under each of these three modes of sharing, MAS will issue a directive to participant FIs detailing the threshold criteria for each of them and the list of \"red flags\" associated with each threshold. The \"red flags\" will correspond to known criminal profiles and behaviours for key financial crime risks. For example, where transaction activities are inconsistent with the business profile of the company and cannot be explained, or if there are clear discrepancies in supporting documents that also cannot be explained.
Further, only multiple \"red flags\" may trigger information sharing on COSMIC. This sets an objective and reasonably high threshold to ensure that COSMIC is used only for cases of significant concern and safeguards against frivolous requests that could unnecessarily expose customer risk information. However, the thresholds, details and permutations of the \"red flags\" must be kept strictly confidential among only the participant FIs, to prevent criminals from circumventing them.
Madam, the \"red flags\" and thresholds are intended to ensure that sharing is purposeful and strictly restricted to cases of high financial crime concern. For most customers, no \"red flag\" indicators will be triggered. For these customers, I wish to reiterate that participant FIs will not be permitted to share customer's information. In fact, COSMIC is intended to help identify and weed out nefarious companies more effectively, so that legitimate customers can operate in a trusted environment.
Lastly, to ensure that we do not unduly impede legitimate sharing aimed at safeguarding our financial system, the Bill will also afford protection to participant FIs from civil suits. Specifically, they will be granted immunity from liability for any loss arising out of the disclosure on COSMIC, or any act or omission in consequence of the disclosure, if the disclosure was done in accordance with the legal framework, with reasonable care and in good faith. This will provide participant FIs with confidence that legitimate information sharing to highlight higher risk customers and their related activities will not unduly expose them to legal challenge, which may even be brought by the very actors that COSMIC seeks to guard against.
Notwithstanding, I would like to address possible situations where legitimate customers are inadvertently associated with bad actors. For example, a company could end up unknowingly trading with an illicit counterparty and hence, be subject to a participant FI's scrutiny.
There are safeguards in place to protect legitimate customers. Participant FIs should first assess if there are valid reasons for the customer's behaviour or profile, before sharing information on COSMIC. As part of the bank's risk assessment, banks are also expected to reach out to customers to allow them, to give them the opportunity to address the bank's risk concerns and to explain unusual behaviours observed. Bank customers are thus strongly encouraged to be forthcoming and respond promptly to their bank's due diligence queries. This will ensure that customers have a chance to explain and that legitimate customers are not inadvertently adversely impacted by sharing on COSMIC.
In addition, even after information has been shared on COSMIC, FIs must make an independent risk assessment of a customer. An FI should not rely solely on the information received from COSMIC to terminate a customer relationship, including the fact that a customer has been placed on the \"watchlist\". More broadly, MAS will require participant FIs to ensure accuracy and completeness of the information shared on COSMIC and to correct any errors or omissions, especially if a customer has provided further clarifications to address earlier financial crime concerns.
MAS will closely monitor how participant FIs use COSMIC information in cases where they had exited customer relationships, to ensure that customers are given opportunities to address the concerns of FIs.
Let me now move on to safeguards on the use of and access to information disclosed on COSMIC. As the owner of the COSMIC platform, MAS will ensure that COSMIC information is exchanged and stored securely. The platform will have robust controls, including cybersecurity measures, such as data encryption and firewalls to block unauthorised external access. It will also have strict user access limitations. These controls will be subject to periodic audits to ensure their efficacy.
When information is passed to participant FIs, participant FIs will not be allowed to disclose information obtained from COSMIC to a third party, except in tightly circumscribed and specified circumstances, such as for compliance with Court orders or requests from Police to facilitate investigations.
Additionally, the Bill will empower MAS to require participant FIs to maintain strong information cybersecurity measures for COSMIC data. This includes requirements to have systems and processes in place to prevent unauthorised use or disclosure of information obtained from COSMIC, and robust cybersecurity and encryption measures to safeguard information obtained from COSMIC.
MAS will be able to inspect participants' adherence to these measures and will not hesitate to take firm action if they uncover any breach.
Apart from participant FIs, MAS will have access to all information shared on the platform. This is necessary for MAS to monitor if participant FIs are using COSMIC appropriately, and will also support MAS' broader supervisory and surveillance role to ensure that FIs have robust defences against financial crime. STRO, which analyses and disseminates financial intelligence to law enforcement and regulatory agencies, will also be able to view and use COSMIC information to support the prevention and detection of financial crime.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, in conclusion, by addressing an information sharing gap, the Bill will enable FIs and MAS to respond quickly to potential financial crime activity within the financial system. In parallel, adequate safeguards will be put in place to protect confidentiality of the information shared. This will strengthen Singapore's role and reputation as a safe, trusted and innovative global financial centre. Madam, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Derrick Goh.
Mr Derrick Goh (Nee Soon): Mdm Deputy Speaker, Singapore must uphold its status as a trusted global financial centre, as criminal networks leverage on the dynamic financial and technological landscape to commit more sophisticated commercial crimes, like in the areas of ML, TF and PF. While our defences against ML/TF/PF have strengthened over the years, MAS must continue in its commitment to refresh traditional policies, as we cannot combat new criminal typologies with old methods.
A notable way in which ML/TF/PF crimes are perpetrated is by creating a web of individual accounts or through accounts of shell companies opened across different FIs to facilitate illicit fund flows. This capitalises on the limited ability of FIs to share and piece information together, in part due to the FIs' compliance with well-intentioned client confidentiality obligations as well as banking secrecy regulations.
We need to overcome this, and I believe the new digital COSMIC platform paves the way forward for stronger public-private partnerships, for authorities and FIs to assess risks more holistically and disrupt financial crime more effectively.
That said, I would like to seek some clarifications on this Bill and will start with COSMIC's coverage and implementation.
While we welcome the inclusion of six major banks as a start, can the Minister clarify the expected effectiveness of COSMIC? For example, assuming COSMIC had been rolled out in the past year, how many more material cases of ML/TF/PF would be detected in this back test? I ask, as this would enable a clearer understanding of COSMIC's effectiveness with the six banks participating at onset, and to calibrate how fast it should scale to achieve a meaningful impact.
Relevant to this, I understand that the initial phase is planned to be approximately two years starting from second half of 2024, during which information is shared by the six banks only on a voluntary basis as the Minister had mentioned. Considering that innovations in financial crime are rapidly evolving, it is crucial for COSMIC's implementation to be swift and effective. To this end, can the Minister explain how MAS will review and shorten this period, including mandating information sharing earlier if the platform proves to be stable and effective?
Digital financial services are also developing very, very quickly and as compared with traditional banks, regulations in this space are still maturing, which could encourage their usage as vectors for crime. Against this backdrop, can the Minister elaborate on the plans for COSMIC to include fintech, payments and other virtual asset service providers?
Clause 28G of the Bill states that MAS will be issuing threshold criteria and high-risk indicators to participating FIs, which when met, mandates FIs to request, provide and publish risk information on COSMIC, under clauses 28D to F respectively. The criteria are confidential to avoid circumvention by bad actors.
Understandably, risk processes vary across sub-sectors and the different FIs have different risk appetites, some of which may be more conservative than COSMIC's. As COSMIC scales, can the Minister explain if FIs are able to leverage on COSMIC's information to meet their tighter risk standards than the required baseline, as stipulated in COSMIC's implementation?
Also, as we discuss this Bill, the exponential increase in scam cases comes to mind as was discussed in the earlier Bill, just a while ago. Typically, scam proceeds are swiftly dissipated across different local and foreign bank accounts as part of a broad and organised money laundering network, which makes it challenging for authorities to trace and recover assets. Close to S$1.3 billion have been lost to scams over the last two years, despite the best efforts of authorities and private sector entities. Given significant impact, can the Minister clarify if and how COSMIC can help to stem this facilitation of scams?
Madam, I will now turn to cybersecurity risks and data confidentiality. With financial intelligence on companies, individuals and their related parties shared on a larger database used by multiple FIs and authorities, I am glad that the Bill has factored safeguards to ensure cybersecurity and data confidentiality.
Regarding cybersecurity, COSMIC is required to comply with the Government's security standards and have features like user authentication and data encryption. FIs must also implement controls to complement MAS' efforts in preventing information security breaches. For clearer accountability, can the Minister clarify the roles and responsibilities of the participating FI who provides the information, vis-à-vis MAS as the owner of the COSMIC platform, in the unfortunate event of a cybersecurity incident or breach?
As participating members, the effectiveness of each FI's controls will be crucial to uphold the security of the entire network. To this end, can the Minister share if there will be periodic reviews or audits conducted by MAS on the robustness of FI controls relevant to COSMIC?
Regarding data confidentiality, MAS has clarified that within the Government, only authorised officers from MAS and the Suspicious Transactions Reporting Office in the CAD will be able to directly access and use information from COSMIC. Clause 28K of the Bill sets out conditions for onward disclosure of information and Clause 28I accords statutory protection for FIs against civil liabilities. Further to the provisions, can the Minister clarify if MAS or CAD may use information in COSMIC to assess, and/or subsequently, penalise a participating FI for any ML/TF/PF control lapse?
Madam, in concluding, I am reminded of the parable of the blind men and an elephant, where each feels a different part of an animal, resulting in limited and inaccurate perspectives of what the animal is really like. It is only through the sharing of experiences by everyone that a clearer picture is formed.
COSMIC can indeed help us piece together the clearer picture of financial crimes. Greater collaboration between FIs and authorities is fostered, so that as sophisticated as criminal operations may be, they can be quickly unravelled and have fewer places to hide. This will further strengthen the oversight of Singapore's reputation as a global financial centre. Madam, I support the Bill.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Leon Perera.
Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Financial Services and Markets (Amendment) Bill before the House today fills a gap in our current regulatory ecosystem.
Over the years, MAS has closely supervised and worked with FIs to strengthen Singapore's defences to prevent ML/TF/PF. However, a weakness in the effective detection of illicit financial flows lies in the inability of FIs to alert one another to unusual activity in their customers' accounts. Financial criminals exploit these \"information silos\" by making illicit transactions through a web of accounts in different FIs and moving from one FI to another to avoid detection. This Bill seeks to remedy that weakness.
To address this gap, MAS plans to establish and maintain a secure digital platform for FIs called COSMIC to share information on customers that exhibit multiple \"red flags\" indicative of potential illicit activities with one another. This platform will enable FIs to conduct sharper analysis of customer behaviours and activities to detect potential illicit activities more promptly and warn each other of such activities.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill and my speech will contain certain clarifications and suggestions for the implementation of the provisions of this Bill.
Firstly, Madam, the six major commercial banks that are selected to be involved in the initial stage of COSMIC are DBS, OCBC, UOB, SCB, Citibank and HSBC.
While starting with these banks with the largest local network might make sense, they are also the banks with the least to lose in turning down customers and are likely to have the most resources to pursue and file STRs or perform deep dives into customer networks and relationships.
In comparison, it is the smaller offshore and private banks that would, perhaps, benefit more from such a network of information sharing and provide the most insight. And to exemplify this, MAS withdrew the merchant banking license of one such FI, Falcon Private Bank Ltd, in 2016, as well as another BSI Bank. In 2021, MAS fined a Singapore branch of another such FI, Bank J Safra Sarasin Ltd, for Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance lapses.
These banks are also the ones which would, in my opinion, likely face the most pushback from customers and special purpose vehicles set up to obfuscate identities when it comes to asking Know Your Client (KYC) questions.
Adding a select group of such smaller offshore private banks into the start-up group of FIs for COSMIC would be advisable. I encourage the Government to consider doing this as soon as practicable. After all, in its response to the consultation with FIs, MAS said that the initial phase would last as long as two years, which is a fairly long time.
While details will eventually be forthcoming, one concern – and I move on to my second point – is how prescriptive the subsidiary legislation from MAS will be. Clear and prescriptive regulations would minimise confusion amongst participant banks over what specifically might constitute grounds for submission of information to COSMIC.
The revised section 28E of the Bill makes clear under what conditions a FI may make disclosures to another FI in respect of a suspicious transaction, but does not seem to be as clearly prescriptive as to under what circumstances an FI is obligated, or expected, or required to report such information to another FI. Would there be any change in this regard?
The actual framework of predetermined \"red flags\" will need to be comprehensive yet flexible enough. Presumably this will be fleshed out in subsidiary regulations.
Otherwise, MAS and/or the STRO could become inundated with questions over whether such and such a transaction should be submitted to COSMIC, to which the reply might be that banks should conduct their own assessment and submit the information if deemed appropriate.
In other words, Mdm Deputy Speaker, sufficiently clear and prescriptive guidelines on what constitutes a transaction that should be submitted to another FI via COSMIC would be critical to prevent confusion and the possible over-submission of information.
Hence, I would urge MAS to issue these guidelines expeditiously and review these regularly in consultation with the FI community.
In relation to this particular point, the MAS, in its response to the consultation with FIs, said: \"Information sharing on COSMIC will be done via a structured data template that will be made available to all participant FIs. This will include fields for information relating to the customer including identifying information of the customer and the beneficial owners and authorised signatories of the customer, details of the transactions in question, the \"red flag\" behaviour exhibited and the risk analysis that is relevant to the customer relationship.\"
I trust these templates, going forward in subsequent iterations, will be sufficiently granular to address the point that I have made.
Moving on to my third point, Mdm Deputy Speaker, the primary intent of this Bill is to enable information sharing between FIs on suspicious activity. However, paragraph 13.4 under MAS Notice 626 already gives FIs the power to share customer information with third parties without obtaining customer consent, if it is in relation to AML/CFT issues.
This paragraph reads: \"13.4 For the purposes of complying with this Notice, a bank may, whether directly or through a third party, collect, use and disclose personal data of an individual customer, an individual beneficiary of a life insurance policy, an individual appointed to act on behalf of a customer, an individual connected party of a customer or an individual beneficial owner of a customer, without the respective individual's consent.\"
Thus, it would be helpful if the Government could clarify just how this provision in MAS Notice 626 would interact with the provisions of this new Bill and COSMIC.
For example, can FIs share information about suspicious transactions or clients bilaterally, as it were, without reference to the COSMIC platform but taking reference instead from this provision in MAS Notice 626? Or should all such information sharing henceforth be channelled through COSMIC and be transacted under the provisions of this Bill?
My fourth point. According to the Bill, information sharing will only be permitted if the customer's behaviour or transaction activities exhibit predetermined \"red flags\" that cross stipulated thresholds, suggesting that potential financial crime could be taking place.
The wording in the Bill seems to suggest that these thresholds are static thresholds without the element for dynamic adjustment, which is at odds with the global environment's dynamic pace.
Hence, I would like to ask the Government: firstly, how often will these thresholds be reviewed to determine if these thresholds have been set to effectively identify illicit financial flows? And secondly, how will these thresholds be benchmarked against global standards for illegal financial flows?
Next, Mdm Deputy Speaker, COSMIC is, at its heart, an online system where the key players are interacting in cyberspace. However, highly confidential financial information is being shared on this system. Should the system, or some, or all of the information that it contains fall prey to bad actors, or if COSMIC is compromised, the outcome may be extremely harmful for FIs, their customers and for Singapore reputationally.
Thus, a key concern is how COSMIC will be secured. Who will be responsible for the integrity of the system? Would it be a special team at MAS or would this be outsourced to another Government agency or private company, and if so, which one?
In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Bill before us marks a significant step in enabling FIs to share information on suspicious patterns of behaviour with respect to anti-ML/TF/PF goals. The new system, thus created, will need to rest on clear regulatory guidelines, be frequently reviewed amidst a dynamic global financial services and financial crime environment, as well as powerful cybersecurity defences.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Murali Pillai.
Mr Murali Pillai: Mdm Deputy Speaker, as I understand, the primary motivation of the Bill is to provide a framework to share customer information between FIs in Singapore, through a secure digital platform known as COSMIC, to better combat the scourge of financial crime.
I support this aim. With the growing sophistication of criminals engaged in financial crime who take advantage of information asymmetry between FIs, enforcement agencies and regulators within a global ecosystem, there is a case to require enhanced cooperation between FIs, even if they may be business competitors. In return, the FIs are immunised against civil liability for sharing information amongst them.
The basic idea is that, with the pooling of information between FIs, there is a better chance to know the nature of the beast that the FIs are dealing with. I do not think there is any quarrel with the basic premise of the Bill.
Like the hon Member Mr Derrick Goh who spoke before me, this too brings to my mind the famous Indian folktale of the six blind men and the elephant. This story must have made an impact in our childhood. Each of them touched a different part of the animal and came with a completely different assessment of how the elephant looked like. They later learnt though, that when they put together all the information that they have separately gleaned, only then did they know the truth of the matter.
The points I will be raising in my speech are focused on trying to better understand the mechanics of the proposed framework and how they can be reconciled against the stated aim of the Bill.
Everyone wants to know the final shape of the beast, but what incentives are there for people who own each individual part to take the time and trouble to give up his piece and see where and how it fits?
I will cover just two areas. First, operational issues; and second, enforcement issues.
On operational issues, I seek clarification on the important timing issue between the requesting FI and the disclosing FI. This addresses the question, \"Do you have a piece?\"
I note that under the proposed section 28D of the Bill, the disclosing FI has a discretion whether to disclose to the requesting FI the risk information that is being sought for. In the event the discloser declines to disclose the risk information, it must notify the requester of its decision and the reasons for the same. There is no specific timeline specified for the discloser to reply to the requester through COSMIC. This is understandable as the time needed may be case specific.
On the other hand, there should be a general understanding between FIs that requests for information should be dealt with urgency, so that there is a chance to catch up with the suspected criminals.
In the banking world, with transactions being completed in a matter of microseconds, speed of response is of utmost important. May I please ask what stipulations will be imposed on prescribed FIs in this regard? Can we ask, for example, for guidelines – what is a reasonable time to respond?
I would also like to understand whether the framework will allow for redress against FIs, which are objectively assessed to be too conservative or even obstructive, in rejecting requests for risk information. Such attitudes will undermine the aim of the Bill. May I ask what can be done in these circumstances to deal with such eventualities? How do we assess when a specific FI is being unduly dismissive of a request which should have been taken more seriously?
In this regard, I note that it is proposed that MAS be given the power to issue notices, of a general or specific nature, to FIs for the effective administration of the information sharing framework. Is it contemplated that this issue I raised will be dealt with through enforcement action permitted under the MAS notices?
There is, in addition, a connected issue of parity on the part of FIs. Currently, the six major commercial banks chosen to join COSMIC all have strong AML/CFT capabilities. They invest substantial amounts of money in compliance systems that will allow the banks to monitor real-time transactions and analyse them against a treasure trove of databases to flag suspicious activities. They also make significant investments into the training of compliance officers to act as competent gatekeepers for the respective banks.
Going forward, should MAS decide to expand the list to include more FIs, what would be the considerations to ensure that FIs which have less compliance capabilities and capacities do not unfairly leverage off FIs which do?
I see this as a potential double-edged sword. On one hand, I would imagine that, at least theoretically, the bigger the number of FIs which can join COSMIC, the better protection we get from ML/TF/PF activities. On the other hand, by prescribing entry requirements, there is a possibility that the smaller FIs may be less motivated to make investments to qualify.
One possible option is to make it compulsory for all FIs licensed in Singapore to eventually have a minimum level of compliance competencies so that they all meet the entry requirements. This will eliminate the moral hazard I am concerned about, but I am not sure if this is practicable.
The middle ground option would be to employ the 80-20 rule and just focus on banks of a certain size and above. However, this will be a dog whistle for the criminals to use smaller banks. I would be grateful for the hon Minister of State's views on this matter.
The next operational issue I wish to touch on is the proposed ability on the part of a prescribed FI to, on its own motion, disclose risk information to another prescribed FI in certain circumstances as provided for under section 28E in the Bill.
I support this move. It makes the information-sharing platform much more effective. That is, what do you do if you suspect someone else has a piece?
To depend on only the requesting FIs to initiate the information-sharing process assumes that the requestors will be able to identify \"red flags\". This may not be always the case. In all likelihood, there will continue to be blind spots in form of Donald Rumsfeld's \"unknown unknowns\" or going back to the parable of the blind men and the elephant. Allowing FIs possessing the risk information to proactively share it with the relevant FIs, even without initiation by the latter, addresses this problem.
I note that the operative word here is \"may\". FIs \"may\" proactively share information. The question I have is what structural incentives or disincentives can be provided to the FIs so that they can be motivated to be proactive. Would this be dealt with under the proposed MAS Notice?
I now turn to the area of enforcement against FIs to ensure compliance with the information-sharing framework. I have two specific questions in this area.
First, it is proposed that under section 28J in the Bill that a prescribed FI or its officers who knowingly or recklessly discloses, or publishes any risk information pertaining to a customer of the bank that is false or misleading in a material particular.
I support the need to create this offence. There are serious repercussions for the customer if the FI gets it wrong. The hon Minister of State acknowledged this in his speech. The customer will be denied access to their bank accounts and probably would be subject of STRs that may trigger investigations by enforcement authorities.
I would like to know why it is not proposed that FIs which are negligent in making such disclosures to other FIs not guilty of offences.
I would like to point out that under section 176(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act, it is an offence for a person to provide false information to the MAS without exercising reasonable care to ensure that the information is not false or misleading in any material particular. This is the same for other statutes that MAS enforces, such as the Banking Act 1970 (BA) or the Financial Advisers Act. It is consistently provided that a person who negligently provided false information to the MAS is guilty of an offence.
These provisions were enacted with the current paradigm of information flow in mind, that is, as between the FI and MAS. The proposed information-sharing framework between FIs changes the paradigm. I am struggling to understand why in the new paradigm, we are allowing for a lower standard of probity on the part of the FIs when, in fact, the repercussion on the customer is substantially the same.
In fact, I note that under the proposed section 28L in the Bill, MAS is not only entitled to a copy of the risk information that was shared by an FI to another FI, but can also act on it. If that is the case, why is it proposed that the consequence for negligently providing false information to MAS be dealt with differently from negligently providing false information to another FI? I would be grateful for the hon Minister of State's clarification on this.
Under the proposed provisions, it seems that anyone may falsely describe to another the piece he has without consequence if it is attributable to lack of diligence on his part.
Next, I would like to suggest that the proposed offences against FIs under the information-sharing framework be considered for listing in the Sixth Schedule of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) under the Minister's powers provided for under section 427(1) of the CPC.
Madam, the Sixth Schedule lists offences in respect of which deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) may be entered into between the Public Prosecutor and a subject. The entering into DPAs in lieu of prosecution provides the Public Prosecutor with an important tool to deal with corporate offending without affecting innocent stakeholders such as shareholders. Typically, DPAs provide for detailed remediation on the part of the corporate offender, so as to ensure that proper systems are in place to prevent re-offending. This may, in certain situations, serve public interest better.
Currently, the Sixth Schedule consists of a good number of offences in the AML/CFT arena, particularly the offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 and section 16(4) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2022.
Given that the proposed offences under the Bill also involve the same subject matter, I believe there is a case for including these offences into the Sixth Schedule.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, it is a public good for us to see the shape of the beast when it is financing great evil in the world. But the difficulty is that the private entities have always had little incentive to produce public good. The current Bill offers some ways for us to harness FIs to this end, and I hope my proposals will not just help us gather more pieces of the puzzle, but ensure that they fit in the right places as well.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Madam, this Bill will establish the COSMIC digital platform for FIs to share information about their customers whose information contains \"red flags\" relating to economic crime. This makes it harder for criminals to use transfers across multiple FIs to avoid detection.
Despite the difficult economic climate, I am glad that Singapore remains an attractive financial centre, with increased fund inflows from an increase in the number of family offices from 400 in 2020, to over 700. As our transactions and assets increase, our ability to supervise these transactions must also improve.
I support this Bill as this will let us take the lead in detecting and preventing financial crime, strengthening Singapore's position as a major financial hub.
I have three points to make.
My first point is on using COSMIC to tackle illegal wildlife trade. In my speech on the Endangered Species (Import and Export) (Amendment) Bill, I highlighted how there is evidence suggesting that Singapore is a critical nexus in the illegal wildlife trade.
In the past decade, we have seized illegal shipments of animal parts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Elephants, rhinoceroses, pangolins – these are just a few animals whose dead, dissected bodies are smuggled through Singapore. In April 2019, we broke the record by finding 12.9 tonnes of pangolin scales being smuggled in a shipment from Nigeria. This was worth over $50 million and cost the lives of over 17,000 pangolins. Just a week later, we seized another 12.7 tonnes of pangolin scales. Three months after that, we seized a shipment of 8.8 tonnes of ivory, estimated to come from nearly 300 African elephants. In October 2020, the National Parks Board (NParks) seized 34 kilogrammes of rhinoceros horns from a man travelling from South Africa to Laos through Singapore. This is the largest seizure of rhinoceros horns to-date.
Such seizures are just the tip of the iceberg. Smugglers have found ways to circumvent our border security and bring these animals and their body parts onto our soil.
When you look at the size and value of animal part seizures at our borders, we are talking about operations that must, by logic, involve financing, coordinating and operations on a large, organised scale. A $50 million shipment of pangolin scales is not the work of isolated individuals. These criminals have the know-how to avoid and evade detection through complicated transactions. This is why we need a platform like this.
As MAS develops this platform, will MAS consider including in the scope of the \"red flags\" identified to those associated with wildlife crime? Will MAS also work with investigators of wildlife crime to ensure COSMIC data is used to both identify perpetrators as well as help banks do so?
By making this data available for stakeholders tackling wildlife crime, our financial sector will be able to play an important part in battling this illegal wildlife trade.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has flagged the illegal wildlife trade as a major transnational organised crime. It is a perfect candidate for the powers under this Bill and I hope MAS will take this into consideration as we develop this platform further.
My second point is about the policing of privacy regulations. This legislation does a good job balancing the goal of reducing economic crime with the concern of privacy. Banks obtaining information via COSMIC will only be able to share it in certain circumstances with a limited set of people, even within their own organisation. Cybersecurity measures must also be in place to protect the information.
But how will MAS ensure that banks hold themselves up to these standards? If a bank officer forwards it to a colleague who should not have access to the information, how will MAS find out? Will there be data audits to track the flow of COSMIC information within and out of banks? Information obtained from COSMIC will be highly sensitive and improper circulation may have serious implications for those targeted. MAS must ensure banks protect the information properly.
My third and final point is on how COSMIC data will be processed. Having aggregated data from multiple FIs like this is a valuable resource with great potential. MAS has stated that the STRO will have access to data from COSMIC for its analysis. Can the Minister clarify whether there are further plans to provide other Government agencies or FIs access to the COSMIC data?
On one hand, this data could be mined to gain valuable insights about suspicious activity. This could even be shared internationally to strengthen enforcement globally. On the other hand, the processing of such data must be carefully governed. It must not be done in a way that might breach confidentiality. It should not be analysed by banks for commercial business purposes.
Since this relates to allegations of criminal conduct, machine learning or artificial intelligence models analysing the data must also be carefully managed to avoid any bias. If there are plans to share COSMIC data with other entities, can the Minister share what safeguards are in place? Madam, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Don Wee.
Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I declare that I am working with a Singaporean bank but I am not performing compliance nor revenue generating functions. I support the Bill, but I have few points to clarify with the Minister.
Will this new Bill override the regulations stated in the Banking Secrecy Act and the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) so that these six banks can share information with one another?
What are the job roles within these six banks which are authorised to access such information? Assuming the bank's compliance officer is authorised to retrieve the information shared by another bank, is there a Chinese wall that prevents the information from being shared with the salespeople?
How does MAS prevent these banks from abusing the information obtained from their competitors?
All banks are required to participate in the Credit Bureau, which is the central repository of credit information for individuals and businesses in Singapore. It collects and maintains credit-related data, such as credit accounts, repayment records and bankruptcy information from all banks that are licensed by MAS.
This centralised system allows lenders to access a borrower's credit history from a single source rather than having to collect the information themselves. This helps to reduce the risk of lending and makes the lending process more efficient.
Along the same vein, why can MAS not request all banks, especially private banks, to subscribe to COSMIC? Will people with ill-intent not bank with the other FIs which do not subscribe to COSMIC so as to circumvent detection? How are the thresholds being determined and what are the \"red flags\" and transactions that will be flagged?
Many international trade transactions are settled in United States (US) dollars and the bulk of US dollar remittances are cleared through US banks like JP Morgan, Wells Fargo and Bank of New York. I urge MAS to include Singaporean branches of the abovementioned US banks to participate in COSMIC.
How does MAS intend to synergise the information that it collects via COSMIC with the STR that these six banks file with the STRO so as to strengthen the risk monitoring of the financial sector?
Will the enhanced intelligence be shared with other Government agencies, such as the Singapore Police Force and the Attorney-General's Chambers, to investigate and prosecute money laundering and terrorism financing cases?
How much does it cost to set up COSMIC and is MAS funding the development of this system? Do the participating banks need to pay a subscription fee or transaction fee?
Singapore's position as a finance and business hub is strengthened after COVID-19 and we are seeing a record number of family offices and high net-worth individuals transferring their assets to Singapore. It is important for MAS to share about the risks and implications of money laundering and terrorism financing with their bankers and fund managers. This could include the development of tailored training programmes and seminars, as well as the dissemination of information and guidance materials to promote greater awareness and understanding of these issues, which may implicate Singapore's reputation.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Mdm Deputy Speaker, this Bill is an important piece of legislation. It seeks to safeguard Singapore's status as a key financial centre and node for transactions.
The finance industry today is turbocharged by technology. Money shifts electronically across borders in seconds. This facilitates business and trade, but at the same time, it gives rise to vulnerabilities for easy funding of illicit activities. We must be careful not to sully our hub status by allowing cases of ML/TF/PF to take place.
I would like to raise some clarifications on the Bill.
First, Mdm Deputy Speaker, what are the benefits for banks to join COSMIC? Considering that it is voluntary to participate, what would incentivise banks to do so? After all, client confidentiality is paramount for most banks, especially larger ones that rely on customer loyalty. Many would be concerned with information sharing with affiliates of the participating banks outside Singapore.
Moreover, it is worth noting that certain banks are alleged to have been involved in scandals related to the very transgressions this Bill seeks to remedy. As such, why would they choose to come forward on their own accord and potentially put their business at risk?
Also, given that banks will still have to conduct the usual KYC checks and continue to report suspicious transactions, this new platform, in some way, may overlap with what is already in the market.
Additionally, laws against ML/TF/PF already exist. As such, how will this Bill enhance these efforts?
Banks using COSMIC may also question the source of the information. For example, there may be queries on what information did the reporting banks base their report on? What is or is not good information can also be quite subjective. Some banks may take the view that they should report everything even remotely suspicious.
There may also be unintended consequences of using COSMIC. For instance, clients, potential clients or third parties may even be able to work out which of the banks have stricter or more relaxed ML/TF/PF policies since everyone will eventually be working off the same set of information on COSMIC.
Second, what happens after the discovery of irregularities? If banks share information about transactions suspected of being involved in ML/TF/PF activities, will the transactions be further investigated? Consequently, will the investigations impact other transactions?
There may also be liability issues in instances where one bank acted wrongly or inaccurately, based on information provided by another bank. Would MAS or another agency be double checking the veracity of the information?
Although banks are protected against civil suits, does the Bill grant them immunity from clients for the breach of confidentiality, particularly if the suspicion of illicit transactions is later proven to be unfounded? Likewise, are banks immune from litigation by MAS if their transactions are investigated?
Third, the fact alone that ML/TF/PF activities are often cross-border in nature poses a significant challenge to the feasibility of the framework. As these activities tend to involve multiple banks or branches overseas, how does this Bill aid in this aspect, in getting overseas branches to share information?
Fourth, what are the triggers for information sharing? The Bill states that information sharing will only be permitted if the customer's behaviour or transaction activities exhibit predetermined \"red flags\" that cross stipulated thresholds, suggesting that potential financial crime could be taking place. Will the predetermined \"red flags\" and thresholds be listed? What are the safeguards in place to ensure that information is not shared too easily?
In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I am heartened that the Bill is forward-looking. Specifically, it provides the necessary groundwork for the Act to include not just banks incorporated in Singapore. It is important that we have a comprehensive and consistent approach to combat financial crime across all FIs operating in Singapore. I support the Bill.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Minister of State Alvin Tan.
Mr Alvin Tan: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank Members of the House who have shared their views on the Bill and for their support of its introduction. Members' comments and queries can be categorised into a few themes and I will address them in turn.
First, on COSMIC's scope.
Mr Derrick Goh asked how COSMIC will be used to address scams. The scam threat is complex and ever-evolving. This is why the Singapore Government has partnered the industry and is taking a multi-pronged approach to combat the threat of scams.
The Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Command collaborates with a network of more than 80 stakeholders, comprising FIs, fintechs, telecommunication companies and online marketplaces, to swiftly freeze bank accounts suspected of scams, recover funds and mitigate losses suffered by victims.
COSMIC is not intended to duplicate or replicate the good work done by the Anti-Scam Command. That said, one of the key financial crime risks that COSMIC will initially focus on is the misuse of legal persons, such as shell companies, which I mentioned in my speech.
Scam syndicates may use shell companies to receive victims' money directly or as a conduit to layer and launder their criminal proceeds. For example, late last year, a Singaporean man was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment and disqualified from being a director for five years, for assisting to set up four companies that were used to receive scam proceeds from multiple local and overseas victims. COSMIC will enable FIs to share relevant financial crime concerns on such suspicious accounts and transactions relating to shell companies with one another, if the thresholds are met. This is so that the FIs can take the necessary mitigation measures and alert the authorities.
Mr Louis Ng had asked if the scope of COSMIC will be expanded to other risk areas, including wildlife crime and I know we talked about elephants, rhinoceroses and pangolins. However, in the initial phase, COSMIC will focus on the three risk areas I mentioned, which have been identified for prioritisation through our continued risk surveillance. Keeping this focus would also allow participant FIs adequate time to familiarise themselves with this new information-sharing paradigm. Thereafter, MAS will consider expanding COSMIC's scope to other key risks.
Mr Derrick Goh asked if COSMIC may be less effective at the start with only six banks as its initial participants. Mr Goh also asked about plans to include fintech and other digital payment firms on COSMIC. Mr Leon Perera asked about the inclusion of smaller offshore and private banks in the initial phase of COSMIC, given their potential exposure to financial crime risks. Mr Murali Pillai noted that as COSMIC expands to include more FIs, FIs that have lower compliance capabilities and capacities may unfairly leverage off FIs which do. Mr Don Wee also asked if criminals may use FIs that are not on COSMIC to circumvent detection. Please allow me to answer these questions together.
I mentioned that COSMIC will initially focus on the misuse of legal persons as well as trade-based ML and proliferation financing. These risks manifest themselves in the commercial and small- and medium-sized enterprises banking space, of which the initial six participant banks have significant market share. Fintech and digital payment firms are not currently operating at quite the same scale. However, as I mentioned in my speech, MAS will consider expanding the scope of COSMIC to more banks and other FIs in other or future phases. Ahead of this, MAS will continue to work with the industry to improve their capabilities, including using data analytics, to enable their potential participation in COSMIC. MAS will closely monitor the potential risk migration to FIs not yet on COSMIC – so, outside of these six banks – and will take preventive or supervisory measures as necessary.
On Mr Goh's question as to whether any back-testing has been done on past cases that COSMIC could have detected, MAS had, indeed, conducted back-testing of potential ML/TF/PF cases with participant FIs as COSMIC was being developed, and this is to refine the high-risk indicators or, as I mentioned, \"red flags\", and also our threshold criteria. MAS will continue to work closely with participating FIs to track COSMIC's effectiveness and to make the needed adjustments on an ongoing basis.
I will move on to safeguards and confidentiality of COSMIC information which is of interest to Members.
Mr Don Wee asked how sharing information on COSMIC will interact with the data protection requirements in the PDPA and banking confidentiality obligations in the BA. Mr Louis Ng, Mr Don Wee and Mr Leon Perera asked about the strict safeguards to protect information obtained from COSMIC, including those related to cybersecurity. Mr Derrick Goh also asked about the roles and responsibilities of the participating FIs and MAS, in the event of a cybersecurity incident on COSMIC.
The Bill seeks to strike a balance between protecting the privacy of legitimate customers and also preventing criminal abuse of this protection to conceal serious financial crime. The Bill will permit sharing of information between FIs for financial crime prevention and detection purposes within tightly circumscribed parameters. Participant FIs may share COSMIC risk information as permitted under the Bill despite any restrictions that may be imposed by any written law or contract. Customer consent will not be required for sharing on COSMIC.
These overrides are necessary. Why? Because criminals are unlikely to agree to allow their information to be shared. The Bill will also disapply sections 21 and 22 of PDPA, which relate to access and correction of personal data. FIs will, however, still be required to take measures to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information shared on COSMIC under the Bill. I will elaborate on this later.
To clarify Mr Leon Perera's query, paragraph 13.4 of the MAS Notice 626 allows a bank to collect personal data, whether by itself or through a third party, for the purposes of complying with the requirements of Notice 626, for example, in the conduct of customer due diligence. This is different from the COSMIC initiative – he asked about the difference between Notice 626 and COSMIC – because COSMIC seeks to allow participant financial institutions to share customer information with one another.
The safeguards of and for information shared on COSMIC apply at two levels.
First, MAS is the owner and operator of the COSMIC platform and MAS will ensure that COSMIC information is exchanged and stored securely, with strict cybersecurity measures, which include data encryption. I mentioned this in my earlier speech. I also mentioned that these controls will be subject to audits, both internal and external, to ensure their effectiveness.
Second, at the participant FI level, they are likewise required to adopt strong safeguards, such as allowing only a small group of the FIs' authorised officers to access COSMIC and also sharing COSMIC risk information only within the boundaries permitted by the Bill. These MAS-regulated FIs are required to institute robust controls, including cybersecurity and data protection controls, to prevent information security breaches. MAS will closely supervise participants' adherence to these measures and will take firm action for any lapses, including breaches which result in customer information leakage. In the event of a cybersecurity breach, MAS will work closely with the FIs to promptly remediate the issue and conduct a postmortem to assess the need on whether to tighten the defences further.
Next, on the effectiveness of voluntary sharing and how we can scale up the sharing. Mr Yip and Mr Murali Pillai asked about the incentive for banks to voluntarily participate in COSMIC. COSMIC is built upon the foundation of the positive experience of sharing between CAD, MAS and banks under the AML/CFT Industry Partnership (ACIP), which the six participant FIs are members of. Case-specific information sharing under ACIP, on a smaller scale than what is envisioned for COSMIC, has already fostered mutual trust. The six participant FIs are keen to build on these early efforts to continue and expand the sharing through COSMIC.
Mr Yip and Mr Derrick Goh were concerned that banks may have varying levels of AML/CFT policies and risk appetite on when to share information on COSMIC. Mr Yip also noted that there must also be safeguards in place to ensure that information is not too readily shared on COSMIC. Mr Leon Perera suggested that there should be sufficiently prescriptive and granular guidelines on when FIs should share information on COSMIC. Mr Derrick Goh asked if this initial voluntary phase could be shortened, given the rapid innovations in financial crime. Mr Murali Pillai also asked whether the COSMIC framework addresses FIs that are too conservative or obstructive in rejecting requests for information, and whether there are penalties for this. Mr Leon Perera also asked how frequently the \"red flags\" and thresholds would be reviewed.
If I could reference my speech earlier, I explained how MAS has worked with the initial six participating banks to develop clear and objective thresholds for sharing information on COSMIC, as well as expectations on engaging customers. This will ensure that sharing is purposeful and that legitimate customers are not unduly affected. This initial two-year period of voluntary sharing is to allow participant FIs adequate time to familiarise themselves with the new information-sharing paradigm and also for the COSMIC platform, which will be integrated with the FIs' systems, so as to achieve operational stability.
MAS will continue to work closely with the participating FIs to ensure the \"red flags\" and threshold criteria remain effective in targeting financial crime behaviour and also to review them if necessary. MAS will monitor FIs' usage of COSMIC to ensure that they are consistent in their assessment of when information should be shared on COSMIC. Eventually, we intend to make such sharing mandatory on COSMIC.
Mr Murali Pillai asked about the timelines for FIs to respond to or to provide information on COSMIC. MAS has established with the participant FIs a set of agreed upon service timelines. These timelines are designed to enable FIs to share risk information on a timelier basis, so that they can take earlier mitigation measures. The design of the timeline must also be balanced against the time needed for the FIs themselves to engage customers to clarify the \"red flags\" and concerns, so that the legitimate customers will not have their information unnecessarily shared on COSMIC. So, you need that time to allow for us to make sure that that is so.
I will move on to the STR filing and the accuracy of COSMIC information. Mr Yip asked about potential overlaps between FIs' obligation to report suspicious transactions and to also share information on COSMIC. Mr Don Wee asked if COSMIC can be built upon existing systems, such as STRO's platform. He also asked if MAS is funding the development of COSMIC and whether participating FIs need to pay any fee.
Sharing of information on COSMIC is meant to strengthen the FIs' ability to collectively detect potential bad actors when stipulated \"red flag\" thresholds are crossed. Information sharing under the Request or Provide modes will take place even before the threshold for filing an STR is crossed. This will allow more holistic understanding of customers exhibiting sufficient \"red flags\", and more timely management by the FIs. If the FIs subsequently file an STR, the deeper insights gleaned from COSMIC and included in the STR would be more helpful for law enforcement. As STRO's platform is used by a much wider pool of both FIs and non-FIs to report suspicions relating to financial crime activity that have been established on reasonable grounds, it would not be appropriate to integrate the STRO platform with COSMIC. However, and nonetheless, MAS is exploring if the STR and COSMIC processes could be streamlined to reduce the administrative burden on participant FIs. So, I thank the Member for that feedback.
MAS is the owner of the COSMIC platform and will bear the costs of developing the infrastructure, which we view as serving a public good. Participating banks would not have to pay a subscription fee. However, they are expected to ensure sufficient resourcing to support their effective participation on COSMIC. This includes maintaining and effecting any necessary upgrade of data analytical tools, as COSMIC's information sharing is integrated into their internal platforms.
I will move on to the accuracy of COSMIC information. Mr Yip Hon Weng asked about FIs relying on information from COSMIC and how to ensure the accuracy as well as the reliability of risk concerns that are shared by other FIs. He also asked about FIs' liability from sharing or using information on COSMIC should it turn out to be inaccurate. Mr Murali Pillai also asked why it has not been proposed for FIs which are negligent in making false or misleading disclosures to be guilty of an offence. Mr Derrick Goh also asked how FIs would use information from COSMIC, given their varying risk management standards.
As I mentioned, participant FIs will be required to ensure accuracy and completeness of the information shared on COSMIC and to correct any errors or omissions, for example, in instances where a customer has provided further clarifications.
As Mr Murali Pillai has pointed out, under the new section 28J, a participant FI or an officer of the FIs that knowingly or recklessly makes a false or misleading disclosure on COSMIC will be guilty of an offence.
This same standard is also found in various provisions of other statutes which MAS administers, such as the BA, which relate to the provision of information that is false or misleading. We adopted this standard of care, given the need to balance between ensuring accuracy of information and also not inadvertently deterring participants from sharing information.
COSMIC is meant to provide an additional information source to supplement our FIs' existing sources and to also enhance their risk assessments of their own customers, in line with their internal risk management standards.
As such, MAS expects FIs to also carry out their own due diligence, including conducting further public source checks as well as seeking clarifications with their customers in such risk assessments. As part of MAS' supervision, MAS will consider circumstances of relevant breaches arising from the use of COSMIC information in assessing if there are any appropriate action to be taken.
Mr Murali Pillai also suggested that the proposed offences committed by FIs under COSMIC be considered for listing under the Sixth Schedule of the CPC, which sets out offences in respect of which deferred prosecution agreements may be entered into. We thank Mr Murali Pillai for this suggestion and will keep it in mind for when we roll out future phases of COSMIC.
Finally, let me address the questions on the sharing and use of COSMIC information. Mr Yip Hong Weng asked if participant FIs are required to analyse information they receive from COSMIC and take risk mitigation actions if needed. Mr Louis Ng asked if there are plans to share COSMIC information with other Government agencies besides STRO and, if so, which safeguards would be in place.
Nominated Member Ms Janet Ang had also noted the usefulness of COSMIC information in her speech yesterday on the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) (Amendment) Bill and the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill and had asked how COSMIC information might be helpful in the enforcement of both these Bills.
Given the potential sensitivity of COSMIC information, STRO is the only agency, apart from MAS, that will have direct access to COSMIC information to help fulfil its role as Singapore's financial intelligence unit. MAS will include information from COSMIC, including material networks of suspicious actors detected by the COSMIC platform, in our risk analysis and surveillance to target higher risk activities in the financial system for supervisory intervention.
Currently, MAS is able to share information in its possession with domestic authorities, including CAD, to facilitate their investigation, enforcement or supervisory action. This may include information obtained through COSMIC where there is a financial crime concern. Such sharing will be subject to conditions, including confidentiality safeguards.
Mr Yip also asked about the sharing of COSMIC information with overseas branches, given that ML/TF/PF activities are often cross-border in nature. At present, FIs in Singapore can already disclose customer information for risk management purposes within the financial group, including with its overseas branches or subsidiaries. This strengthens group-wide ML/TF/PF risk mitigation, and it prevents bad actors from moving between FIs within the same group and it is aligned with international standards set by the FATF.
In line with this principle, FIs participating on COSMIC will also be permitted to disclose the information they receive from COSMIC within their financial group, only for group-wide ML/TF/PF risk management purposes, on a need-to-know basis, provided additional safeguards set out in the legislation are in place. This is to mitigate the risks of leakage, and unauthorised disclosures and unintended legal risks to FIs that had shared the information. With this, Madam, I beg to move.
[(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)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
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Mdm Deputy Speaker: Second Minister for Finance.
The Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time.\"
Madam, this Bill makes four key sets of amendments to the Companies Act.
The first three sets of amendments are aimed at promoting a more pro-business environment whilst upholding market confidence and safeguarding public interest.
The fourth set of amendments, which applies to several Acts, permanently provides companies, business trusts and variable capital companies with the option to conduct fully virtual or hybrid meetings. Let me now take Members through the four key sets of amendments.
The first set of amendments at clause 10 makes refinements to the framework for the compulsory acquisition of shares under section 215 of the Companies Act. When a prospective buyer seeks to acquire a company, he or she may be able to obtain acceptances from a significant majority of shareholders but still be unable to obtain the approval of all the company's shareholders for his bid. This could be the case if minority shareholders are intentionally holding out for a higher offer.
Therefore, the compulsory acquisition framework under section 215 of the Companies Act allows the buyer to acquire the shares of dissenting shareholders, on the condition that his offer is accepted by at least 90% of the company's other shareholders who are unaffiliated with the buyer. This is also known as the 90% threshold for compulsory acquisition.
The intent of such a framework is to address stalemates, such as the scenario mentioned earlier, while safeguarding the rights of minority shareholders. Under the compulsory acquisition framework today, shares held by the buyer as well as shares held by nominees and corporations related to the buyer, are already excluded from the computation of the 90% threshold.
We have been monitoring the use of the compulsory acquisition framework over the years and have observed attempts by some shareholders to circumvent the existing exclusions by making an acquisition offer through special purpose vehicles. This would allow their shares to be included in the computation of the 90% threshold and make it easier to trigger the right of compulsory acquisition.
Such practices may be unfair, especially if the buyer is already a controlling shareholder with a significant proportion of the shares of a company. Minority shareholders may then have little bargaining power in relation to the offer price.
As such, we will make amendments to tighten the compulsory acquisition framework, by expanding the definition of persons and entities who are considered to be related to the buyer. Specifically, three additional categories of persons will be excluded when computing the 90% compulsory acquisition threshold.
These three categories are: (a) bodies corporate who are controlled by the buyer; (b) persons who are controlled or can be influenced by the buyer to approve of his takeover offer, for example, his close relatives and bodies corporate controlled by such persons; and (c) persons who control the buyer and the bodies corporate controlled by such persons. This means that even if a person makes an offer through a special purpose vehicle, the person's shares will be excluded from the computation of the 90% threshold since the person also controls the special purpose vehicles.
These additional exclusions will apply prospectively to an offer made on or after the commencement date of the amendment. These exclusions will also apply to revised offers if the original offer is made before the amendment's commencement but is later revised on or after the commencement date.
This amendment will provide greater protection to minority shareholders. The Government will continue to monitor the market and update our legislation where necessary, to ensure fair commercial practices.
The second set of amendments at clauses 5 and 28 relate to the disqualification of persons as directors under section 155A of the Companies Act. Currently, any disqualified director who wishes to act as a director of a company must apply to the Court for permission to do so. This requires an application by the disqualified director and various supporting documents, such as affidavits and submissions. This process can be cumbersome, costly and lengthy.
Under the Bill, we will allow disqualified directors to apply to the Registrar of Companies for permission to act as a director of a company. This will shorten the process and also make it cheaper for disqualified directors to do so.
Directors disqualified under section 155A can continue to apply to Court for permission to act as a director of a company. However, a disqualified director who has applied to the Registrar for permission to act as a director of a company will not be allowed to simultaneously apply to the Court for permission while the application to the Registrar remains pending.
We have also reviewed the length of the disqualification period under section 155A. Currently, the length of the disqualification period is fixed at five years for all disqualified directors. To better reflect the culpability of a disqualified director, the Bill will reduce the disqualification period for first-time disqualified directors to three years, while keeping that for repeat disqualified directors at five years.
Third, the amendments clarify when the disqualification provision under section 155A(1) applies. The Court of Appeal has held that based on the ordinary meaning of the current language of section 155A(1), where a director has had one company struck off previously and subsequently has two companies struck off on the same day, section 155A does not apply.
We have studied the Court's decision carefully and have decided to amend the section to make clear the policy intention, which is that directors are disqualified so long as they have had at least three companies struck off by the Registrar. A director with three companies struck off by the Registrar within five years would be hard put to argue that these occurrences are entirely fortuitous. It suggests a consistent pattern of the director not fulfilling his or her statutory obligations. That is the underlying rationale of this disqualification provision and the amendments will enable it to be given proper effect.
The third set of amendments at clauses 9 and 11 serves to update the penalties imposed on directors of companies for the failure to prepare and table financial statements in compliance with the prescribed accounting standards in Singapore.
Today, companies incorporated in Singapore and their directors must comply with the Companies Act, which requires them to present their financial statements in accordance with the prescribed accounting standards. The financial statements must give a true and fair representation of the company's performance.
The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) regularly reviews its penalty regime by comparing that with those in other leading common law jurisdictions. We found that when compared to equivalent offences in other jurisdictions, there is scope to increase our penalties.
Therefore, we will increase the maximum penalty from the current $50,000 for offences relating to not having true and fair financial statements that comply with the accounting standards.
The maximum penalty for cases where there is no intent to defraud will be raised to $250,000.
The maximum penalty for offences where there is intent to defraud will be raised to $250,000 and three years' imprisonment.
This is necessary to deter corporate malfeasance and to signal the seriousness with which we view fraud-related offences.
Finally, the fourth set of amendments will permanently provide companies, business trust and variable capital companies with the option to conduct fully virtual or hybrid meetings. The amendments for the companies are provided for under clauses 2, 6, 15 and 16 of the Bill. Similar amendments will also be made for business trusts and variable capital companies.
Today, our laws provide for general board and other types of meetings to be conducted, but do not explicitly specify the mode of conduct – for instance, whether these meetings may be held physically, virtually or in a hybrid manner.
During the pandemic, to provide greater clarity, we introduced temporary legislation to enable companies, business trust and variable capital companies to hold meetings virtually so that they could continue to convene meetings in a manner that minimised COVID-19 transmission risks. The temporary legislation will cease on 1 July 2023.
To continue enabling virtual or hybrid meetings, in addition to the physical meetings which they are already able to hold under existing legislation, we will make enabling provisions to clarify that companies, business trusts and variable capital companies may conduct their meetings, including general meetings in a hybrid or fully virtual manner from 1 July 2023.
The enabling provisions mean that entities' constitutions and the regulations issued by the respective regulators will ultimately determine if such meetings are allowed and how they are to be conducted. Entities can choose to continue with physical meetings, if they prefer.
Due to the use of technology, some virtual hybrid meetings may encounter technical issues that may be beyond the control of the entities. Under the amendments, such technological disruptions, malfunctions or outages, in and of themselves, will not cause a meeting to be invalidated. However, we will provide a safeguard for shareholders to apply to the Court if these technical issues result in substantial injustice.
This is consistent with the approach adopted for other types of procedural irregularities that occur during company proceedings.
The amendments will facilitate the use of electronic media and technology, by providing entities with the flexibility of holding hybrid or virtual meetings, while ensuring that shareholders rights are upheld.
In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, we review the Companies Act regularly to keep pace with changing market conditions and technologies, while upholding market confidence and safeguarding public interests. This ensures that the companies operate in a responsible and ethical manner with a focus on creating long-term value for all stakeholders. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): This Bill will allow companies and other corporate entities to conduct virtual or hybrid general meetings. This aligns our company and corporate law provisions with the technological reality of the business environment today. I have three points to make.
My first point is on the Court's power to invalidate meetings. The new section 392(2A) allows the Court to declare a meeting invalid if there is a technological disruption, malfunction or outage that has or may cause substantial injustice that cannot be remedied. Can the Minister provide examples on what the Court should deem as substantial injustice that cannot be remedied? A technological disruption may affect only a portion of the proceedings for a meeting.
It is not clear from the new provision if the Court has the power to declare only part of the meeting invalid. Can the Minister clarify whether the Court has the power to invalidate only a portion of a meeting if a technological disruption affects only a limited portion of the meeting?
My second point is on the deliberate or malicious disruption of meetings. Virtual or hybrid meetings that are held virtually may expose the company to greater risk of disruption by malicious actors through technological means. For instance, if a meeting is not proceeding in the manner desired by one party, it is possible that the party may set out to disrupt the meeting such that it is later invalidated by the Court. Can the Minister share if the Ministry has considered the need to introduce new offences for individuals who take steps to disrupt meetings with the intention that the meeting proceedings be invalidated?
My third and final point is on the requirements for meetings held using virtual meeting technology. The Bill clarifies how requirements applicable to a company and other corporate entities' meetings are applied for a meeting held using virtual meeting technology. Feedback in the public consultation on the Bill included a suggestion to grant more flexibility on how the identity of persons attending and voting at meetings should be verified.
A number of provisions allow the directors of the company or corporate entity to determine requirements on the conduct of virtual meeting technology if requirements are not prescribed by the Constitution. These include the method for verifying the identity of persons voting, the mode of synchronous communication and the mode for making a document available.
It is practical to provide flexibility for the directors to decide how these requirements should be met given the practical consideration for their entities. However, basic safeguards or requirements should be set to ensure the integrity of meetings. Can the Minister share if guidance will be provided to directors on best practices in determining the requirements that should be applied for the conduct of meetings?
Madam, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Dennis Tan.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Hougang): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I declare that I am a practising lawyer, whose work routinely involves issues on company law matters.
I will be speaking briefly on the intent of this Bill to amend the Companies Act 1967, the Business Trusts Act 2004, the Variable Capital Companies Act 2018 and the Singapore Labour Foundation Act 1977 to provide for meetings using virtual meeting technology. Such meetings may include annual general meetings (AGMs), extraordinary general meetings or other type of meetings.
The amendments provide for meetings to held in three scenarios: one, at a physical place; two, at a physical place and using virtual meeting concurrently, that is, a hybrid meeting; and three, just using virtual technology only.
One of the greatest lessons which COVID-19 has taught us is to hold virtual meetings like over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, instead of requiring in-person meetings. We learned how to hold a variety of online meetings. Besides board or business meetings, we have got used to having classes, seminars, conferences over Zoom. We even had so-called online rallies during the General Election 2020.
In fact, some of us are so used to having virtual meetings that we cannot go back to having some of our physical meetings and have continued with virtual meetings. I therefore welcome the statutory recognition of virtual meetings in some of our laws under this Bill.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, virtual AGMs and shareholder meetings for companies were introduced under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act in 2020. The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Alternative Arrangements for Meetings) Orders enabled entities such as companies, variable capital companies and business trusts to conduct meetings electronically, notwithstanding any prior prohibitions under the law or under the entities' constitutions or other governing instruments.
It was actually meant as a temporary measure to comply with safe-distancing requirements during the pandemic. The proposed amendments will allow companies to hold their AGMs and shareholder meetings virtually, even after the enabling COVID-19 provisions allowing virtual meetings are revoked in July.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, I do, however, understand that the amendments recognising virtual meetings are subject to each company's constitution. So, if I understand correctly, companies can still stipulate in their constitution that an AGM, for example, needs to be carried out physically, effectively excluding a person attending virtually.
While it remains to be seen how many of our companies will retain virtual meetings or having hybrid meetings, there are some who question whether the Bill should even have retained the rights of companies and their management to insist on 100% physical attendance.
One of my Hougang residents, a full-time investor, shared some concerns on this. He said that allowing shareholders the option to attend the meetings virtually will also enable those who are not able to be physically present to tune in and receive updates from the company's management. He is concerned that even with the proposed changes, many companies may still be requiring or insisting on physical attendance alone or may not allow virtual or hybrid meetings.
For investors like himself who may be shareholders of different companies, with many companies having their financial year ending on 31 December, most of them will be conducting their AGMs at around the same time. On some days, shareholders may have to attend different AGMs within the same day or even at the same time but at different locations. If many companies are still insisting on physical attendance alone and do not allow virtual or hybrid meetings, many shareholders like my constituent may not be able to make it to all the meetings and have to pick and choose which meeting to attend. He feels that such a scenario will be a step backward from our current situation and as a digital nation, and there might be a wastage of some of the extensive resources already invested in technology which made possible the many virtual meetings for companies and organisations.
I certainly hope that most of our companies will at least provide hybrid options for meeting attendance in line with our current common practice of having virtual meetings and not make physical meetings for meetings, such as AGMs, a mandatory requirement.
Having said that and in all fairness, there are benefits to having physical meetings. In fact, the challenge for some companies or organisations post-COVID-19 is how to get people back to work together physically again and resume physical meetings, having gotten used to working and having meetings virtually.
On the other hand, allowing online meetings will also reduce the need to travel or commute for meetings. It allows people to attend meetings while they are away or travelling. It may also reduce travelling and commuting and contribute to our nation's net-zero goals too. I certainly favour keeping such an option open and I would agree with my resident that allowing hybrid meetings may well boost overall attendance.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, next I have one clarification for the Minister. I note that the Bill does not seem to address the issue of where any such virtual or hybrid meetings would be deemed to be held jurisdictionally. I am concerned that the amendments today should not bring any unintended ambiguity or implication on the deemed location of such virtual or hybrid meetings, especially if the people attending some of these meetings would be in different jurisdictions and thereby having any knock-on effect on other issues, such as the tax residency of a Singapore-incorporated company.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, apart from the concerns I have raised, I support the Bill.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Minister Indranee Rajah.
Ms Indranee Rajah: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank Mr Louis Ng and Mr Dennis Tan for their comments and support of the Bill. Mr Ng raised three points of clarification on fully virtual or hybrid general meetings, while Mr Tan sought clarification on the locations of virtual meetings and its implications, and also raised the point with regard to whether physical meetings may be still insisted upon by companies. Let me address these in turn.
First, Mr Ng asked about the Court's power to invalidate meetings. As I had explained in my speech earlier, the new section 392(2A) under clause 15 of the Bill will allow shareholders to apply to the Court for a company's meeting to be invalidated, if they suffer substantial injustice due to disruptions, malfunctions or outages that are technological in nature.
Whether or not there has been \"substantial injustice\" will be decided by the Court depending on the facts and circumstances of the case. The established principles in determining the threshold of \"substantial injustice\" that have been applied to the existing section 392(2), which the new section 392(2A) is modelled on, include the following.
First, there must be a direct link between the technological disruption, malfunction or outage and the injustice suffered.
Second, the injustice must be \"substantial\", in that it was real rather than theoretical or fanciful.
Third, the aggrieved party must show that there may or could have been a different result in the meeting, if not for the occurrence of the technological disruption, malfunction or outage.
And fourth, the determination of substantial injustice involves a holistic weighing and balancing of the various interests of all the relevant parties.
In other words, the Court will take a holistic and balanced approach in determining whether a meeting should be invalidated, depending on the facts of the case.
While the Court has the power to invalidate all or only a portion of a meeting, it will be used judiciously. Invalidation is usually the relief of last resort, where other remedies would not be appropriate, in order to achieve a just result – for example, in cases where the substantial injustice suffered cannot be otherwise remedied by any other order of Court.
Next, Mr Ng asked if we have considered introducing new offences to punish individuals who disrupt fully virtual or hybrid meetings through technological means with the malicious intention to invalidate these meetings. At this juncture, there is no need to introduce new offences for such a situation. There are existing legislative levers, such as the Computer Misuse Act of 1993, to investigate any deliberate or malicious disruption such as by way of hacking.
Mr Ng also asked if guidance will be provided on the best practices for conducting meetings using virtual meeting technology. The answer is yes. The various regulators have already issued or will issue materials drawing from the lessons learned in conducting such meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance:
(a) the ACRA will be issuing a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to directors and companies on the legislative amendments for virtual and hybrid meetings. These FAQs will be updated on an ongoing basis to address common queries received from the public.
(b) Singapore Exchange's (SGX's) Practice Note 7.5 on General Meetings also provides more detailed guidance to listed issuers on how hybrid general meetings may be conducted. The practice note provides details on the requirement to provide shareholders with the opportunity to ask written questions within a reasonable time prior to general meetings and the safeguards required to validate votes.
(c) in addition, the SGX, the Singapore Institute of Directors and the Chartered Secretaries Institute of Singapore outlined standards for service providers of virtual meeting technology. This set of standards enhances the market's understanding of virtual meeting technology and facilitates effective shareholder engagement.
Mr Tan had raised a couple of points – the first on what happens if companies still insist on having physical meetings.
As far as the amendments go, what the amendments do is that they provide an additional option. So, currently, you can have physical meetings, but what the legislation does is that it enables companies to also choose a hybrid option or a virtual option. We do not want to be overly prescriptive because, generally, this is something that should be left for companies to decide. And I think one of the things that investors will surely take into account is the ease and convenience with which they can transact their dealings with the company.
Clearly, this is something that we will watch and see whether any further amendments need to be made, but the current situation is such that the options are there. We leave it to the companies to determine what is best for themselves in terms of how to conduct business. And I feel fairly sure that if they chose a course of action that was inconvenient to their shareholders and their investors, the likelihood is that the shareholders and investors will give the necessary feedback that will enable the company to change its practice.
The second clarification that Mr Tan had raised was where virtual meetings would be deemed to be held jurisdictionally and the implications that that might have on the tax residency of a company.
The Companies Act in general, as it currently stands, does not prescribe jurisdictional requirements for where company meetings are deemed to be held. And the amendments being introduced today do not make any change to this position. So, in short, nothing that is being moved for the amendment today will change what is currently the law under the Act.
Specifically, the amendments only clarify that nothing in the Companies Act prevents board of directors' meetings from being conducted virtually and do not change the current position in the Companies Act where board of directors' meetings may be conducted virtually.
Similarly, the tax residency of a company will continue to be determined by where the business is controlled and managed, which is where the decisions on strategic matters are made. Ultimately, a company's tax residency would be determined on the facts and circumstances of each case.
I think that the specific question that Mr Tan has in mind is that because in the case of a virtual meeting you do not have one particular location – so, where do you say that the meeting has been held?
Thus far, the Courts have been able to make determinations on where the company's place of residence is for various purposes. I would not think that that would be very different in this case. So, without in any way constraining how the Courts may decide to determine the matter, one imagines that the Court would apply first principles such as, for example, looking to see where the company has its management and control located, and relevant factors may include where the meeting was organised, where the material was sent from; basically, where the organisational centre of that meeting was.
But like I said, I do not wish to constrain the Courts in any way and they should have the full ability to decide based on the facts and circumstances of each case.
These amendments will enable entities to conduct virtual or hybrid meetings should they do so and they should be mindful of the regulations issued by the respective regulators. So, for example, SGX has publicly communicated that SGX-listed issuers may conduct physical or hybrid general meetings from 1 July 2023 onwards. This provides issuers added flexibility to decide the format of meeting that suits their shareholders needs and facilitates shareholder engagement.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, let me conclude. These proposed amendments will permanently provide companies, business trusts and variable capital companies with the option of conducting fully virtual or hybrid meetings through the use of technology. The other amendments also strengthened Singapore's corporate governance regime by upholding market confidence and safeguarding public interests. These amendments are crucial to ensure that our legislation remains relevant and future ready. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: No clarifications? Alright.
[(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)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Order. I propose to take a break now. I suspend the Sitting, and will take the Chair again at 4.00 pm.
Sitting accordingly suspended
at 3.39 pm until 4.00 pm.
Sitting resumed at 4.00 pm.
[Deputy Speaker (Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo) in the Chair]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Supporting Healthcare","subTitle":"Motion","sectionType":"OS","content":"Mdm Deputy Speaker: Dr Tan Yia Swam.
Dr Tan Yia Swam (Nominated Member): Madam, I beg to move*, \"That this House commits to supporting healthcare beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and the whole-of-Government efforts for consistent and sustainable support\".
[(proc text) *The Motion also stood in the name of Mr Abdul Samad and Dr Shahira Abdullah. (proc text)]
I declare my interest as a breast surgeon in private practice and my various medical leadership roles as an appointed member of the Singapore Medical Council and the Vice President of the Singapore Medical Association. More importantly, I speak as a daughter to elderly parents and parents-in-law and as a mother to children with medical conditions. Allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As the saying goes \"Doctors have the heart of a parent\". Doctors should be caring and concerned towards their patients, just like parents to their children. Doctors should have this mentality throughout their life. However, patients are not necessarily willing to be treated like a child all their lives. When a child is young, he is ignorant and will obey the instructions of his parents. As he grows up, he will start to rebel against the instructions of his parents.
Thirty years ago, patients would generally listen to the doctor's words. But now, due to advanced technology and easy access to information, more and more patients will question doctors' diagnoses or instructions, or even challenge them.
(In English): Why does anyone stand up to advocate for certain causes? We want to leave behind a better world than what we were born in.
I advocate for the doctor-patient relationship. As a patient, I want my doctor to look after my best interests and not be worried about being complained or sued unfairly. As a doctor, I want to focus on my patient's medical conditions, her needs and wants.
But life is more complicated than that. So many other factors influence this relationship – different kinds of health-seeking behaviours, different health beliefs, financing models, expectations of outcomes, customer service, social media marketing, business entities seeking to profit in the healthcare sector.
Why am I pushing for a whole-of-Government effort? Healthcare spending is the second highest in the national budget. The emphasis on building more hospitals, polyclinics, Healthier SG and recruiting staff – this cannot go on indefinitely.
While the current hot news is about the Cancer Drug List, I share a list of sobering health statistics: yearly, 26% of deaths are due to cancer; yearly, 20% of deaths are due to pneumonia; every day, 20 people die from heart attacks or strokes; every day, four people undergo leg amputations due to diabetes; Singapore ranks first in the world for diabetes-induced kidney failure; one in 10 people over 60 years old have dementia; one in 10 people have a mental illness; one-third of post-menopausal women have osteoporosis – and if they ever have a hip fracture, one in five will die within the year.
These are some well-known facts in our medical community. Health news magazines frequently report these, but people do not care until it happens to them. Most people have a healthcare encounter only when they are sick and that is too late.
Humans have short memories. That is why the institution has to remember and pass on the teaching.
It feels like the whole country, even the whole world, has moved on after COVID-19. But if you look back at the history of pandemics, the next one will be here – maybe in 10 years, maybe in five. We need to be ready for the next pandemic, for the silver tsunami, for the mental health crisis. Healthcare must be a global, national whole-of-Government effort and not only a Ministry of Health (MOH) effort.
I urge for all of you to adopt a mindset change. I urge every Ministry, every Government official, every public servant – in fact, anyone listening right now – to think in terms of how to better teach our people to look after their health and prevent illness.
Next, support for healthcare workers – what does it mean? It cannot be just a one-time snapshot, a once-off wellness event, a \"thank you\" campaign, a medal. Regular salary revisions to match inflation and the rising cost of living are essential. But beyond that, support for healthcare workers should be a deeply rooted respect and acknowledgement of the nature of our work.
Many of us see our work as a calling. We commit to looking after patients. It is more than just a job. Much like those in our armed forces who protect our nation, healthcare workers protect the health and well-being of our people. It is not just business transactions selling remedies.
What kind of support do healthcare workers want then? Back to my analogy about the parent-child relationship. I hope the doctor-patient relationship will be mutually loving and respectful. We cannot be just using that one day of Father's or Mother's Day to love our parents, right? It should be an ongoing process. Take into account what we say, listen and involve us in decision-making.
I have explained why we need to support healthcare beyond the pandemic and why we need a whole-of-Government effort. I will now share three broad strategies on how this can be done: one, identify and acknowledge problems; two, education at all levels; and three, cross-collaboration.
Let me tell a funny story. More than a decade ago, as a junior doctor, I remember there was one day when there was a mini commotion in the operating theatre. We were told to recall our chits so that the queue of patients waiting for surgery is cleared up. I demanded to know why and I was told, \"Minister is visiting.\"
I remember being indignant and told the sister-in-charge, \"Let him see. Let him see how swamped we are.\" Of course, I was chased away while the welcoming party walked him around. I was an angry young doctor, but I resolved to learn to be a better advocate for change.
Leaders need to walk the ground and healthcare workers need to learn to speak up better for ourselves. Maybe it is not in our nature to ever admit defeat or ask for help, because it implies weakness and we are determined to stay strong for our patients. Maybe that is why so many of us work until breaking point.
In the past two years, mainstream news and social media gave much attention to bed shortages, long working hours of junior doctors and nurses, bullying and harassment, but I tell you this is nothing new to us.
Corridor beds, lodgers in tentage, conversion of day surgery beds to acute care beds. Another story – once, when I was on call, I was called by my head of department in the middle of the night to urgently identify patients who may be fit for discharged in the morning, because there were 50-over patients waiting for a bed in the Emergency Department (ED).
There were patients fit for discharge but the common social request was to keep the patient until the weekend because the children cannot take leave to bring him home or the need to wait until the helper arrives in Singapore. So, instead of operating, I was there doing bed management and being scolded by family members for being heartless. Then, when I go down to finally attend to the new patients waiting, I get scolded for making them wait very long.
A call starts at 8.00 am and ends at 8.00 am the next day, followed by a full day's work until 6.00 pm the following day. We did six to eight calls a month. Eighty to 100 work hour weeks are not unusual. Doctors, nurses, lab technicians, couriers, healthcare attendants – everyone in the healthcare system is trying our best to meet demands; and sometimes, we cannot deliver.
How many of us have just gone to cry and hide in the toilet for a while? How many have walked away?
We have seen the ups and downs of problems in the past decades. The removal of the guideline of fees, coupled with as-charged plans, leading to escalating costs, due to multiple factors that we are still trying to address now in the Multilateral Healthcare Insurance Committee (MHIC). Changes to residency training, leading to the loss of mentorship, loss of a sense of belonging by the trainees. Shorter training periods with consequences in some specialties.
The privatisation and commercialisation of healthcare is a \"necessary evil\". Someone has to ensure there is money to run a sustainable business. But when healthcare workers are treated as a commodity by administrators, it is yet another bad influence on the doctor-patient relationship.
Currently, we face new concerns. In the private sector, business costs are increasing due to rental, manpower costs and pressure from business entities; perpetual problems with poor IT systems; a brain drain of experienced nurses, allied health and even doctors.
I have previously spoken on wellness and alternative health services, which are not regulated and which sometimes do more harm than good. Poor use of Google leading to badly written search engine optimisation articles that further increases the disconnect between doctors and patients.
Some family physicians have expressed their perceived difficulties to onboard Healthier SG. Many doctors are concerned over the capitation model, about the impact of the drug whitelist and actual payments to general practitioners (GPs), which may not cover their running costs.
I am not saying it is bad. I am saying doctors are worried about these changes. We have lived through changes with adverse outcomes and we feel really helpless when others dictate how we should practise medicine.
We should learn from the mistakes of the past so that we do not repeat it, but humans have short memories and few people have the time or commitment to dig into history.
Political office bearers come and go, but for most doctors and nurses, we are here for a lifetime. The longest serving Minister for Health is Mr Gan Kim Yong for 10 years and for that, I thank him for the warm and supportive relationship he had with our profession, which Mr Ong Ye Kung has kindly continued – hopefully, for the future, after my speech.
There is no one who is giving the healthcare system his full attention and thought. Doctors do clinical work. Clinician scientists do research. Nurses care for patients' daily needs. Many feel unease and unhappiness at \"the system\", but there is no one whose job is to really evaluate and improve the system.
Instead, experts from other service industries are imported to provide opinions, get paid consultancy fees – and they leave, while we care so hard and so badly, that it hurts. Even with all my lobbying for the private sector, for reviews into Shield plans, corporate insurance, concierge services, third-party administrators (TPAs), many have heard but might not be listening.
Sadly, even my own doctors do not pay close attention to my advocacy efforts and keep repeating the same old grouses. Some are aware but do not dare to take action. They might be afraid of losing their livelihoods if they do not play by the rules of TPAs who have come between doctors and patients. I have frequently said to my peers that it is common sense that a business should be profitable, but we should never profiteer here from people's suffering.
Healthcare providers are in a no-win situation – getting complaints for long waiting times in Government hospitals, getting accused of overcharging in private.
Patients have very high expectations now. We all want perfection – cheap, fast and good.
I have repeatedly vouched for our restructured hospitals. We have all trained and worked there at some point and they provide good quality care. Sometimes, the communications may not be as clear or personable, simply because it is a very large team-based practice.
I think restructured hospitals are cheap and good, and it is hard to be fast. I ask the public to be understanding. Restructured hospitals are teaching hospitals. We all start somewhere. We all learn through mentorship, by examining small lumps, do our first operations.
Patients are never used as an experiment. There is consultant lead practice and there is a specialist in charge of your medical journey. When you meet a young doctor with a heart, I hope you help the doctor to train and grow.
Some of you will choose to go private if you can afford it because you get personal service, it is generally faster, there is more privacy because it is a much smaller team attending to you. But then I ask for your understanding that every doctor runs a business and there are various models that are used with various business costs. If you find a doctor that you trust and there is clear communication and transparency, I hope you will also give him the support he needs.
I have listed a string of perennial problems, which are complex and systemic, and that I do not expect any one person to solve.
Stay with me as I share my views on education and cross-collaboration.
There are many ways how people learn. I think the commonest method is by frequent exposure and repetition. We eat frequently, right? Three times a day, maybe five times or even more. Singaporeans are passionate about our food. So, if I ask about chicken rice, there will be a very hot-blooded robust debate on which store is the best, comparing roast chicken versus steamed chicken, the ginger, the chilli. Enthusiasts will even know the exact cost breakdown from different stores: how much you charge for extra chilli, extra rice, an upgrade to thigh meat.
But how many of us need major surgery or admission for a major illness?
There are some patients with complex medical issues who have been in and out of hospitals. The healthcare team ends up knowing the patients and families very well over time. Such families will likely also be very aware of how treatment costs are like.
For most people though, the first major illness is the first time ever that we have to seek medical care in the hospital. That is not a good time to find out how expensive healthcare is. One is already worried about their cancer diagnosis and the impact on survival, side effects and potential complications of treatment, responsibilities of work versus family.
Not many people know the cost of treatments in Singapore and many are stunned when they first see the numbers. I know I was when I had to handle the bills for an open heart surgery.
Healthcare financing is very complex and there are actually many safety nets for Singaporeans – public sector versus private sector. Who pays? Taxpayers' monies, insurance pooling. Various combinations of co-payments and tiers of subsidies exist. The problem is most healthy people do not bother to check these until they encounter health issues.
If it is an elective surgery, there is time for financial counselling, pre-authorisation and so on. But in an emergency, the team would deliver the necessary life-threatening treatments first. The patient and their family may be saddled with a big debt. Or the hospital writes off bad debt – not often, I believe, but I know that this happens when we have a foreign worker with no health insurance, just an accident policy and there is no or inadequate cover. Same for locals who are not familiar with the product they bought, whether it is a plan for hospitalisation, critical illness or early cancer plan. Maybe they did not know about exclusion terms or coverage limits.
I picked up this lingo and knowledge only in these recent three years and I hate that I have to know it. It distracts from my real work in caring for patients. But it is necessary. This is what I talked about in March, for insurers to build closer working relationships with healthcare providers so that patients have more assurance of affordability.
People need to learn how to navigate our healthcare system. Some years ago, I started a blog specifically on how to enter the healthcare system, the different paths available and the pros and cons of each. But I could not maintain it. Other commitments took priority. Since then, I have seen several well-written articles. There is no need to keep re-inventing the wheel. Collect these, have a good library of such articles in the central repository and let it be the main reference for all Singaporeans.
People do not actively care until it happens to them. Look at global warming, does the average person worry about global warming, even when faced with evidence of changing microclimates? Does a person worry about fertility and starting a family young, until they are actually trying and come across difficulties? I know most of my patients never worried about breast cancer until they have a symptom or heard that a friend or colleague is recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Then, it triggers fear and worry. People care, only when things affect them.
I want my children to grow up and take responsibility for themselves. Likewise, I believe that everyone of us can take responsibility for our own health, but we need to be empowered on how to do this.
Humans are emotional creatures, but we have the capacity to think. Learning how to regulate emotions and using our brains to think is an invaluable skill that can be taught from childhood. I know some adults who still struggle with this. I cannot underestimate the importance of having a scientific and logical framework in approach to all problems. Fear, anger, worry, joy are all emotional responses that are normal but we must learn to regulate them. Too often, I see my patients so paralysed by anxiety that it interferes with the treatment process.
Some diseases are well-studied and the progression is clearly understood, for example, Hepatitis B leads to liver cancer and Hepatitis B vaccination is effective. Some others are multifactorial, such as most cancers and cardiovascular diseases. So, just because I smoke, it does not mean I will get lung cancer for sure. Likewise, just because I do not smoke, it does not mean that I will never get lung cancer. It is not so simple; there is no magic bullet or \"免死金牌\".
Obesity, strokes, heart attacks – we call these \"lifestyle diseases\" because every day, we make small decisions on food and activity level that will build up to or prevent these. Some illnesses are insidious. Do we recognise mental health issues or is it unseen until there is a sentinel event with self-harm?
Preventable trauma is another huge area we can improve on. Awareness on child safety seats, road safety awareness by all users including pedestrians and cyclists, stricter regulations for driving licenses, giving way to emergency vehicles, workplace safety.
There is so much to teach, so much to learn. Education cannot be assigned to just the Ministry of Education (MOE), just as health should not be the domain of the MOH only. I firmly believe that education starting from as young as infancy and carrying on throughout our schooling and working adult years will be the key to good sustainable health. I am glad that Minister Ong stated last month that MOH will partner MOE and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to lay a strong foundation of health for our young.
I am alarmed at how often I notice infants being spoon-fed while they are looking at an iPad. Studies have shown that screen time adversely affects brain development. Babies are not able to read faces as well and develop social skills, leading to later problems in executive and higher order functioning, such as the ability to focus, impulse control and emotional regulation. I have seen increasing numbers of young adult patients in their 20s with such problems and I am deeply concerned for the future generations.
Teaching the appropriate use of technology is not just for the young, but for the adults as well. News abound of increasingly elaborate financial scams. In relation to health, there are trends of miracle cures to fight cancer or guarantee weight loss. I have seen patients trying the black garlic diet, aloe vera, alkaline water, negative ion clothing. The list is endless.
I call this pseudoscience because there is a hint of truth in it. There is one experiment to show that the item has one property that has killed a few cancer cells in a petri dish. To me, this is like an observation that, \"Hey, the ant can use a leaf to float on water! Therefore, if I use a big leaf, I can use it to sail across the ocean!\" I cannot professionally extrapolate such studies to claim that it can cure cancer, which is what some salespeople do and vulnerable patients will try it and sometimes even forgo proven treatments.
During the pandemic, vaccine hesitancy and big pharma conspiracies had direct negative impacts on public health. Internet connectivity has brought people closer together but has also allowed misinformation to flourish. People rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, some use Google reviews and some people do not know that these can be bought or faked, or that there are malicious marketing agencies who deliberately downvote rival companies.
Whose role is it then to teach people how to use Google and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool? It does not feel like it should be the Government's job. It is up to individuals then.
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn said that, \"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with\". I use this to take stock of my personal and professional growth periodically. Whenever I feel stagnant, time to review and change a bit, step out of the comfort zone, learn something new. Do not settle in too comfortably and be trapped in an echo chamber.
Lifelong learning is a challenge. How do we then cultivate this mindset in people? This leads me to my next point: cross-collaboration.
I think the COVID-19 Multi-Ministry Task Force was a good platform for leadership to discuss and share timely information on a rapidly evolving situation and align policy direction. Of course, there were problems as it filtered down, because humans being humans, we have a wide range of responses. We had people ranging from lawful good to chaotic evil, to use a Dungeons and Dragons reference. Some followed the exact letter of the law, some followed the spirit of what is intended. Some profiteered off other's desperations and some wilfully, selfishly lived by their own rules and not respect the society they are living in.
The Government of Singapore is complex: organised into 16 Ministries, further divided into departments, divisions and more than 50 Statutory Boards. Do people from different Ministries talk to one another, or is there a very strict protocol of how new ideas may be raised? I ask because previously when working within the confines of a restructured hospital as an employee, I know that there are clear hierarchical processes. And even now, I only have experience talking to certain folks within MOH.
I know there are incredibly smart and devoted people in the Civil Service at all levels of seniority. I know passionate and caring people who are active volunteers in various groups, charities and social enterprises. There is a flourishing ecosystem, but I wonder if perhaps there are too many small-to-medium groups. Can we pool these resources?
Every one of us may be a domain expert, but we do not know what we do not know.
From my participation in MHIC, I had the privilege of networking across different industries, to be acquainted with insurers, financial advisors, actuaries and to discuss healthcare problems from their point of view. It was humbling to realise how little of healthcare financing I knew before, as a clinician. I am yet again bringing up the story of blind men examining the elephant and everyone only touching the part they can touch and arguing about what the elephant looks like. Because it is true – we do not know what we do not know.
I now challenge you to think beyond your usual area and how you can apply your knowledge to better support healthcare, wherever you are in. You have heard the problems I brought up as a doctor, as a healthcare leader. Are you able to help me?
I respectfully share some of my ideas of how to align future policies, with the compass oriented towards healthcare. Formal workgroups seem very structured. I believe that when people with similar goals and ideas discuss casually, the mind-mapping and synergy may create something way better.
Starting from young, the Early Childhood Development Agency and MOE can work closely with MOH to identify key basic health messages for young Singaporeans to learn. And the challenge is not in rote learning but how to get updates on information, because some scientific breakthroughs develop rapidly.
The food pyramid that I learnt in primary school is now outdated, replaced by the healthy plate model and current nutrition and fitness research is leaning towards low-carb diet with resistance training. Who knows what will future research show?
Teach children how to eat right and cultivate the habit of regular exercise to maintain a healthy weight. A lot has been done for mental health education and safe, appropriate use of social media in primary schools. These can also be adopted for adults who did not grow up in the Internet age, so that they are also taught about online etiquette and safety.
Introduce and strengthen the idea of the family doctor and the importance of good primary care. Teach how to navigate the healthcare system, how to get into subsidised care and the role of different types of insurance.
MSF, in your mission to build strong families, could also collaborate with MOE and MOH to shape sex education, guide families on how to hold the tough conversations on morality, religious beliefs and identity. Ask the coaching industry, especially those who specialise in sexuality counselling.
Teach older teenagers and tertiary students about the parenthood journey, its many joys but also hardships so that in time, young couples can make an informed decision about marriage and the pros and cons of having children or not, and when to have children; in their 20s, 30s or 40s?
Once we enter the workforce, we often neglect our own health to pursue a career. In work with long hours or shifts, we develop unhealthy eating habits and irregular sleeping hours, and do not know how to make time to exercise. How many adults notice weight gain and lethargy over five or 10 years of working life? The weight creeps up on you.
Singaporean men have their yearly individual physical proficiency test to clear but women might not have a fitness benchmark. There is a phenomenon of being \"skinny fat\", where the person has a healthy weight range but has low muscle and bone mass.
I think this is where all the different Ministries can contribute to health, by continuing education on diet and exercise, screening and vaccinations as well as empowering adults.
For the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), look into how to develop healthy routines at the workplace; ask the fitness industry; make affordable healthy foods easily accessible; encourage 10 to 20 minutes of simple office or chair-based exercises; get the bosses to implement such health practices; teach workers screen time limits and the value of mental breaks; look into flexi-hours so that they may prioritise time for themselves, family and medical appointments; consider incentives for good health; work with MOH, Consumer Association of Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore to look into alleged complaints of poorly paying corporate insurances and panel limitations imposed by TPAs; help workers to access good quality care.
Ministries such as the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, MSF and Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) might be ideal to be the facilitators of cross-collaborations between the different Ministries. Good ideas, content and projects can be supported by all, rather than every Ministry trying to come up with their own independent project.
I give one example. If you Google \"Singapore how to lose weight\", see what comes up. Articles on HealthXchange, HealthHub, Health Promotion Board (HPB) get buried amidst advertorials from aesthetics clinics, spas and gyms. One good quality article with a good video might be shared across different Ministries and across all the various social media platforms for wider reach. Repeat the same essential health messages in each of your various networks: eat right, exercise every day, protect your mental health, whichever division you are in, for social support, for youth or for sports.
I thank the Ministry of National Development for the new SkatePark at Lakeside Garden. I hope you continue to integrate sports into the community. Are you aware that Singapore's cityscape is acknowledged as a parkour paradise internationally? But practitioners frequently get chased away by residents who think they are vandalising and that the Police are called to chase them away. I hope for stronger support for the parkour community in Singapore.
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE)'s mission to supply water and safe food may also extend to more affordable fresh produce, as eating whole foods has more health benefits than processed foods. Food safety labels are regulated by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), under MSE, but nutrition labelling is by HPB, under MOH. I found the 64-page handbook online. I think that people still buy a lot of bubble tea even when graded \"C\" or \"D\"!
What is commendable is the rise of urban farming, supported by state agencies such as the Singapore Land Authority, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, SFA and Animal and Veterinary Service and Housing and Development Board (HDB). I hope I did not miss anyone out. This has benefits such as a start towards food security and the health benefits of working with nature, learning to grow and eat our own organic foods will be lasting.
Information technology (IT) continues to be a huge challenge in so many aspects. I said in a previous speech; electronic health records are sometimes nothing better than Microsoft Word documents or PDF documents scanned and stored online. Systems are unwieldy and not instinctive. Vital signs are still keyed in manually. My patient tried to find her operation histology from HealthHub, Healthy 365 and Health Buddy; we could not find it.
I do not know how this can be achieved, but can MCI, GovTech, Integrated Health Information Systems (iHIS) and other IT Statutory Boards please coordinate and get a good national system up? I envision using Singpass and Healthhub, with trigger questions to remind the individual of major health checkpoints: height and weight; health screening; vaccinations; appointments.
Medical tourism is a complex international issue. Will the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) look into how this could contribute to increasing healthcare costs locally but still help Singapore maintain a leading-edge reputation as one of the best places to get good quality care? I am still deeply bothered by the businesses of medical concierges who collect fees from healthcare providers in exchange for bringing in foreigners for healthcare.
Will MTI help MOH to attract Singaporeans to take up essential jobs in healthcare? Look into the development of healthcare workers to recruit, train and retain experienced workers. Human resource management will be essential, not to manage people as commodities, but to truly build a good working relationship for them, so that they feel appreciated and will stay for the long haul.
Complex medical conditions are managed by a multidisciplinary care team. I apply a similar concept to our healthcare system problem. Cross-collaborate; engage with healthcare providers; step outside of your comfort zones across the different Ministries and industries.
Appropriate remuneration for consultancy work may be something to consider and, in time, build up a network. I am very mindful of costs and ideally, if we can call upon volunteers, that would be great, but I also realise that runs the risk of the same few big-hearted people being called upon again and again.
Set up a think tank whom all the Ministries can have access to and call up on for brief consultations on global issues, not ad hoc requests to organisations.
As I end, let me recap. I have explained why healthcare should be a whole-of-Government concern and not just MOH. I have listed chronic problems in healthcare. I emphasised the need for education at multiple levels of engagement and I asked for everyone to cross-collaborate.
My old friend told me, \"Don't pretend you want people to be healthy. You doctors want more patients, right? Got business!\"
No! Ideally, I want to look after patients who become sick despite their best efforts, not those who have neglected themselves through the lack of knowledge, a lack of resources or lack of self-care. Let us work together to bring down the number of preventable illnesses. That is the real cost savings. It is our individual responsibility to keep as fit and healthy as we can. Be educated and keep up to date.
As a society, to be kind and civic-minded. For those who hoarded medical supplies and tried to profiteer during COVID-19, shame on you! As a doctor, I look after all patients equally. But when intensive care unit beds are full, who deserves it?
The pandemic has made everyone acutely aware of limited resources – masks, antigen rapid test kits, oxygen. That is the real fact of life. There are limited resources and who will be the gatekeeper as to who needs it most?
Healthcare workers need the Government to help shape these policies. We need everyone to prioritise health. Do not force us to have to have to triage and decide who to save. I look forward to a robust debate. [Applause.]
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Dr Shahira Abdullah.
Dr Shahira Abdullah (Nominated Member): Before I begin, I would like to declare that I am an orthodontist working at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, we are now in Disease Outbreak Response System Condition Green, the lowest health alert level since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the world, with healthcare workers playing a vital role in providing critical care to those who need it. As we begin to move beyond the pandemic, it is clear that we need to continue to prioritise and support healthcare.
This Motion acknowledges the importance of healthcare in our society and seeks to ensure that healthcare workers and patients alike receive the support and resources they need to thrive. It recommends a whole-of-Government approach to build a healthier and more resilient society for all.
Beyond the pandemic and towards the future, I would like to touch on three areas that require our continued attention and support: firstly, the manpower shortage of healthcare workers which is related to burnout and the mental well-being of healthcare workers; secondly, the provision of dental care to our migrant workers; and thirdly, supporting the special care and geriatric dentistry scene.
Firstly, the manpower shortage of healthcare workers. Healthcare workers have always faced intense stress, emotional situations and challenging working conditions, with long and unpredictable work hours, risk of injury and exposure to diseases. These factors can contribute to burnout and mental health issues, even before the pandemic.
Although short-term measures such as counselling and mental health programmes are crucial, it is imperative to address the underlying root causes of burnout and mental health issues.
This requires addressing systemic issues such as workload, work-life balance, support, training and the workplace culture. At the core of this is actually manpower shortage, which MOH is already trying to address.
However, even globally, there is competition for a scarce healthcare workforce. Singapore experienced a significant attrition rate for foreign nurses, which increased from 9.5% to 14.5% between 2019 and 2022.
In her Committee of Supply (COS) speech this year, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Ms Rahayu Mahzam mentioned that \"The loss of both local and foreign nurses to our competitor countries is a key reason for the stress and high workload for our nurses. We need to replace the manpower lost to other countries, safeguard the welfare of nurses, and meet increasing needs.\" If we were to go one step further, we need to ensure that our healthcare workers are supported and have the resources they need to provide the best care possible, we need to build \"fat\", or buffer, into the system.
I have a few suggestions on how we can retain and attract healthcare manpower.
Number one: granting permanent residency to the immediate family members of healthcare workers who are good performers. MOH is supportive of fellow Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Dr Tan Yia Swam's suggestion of granting permanent resident status to foreign healthcare workers who are good performers. For these good performers, can we go one step further and automatically grant their immediate family, namely spouse and children, permanent residency as well?
I know of several dental nurses at my workplace who have left due to this reason. After repeated applications, they have in the end given up, choosing instead to uproot their whole family to places such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia. If we grant permanent residency to their family, they will sink their roots in Singapore and the likelihood of losing them will reduce. When we lose good performers, especially senior ones, we do not just lose a worker, we lose their years of experience in our healthcare system.
Number two: ensuring remunerations are competitive locally and internationally. Singapore's public healthcare sector has increased the base salaries of nurses by 5% to 14% by 2022 with retention payments as well. I am aware that MOH monitors our pay competitiveness locally and internationally regularly. Salary may not be the sole determining factor for healthcare workers, but it is still an important consideration for many individuals when choosing their career paths, especially with the tremendous demands of care work. It can also incentivise foreign healthcare workers to continue working in Singapore. Honestly, higher pay packages will always help.
Number three: flexible work arrangements (FWAs). This is something Member Dr Tan Wu Meng has spoken about at length during the COS debates and it is something I cannot overstate the importance of. Healthcare workers are also mothers, fathers, daughters and sons. They may have an elderly parent, or young children at home. Yes, there are already FWAs available for healthcare workers. However, MOH and MOM can work together to come up with more creative permutations of flexible and family‐friendly human resources (HR) work practices suited for healthcare workers in different stages of their lives as well as the unique needs of each healthcare setting. For example, other than staggered shift times, we can consider having flexible shift lengths that split shifts into shorter scheduled times or offering healthcare workers even more paid leave.
Number four: increasing the public's respect for healthcare workers. The public should understand that healthcare workers are not just transactional service providers who need to kowtow to the patient's demands. There should be zero tolerance for abuse or threats. Therefore, I am encouraged by the great strides that we have taken in this area and with the recommendations of the Tripartite Workgroup to Prevent Abuse and Harassment of Healthcare Workers. My fellow NMP Mr Raj Joshua Thomas will speak further on this topic.
Number five: improving the home caregiving landscape by providing broader support and help. To relieve the healthcare sector, caregivers are the foundation of ageing-in-place. However, I have witnessed, from my relatives, how difficult the journey can be.
One low-lying fruit that we could consider is having more caregiver-inclusive HR work practices and granting more eldercare leave, a suggestion that has been raised before. Another is how we can work between Ministries to ensure that families who are already overwhelmed, can navigate the different caregiving options and available subsidies, ensuring that every family about to start this journey is attached to a medical social worker who can do a needs assessment and guide them along the way. This is so that while they look after the needs of the elderly, we should also look at needs assessment for the caregiver itself so that they are not ignored, whether in self-care for their mental well-being or financial security when they themselves grow old.
Secondly, let me turn my attention to the importance and provision of dental care to vulnerable cohorts, particularly the migrant workers, the geriatric and the special needs population. Dental health is a very important health aspect that can be easily overlooked, but modern research has shown links between oral health, systemic health and quality of life. For example, gum disease can increase the risk of diabetes, infective endocarditis and other vascular diseases. Dental pain due to neglect can also be debilitating. We cannot ignore the importance of oral health and its impact on overall health and quality of life.
However, for the migrant workers, even if the dental treatment is deemed necessary, employers will have to bear the cost of dental treatment and dental treatment can be costly.
Currently, the Primary Care Plan ensures accessible and affordable healthcare for eligible migrant workers. May I suggest extending this dental care for migrant workers as well? The care may not need to encompass all dental care, like routine scaling and polishing but really to address the urgent needs, which means dental cases which can be very painful as well as cases with infection and swellings which, if untreated, can actually be life threatening.
I would now like to speak about supporting the geriatric and special needs scene. As we work towards the goal of Healthier SG, we want to ensure oral health is addressed in successful ageing and inclusive healthcare.
Before I start, I would like to talk about the case of my colleague. A woman with a severe intellectual disability presented at the Geriatric and Special Care Dentistry Clinic for treatment. Her challenging behaviour meant that treatment under local anaesthesia – that means when she is awake – was not viable. However, dental treatment under general anaesthesia, which is going to sleep, came with its own set of problems. Risks outweighed the benefit, especially for a single tooth extraction.
Furthermore, hospital policy requires legal representation for consent involving mentally incapacitated adults, and obtaining Court-appointed deputyship could take months and can be costly. To make matters worse, the woman had previously had a traumatic experience in the hospital environment. Her family therefore chose chair-side management after weighing the options.
After attempting to prepare her with three acclimatisation visits, the dentist attempted the extraction with physical restraints. However, due to profound difficulties faced, they just could not do it. The treatment was aborted.
This experience highlighted the struggles faced not only by the patient's family in navigating the system, but also by the dentist and the medical team in treating individuals with complex needs.
I would like to touch on a few areas.
Number one: engaging elderly and special care needs patients and their communities. The lack of oral health knowledge and health goals in these groups underscores the need for advocacy and mindset change. Patients and caregivers often struggle to navigate the various services available and may not know who to approach for financial help and other supportive services.
To address this, there may be a need for closer cross-collaboration between those involved in their care; professionals such as dentists, ward nurses and caregivers need to know basic oral health literacy as well as where to get reliable treatment information. We can consider looking at Nursing Practice Guidelines to ensure that oral care offered to residents is also up-to-date and practical.
Number two: reserving capacity for those with complex needs. Dentists are doing their best to help out, but there is a lack of guidance on standards of care. A clinical practice guideline as well as care pathways are needed to help ensure quality and appropriate care is offered. Complex cases with multiple health and behavioural problems can be seen in the hospital settings and milder cases can be referred to a network of dentists in GP clinics. Complex cases can also be sent to GPs once they are stabilised.
Number three: the lack of access to dental care in elderly and special needs facilities. Some of our communities and organisations serving vulnerable persons have taken the lead to develop their own dental capacities. Out of all nursing homes in Singapore, only some have access to onsite dental services through Unity Denticare buses or mobile teams provided by volunteer groups or institutions. Even fewer homes have a fixed brick-and-mortar clinic run by a volunteer dentist when manpower is available.
An example is the Hospice Care Association where a dental clinic was built in their newest day hospice Oasis@Outram.
On the special needs front, Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) Developmental and Disabilities Medical Clinic was launched last year and is already working towards providing dental screening and referral services for patients. This has the potential to scale as MINDS open their cross-disciplinary Health Hubs.
However, the lack of coordination between volunteer groups is also a major issue. The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) coordinates care for the caregivers and seniors but dental services are not included. This results in inefficient allocation of resources, such as manpower, and unmet needs in homes yet to be served.
While we must commend the spirit of volunteerism as well, almost all these services do not have any cost-recovery component, making this model unsustainable. The cost of consumables, materials and manpower needs to be considered if services rendered are intended for the long term.
Therefore, to address these issues, I would like to call for more support from MOH and the MSF in helping different social service organisations develop their personalised dental capacities. Having onsite dental services has various advantages. For someone with an autism spectrum disorder, going to an unfamiliar place for dental care can be a difficult experience. Injections can be scary. Removing a tooth is also scary.
Without onsite services, patients have to be ferried to primary care services, which may sometimes require costly private ambulances. Treatment in clinics outside is limited by cross-institutional restrictions of data sharing, higher costs in specialised services and long waiting times to be treated, plus many more. Therefore, it is beneficial that dental needs of the seniors and special needs persons to be managed \"in place\". Such clinics will also divert the efforts away from elective treatment such as dental aesthetics, and instead focus on primary needs – increasing their efficiency and cost-savings.
Funding is an important aspect of support as dental services have a high capital cost. Other aspects of support could be flexibility in administration and licensing. For example, we have tried to get the handheld portable dental X-ray as the standard of care for extractions done in home-based settings. However, until now it is still not approved here.
Number four: tapping on dental officers. We, however, still do have a shortage of dentists who volunteer and treat this population. To ingrain the spirit of volunteerism and service, we could have dental officers serve short postings while serving out their bond, to treat these elderly and special needs patients. This could also be extended to other vulnerable groups such as the migrant workers. This would hopefully encourage them to do the same when their bond has completed.
In conclusion, as we commit to supporting healthcare beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring consistent and sustainable support, we must not forget that dental health is a crucial component of healthcare to achieve an overall well-being and quality of life. The dental healthcare of vulnerable groups such as the migrant workers and the unique needs of the elderly and special needs populations should not be overlooked. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Abdul Samad.
Mr Abdul Samad (Nominated Member): Mdm Deputy Speaker, it is difficult to speak after two doctors who are experts in their fields. Nevertheless, I thank fellow NMP Dr Tan Yia Swam for allowing me to take part in the team rising this Motion.
As I represent the voices of the working people, there are two main areas that my speech will focus on, namely, the welfare of healthcare workers and the challenges of enticing young Singaporeans to embark on a career in the healthcare sector – they are the future of our healthcare workforce.
For a start, I would like to share with this House that the Healthcare Services Employees Union (HSEU) and the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union (SMMWU), which represent nurses, allied health professionals and support staff, collectively have a membership strength of more than 35,000 members.
We call on those who are not members yet to quickly join the unions. The reason is simple. Unions will not just represent your voice at the workplace, but will also be your voice for a reason.
While the healthcare industry is not within my purview, I have nonetheless reached out to the leaders of both HSEU and SMMWU to get their feedback on their members' concerns challenges and aspirations, both in the near- and the long-term future.
With the recent pandemic, we realise how much our healthcare workers are doing for Singapore behind the scenes. Indeed, the hours are long and from time to time, they are on the receiving end of abuse by families of the patients. The question is, why should it take a pandemic only for us to realise the importance of healthcare workers? Why do we need a pandemic to learn how to appreciate them?
Sadly, this is a reality of life. It is only in periods of crises that we know the importance of these frontline workers.
Just like myself in the power industry, it is only when there are tariff hikes or power failures that we start to realise the importance of a stable and reliable power supply which we have taken for granted in our daily lives. Do not be ashamed to deny this reality in this real world.
Madam, this House debated quite at length last year on the topic of Healthier SG. Many good suggestions and ideas were proposed by all in this Chamber for us to remind ourselves on leading a healthier lifestyle. While the focus was on developing healthy lifestyle, we should not forget the efforts of those who help us to develop healthier lifestyles, namely, our healthcare workers.
Let us be aware of the challenges faced by the healthcare workers, including those by our administrative and support staff, not just doctors and nurses who are facing patients directly. Let us not forget the equally critical roles of those supporting at various other departments like radiology, pathology and more.
This, then, brings me to focus on the welfare of healthcare workers now and preparing the future generation to serve in this industry.
Prior to this Sitting, I reached out to not just the two unions, but also current friends in my network, as well as fellow Singaporeans, who observed first-hand the hard work of our healthcare workers. We acknowledge that while the Ministry has done their part to better support this group of workers via the hospitals' management, there are still areas that can be further improved like shift work, wages and more.
I would like to touch on shift rosters and, in fact, note that the Ministry has repeatedly stated that it does not regulate such rosters and leaves the same to the hospitals' management teams. Accordingly, I appeal to the Ministry to clearly have a team to independently observe the shift rosters that the healthcare workers are assigned. Let us not wait until an unforeseen incident happens before we start to investigate.
We need to ensure that shift rosters pay close attention to rest time in between, as we need physically alert workers at all times to attend to patients and support doctors.
I feel strongly for this because my daughter is one of the thousands of healthcare workers. I have witnessed first-hand the long working hours that she has had to go through during her past 10 years at Sengkang Hospital. Sometimes, I feel that it is not about the corporate shift policy, but the line managers who plan the rosters who may be biased toward their preferred choice of workers. She left recently and also shared with me that about half of her colleagues in the same team had also left much earlier. She is now embarking on the new journey at a new workplace.
Ironically, prior to that, she was an intern in that same hospital in 2020 during her final year of studies in Republic Polytechnic. I was shocked then to hear that she received zero allowance during her internship. I did not raise this flag earlier as I was still doing my checks with my close friends within the sector. While doing my checks, I then recall this same issue was raised many years earlier at some dialogue sessions, and incidentally, my daughter also suffered the same fate.
I would like to ask if MOH is aware of such situations where interns are not compensated for their labour. Let us not paint internships like another day at school. It is not and will never be the same between academic and work experiences. I do not think you will cripple the hospitals' or MOH's finances to grant an allowance to these students as they are working in the real world, not in school.
I call on the Ministry or hospitals to review this immediately and not make subject our students to free labour. Let us not make our children, the workforce of the future, a source of free labour for today. We should not be perpetuating such practices.
Madam, as Singapore builds more restructured hospitals across the island, that means there will be more job opportunities. This will mean healthcare workers may be able to relocate to their preferred hospitals near their homes, or get better pay, or even both.
Are we prepared for the pipeline of Singaporeans wanting to work in this healthcare sector, especially the young ones?
While we remain open to foreign healthcare workers to help supplement our resident workforce, what are the steps in place to ensure that there will be sufficient Singaporeans to be the core of our healthcare workers? The above concern also represents a few of the many concerns that were shared with me by my fellow brothers and sisters in the unions.
While much have been said for those at hospitals, let us not forget the healthcare workers at our neighbourhood polyclinics. The stress that they face at work is equivalent to those working in hospitals. Based on my interaction, some have highlighted that they hoped polyclinics operate strictly on appointments as they still see many walk-ins even when appointments are already full. This really stretches them and even the doctors there. Separately, there are those that hope that polyclinic operations can soon be reduced to a five-day work week upon review of operating hours.
On the lighter note, I do understand the ongoing tripartite efforts around the protection and prevention of abuse and harassment of our fellow healthcare workers. More severe action must be taken against any such abuse towards our healthcare workers, regardless of the magnitude. Please allow me to speak in Malay.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In our journey towards preparing for an ageing population, we ramped up our healthcare plans inclusive of fellow healthcare workers. Equipping the current ones with new knowledge and skillsets is vital in view of job demands and labour shortage. We need trained and caring healthcare workers to look out and take care of our ageing Singaporeans, both in hospitals and community homes. This job requires not just physical strength but also demands mental toughness when faced with difficult patients and challenging caregivers.
As mentioned in my English speech earlier, there were, are and will be challenges for all of us. Please note that there are two unions, HSEU and SMMWU, that are your voices to hear and speak for you about your workplace challenges. Join them if you had not!
Your unions are aware of your workplace challenges and will try their very best to advocate for your interest ranging from workplace matters to the provision of other welfare benefits. Do not be shy to provide feedback because I know that my union brothers and sisters will always to be there for you.
Amongst the challenges are long working hours for those on shift, fatigue from extended hours, demanding patients and caregivers, and a salary that should be reflective of the workload, not just during crisis.
I am appealing to MOH to seriously look into shift working hours at hospitals and not wait for an unwanted incident to take place. This call has been made repeatedly by Members of the House and I hope that it will not be taken lightly.
Another worrying area is students doing internships at hospitals who are not getting any allowances but are doing work similar to the staff, which can be classified as free labour. I used to doubt such practices in the past when I heard about it, but reality hit me when my own daughter experienced it when she was did an internship at Sengkang Hospital in 2020. Hence, I call on the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and MOH to review this practice and disallow this sort of free labour to be practiced in Singapore.
If the above practice is not stopped, it could hinder young Singaporeans from joining this meaningful sector. We need more young Singaporeans to join this sector as we prepare for an ageing population. New hospitals are being built and they appreciate the efforts of my fellow union brothers and sisters from HSEU and SMMWU who are working with management partners to upskill their members and workers for the advanced mode of today's work and preparing for the future.
Please also ensure that our workers who have gone through such training will have better wages and better work prospects than before.
(In English): Once again, I call on the relevant parties to remind ourselves about the importance of this group of healthcare workers and doctors, and never be shy to appreciate and say thank you to them whenever you visit hospitals, both restructured and private, polyclinics and even neighbour clinics. On behalf of all my fellow leaders from the Labour Movement, we would like to thank you for your efforts to look out for our families, friends and fellow Singaporeans.
Once again, do not forget to join the union because for the union – members first, workers always. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion. [Applause.]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Ms Ng Ling Ling.
Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I stand support of the Motion raised by the three Nominated Members. In fact, I have no doubts that the Government is committed to supporting healthcare beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking at the 2023 national Budget that this House supported recently at the COS Sitting, health, with a projected total expenditure of S$12.59 billion is only second to defence, with a total projected expenditure of S$13.41 billion.
Where I think the Government needs to continue to be vigilant is how this Budget is being spent and, more importantly, if it is translating to better health outcomes for our ageing population. In addition, I cannot agree more with the NMPs that health for Singaporeans must be a whole-of-Government effort. I will push further to say that it must be a whole-of-society effort.
Let me elaborate through three points: one, supporting our family doctors through the Healthier SG implementation; two, looking after our frontline workers, especially those in the emergency wards; and three, empowering Singaporeans with more knowledge and support to manage our own health better.
Firstly, on supporting our family doctors in GP clinics. I am a firm proponent of the Healthier SG initiative, having visited various parts of Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States a few years back on their healthcare systems to manage increasing chronic disease burdens in ageing populations of advanced countries like ours.
GPs in Singapore, who are in the heart of the Healthier SG movement have, however, not been the centre of gravity in how our Government ensures delivery of good healthcare until recent years.
I cite an example of a very hardworking GP in my Jalan Kayu constituency. He has a GP clinic situated at the basement of a HDB block, a bomb shelter built by HDB and leased out to this clinic for many years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as a Public Health Preparedness Clinic, he was given a temporary booth at the vacant void deck as his clinic stepped up to help in the administering of COVID-19 tests and vaccinations. It was proven then that senior residents could access this clinic more readily with the void deck space, instead of the basement bomb shelter space which can only be accessed through a stairway.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) could not approve the clinic to install a wheelchair lifter down the flight of stairs. Extending a lift to this basement clinic will need to wait for HDB's Lift Upgrading Programme, with no definite plan or timeline in sight.
With the GP, I appealed to HDB to provide the vacant void deck space permanently to this GP Clinic. While the in-principal approval came, we were told the process from concept drawing to Temporary Occupation Permit will take another six to 12 months. This GP is struggling with the capital renovation quotes of about $200,000 he has just received from potential contractors and he is thinking of giving up. Even if he manages to raise the amount, we were informed that the approval is further subject to agreement by the URA, Building and Construction Authority and SCDF.
Help doctors to help patients more and to do administration less. This example I cited is just one of several that I have experienced while rallying GP clinics in my constituency to support Healthier SG, so that our residents can start their preventive health journey early with a trusted family doctor as exhorted by the Government. More handshakes across agencies under different Ministries for a less onerous and time-consuming workflow must be made with a whole-of-Government mindset if we want to see GPs embracing Healthier SG to help this multinational strategy succeed.
Secondly, looking after our frontline healthcare workers, especially those in the emergency wards. Last week, some of us were informed of a message that some community groups in a western part of Singapore have received from a good public hospital. It was a cry for help. The message shared that the hospital had been facing a very high emergency load, with 100% occupancy in the past two weeks. ED doctors were operating as fast as they could with admission waiting time increasing and about 100 patients waiting for beds. Their plea is for grassroots volunteers to help spread the message of not going to emergency wards unless necessary and to consult the GP clinics first if their conditions are stable.
I thank the Government for the various interim strategies announced in this House to provide a valve to the high demands of beds faced by our hospitals and the long-term strategies through Healthier SG to build capabilities and capacities among our GP clinics. In the meantime, it will be important to step up bolder HR actions to support the frontline healthcare workers. I repeat my suggestion for consideration of employing above establishment with the appropriate HR mechanism in public hospitals to allow buffer for surges and more importantly, essential rest for the physical and psychosocial wellness of our doctors, nurses and frontline healthcare workers.
Lastly, my point on not only the need for whole-of-Government commitment, but also whole-of-society actions for maintaining health in our ageing population.
I would like to make a specific suggestion to exploit faster the telehealth capabilities of not just video consultations, but end-to-end full-loop remote vital sign monitoring systems for management of common chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.
Government funded clinical trials must speed up and extend to private GP space. Chronic diseases are silent diseases, and complications in the form of heart attacks and strokes are too late for Singaporeans to know that their health is not in a good shape.
Many of the remote vital sign monitoring technology has been clinically proven to have better health outcomes for specific segments of chronic disease patients, but I see two constraints slowing its proliferation in Singapore. One, operational trials to smoothen end-to-end data transmission between patients and primary healthcare teams, and care team workflows for responses to anomalies in the vital signs; and two, consent procedures for individuals to decide on the extent of releasing their personal vital signs data to their trusted doctors, public or private, and supporting teams, including community organisations like Active Ageing Centres.
Both constraints require the trust and protocols or even legislation to be established by the Government, with the trust and facilitation from the private and public healthcare providers, including GP clinics as well as the not-for-profit charities providing community healthcare services, to empower more Singaporeans to receive the right knowledge of their health and take charge in managing our own health in an informed way with our care teams.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, in conclusion, I have quoted the phrase \"Health is Wealth\" several times in my speeches in this House. Lest it becomes a motherhood statement, where we talk about but see people around us constantly losing their health with a heart attack or a sudden stroke, complications for chronic diseases as our population continues to age, let us have all hands on deck, in a clinically informed, administratively efficient and coordinated way, to ensure that this phrase is truth for most Singaporeans in the many years to come. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Mdm Deputy Speaker, the world is facing a severe manpower crunch in health and social care. The chief executive officer of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said last year that, \"The scale of the worldwide nursing shortage is one of the greatest threats to health globally.\" The ICN estimates that due to existing nursing shortages, the ageing of the nursing workforce and the effect of COVID-19, up to 13 million nurses will be needed to fill the global nurse shortage gap in the future. The Southeast Asia region alone is facing a shortfall of 1.9 million nurses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Singapore needs another 24,000 nurses, allied health professionals and support care staff to operate hospitals, clinics and eldercare centres by 2030. Our rapidly ageing population is causing demand for health and social care to increase dramatically. Yet, Singapore is facing a high attrition rate of nurses. One of the reasons why nurses in Singapore have reported to be resigning is because of their heavy workload and stress, which is caused, in large part, by the manpower shortage.
Urgent measures are needed to address this manpower shortage. There are no quick fix solutions. We need to encourage more Singaporeans to choose health and social care as a career, so as to boost the pipeline of future professionals in this field.
I highlighted in my speech on Singapore's COVID-19 response in March that nurses in Singapore are often still seen as the assistants to doctors instead of being professionals in their own right. We need to boost the image of the profession and enhance societal esteem for nurses and allied healthcare workers. Nurses should be granted more autonomy and entrusted with higher level responsibilities.
Schools should highlight careers in health and social care early to students. Professional associations should come up with materials and videos highlighting the careers in this field and share them with schools to disseminate to their students. I agree with Member Dr Tan Yia Swam's call just now for a repository of articles on navigating the healthcare system – and I hope she starts her blog again so that we can continue to tap on her knowledge. Career guidance should start in Secondary 1. This is so that students' interest in health and social care careers can be sparked early, and they can start working towards choosing suitable subjects as they move up to Secondary 3.
As I mentioned in my speech on the education system in April, schools should move away from sorting students according to their grades and towards allowing students to take subject combinations based on their interests. This is how we can continue to raise up a generation of future healthcare professionals who love what they do and are passionate about their work.
IHLs could develop guidebooks to help local students prepare themselves for their eventual applications to these institutions. These guidebooks could include information on the subjects they need to take in school, the grades they need to obtain and the co-curricular and extracurricular activities they need to get involved in to best prepare themselves to get admitted to the institution and major of their choice. For example, this guide could recommend that students take certain subject combinations, join the science club, find opportunities to conduct scientific research, write and publish research papers, or work as an intern in a health or social care institution during their school holidays.
It should provide guidance on how to search out these opportunities and work with professional health and social care associations to create these opportunities for students. These could all help our students focus early on pursuing their area of interest in health and social care and better prepare them for their eventual careers in this exciting field. It is too late to attempt to put together a portfolio just before applying for university or polytechnic. Yet, this is often what many students do, because they go through secondary school with little idea of what they are interested in and do not participate in activities that prepare them for their future careers.
Students from more well-resourced families, on the other hand, often obtain this guidance from their parents and are provided with opportunities for hands-on experience through their parents' professional connections. In order to level up our society and capture a wider pool of talent in our population, we need to make this information available to every student.
However, changing public perceptions and increasing public awareness about health and social care careers takes time and requires a concerted effort from various stakeholders, including the Government, the media, schools and parents. We must continue to develop targeted initiatives to address the concerns of healthcare workers, such as work-life balance, remuneration and career progression.
Having said all this, it is simply not sustainable to rely on increasing manpower supply alone to meet the health and social care needs of our nation. Considering our own ageing population in Singapore, which will require greater care needs, if we are to staff all our health and social care institutions with the doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and care workers to meet the ideal healthcare worker-to-patient ratios, the health and social care sector will likely take up a disproportionate share of Singapore's manpower and will starve other sectors of the economy of skills and talent.
Technology can play an important role in boosting productivity and augmenting manpower. In my Adjournment Motion in this House in 2013 on easing the cost of healthcare, I said that technology should be used as a force multiplier in the face of limited manpower in our healthcare system. This is even more so now than it was a decade ago.
Healthcare technology, or HealthTech, is a fast-growing and promising field which must be developed further in Singapore. Transformational technologies are being developed now which will revolutionise the way healthcare is delivered in the future. These include AI-driven diagnostics that can detect diseases early and make more accurate diagnoses more quickly than conventional means. For example, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an AI model called Sybil that can predict a patient's risk of lung cancer within six years using low-dose computed tomography scans.
The emerging field of precision medicine has the potential to transform healthcare and is being used in the treatment of diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and genetic disorders. It can potentially improve patient outcomes by providing more targeted and effective treatments, reducing adverse reactions to medications and optimising disease prevention strategies. I note that there is now a Singapore Precision Medicine initiative aiming to generate precision medicine data of up to one million individuals, integrating genomic, lifestyle, health, social and environmental data. This is a very positive development.
There are also other healthcare technologies that are not as \"deep tech\" as what I mentioned earlier but are already in the market and can provide a boost to the productivity of healthcare workers, enhance the patient experience and improve health outcomes.
The National Electronic Health Records (NEHR) system is a major, multi-year HealthTech initiative. According to the MOH website, there are 2,231 healthcare institutions participating in the NEHR as of 5 May 2023. This list appears to be growing every day and I note there has been a marked increase in the number of participating healthcare providers since the start of this year.
The Straits Times reported on 2 May that, \"The private sector has been slow to participate in the NEHR since it was launched in 2011\". According to a Parliamentary Question reply by Minister Ong Ye Kung to Mr Leon Perera in March 2023, only about 30% of licensed private ambulatory care institutions have view-access to the NEHR and less than 4% are contributing data.
A 2020 survey and paper by Clinical Asst Prof See Qing Yong of Changi General Hospital entitled \"Attitudes and Perceptions of General Practitioners Towards the NEHR in Singapore\" found that solo practising GPs who are more than 40 years old and who had practised for more than 15 years were less likely to view and contribute data onto the NEHR. Doctors who regarded themselves as less computer savvy and those who perceived that an inadequate level of technical or financial support was available were also less likely to use the NEHR.
The Health Information Bill was supposed to be tabled in Parliament in 2018 to make contribution of data to the NEHR mandatory for licensed healthcare groups after a grace period. However, this was deferred in the wake of the cyberattack and data breach of SingHealth's system in July that year, in order for technical end process enhancements to improve the security posture of the NEHR to be implemented first.
Most of these security enhancements were supposed to be completed by last year, according to Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary. Can I ask the Senior Minister of State if all the security enhancements to the NEHR have now been implemented?
I understand that MOH aims to table the Health Information Bill in the second half of this year. Is MOH reaching out to doctors to address concerns they might have about the security of the patient data they will be required to contribute to the NEHR? How is MOH assisting the remaining GPs and dentists to get onboard the NEHR?
Former Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said in 2017 that, \"Patients can realise the full potential of the NEHR only if the data is comprehensive.\" He added that, \"For NEHR data to be comprehensive, every provider and healthcare professional needs to contribute relevant data to it.\"
Given the NEHR's goals and the fact that $660 million has been spent on the system so far, it is imperative that the full rollout is implemented without undue delay while addressing valid concerns from doctors.
We need to tap on the knowledge and experience of GPs who have been practising for many years, especially as we move forward into the Healthier SG initiative, which will see GPs playing a key role in promoting healthy lifestyles and promoting preventive healthcare.
Technology can be used to help GPs focus on what they do best. Many private clinics find it a challenge to manage the dizzying array of IT systems that they need to manage in their clinics, connect to the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), Healthier SG and the NEHR.
I note that there is a technology subsidy scheme available to help GPs to implement clinic management systems that are compatible with Healthier SG. However, implementing these systems still requires a lot of time and effort on the part of GPs and their clinic assistants – time which they simply do not have if they want to focus on direct patient care.
MOH should explore the possibility of offering an IT manager as a service to GPs and dental clinics. This would enable them to benefit from the expertise of IT professionals who can assist them in resolving their healthcare IT-related issues.
By providing a point of contact for IT matters, GPs and their clinic assistants can then concentrate on delivering high quality clinical care to their patients. This solution would not only enhance the efficiency and productivity of GPs but also help them stay current with the latest technological advancements.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, urgent action is needed to tackle the shortage of manpower in health and social care institutions and grow the pipeline of Singaporeans entering this field. I have proposed some ways in my speech on how we can do so and I hope that MOH and MOE will consider them.
To boost productivity and augment manpower in the health and social care sector, we need to double down on the use of technology as a force multiplier and assist providers to implement and use these technologies.
As the world celebrates International Nurses Day this Friday on 12 May, which is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all our nurses in both public and private healthcare institutions in Singapore. We appreciate your selfless service, sacrifice and care for our people. Madam, I support the Motion.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Leong Mun Wai.
Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) supports the Motion which calls on the House to support healthcare beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and the whole-of-Government effort in consistent and sustainable support of Singapore's healthcare system.
PSP, once again, thanks all healthcare workers for their sacrifices and dedication to serving Singaporeans, especially during the past three years of the pandemic.
We welcome the Government's move to support healthcare through the Healthier SG initiative, which shifts away from a transactional system that reactively cares for those who are already sick towards an outcome-based system aimed at preventing Singaporeans from falling ill.
Hon Members Dr Tan Yia Swam, Dr Shahira Abdullah and Mr Abdul Samad have spoken passionately about ground-up improvements involving the doctors, healthcare workers, patients and society at large.
We support those improvements that they had mentioned but we also think that they can be better realised by first looking at how to reform healthcare financing and bringing healthcare costs under control.
PSP defines sustainability in healthcare as providing the most effective healthcare to all Singaporeans that is affordable and equitable. The focus should not be on protecting the Government's coffers alone but on how to put in place a healthcare system that has the proper incentives to encourage healthy living and, at the same time, covers Singaporeans for all medical circumstances throughout their lives.
Currently, Singaporeans shoulder much of the cost of healthcare through their MediSave savings, their children's MediSave savings, payments from MediShield Life, private insurance and cash outlay.
I acknowledge that over the past decade, the Government has spent more on healthcare, with the introduction of schemes like the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation Packages as well as CHAS. But the actual spending of these packages is small, relative to the needs of some Singaporeans of the Pioneer and Merdeka Generations who do not have much MediSave savings. The actual spending is also small, relative to the total assets of the Pioneer Generation Fund and the Merdeka Generation Fund.
Overall, the Government has not contributed enough to cover healthcare expenditure.
According to the WHO, the share of healthcare expenditure covered by our Government has increased from 33% in 2011 to 43% in 2019, but this is still much lower than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 75%.
Singaporeans are experiencing first-world healthcare cost but receiving much less first-world financial support from the Government.
Healthcare spending has more than doubled over the past two decades. It is not sustainable for Singaporeans to continue footing much of their healthcare bills as well as those of their parents and children.
To reduce social inequality, the Government must do more to help Singaporeans cope with rising healthcare costs and strengthen their financial security.
People do not choose to fall ill, whether they are rich or poor. But while a wealthier family can handle a medical catastrophe better, a similar catastrophe can easily wipe out the MediSave and cash savings of a low-income family even after MediShield payouts.
As a result, Madam, I would like to make three recommendations to reduce the financial burden of healthcare for Singaporeans.
One, the Government should pay for MediShield and CareShield Life premiums for all Singapore Citizens.
Retirement adequacy for Singaporeans is a perennial issue. First, housing cost depletes most of their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings. So, many Singaporeans must continue to work beyond their retirement age to survive without selling their HDB flats.
Insurance premiums take up another chunk of their CPF savings, which could have been used for retirement.
In my Budget 2021 speech, I estimated that the total MediShield and CareShield premiums paid by a family of four up to 65 years old for the parents and 25 years of age for two children will drain at least $110,000 from the parents' CPF savings, not including the loss in compound interest over the years – and that is at current premium levels.
If the premium increases by 10% every five years, which is highly possible, the financial drain could be more than $250,000. In other words, if the family did not need to pay MediShield and CareShield premiums, the parents would have more than $250,000 extra CPF savings for retirement at age 65.
So, I repeat my call from the 2021 Budget Debate and urge the Government to fund MediShield Life and CareShield Life premiums for all Singapore Citizens.
This will increase the Government's expenditure by about $3 billion a year, but this also means the CPF balances of Singaporeans will increase correspondingly by that amount. This will allow the average Singaporean to have their MediSave balances enjoy the compounding effect of the CPF interest for a longer period and be better prepared for a medical event.
Healthier MediSave balances would ultimately strengthen the retirement adequacy of Singaporeans, because less CPF savings will need to be transferred to their MediSave Account.
My second recommendation is for the Government to top up and expand the use of MediSave, increase MediFund support for needy Singaporeans and increase Pioneer and Merdeka Generation Fund support for older Singaporeans.
As of 2020, MediSave Account holders have accumulated $110 billion in balances. However, only $1 billion, or less than 1%, was withdrawn for direct medical expenses that year. This is a tiny percentage and has decreased from 2015, when $905 million, or 1.2%, was withdrawn from a $76 billion balance. This does not make sense, given Singapore's ageing population and increasing demand for healthcare.
Are the rules of withdrawal from the MediSave Account too restrictive? The Government has always restricted withdrawals from the MediSave Account. But, on aggregate, Singaporeans are not even fully utilising the interest they earn each year on their MediSave balances for medical expenses, let alone their principal sums.
The withholding of MediSave monies for use by its owner is even more unjustifiable than the requirement to maintain a Minimum Sum balance for the Retirement Account. I, therefore, repeat my call for the MediSave withdrawal limit to be relaxed.
I also echo my colleague Ms Hazel Poa's suggestion at Budget 2021 for the expansion of MediSave eligibility for outpatient treatment.
For low-income Singaporeans who have below average MediSave balances and, therefore, have trouble paying medical expenses, the Government should provide more help by either topping up their MediSave Account or increasing assistance from the MediFund substantially.
Currently, the MediFund only dishes out about $100 million a year, which only covers a paltry 0.4% of Singaporeans' total healthcare expenditure of about $25 billion a year.
The Pioneer and Medeka Generation Fund should also increase its payout to help older Singaporeans. Since 2018, the Pioneer Generation Fund has a balance of about $7 billion but it only pays out about $400 million, or about 5% to 7% of its total assets each year. The Medeka Generation Fund has a balance of about $6 billion but it only pays out about $200 million, or about 3% to 5% of its total assets each year.
My third recommendation is for the Government to centralise drug procurement across public and private medical institutions.
Currently, drug procurement is centralised for Singapore's three public healthcare clusters but not for private medical institutions. Consequently, private clinics generally pay more for drugs than the public sector, which can negotiate good prices. This drives up costs across the healthcare chain. Insurance must charge higher premiums to cover higher drug prices. This will cause the national healthcare expenditure to rise unsustainably.
The PSP calls on the Government to centralise drug procurement across all public and private medical institutions and distribute drugs to public and private health facilities on a not-for-profit basis. This will reduce our overall cost of drugs by maximising our bargaining power as a small nation with the big pharmaceutical companies.
In the public sector, the Government should ensure that the price of drugs charged to all Singaporean patients, subsidised or non-subsidised, is at or near the cost price of drugs. The Government can provide additional subsidies to lower drug costs for subsidised patients. But drug prices should not be marked up unreasonably for non-subsidised patients to cross-subsidise the subsidised patients. It is reasonable to charge non-subsidised patients higher prices for the better services that they receive, but not the drugs they take because they are the same.
A centralised drug procurement system at the national level would do away with the need for sudden policy changes to control healthcare costs, provide certainty to Singaporeans and strengthen their retirement adequacy.
In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I call on the Government to make a greater effort to address the inequalities in Singapore's healthcare system. This can amplify the benefits brought about by initiatives, such as Healthier SG.
For many Singaporeans, financial pressures from the high cost of living are a major cause of their poor health, including the growing problem of mental illnesses. If more is done to improve the affordability and equity of Singapore's healthcare system, we can expect an improvement in the general health of Singaporeans as well. This should be one of the national priorities as we support healthcare beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Singaporeans deserve better. For country, for people.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Adjournment of Debate","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"Mdm Deputy Speaker: Leader.
The Leader of the House (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, \"That the debate be now adjourned.\"
[(proc text) Resolved, \"That the debate be now adjourned.\" – [Ms Indranee Rajah]. (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Resumption of debate what day?
Dr Tan Yia Swam (Non-Constituency Member): Tomorrow, Madam.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: So be it.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Enhancing End of Life with Choices and Dignity","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"The Leader of the House (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, \"That Parliament do now adjourn.\"
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Ms Ng Ling Ling.
Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio): Mdm Deputy Speaker, a bright and white hall adorned with beautiful flowers, maybe some warm fairy lights, certainly my favourite hymns, including \"Amazing Grace\" playing in the background, and my family and friends around. This is my dream funeral wake which I regularly remind my husband to ensure that I will have if he is around to see it through. Yes, this is not a typical conversation between wives and husbands, less so for parents and children, maybe even be taboo, if brought up among some elders in our midst.
In a recently launched book titled \"Singapore Ageing: Issues and Challenges\", co-edited by our former Member of Parliament, Dr Sushilan Vasoo. The final chapter dealt aptly with end-of-life issues as its title – \"Every Ending Requires Planning\" – by co-authors Lee Geok Ling and Chee Wai Yee. I cannot agree more.
A 2014 survey by the Lien Foundation found that 77% of Singaporeans wanted to die at home. However, as of 2017, only about 30% did so, with the other 70% dying in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and other settings. Whilst the percentage who passed away at home improved to 39% in 2022, it is still some distance away from the desire of most Singaporeans.
Without destigmatising the conversations on end-of-life and normalising the understanding, decision-making and support for Singaporeans to die with the dignity of their choice, most of us would not be able to fulfil our final wish of the most definite event of our life. With a fast-ageing population, this can increasingly be an issue.
I will speak on two aspects of enhancing choices and dignity in end-of-life, namely, one, destigmatising the conversation and simplifying the planning; and two, increasing primary and community care options for supporting wishes of dying at home as far as one prefers.
My fellow colleague on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, Mr Yip Hon Weng, will speak on caregiver support and the need for more possibility and flexibility in the subsidies for palliative care.
Firstly, destigmatising the conversations of end-of-life and simplifying the planning. Many Singaporeans may not appreciate the range of decisions that one needs to make regarding healthcare, legal and financial matters for one who is dying until a loved one confronts death.
Efforts have been made by the Government to introduce the Advanced Medical Directive (AMD) since 1997, the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) through the Mental Capacity Act since 2008 and Advanced Care Planning (ACP) since 2011.
When I surveyed a group of about 40 active volunteers in my Jalan Kayu Constituency serving in the grassroots or at my Meet-the-People Session averaging at about 55 years old and above about a month ago in preparation for this speech, I found that the majority have not done any of these three instruments, with less than a handful with the LPA.
When I further inquired on their reasons, most said that they felt that there was no need at their age until much later or did not associate this as inter-related instruments for their self-determination on maintaining the preferred quality of life and dignity when we lose our mental or functioning abilities, especially in the end-of-life stage.
Nationally, the adoption levels of these instruments reflect responses of the small group I surveyed – with only about 24,682 Singaporeans having registered for AMD as of 2015, 43,000 having submitted their LPA as of March 2018, although the numbers are growing and only 4,500 instances of ACP were completed in 2018.
I explained to the group of active volunteers why I started annual health screening from the age of 40. Because I learned that risks of chronic diseases start from that age. And why I signed my AMD and LPA in the last two years when I entered my 50s. Because of COVID-19 pandemic showed me the unforeseen fragility of health and life.
However, most important of all, I shared that I only have one son and the last thing I want is to be a burden on him. The volunteers understood and agreed to the need to sign these instruments for planning. Lucky for us, the lawyers among the group offered free certification to help the rest through the application process.
I would like to suggest for the different Ministries and statutory agencies, namely, the Ministry of Health (MOH) for AMD, the Ministry for Social and Family Development (MSF) for LPA and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) for ACP to come together for a more concerted in enabling conversations and getting deeper understanding around these three useful planning tools and more instead of community groups sporadically conducting such training separately and whenever we have a generous enough lawyer who volunteers to do it free.
I hope that MOH, MSF and AIC can provide integrated training resources to the network of over 100 Active Ageing Centres (AACs) around Singapore which will be increased to about 220 island-wide by 2025 to conduct such conversations periodically to help more Singaporeans talk about and simplify their planning on end-of-life choices.
Next, increasing primary and community care options for end-of-life support. What constitutes a good end-of-life? A small local study in 2012 with about 60 Singaporeans aged 50 years and above identified, I quote, \"Having physical comforts at the end-of-life, avoiding an unnecessarily prolonged dying process, maintaining sensitivity towards religious and spiritual beliefs, avoiding burden on family, avoiding expensive care, being cared for by a trustworthy doctor, maintaining control over decisions and achieving a sense of completion.\"
This brings me to the topic of palliative care. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care as improving the quality of life of patients and that of their families who are facing challenges associated with life threatening illnesses. WHO further explains that palliative care involves a range of services developed by a range of professionals that all have equally important roles to play, including doctors, nurses, support workers, paramedics. pharmacists, physiotherapists and volunteers in support of the patient and their family.
According to the Singapore Hospice Council, there are currently nine community organisations that provide home palliative care.
I would like to raise a few issues regarding the palliative care support in Singapore: (a) a lack of awareness of palliative care; (b) health, social and community players in palliative care; (c) caregiver support in palliative care; and (d) cost and subsidy issues related to palliative care.
I would elaborate on the first two issues while Mr Yip Hon Weng will cover the last two issues in his speech.
A study in 2018 showed that only half of the patients with advanced cancer were aware of palliative care support options. The other half were not. A key indication or expression of preference for palliative home care is done through ACP, which I mentioned earlier. However, as I mentioned, the adoption level of ACP is currently still low. A study of the ACP database in 2019 showed that only 1.44% of chronically ill patients took up ACP.
WHO estimates that each year, about 56.8 million people, including 25.7 million in their last year of life, need palliative care. However, worldwide, only about 14% of people who need palliative care currently receive it.
The global need for palliative care will continue to grow because of the ageing of populations and the rising burden of noncommunicable and some communicable diseases. These are demographic trends and disease burden challenging Singapore as well. Early delivery of palliative care can reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and the use of health services, thus managing healthcare costs increases.
We need to step up awareness and access to palliative care options in the coming years.
Next, on the health, social and community players involved in palliative care support. Whether carried out in a hospital, hospice or home, the support today can involve several different teams and several different care providers. The identification of \"being cared for by a trustworthy doctor\" in the study on good end-of-life components which I mentioned earlier, is an important one to note.
In this regard, can family doctors be gradually enabled to become a central player in providing home palliative care for Singaporeans who prefer that. The idea is in line with the spirit and principle of Healthier SG, the major multi-years initiative led by MOH to better manage the health of our ageing population and manage healthcare costs. If we succeed in facilitating for Singaporeans to enrol and build relationship with a trusted family doctor of their choice for long-term health management, surely this family doctor can be a most comforting main point of contact for medical advice relating to one's end-of-life care, if the family doctors are well-supported by home palliative care service providers, with integrated workflows from hospitals to homes.
I read with comfort The Straits Times article published recently on 1 May, titled \"Leaving ICU to die at home, surrounded by family and familiar comforts\". I applaud the medical teams at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital for piloting \"IAMGoingHome\" since October last year, smoothening the workflows from both the intensive care unit (ICU) and Supportive Care and Palliative Medicine at the hospital to safely transfer patients, who no longer seek aggressive treatments and desire to die at home, to reach home smoothly for their last wish to be fulfilled.
My wish, Mdm Deputy Speaker, for the near future, is for the Government to centrally support the piloting of such possibilities at every public and even private hospitals and hospices, and not just in one pro-active hospital like Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, integrating the workflows at some point with family doctors participating in Healthier SG. So that, in the end, most Singaporeans can have the choice to end our walk on this world with dignity, peace and in the comfort of our home.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Mdm Deputy Speaker, being the Member of Parliament (MP) of Yio Chu Kang, which is a constituency with many seniors, I have had the chance to attend many wakes and speak with family members. This has allowed me to understand more about their lives, their aspirations as well as their challenges, so that I can better support their needs as their MP.
Understandably, the conversations at wakes are never easy. They revolve around the last days of their loved ones and for many, this includes the need for palliative care.
Many of the residents I have spoken to have confirmed that support for palliative care is still nascent. Many just do not know what to do. This is unfortunate, but hardly surprising. Death is an uncomfortable subject. But as they say, you can fall ill many times, but you only die once. We plan for so many other milestones in life, from marriage to birthdays and beyond. But when it comes to our twilight years, many people refuse to face up to the inevitable.
This is also compounded by the belief that death is still considered a taboo subject in our Asian culture. Some well-meaning children may even worry that their parents or grandparents will think that they are cursing them, if they bring up the subject. However, we must overcome this reluctance and have an honest conversation about death and end-of-life care.
It is heartening to know that the clinical protocols in hospitals are being improved, and that healthcare providers are being upskilled to develop general palliative care capabilities. I am also pleased that there are also plans to engage in early conversations with patients and their loved ones on their wishes.
Today, I will focus on what else we can do in terms of caregiver and financial support, and in making palliative care at home accessible, acceptable and affordable for all.
First, caregivers are the bedrock of a community-based quality ageing experience. As Member Ms Ng Ling Ling has mentioned in her speech, many people prefer to die at home. Having plans such as ACP, LPA and AMD in place certainly help reduce the stress that may arise amongst family members and give clear directions for the caregiver.
However, even with these plans in place, we still need to see how best to support the caregiver. As mentioned earlier, many people are still not aware, or uncomfortable talking about end-of-life. This leads to a lot of dynamics amongst siblings, each wanting to do the best for their parents. But the definition of \"best\", may not be aligned. In the end, there may not be a consensus. A stalemate persists.
Often, the ones who are left to provide for the care for those at end-of-life is the child who may not be married. This can bring about a lot of negative emotions, such as resentment and overall helplessness, for being the one left to shoulder the burden alone. So, the support for the caregiver must also consider his or her emotional and mental health.
In my Budget response speech this year, I highlighted that navigating the fragmented landscape of caregiver assistance and services can be overwhelming, especially for those who are limited in their English language proficiency. I suggested matching a dedicated care coordinator with a family. These coordinators can guide caregivers to assess practical help. They can look out for their psychological well-being and provide timely interventions when needed. Through my interactions with my residents, I would like to highlight four areas to reduce the stress of caregiving.
First, caregiver education is key. Caregivers need to understand the illness of their loved ones, the trajectory of the illness, and what to expect as it progresses. They also need to know who to call for help, especially during a crisis. This knowledge can go a long way in reducing uncertainty, stress and anxiety for the caregiver.
Second, peer support is also critical. Caregivers can learn a lot from each other. It can be very helpful to understand and have emotional support from people who have gone through similar journeys. Online support groups, even through simple means, such as organising through WhatsApp, is a great idea. But we need to figure out the logistics of setting it up and maintaining it, as well as ensuring that it is accessible to all who need it.
Third, caregiver respite is important for those caring for loved ones that may require care for longer than a few months. Can the Ministry clarify how many hospice day care centres for the terminally ill are there? Are they adequate to meet demand? Are there plans to expand availability? Would the Government consider providing respite care services for the caregiver, or make it more available like in Australia, where dying at home is more common? Such services allow carers to take some time off, and to get emotional relief and help whilst ensuring that the patient is looked after.
Fourth, ensuring care for caregivers. Many caregivers feel guilty taking a break. Some may even struggle to let go, despite family members offer to help. When their loved one passes on, some may even develop depression, if their support system is not there. That is why all palliative care service providers should provide or link caregivers to partners who can provide emotional support during and after the caregiving period.
Mdm Deputy Speaker, I move on to the topic on affordability. It is no secret that healthcare costs can be a huge burden on families, especially when dealing with end-of-life care.
Extending the use of MediSave to patients receiving care at home is a good start. MOH has also set a goal to lower the percentage of people who pass away in hospitals. This would require that hospitals and hospice councils offer affordable and accessible palliative care services to patients in their own homes. But we can do more.
Currently, only healthcare professionals who specialise in palliative care can assist patients in making MediSave claims. But I understand that there are plans to expand this to MOH-supported home medical and nursing providers who offer basic palliative care. Can the Ministry provide more information on this?
Additionally, I am interested in the progress of the pilot programme between Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and Dover Park Hospice, which aims to provide patients with timely and seamless care across different settings. Are there any updates on this initiative?
Can we also consider providing subsidies for professional palliative caregiving? Another suggestion is to extend MedisSield Life to home hospice care. It is also important to note that the cost of family caregiving is often not included in the healthcare financing model, even though families are often integral to care at the end of life.
Let us not forget about the out-of-pocket expenses that can quickly add up. It is not just the cost of medications and supplies, but also transportation to and from hospital appointments. All these frequent necessities take a toll.
In addition, how will the shift to a capitation funding model for our healthcare help in the affordability of palliative care? Is there a concern that this may lead to undertreatment, or a denial of care that could compromise a patient's quality of life, particularly for patients with complex or chronic conditions, if providers feel that providing certain services will exceed the budget? After all, patients sometimes do outlive their prognosis.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Yip, please round up your speech.
Mr Yip Hon Weng: Yes. In conclusion, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I mentioned at the start of my speech that one can fall ill many times, but one can only die once. In my response to the President's Address, I asked the House what does the \"good life\" look like. Today, I would like to ask the opposite question – what is a \"good death\"?
Reports have consistent findings that the majority of Singaporeans would like to die at home surrounded by loved ones. Personally, unlike Ling Ling, I do not wish for fairy lights at my death bed. Certainly, not beautiful flowers! But, like Ling Ling and many others, I do want to die at home surrounded by loved ones. But I also want a quick and peaceful death, without being sustained artificially by tubes and machines, and with no regrets.
To live a life worth living is to be prepared to die at any time. And if I do not go as quickly, I would want those who care for me to be supported emotionally and financially in my final days. I believe I speak not just for myself, but for all my fellow Singaporeans.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health (Ms Rahayu Mahzam): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank Ms Ng Ling Ling and Mr Yip Hon Weng for passionately advocating to enhance end-of-life care.
End-of-life may be a sensitive topic to talk about, but it is an important one that will affect all of us. The reality is that in Singapore, despite clear preferences for receiving end-of-life care and dying at home, only about one in four died at home over the past few years. So, we do need to discuss issues surrounding palliative and hospice care.
The hospice movement took root in Singapore in the 1980s. Today, more than 20 institutions provide palliative care across various settings. Our community providers supported some 8,800 individuals with life-limiting conditions in 2022. This is 30% more than in 2017, just five years ago.
We have come a long way since the 1980s, but much more can be done.
Today, I will highlight three areas of work to enhance end-of-life care: first, improving access to palliative care; second, better supporting caregivers; and third, normalising conversations on death and dying.
With an ageing population, more will need palliative care. We will invest in expanding our services and review our financing frameworks to improve access to palliative care. We have expanded capacity over the years. We will train more doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in specialised palliative care, particularly in home care. We are also setting aside palliative beds in upcoming community hospital developments to cater to the growing demand.
Beyond specialised services, we also want to entrench palliative care as a basic skill set for all healthcare professionals across disciplines and settings. This will require us to change the mindsets and instincts of our clinicians and equip them with the necessary skills and tools. We are working with the AIC and providers to do this, beginning with nursing homes and home care.
We agree that in the longer term, family doctors can play a role, building on relationships forged with their enrolled patients.
We are also working with hospitals and palliative care providers to implement workflows that Ms Ng Ling Ling spoke about, to enable more patients to undergo what we call a compassionate discharge back to home. This involves, for instance, providing appropriate training and resources, and implementing hand-over checklists to ensure continuity of care.
Mr Yip asked about subsidies for professional palliative caregiving and extending MediShield Life to home hospice care. To keep palliative care affordable, the Government provides subsidies of up to 80% for palliative care, as well as home-based respite care services for caregivers of end-of-life patients. Patients can already tap on MediSave for in-patient, day hospice and home palliative care and make claims under MediShield Life for in-patient palliative care.
Government-funded home medical and nursing providers whose patients are at the end-of-life stage, will soon be able to make MediSave claims for these patients, similar to home palliative care providers.
In addition, palliative care providers have done well in raising significant charity dollars to complement Government funding and reduce out-of-pocket costs. We are reviewing the overall financing framework for palliative care to ensure that affordability concerns do not deter anyone who needs palliative care from receiving it.
Mr Yip also asked about shifting to a capitation funding model for palliative care. The scope of care included under capitation funding for the Regional Health Systems does not include community palliative care. Instead of capitation funding, the pilot between Dover Park Hospice and TTSH will trial bundled funding for palliative care services across all three community settings, for example, on a per-patient per month basis. Through a simpler funding formula, providers will be empowered to decide on the most appropriate care setting for the patient. The pilot will also trial interventions to enable earlier referrals of patients with non-cancer conditions to community palliative care and care protocols, to better support them in community.
We have been working closely with Dover Park Hospice and TTSH to refine the pilot design and develop a robust evaluation and monitoring process to track effectiveness. We aim to launch the pilot in the second half of this year. If the outcomes are promising, we will consider how we can progressively mainstream it with appropriate safeguards to ensure continued quality of care.
Caregivers are the most critical factor in enabling one to be cared for at home, but they often come under tremendous stress while coping with grief and loss. We have been continuously enhancing measures to support caregivers through this challenging journey.
We introduced the home-based respite care pilot, as part of the Caregivers Support Action Plan in 2019, to allow caregivers of end-of-life patients to rest or tend to other matters while their loved ones are cared for by palliative-trained care staff. Since January 2023, hospitals can also refer patients to the service, so that patients and their caregivers can be supported more quickly upon discharge.
This takes a significant load off caregivers who often have to arrange for home modifications and adjust to new routines while dealing with the grief of soon having to say goodbye to a loved one. Home-based respite care complements care provided by day hospices, which allow end-of-life patients with stable conditions to benefit from social activities and rehabilitation while allowing caregivers to take a break. The four-day hospice centres today have adequate places to meet demand. We will monitor utilisation and expand capacity if required.
Indeed, end-of-life patients and their caregivers have unique needs. The Singapore Hospice Council (SHC) has developed and shared caregiver resources with hospitals and palliative care providers so that caregivers have the information on hand to better cope at home. The SHC will also be setting up a helpdesk later this year, so that caregivers who need advice can call in to receive timely support.
Apart from supporting caregivers with caregiving skills and knowledge, palliative care providers also support their emotional needs, linking them up with grief counsellors or support groups, if needed. This is part of the care coordination role which palliative care providers play.
Over the years, we have enhanced financial support schemes, like the Home Caregiving Grant and the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund, to better support costs of informal caregiving. Other long-term care schemes, like CareShield Life, also provide cash payouts to eligible Singaporeans. They may also withdraw up to $200 in cash every month from their own or their spouses' MediSave accounts under the MediSave Care scheme. Through these schemes, Singaporeans with severe disability can currently benefit from payouts of up to about $1,300 a month. Terminally ill patients may also withdraw all their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings in a lump sum under the CPF Reduced Life Expectancy scheme, subject to retaining a balance of $5,000 in their MediSave account.
On top of the schemes and services, we, ourselves, play an important role in ensuring that we have a good death. We need to take charge of our own end-of-life journey, to be open to discussing with our loved ones what matters to us, what quality of life means and how we would want to live our last days. We will do more to normalise conversations about death and dying.
MOH and the Public Service Division (PSD) set up the My Legacy portal in 2020 to serve as a one-stop resource to provide information on planning ahead, and tools, such as the LPA, ACP and the AMD. We are looking at further digitalising these processes to make it more convenient for the public to make these tools.
MOH, MSF and PSD are also planning a three-year campaign to increase awareness and adoption of pre-planning instruments with a focus on LPA and ACP. This will be launched later this year and will involve a range of both in-person and digital activities. To complement the campaign's activities, a series of workshops will be held at AACs, as Ms Ng Ling Ling has suggested.
We are also working with SHC to engage the community through the grassroots, corporates, faith-based organisations and schools to build a pool of advocates. Serving as a trusted source of information, these advocates can plant seeds of these important conversations amongst the wider community and spread awareness of palliative care.
Many decades ago, people routinely spent the last days at home. They would deteriorate gradually and loved ones would gather as their activity levels drop. Medical advancement has given us the belief that all conditions can be treated and life extended. This has led to death becoming medicalised. Many end up dying in hospitals, having life-sustaining treatment up to their very last breath even though this might not have been how they wished to leave.
We now know that health is, to a large extent, determined by social factors. Death is, in fact, also very much a social process. What matters to most is being with their loved ones in a familiar environment, having their final wishes fulfilled and regrets resolved. Bringing end-of-life conversations into our collective consciousness is similarly a social process. It builds on relationships and often evokes strong emotions. If we are successful in building up our preventive care system centred around family doctors and aged care system centred around AACs and community partners, we will be able to normalise end-of-life conversations amongst residents, their loved ones and care teams.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Senior Parliamentary Secretary, please round up.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: This is not change that will happen overnight, but I am confident that it is one which will gather pace in the coming years.
In conclusion, end-of-life care is a key priority for the Ministry. We have gathered key partners to refresh our national strategy for palliative care and will share more in the coming months. But to ensure that Singaporeans live well and leave well, all of us have to play our roles as family members, caregivers and friends and have conversations about what a good death looks like.
Mdm Deputy Speaker: Order. The time allowed for the proceedings has expired. I adjourn the House pursuant to the Standing Order. I wish to inform hon Members that the Sitting tomorrow will commence at 12.00 noon. Order, order.
[(proc text) The Question having been proposed at 5.36 pm and the debate having continued for half an hour, Mdm Deputy Speaker adjourned the House without question put, pursuant to the Standing Order. (proc text)]
Adjourned accordingly at 6.06 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":"Enhanced Preventive Measures Undertaken in Response to Recent Spike in Breakdowns on North-South and East-West Lines","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"17 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether an elaboration of the enhanced preventive measures undertaken by SMRT in response to the recent spike in breakdowns on the North-South and East-West Lines can be provided; and (b) whether these measures should be incorporated into the Maintenance Performance Standards set out under the rail licence for the North-South and East-West Lines to improve standards.
Mr S Iswaran: There were five service disruptions on the North-South and East-West Lines that lasted more than five minutes between January and April 2023. SMRT has completed its investigations into the root causes of all five incidents and they were found to be unrelated to one another.
Based on the investigation outcome, SMRT has implemented additional precautionary checks on similar and related sub-systems in other parts of the line and stepped up the pre-emptive replacement of key components to prevent recurrence of these faults. This is in accordance with the existing Maintenance Performance Standards imposed on both rail operators under their licences.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Amounts Raised and Breakdown of Donors of Rare Disease Fund","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"19 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the total amount of donations raised by the Rare Disease Fund (RDF) in 2022; (b) what is the respective breakdown of this donation by donor type, namely, philanthropic foundations, companies, Government, NGOs, individuals and others; and (c) whether the Government will consider rolling out a strategy to obtain RDF donations from individuals through public communications, to complement the current approaches to raising donations.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Rare Disease Fund (RDF) raised $4.9 million in public donations in the calendar year 2022, with $2.3 million contributed by foundations, $1.3 million from companies and the remaining from individuals and others. Together with the Government's $3-to-$1 matching grant, this brings the total funds raised by RDF in 2022 to $19.2 million.
The RDF Committee has been actively reaching out to potential donors and conducting publicity efforts to raise awareness of the Fund. It will consider stepping up efforts in this area.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Justification for Employers Only Accepting Medical Certificates Issued by Polyclinics","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"20 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the justification for employers to only accept medical certificates issued by polyclinics; and (b) whether there are any guidelines issued to employers on limiting the imposition of such a requirement.
Dr Tan See Leng: The Employment Act states that employers must accept medical certificates by any medical practitioner registered under the Medical Registration Act or Dental Registration Act for the purpose of granting paid sick leave, not just polyclinics.
Since this requirement is set out clearly in law and on the Ministry of Manpower website, there are no separate guidelines for employers. It is also covered in educational efforts, such as the WorkRight initiative, which helps employees and employers understand their rights and obligations respectively under the Employment Act.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Foreign Funds Flowing into Singapore through Family Offices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"22 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Prime Minister for each year since 2020 (a) what is the total inflow of foreign funds into Singapore through family offices, broken down by each source country; and (b) whether the Government will provide an assessment on the impact of the inflow of such foreign funds on (i) Singapore's Official Foreign Reserves position, (ii) the private property market and (iii) inflation.
24 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Prime Minister with regard to single family offices applying for tax incentive schemes since April 2022 and are required to allocate at least 10% or S$10 million of their assets, whichever is lower, to local investments, what is the total assets that have been invested locally into (i) equities listed on Singapore exchanges, (ii) private equity investments in unlisted Singapore-incorporated companies and (iii) qualifying debt securities.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): These questions have been addressed in the reply to Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis' Parliamentary Question filed for the Sitting on 10 May 2023. [Please refer to \"Data on Amounts and Sources of Wealth Inflows into Singapore\", Official Report, 10 May 2023, Vol 95, Issue 104, 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":"Cases of Migrant Worker Dormitory Operators Falling Short of Expectations for Food Storage and Drop-off","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"25 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower for each year in the past five years, how many dormitory operators have been found to have food storage and drop-off points that fall short of the Ministry's expectations in the course of regular inspections.
Dr Tan See Leng: In the past two years, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) inspectors came across a total of nine dormitory operators that did not put in place measures to ensure food delivered was protected from contamination until it was collected by the residents for consumption.
In all instances where measures were not put in place, dormitory operators took immediate action to make the needed improvements after MOM inspectors had instructed them to do so. This includes designating fully sheltered drop-off points to place food storage boxes. No enforcement action was needed.
Dormitory residents with food-related issues can approach MOM's Forward Assurance and Support Team officers or report the issues via the FWMOMCare mobile application. MOM will follow up with the relevant dormitory operator or employer to rectify the issues. In serious or recalcitrant cases, MOM will take and have taken appropriate enforcement action.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Guidelines on Number of Birds that May Be Kept in HDB Flat","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"26 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development whether there are any guidelines or restrictions on the number of birds that may be kept in an HDB flat.
Mr Desmond Lee: Flat owners may keep small pets, such as birds, as long as these pets do not cause nuisance and disturbance to the neighbours and living environment.
In a situation where the pets are causing nuisance, the flat owners will be advised to exercise control over the pet and take measures to stop the nuisance. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will also advise the parties concerned to attend mediation to resolve the issue amicably.
For recalcitrant cases, the flat owners will be asked to rehome the pet, with assistance from animal welfare groups if needed. HDB will continue to review its pet ownership policies regularly to balance the needs of different segments of the community.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Quality of Thomson-East Coast Line's Rolling Stock and Signalling System","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"27 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is LTA's assessment of the quality of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) rolling stock and signalling system thus far; and (b) whether there has been any or any significant faults which have been detected on the rolling stock or the signalling system on the TEL which did not result in service disruptions.
Mr S Iswaran: So far, the performance of Thomson-East Coast Line systems has been on par with other mass rapid transit lines in the initial phase of revenue service.
Specific faults have been picked up during this initial phase. Examples include minor glitches in train-borne software and issues with pressure sensors on a single train. These were isolated issues that were rectified successfully without significant disruption to train services.
The Land Transport Authority will continue to work closely with rail system contractors and rail operators to prevent and resolve such teething issues.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Considerations of Hospital Committees in Assessing MediFund Assistance Requests","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"29 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Health what are the specific operational guidelines that are not eligibility criteria, including income thresholds and the number of recipients per household, provided by the Ministry to the MediFund committees as they consider requests for assistance.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: While the Ministry of Health provides guidelines on MediFund assessment, such as means-testing and amount of assistance provided, the MediFund Committees have full discretion to deviate from these guidelines and take into account other factors and family circumstances when assessing applications. There are no guidelines on the number of MediFund recipients per household.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Payment Rates for Work Permit Holders Asked to Work on Rest Days","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"30 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry tracks the number of Work Permit holders who are asked to work on rest days and are paid a (i) double and (ii) single rate of pay respectively; (b) in each of the last three years, how many complaints has the Ministry received about workers being paid a single rate of pay contrary to the requirements of the Employment Act 1968; and (c) how many of such complaints have resulted in enforcement or punitive action.
Dr Tan See Leng: Under Part 4 of the Employment Act, employers must provide one rest day per week and compensate workers who work on their rest days. Rate of pay for work on rest day is one day's basic salary if the request is made by the worker and two days' basic salary if the request is made by the employer. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not track the number and type of such arrangements.
Between 2020 and 2022, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) handled about 535 claims from Work Permit holders each year regarding non-payment or short payment of salaries for work done on rest days. Ninety-five percent were resolved through mediation while the rest were referred to the Employment Claims Tribunals.
MOM also investigated complaints on rest day pay, including referrals from TADM, for an average of 68 Work Permit holders each year. As a majority of these employers failed to pay due to administrative oversight, wrong calculations or financial difficulties, MOM took an educational approach towards these employers to increase awareness of their employment obligations and to help them rectify their employment practices. Sterner enforcement actions were taken against employers of about 7% of the affected workers where severe breaches of the Employment Act were detected.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Simplified Busking Audition Process","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"31 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether a more simplified busking audition can be implemented for buskers who are renewing their busking cards as compared to fresh applicants.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: The National Arts Council (NAC) Busking Scheme aims to enliven our city life and energise urban spaces. Today, there are more than 70 designated busking locations islandwide and over 300 licensed buskers performing a variety of art forms, such as music, street theatre and the visual arts. Reflecting a vibrant diversity, the licensed buskers include group and individual performers of different ages and various levels of experience, as well as persons with disabilities.
Through live auditions, NAC seeks to provide a fair and level playing field for applicants to enter and remain on the busking scheme and to ensure that buskers are evaluated fairly. The live audition format allows for a robust evaluation of a busker's in-person performance, which takes into account the busker's responsiveness to situations and ability to engage audiences in real-time. Such evaluations have helped ensure the quality of busking performances in our public spaces. With four auditions held in a year, buskers have the flexibility to choose from the different available slots and dates based on their schedules.
NAC regularly reviews the busking scheme and seeks feedback from the busking community. NAC is currently studying the feasibility of simplifying the renewal process for buskers with good track records. For instance, by conducting online auditions or reviewing submitted video recordings, while at the same time ensuring that the quality of busking acts and the fairness of the audition process are not compromised.
Meanwhile, NAC will continue to conduct live auditions for new and aspiring buskers and keep this avenue open for buskers who are less digitally savvy.
NAC will engage and consult stakeholders from the larger busking community on the feasibility of the new ideas and gather their views on the design and implementation.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Communications on Official Matters on Personal Mobile Devices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"32 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Prime Minister (a) whether civil servants and political officeholders are permitted to communicate on official matters using their personal mobile devices which are not issued and managed by the Government; and (b) if so, how data security and official secrets on these personal mobile devices are managed.
Mrs Josephine Teo (for the Prime Minister): Public officers and political officeholders are allowed to communicate on work matters using their personal mobile devices to facilitate efficient coordination.
However, classified information should not be communicated using personal mobile devices. We also do not allow Government services, such as emails, to be accessed via their personal devices.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Audits of Extended Producer Responsibility Processes for E-waste Management","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"33 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether NEA has conducted any external checks to audit the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) processes for e-waste management that was introduced in July 2021.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: There are four groups of stakeholders regulated under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for e-waste: producers, which are manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic products; the Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) operator; large retailers of electrical and electronic products; and e-waste recyclers.
Producers are required to submit data to the National Environment Agency (NEA) on the weight of products supplied annually. Producers who supply above a prescribed threshold are required to join the PRS and pay fees to the PRS operator, who will collect e-waste disposed of by the public for recycling by licensed e-waste recyclers. NEA conducts audits on the data submitted by producers.
The PRS operator must meet licensing requirements and service standards. NEA monitors key aspects of its operations, such as the deployment of e-waste recycling points, timely collection of e-waste and management of public feedback. NEA audits the data submitted by the PRS operator on the amount of e-waste collected and sent for recycling.
Retailers are required to provide in-store e-waste collection services and free one-for-one takeback of old appliances when consumers purchase new appliances. NEA conducts inspections of retailers' premises and, together with the PRS operator, monitors their collection performance.
NEA also audits the recycling data submitted by e-waste recyclers and inspects their premises to ensure that they recycle e-waste in an environmentally sustainable manner and meet material recovery targets.
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment will continue to monitor and audit the management of e-waste by the above stakeholders under the EPR.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Result of Probe into 16 April 2023 Accident at Upper Thomson Road Involving Two Groups of Cyclists","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"34 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Home Affairs in light of the accident on 16 April 2023 along Upper Thomson Road involving two groups of cyclists, leading to the hospitalisation of one cyclist who fell (a) whether the Traffic Police will be taking any further measures to encourage (i) cyclists cycling in groups to adhere to current rules or safety requirements and (ii) all cyclists and cycling groups to give sufficient space when overtaking one another, so as to enhance cyclists' safety; and (b) if so, what are such new measures.
Mr K Shanmugam: All road users, including cyclists, are required by law to use the roads in a safe and responsible way. Under the Road Traffic Act, cyclists who ride without due regard for the safety of others may be liable for an offence. First-time offenders may be fined up to $1,000, imprisoned for up to three months, or both. Repeat offenders may be fined up to $2,000, imprisoned for up to six months, or both. For egregious cases which result in an accident and injury to other road users, harsher punishments under the Penal Code may be imposed.
In January 2022, following a review by the Active Mobility Advisory Panel, the Government introduced stricter rules and regulations for on-road cycling. These include limits on cycling group sizes, the number of cyclists who are allowed to cycle abreast and when cycling abreast is allowed. Composition sums were raised, from $75 to $150.
To educate the public on these new rules and regulations and to promote a safe and gracious cycling culture, the Traffic Police (TP) have been conducting outreach with stakeholders. For instance, TP partnered the Singapore Cycling Federation to engage more than 200 cyclists at the Festival of Cycling last year.
TP and the Land Transport Authority also carry out enforcement operations against errant cyclists.
We will monitor the situation and increase outreach or enforcement action as needed.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Processes to Determine Leakage in Underground Water Pipes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"35 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what are the processes used to determine whether underground water pipes are leaking, in cases where water appearing above ground is unlikely due to other causes; (b) what is the error rate for such checks; and (c) whether more accurate processes can be deployed upon appeal in specific cases, where there is a suspected error in the detection of a leaking underground water pipe.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The Public Utilities Board (PUB) has a comprehensive leak detection programme to pick up leaks as early as possible. PUB deploys a network of sensors that monitor the water pressure, flow and acoustics to allow early detection of leaks in our water pipes. PUB also conducts leak detection checks on its pipeline network at least once a year, and more frequently for pipelines that are near construction activities or that had experienced leaks previously. The rate of water losses through pipe leakage in Singapore, at about 8% of total water demand, is among the lowest in the world.
PUB also responds promptly to feedback of water seeping from the ground. If there is a water pipe in the vicinity, PUB will utilise leak noise data loggers to survey and identify any leak along the water pipe, followed by leak locators to pinpoint the exact location of the leak. Excavation will then be carried out to expose and repair the water pipe.
If there is no water pipe in the immediate vicinity, PUB will collect water samples to ascertain its source. Should the water quality of the samples match that of PUB-supplied water, PUB will widen the survey area to locate the potential leak. Otherwise, the seepage is likely due to groundwater and PUB will work with the relevant agencies or landowners to channel the groundwater to the nearest drain.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Rationale for $75,000 Threshold Amount in Deposit Insurance Scheme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"36 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Prime Minister (a) what are the considerations behind the decision to insure deposits in local member banks at the amount of $75,000 under the Deposit Insurance Scheme, compared to higher amounts in other jurisdictions; and (b) whether this limit will be reviewed in light of higher per capita incomes.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): This Question has been answered in the reply to Question Nos 12 and 13 for Oral Answer on the Order Paper for 8 May 2023. [Please refer to \"Proposal to Review Cap of Coverage Per Depositor under Deposit Insurance\", Official Report, 8 May 2023, Vol 95, Issue 102, 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":"Data of Non-residents by Age, Employment Status, Profession and Income","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"1 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Prime Minister for each year since 2000, what is the breakdown of non-residents in Singapore by (i) age (ii) employment status (iii) professions and (iv) income.
Ms Indranee Rajah (for the Prime Minister) : From 2000 to 2022, around 92% of the non-residents in our population each year were aged between 15 and 64, those aged zero to 14 accounted for around 5%, while those aged 65 and above made up around 3%. Given our ageing population, it is important that we have non-residents in the prime working ages to supplement our workforce and support our economic and social needs.
Around 80% of non-residents were employed, that is, held a valid work pass. The remaining 20% who were not working included dependants and foreign students. The proportion of employed non-residents remained broadly stable between 2000 and 2022.
In 2002, around 15% of employed non-residents were professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) while the remaining 85% were non-PMETs. The proportion of PMETs among the employed non-residents had increased to 25% in 2012, in line with our social and economic needs, and stood at 27% in 2022. This is similar to the trend of the PMET share in our resident workforce, which increased from 45% to 64% over the past two decades.
The median fixed monthly salaries of employed non-residents for Employment Pass (EP), S Pass and Work Permit, excluding migrant domestic workers, for various years are in Table 1. The increase in the median fixed monthly salaries of work pass holders over the years reflects the steps taken to improve the complementarity of the foreign workforce, including through the raising of the qualifying salaries for EP and S Pass.
1 No available data for S Pass as S Pass was introduced in 2004.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Provision of Fertility Leave to Public Servants","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"2 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Prime Minister (a) whether the Government will provide fertility leave to public servants; (b) if so, what is the implementation timeframe; and (c) if not, why not.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): Public officers who are undergoing fertility-related procedures can already tap on their current leave provisions, such as sick/hospitalisation leave, where applicable, or request for flexible work arrangements from their supervisors, such as flexi-time and telecommuting, to undergo or recuperate from the treatment. We can study the idea of fertility leave, but will have to consider the operational impact of additional leave provision on the Public Service.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Application of Same Regulatory Standards Required for Opening of Bank Accounts to External Asset Managers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"3 Mr Don Wee asked the Prime Minister (a) whether the same stringent regulatory standards will apply to external asset managers as currently required of banks, for the opening of bank accounts; and (b) what is the risk of regulatory arbitrage by external asset managers occurring.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): The Monetary Authority of Singapore imposes on external asset managers the same stringent regulatory standards for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism that it imposes on banks. Like banks, external asset managers are required to verify the identity of their customers, establish the sources of wealth and funds of higher-risk customers, and monitor customers' transactions on an ongoing basis, to ensure that these are legitimate. There is, thus, no regulatory arbitrage.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Annual Contributions to Philanthropic Activities by Family Offices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"4 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Prime Minister (a) whether the Family Office Development Team tracks the amount of contributions which family offices contribute to philanthropic activities each year; (b) if so, what is the total amount of contributions in each of the past five years; and (c) whether annual contributions to philanthropic activities in Singapore can be included in the criteria for family offices, together with clear and specific conditions.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): The Family Office Development Team does not track the amount of contributions family offices make to philanthropic activities.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore continually reviews the conditions of the tax incentive schemes for single family offices to ensure that they contribute to Singapore. We are studying whether tax incentives could be used to encourage philanthropic activity or impact investing.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Monthly Pension Paid to Retired Civil Servants under Government Pension Scheme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"5 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Prime Minister what is the (i) lowest, (ii) median and (iii) highest monthly pension currently paid to retired civil servants under Government pension schemes.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): The pension of a retired pensionable officer is fixed and is based on the officer's length of service and pensionable salary as of his eve of retirement, as provided by the Pensions Act. Pensions may vary greatly as they cover a wide range of officers with different career circumstances, across a period of time. The 20th percentile, median and 80th percentile of pensions paid to retired civil servants are $640, $1,080 and $2,280 respectively.
Retired civil servants who draw a pension below the gross monthly pension ceiling will receive an additional Singapore Allowance (SA) to help them cope with inflationary pressures. The Government will carry out regular reviews on the SA and gross monthly pension ceiling and revise them when necessary.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Leveraging New Artificial Intelligence Technologies in e-Government Services","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"6 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Prime Minister (a) how does the Public Service intend to leverage new artificial intelligence technologies, such as ChatGPT, in e-Government services; and (b) whether such tools will augment and replace existing chatbot services to provide a better user experience for citizens.
Mrs Josephine Teo (for the Prime Minister): The Government has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) in digital services, such as chatbots on Government websites, the OneService Chatbot for reporting municipal issues through social messaging platforms, and the SG Translate Together web portal.
Recent developments in AI technologies, such as those powering Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, can help the Government improve the quality of e-services, for example, through better customised responses by chatbots to public queries. We must, however, ensure the accuracy and reliability of responses before such service enhancements can be deployed for public use. This will require a period of experimentation and testing.
There are other ways in which the public can benefit from the use of such technologies within the Government, for example, through more efficient research and analysis of complex issues. The Public Service has, therefore, introduced guidelines for public officers when using such technologies, to clarify accountability and safeguard data security.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Review of Rules to Safeguard Against Over-indebtedness","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"7 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Prime Minister (a) how regularly are rules to safeguard against over-indebtedness reviewed; (b) when has the last review been conducted; and (c) whether there is a need to review such rules, given economic headwinds and the recent rise in credit card rollover balance.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): To mitigate consumer over-indebtedness, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) requires financial institutions (FIs) to implement a range of safeguards when extending mortgage loans and unsecured credit. These include the following:
(a) For property loans, we have the total debt servicing ratio (TDSR) framework, loan-to-value limits, and loan tenure caps. MAS last adjusted the TDSR framework in September 2022.
(b) For unsecured consumer credit, we have minimum income requirements, credit and income checks on customers, and an industry-wide borrowing limit per customer.
These safeguards are stricter than in most other jurisdictions.
These safeguards have been effective. In the last three years, the proportion of non-performing loans among mortgages taken out with FIs has remained low and, in fact, decreased from 0.5% in 2020 to 0.3% in 2022. Over the same period, total write-offs for credit card-related bad debt have halved, from 7.1% of rollover balances in 2020 to 3.5% in 2022. MAS will continue to monitor the mortgage loan and unsecured consumer credit situation.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"ASEAN Leadership Plans in Light of Continuing and Increasing Violence and Human Rights Violations in Myanmar","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"8 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what is the ASEAN leadership intending to do in light of continued and increasing violence and human rights violations in Myanmar.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Chair Indonesia has strongly condemned the recent airstrikes by the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, in Sagaing Region, Myanmar, on 11 April 2023. Singapore supports this statement. Any attack on civilians is reprehensible and cannot be condoned. Such acts of violence contradict the Five-Point Consensus formulated by the ASEAN Leaders and accepted by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at their meeting on 24 April 2021 in Jakarta. Given the limited progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, the Leaders at the ASEAN Summits in November 2022, agreed on a series of steps to send a clear signal to the Tatmadaw.
Indonesia has been engaging stakeholders to encourage inclusive dialogue in Myanmar. It has called for the cessation of violence and taken steps to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar. Myanmar's neighbours outside of ASEAN and our external partners, including the United Nations, also have important roles to play in working with ASEAN to address the crisis and facilitate national reconciliation in Myanmar. Nevertheless, the rate limiting factor for progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus is not ASEAN or our external partners, but the stakeholders within Myanmar, especially the Tatmadaw. We should continue to press the Tatmadaw to cease violence and implement the Five-Point Consensus swiftly and fully.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Potential Third Land Link between Singapore and Johor Bahru","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"9 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether there have been any developments on a potential third land link between Singapore and Johor Bahru.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: There are no developments on a potential third land link. Completing the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link project is the top priority.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Plans to Raise Awareness Among Cyclists on Highway Code and Guideline for On-road Cycling Groups","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"10 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Home Affairs what plans does the Traffic Police have to raise awareness among cyclists of the relevant traffic rules, such as the Highway Code and guidelines for on-road cycling groups, including those pertaining to keeping a safe distance between riding groups, as recommended by the Active Mobility Advisory Panel on 1 October 2021.
Mr K Shanmugam: All road users, including cyclists, are required by law to use the roads in a safe and responsible way. Under the Road Traffic Act, cyclists who ride without due regard for the safety of others may be liable for an offence. First-time offenders may be fined up to $1,000, imprisoned for up to three months, or both. Repeat offenders may be fined up to $2,000, imprisoned for up to six months, or both. For egregious cases which result in an accident and injury to other road users, harsher punishments under the Penal Code may be imposed.
In January 2022, following a review by the Active Mobility Advisory Panel, the Government introduced stricter rules and regulations for on-road cycling. These include limits on cycling group sizes, the number of cyclists who are allowed to cycle abreast, and when cycling abreast is allowed. Composition sums were raised from $75 to $150.
To educate the public on these new rules and regulations and to promote a safe and gracious cycling culture, the Traffic Police (TP) have been conducting outreach with stakeholders. For instance, TP partnered the Singapore Cycling Federation to engage more than 200 cyclists at the Festival of Cycling last year.
TP and the Land Transport Authority also carry out enforcement operations against errant cyclists.
We will monitor the situation and increase outreach or enforcement action as needed.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Dedicated Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles in HDB Multi-storey Car Parks vs Radio Frequency Identification-controlled Power Points","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"11 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the reasoning behind the choice to install dedicated charging stations for electric vehicles in HDB multi-storey car parks, instead of alternatives, such as radio frequency identification-controlled power points; and (b) whether dedicated charging stations are the most attractive solution from a cost-benefit perspective.
Mr S Iswaran: The national Electric Vehicle (EV) charging standard, Technical Reference 25 (TR25), sets out the technical safety requirements for EV charging systems in Singapore, such as dedicated charging stations or fixed chargers, and non-fixed chargers. Non-fixed chargers – which could be plugged into radio frequency identification power points – have a higher risk of unsafe use than fixed chargers. For this reason, under TR25, non-fixed chargers at publicly accessible locations are only permitted at a lower power rating, which, consequently, leads to slower charging speeds as compared to fixed chargers.
Therefore, from a public safety and charging efficiency point of view, fixed chargers are the more feasible option for our public charging network. Globally, fixed chargers are also the most common mode of charging. The Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority will continue to monitor developments in charging technology and facilitate the safe use of promising charging solutions.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Cyclists Taking up Third-party Liability Insurance","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"12 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Transport in view of the Active Mobility Advisory Panel's (AMAP's) recommendation on 1 October 2021 which strongly encourages cyclists to take up third-party liability insurance to aid compensation for victims that may be involved in accidents (a) whether LTA tracks the number of cyclists who have taken up such insurance since AMAP's recommendation; and (b) what are the steps that LTA is taking to encourage more cyclists who are using public roads to take up third-party liability insurance.
Mr S Iswaran: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) does not track the number of riders who have taken up third-party liability insurance (TPLI). However, it is mandatory for businesses to ensure that all their riders using active mobility devices on public paths have adequate TPLI coverage during their course of work. LTA also strongly encourages all riders to take up TPLI and provides information on such products in its educational materials.
With these education and enforcement efforts, the number of accidents involving active mobility devices on public paths has decreased from 162 in 2020 to 101 in 2022.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Households Collecting Public Transport Vouchers by Registration or Appeal","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"13 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Transport in view of the Government's announcement that 600,000 Public Transport Vouchers worth $30 each will be made available (a) what is the number of households that have collected the PTVs by continuing to meet the eligibility criteria, by registration or by appeal; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider disbursing PTVs of less than $30 to applicants with household income per person of more than $1,600 but less than $2,000, so as to cushion increased transport costs.
Mr S Iswaran: As of 31 March 2023, about 264,000 of the 600,000 Public Transport Vouchers (PTVs) made available in the 2022 exercise have been sent to households. These include 240,000 vouchers automatically sent to households that continue to meet the eligibility criteria from the 2021 exercise.
The Ministry of Transport and People's Association aim to ensure that no household that needs a PTV is denied one. We do give out PTVs to needy households that exceed the household income criteria but nonetheless have special circumstances that require additional assistance. These households may submit an appeal online or in person at their local Community Centres or Clubs from now until 31 October 2023.
The availability of the PTVs was announced on 12 October 2022 together with the 2022 Fare Review Exercise and again on 12 January 2023. Outreach channels include posters in buses and at public transport nodes. We urge those who need help with public transport cost and meet the criteria to apply for PTVs from now till 31 October 2023.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Fully Electric Public Hire Vehicles and Taxis and Plans to Raise Percentage","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"14 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Transport as of the first quarter of 2023 (a) how many public hire vehicles and taxis are fully electric; and (b) whether there are any targets to increase the percentage of such vehicles to be fully electric.
Mr S Iswaran: As at March 2023, over 400 taxis and over 700 chauffeured private hire cars (PHCs) are fully electric. This amounts to about 2.9% and 1.5% of taxi and chauffeured PHC populations respectively. As for self-drive PHCs, more commonly known as rental cars for personal use, about 700 or 2.7% are fully electric.
Taxi operators have committed that at least half of their taxis will be electric by 2030. Grab has committed for 50% of its GrabRentals fleet to be electric by 2030. These targets are part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and remain unchanged. The Land Transport Authority will continue working closely with taxi and PHC operators to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Installation of Anti-slip Flooring and Handrails in NEA Hawker Centres or Coffee Shops with Exposure to Rainfall","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"15 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether NEA will consider installing anti-slip flooring and having more handrails in NEA hawker centres or coffee shops where there is some exposure to rainfall.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Slip-resistant floor tiles, as well as railings for staircases and ramps, have been installed at hawker centres under the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme and for all new and redeveloped hawker centres. The National Environment Agency replaces worn out floor tiles and installs additional safety railings at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment owned hawker centres as and when necessary. For the Housing and Development Board owned centres, such maintenance works are under the responsibility of Town Councils.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Collection Rate for Bloobox and Updates on Improvement in Recycling Rates","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"16 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the nationwide collection rate for the Bloobox, an initiative under the Recycle Right campaign, as of 30 April 2023; (b) whether there has been improvement in the recycling rates since the launch of the campaign; and c) whether there are plans to push for increased usage of the Bloobox going forward.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: This question has been addressed in the reply to Question 2 for Oral Answer on the Order Paper for 9 May 2023. [Please refer to \"Collection Rate of Bloobox for Recycling Campaign\", Official Report, 9 May 2023, Vol 95, Issue 103, 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":"Students Attending Tamil Language Lessons in Regional Centres and Measures to Reduce Need for Them to Travel","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"17 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Education (a) what proportion of primary and secondary school students learning the Tamil language attend lessons at the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre or other regional centres; (b) what is the median travelling time for such students to attend Tamil language lessons; and (c) what measures are being taken to reduce the need for such students to travel and attend Tamil language lessons.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Given the limited availability of Tamil Language (TL) teachers, they are deployed to schools where the need for in-school instruction is greatest. All the Ministry of Education kindergarten and primary TL students now learn TL in their own school. At the secondary level, about 90% of TL students study TL in their own school.
Students in secondary schools that do not offer TL instruction attend lessons at one of 11 school-based TL centres or at the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre. These centres are spread out across Singapore to reduce the travelling time of students and they can opt to attend lessons at the centre that is closest to their school or home.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Elective Admissions of Singaporean and Foreign Patients into Hospitals since January 2022","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"18 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Health (a) for each month since January 2022, what percentage of hospital admissions are elective admissions of Singaporean and foreign patients respectively; and (b) what are the policies relating to deferring elective admissions when hospital bed occupancy rates exceed 85%.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: For 2022, elective admissions form around 23% of total hospital admissions in the public hospitals. In general, the proportion of non-resident foreigners1 who are admitted to our public hospitals constitutes less than 0.5% of total admissions.
To manage bed capacities better, especially when the public hospitals anticipate a surge in emergency admissions, hospitals may temporarily defer non-urgent electives. Patients requiring urgent medical care, including those requiring urgent elective procedures, will still be prioritised for admission.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Excludes Work Permit/pass holders, dependant pass holders and foreign students."],"footNoteQuestions":["18"],"questionNo":"18"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Penetration Rate of Eldercare Centre Service Model among Senior Residents","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"19 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the current penetration rate of the Eldercare Centre (EC) service model among senior residents; and (b) what proportion of seniors living alone are being cared for by the combined network of ECs and Silver Generation Offices.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: There are, currently, 154 Active Ageing Centres (AACs) – previously termed as Eldercare Centres – which are sited close to and can support around 53% of the total senior population. By 2025, the Ministry of Health and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) aim to grow this number to 220 AACs that will cover an estimated 80% of the total senior population.
The estimated number of seniors aged 65 and above who live alone in Singapore in 2022 was 79,000. In FY2022, the Silver Generation Office (SGO) under AIC engaged more than 230,000 seniors through their outreach efforts, of which about 27,000 were living alone.
SGO will prioritise seniors who are living alone for their outreach efforts this year and link them up with AACs and other community partners for follow-ups and assistance, such as regular home visits and check-in calls.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ensuring Sufficient Diabetes Medication Purchased Only for Prescribed Medical Use","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"20 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Health in light of the huge demand for diabetes medication Ozempic and Wegovy in the United States driven by weight loss trends on social media (a) what are the steps taken to ensure that diabetic patients in Singapore have sufficient stocks and that such medications are not purchased other than for their prescribed medical use; and (b) whether the Ministry tracks the latest social media trends to anticipate any demands on medications.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Ozempic and Wegovy contain Semaglutide and belong to the class of medicines called GLP-1 agonists. There are three GLP-1 agonists registered as Prescription Only Medicines (POMs) in Singapore to treat diabetes and weight management in specific patient populations. Doctors will assess patients' conditions and prescribe according to clinical guidelines. As POMs, Ozempic and Wegovy can only be obtained from a doctor or from a pharmacist with a prescription from a doctor.
While social media trends have marketed Ozempic and Wegovy as quick fixes for weight loss, it is important that consumers know the risks associated with these medicines. Like all POMs, there are considerable risks involved if a medication is used inappropriately, without a prescription and without clinical supervision.
The Ministry of Health works closely with healthcare institutions and drug companies to monitor local and international usage patterns to minimise potential disruption to treatment and to ensure drug resiliency.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Annual Data on Heat-related Illnesses and Injuries and Plans to Raise Public Awareness","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"21 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry tracks the number of heat-related illnesses in each year; (b) if so, whether there has been an increase in heat-related illnesses and injuries over the past three months; and (c) whether the Ministry has plans to raise public awareness on the prevention of heat-related illnesses.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The data for heat-related illnesses is available on an annual basis. The number of hospitalisations for heat-related illnesses have remained generally stable over the last 10 years and has most recently decreased from 71 in 2021 to 47 in 2022. The Ministry of Health will work closely with the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment to raise public awareness on heat-related illnesses, particularly on preventive measures that can be taken by the public to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Contractors Penalised for Improper Disposal of Renovation Debris on Common Property in HDB Estates","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"22 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development in the year-to-date and in each year over the past five years, how many renovation contractors have been (i) penalised for the improper disposal of renovation debris on common property in HDB estates and (ii) barred from carrying out new renovation works in HDB flats respectively.
Mr Desmond Lee: Renovation contractors are required to properly dispose of renovation debris at the National Environment Agency approved disposal sites at the end of every workday.
Renovation contractors who are found to have improperly disposed of renovation debris on common property in the Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates will face a penalty of $500 and be given six demerit points. Renovation contractors who accumulate 24 demerit points within a 24-month period will be barred from carrying out any new renovation works in HDB flats for the next 12 months.
Since the start of 2023, HDB has imposed a penalty of $500 and given six demerit points to two renovation contractors each for improper disposal of renovation debris. Between 2018 and 2022, an average of five renovation contractors per year were penalised for improper disposal of renovation debris. So far, HDB has not debarred any renovation contractor for the improper dumping of renovation debris.
Town Councils are also empowered under the Town Councils Act to make by-laws to allow them to take action against illegal dumping at HDB common areas. This may include issuing a notice of composition to errant contractors for improperly discarding renovation debris at the common areas.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Relocating Stray Cats when Redeveloping Areas with Sizeable Stray Populations","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"23 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for National Development whether the Government makes efforts to facilitate the relocation of stray cats when redeveloping areas with sizeable stray cat populations, such as Turf City.
Mr Desmond Lee: If the National Parks Board (NParks) is aware of a sizeable population of community cats in any area undergoing redevelopment, NParks will bring the landowner or developer together with animal welfare groups (AWGs) or community cat caregivers, to jointly manage the cat population. AWGs and community cat caregivers can leverage their networks to rehome or foster the community cats, so the cats can continue to be well-cared for.
NParks will continue to take a holistic and science-based approach to manage the community cat population across Singapore, such as by partnering AWGs, to implement the Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Protecting Consumers and Businesses from Losses due to Disruption of Digital Services by Service Providers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"24 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether public and private organisations are liable for losses suffered by consumers and businesses as a result of disruptions to their digital services; and (b) if not, whether the Government will consider taking steps to protect consumers and businesses from losses due to such disruptions to digital services or impose minimum service standards on service providers.
Mrs Josephine Teo: As with many types of services, liability for losses incurred due to disruptions of a digital service would be governed under (a) the terms of use for the service and/or (b) the contractual agreement between buyer and seller.
Where services have significant impact to our economy and society, regulatory agencies have also imposed minimum service standards. For example, the Infocomm Media Development Authority requires telecommunication operators and Internet service providers to comply with Quality of Service standards and audit requirements for network resilience.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore has strict requirements for banks with regard to the resilience of their critical services, which include digital banking. These were detailed during the 21 April 2023 Parliament Sitting. [Please refer to \"Banking Disruptions That Have Lasted More Than An Hour in Last Five Years\", Official Report, 21 April 2023, Vol 95, Issue 101, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Rationale for Ending Raikan Cahaya Ramadan 2023 Bazaar One Week before Hari Raya","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"25 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what is the rationale for ending the Raikan Cahaya Ramadan 2023 bazaar at Kampong Glam on 16 April 2023, almost one week before Hari Raya Puasa.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: The Raikan Cahaya Ramadan 2023 bazaar was organised by One Kampong Gelam, an association comprising businesses and tenants in Kampong Gelam to enliven and promote the district. The bazaar's end date was determined by One Kampong Gelam.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Sensory Rooms for Individuals to Develop their Senses within Government-owned Sports and Cultural Facilities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"26 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether the Ministry will consider constructing sensory rooms, which are specially designed rooms that combine a range of stimuli to help individuals develop and engage their senses, within Government-owned sports and cultural facilities.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Our publicly funded arts, heritage and sports facilities allow people from different backgrounds and abilities to come together to create common experiences, develop empathy for one another and build shared memories. We strive to ensure that these cultural and sports facilities are accessible to all Singaporeans, including individuals with sensory needs.
Some of our cultural institutions have dedicated sensory rooms and programmes for individuals with sensory needs and we are progressively doing more to ensure our spaces are inclusive.
The National Museum of Singapore's (NMS's) Quiet Room, and National Gallery Singapore's (NGS's) Calm Room, are safe spaces for visitors who might experience sensory overload to calm down before resuming their museum visits, particularly individuals on the autism spectrum.
NMS has recently launched the Reunion Space and Café, a dedicated social space for seniors, which also has features sensitive to those with mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
Our cultural institutions work closely with community partners, such as SG Enable, to introduce inclusive programming and initiatives for people with additional needs and their caregivers.
NMS opens an hour earlier on selected days monthly, also known as \"Quiet Mornings\", to allow these visitors to learn about Singapore's heritage in a quieter and calmer environment. Esplanade also presents Relaxed Performances under its PLAYtime! series, with modifications, such as adjusted lightings and sound levels and calm spaces.
Both Esplanade and NGS have also worked with the Agency for Integrated Care to become dementia-friendly spaces.
These initiatives are complemented by the National Arts Council and National Heritage Board's ongoing efforts to build capabilities among the arts and cultural organisations, museums, practitioners, as well as volunteers to strengthen inclusive programming.
For sporting events organised by Sport Singapore (SportSG) involving individuals with special needs, SportSG ensures that there is a designated calm or quiet room available for participants who may experience sensory overload during the event. SportSG is also in the process of identifying suitable rooms in our existing Sports Centres which can be repurposed into such calm or quiet spaces and training its Sport Centres staff to be equipped to render the necessary support.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Companies Adopting Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony in Past Two Years","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"27 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower for each year in the past two years, how many companies have adopted the Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony.
Dr Tan See Leng: As a new Tripartite Standard launched in April 2021, the number of companies that adopted the Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony (TS-WLH) has increased from 500 at the end of 2021, to 1,200 at the end of 2022, covering about 317,000 employees. Employers that adopt TS-WLH would be better able to distinguish themselves as part of their talent attraction and retention strategies and we hope more employers would adopt TS-WLH in time to come.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Causes of Long-term Unemployment and Successful Reduction Initiatives","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"28 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the causes of long-term unemployment over the last five years; and (b) what initiatives have been successful in reducing long-term unemployment.
Dr Tan See Leng: Prior to COVID-19, the annual average resident long-term unemployment rate (LTUR) was 0.7% from 2018 to 2019. Resident LTUR rose to 1% in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the economic downturn due to the pandemic. It has, however, since recovered to 0.7% in 2022. Singapore's resident LTUR remains relatively low compared to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 2.6%1.
Long-term unemployment is mainly structural, with the top job search difficulty cited being mismatches in skills and qualifications. In particular, older workers aged 50 and above are disproportionately affected by long-term unemployment, with an LTUR of 1% in 2022.
We are proactively tackling the problem of skills obsolescence to reduce the chances of workers falling into long-term unemployment, and these measures have been effective in keeping the LTUR low. It starts with ensuring that everyone has a strong start through access to quality education and supporting lifelong learning through a strong SkillsFuture ecosystem. We also publish the Jobs Transformation Maps, which are detailed sectoral manpower studies mapping out the impact of technology and digitalisation over the medium-term, to identify opportunities for employers to transform their jobs and upskill their workers for these transformed job roles.
Employers can tap on various Government programmes for business and workforce transformation, such as Workforce Singapore's (WSG's) Support for Job Redesign under Productivity Solutions Grant. Employers can also partner with the National Trades Union Congress to establish Company Training Committees for additional support in their transformation journey.
Jobseekers who require assistance can tap on WSG's suite of employment facilitation services and programmes, several of which provide enhanced support for the long-term unemployed and older workers. In particular, WSG's Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) help jobseekers to reskill for in-demand growth jobs and provide higher support of up to 90% of salary costs for employers who hire candidates that are long-term unemployed or aged 40 and above. CCPs have supported over 35,000 locals from 2018 to 2022 and the results have been encouraging. About nine in 10 CCP participants remained employed 24 months after embarking on the programme, and about six in 10 earned more than their last drawn salaries.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Latest available for OECD economies pertain to 2021. Long-term unemployed pertains to those unemployed for at least 25 weeks in Singapore and for at least six months in OECD economies. Source: OECDStats database."],"footNoteQuestions":["28"],"questionNo":"28"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Competencies and Qualifications Required under Household Services Scheme to Provide Eldercare Services","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"29 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the basic competencies and qualifications required of workers under the Household Services Scheme (HSS) who are eligible to provide eldercare services; (b) whether there are plans to expand the scope of HSS to include caring services for special-needs children and adults; and (b) how will the Ministry ensure the availability of timely and adequate training courses for these workers.
Dr Tan See Leng: Companies under the Household Services Scheme (HSS) pilot that provide basic elder-minding services must ensure that their workers have completed relevant elder-minding training or passed the competency assessment recommended by the Ministry of Health and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). HSS workers providing such services are to be equipped with basic eldercare skills, such as how to safely support the elderly in activities of daily living and assist them with simple exercises. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and AIC are monitoring the take-up rate of the elder-minding training courses and will expand the training capacity if needed.
At the moment, MOM has no plans to expand the scope of HSS to include care services for individuals with special needs who require more specialised care. Such households can consider existing home-based care programmes run by various Social Service Agencies, such as the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore. Households which need more information on care options for persons with disabilities can contact SG Enable.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Inspections to Ensure Adequate Safety Measures to Prevent Heat Injuries and Punishments Meted Out","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"30 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Manpower in each of the last five years (a) how many workplace inspections have been carried out to ensure that adequate safety measures are taken to prevent heat injuries; (b) how many employers have been found to have been in breach of the safety measures; and (c) how many of such employers have been subjected to punitive action.
Dr Tan See Leng: With the rising temperatures due to climate change, heat stress management has been a growing area of focus for workplace safety and health (WSH). During the hotter months of the year, typically between May and September, referencing forecasts by the Meteorological Service Singapore, inspections on heat stress management is part of the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) routine inspections. These include checks on whether there are heat stressors that put workers at risks and what on-site measures companies have put in place to manage heat-related risks and hazards, such as the provision of shaded areas and access to water facilities.
In addition to a focus on heat stress management in routine inspections, MOM also conducts targeted inspections on heat stress to check not just onsite measures but also workplace management system and programmes in place including (a) acclimatisation programmes for newly assigned workers; (b) adequate water intake through supervised and scheduled hydration sessions; and (c) training of workers on symptoms of heat injury and early reporting to supervisors if they are feeling unwell. In 2022, targeted inspections on heat stress were conducted at 497 worksites and enforcement actions were taken against 25 companies. Another round of targeted inspections will be conducted this year.
MOM and the WSH Council regularly engage industry, such as through the upcoming Heat Stress Forum this month, to remind companies to put in place mitigating measures to protect workers against heat stress, especially those involved in outdoor work activities. Employers are also encouraged to use the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature meter to assess heat stress risks at the workplace. Companies may refer to the WSH Guidelines on Managing Heat Stress for more detailed guidance.
The number of work-related heat disorder cases remain relatively low, at five or less cases yearly in the past five years. MOM will continue to monitor the situation closely.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null}],"writtenAnswersVOList":[],"writtenAnsNAVOList":[],"annexureList":[],"vernacularList":[{"vernacularID":5582,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Sharael Taha","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20230509/vernacular-vernacular - Sharael Taha - Corruption et al and Computer Misuse Bill - 9 May 2023 - Malay.pdf","fileName":"vernacular - Sharael Taha - Corruption et al and Computer Misuse Bill - 9 May 2023 - Malay.pdf"},{"vernacularID":5583,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Dr Tan Yia Swam","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20230509/vernacular-vernacular - Tan Yia Swam - Motion on Supporting Healthcare - 9 May 2023 - Mandarin.pdf","fileName":"vernacular - Tan Yia Swam - Motion on Supporting Healthcare - 9 May 2023 - Mandarin.pdf"},{"vernacularID":5584,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Abdul Samad","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20230509/vernacular-vernacular - Abdul Samad - Motion on Supporting Healthcare - 9 May 2023 - Malay.pdf","fileName":"vernacular - Abdul Samad - Motion on Supporting Healthcare - 9 May 2023 - Malay.pdf"}],"onlinePDFFileName":""}