[(proc text) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [5th Allotted Day]. (proc text)]
[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]
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[(proc text) \"That the total sum to be allocated for Head L of the Estimates be reduced by $100\". – [Er Dr Lee Bee Wah] (proc text)]
[(proc text) Question again proposed. (proc text)]
The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan): Mdm Chair, my colleagues in NEA, PUB and MEWR have had a very busy year. In the space of 12 months, we have had to confront the worst haze episode ever; the worst dengue outbreak ever; we even had a couple of localised flash floods to deal with, and now we have the most prolonged dry spell ever. February has been the driest month on record and also the windiest month on record. We seem to be bent on breaking new records all the time.
We have had to deal with these multiple challenges, sometimes simultaneously. Often, these have occurred concurrently, and my staff and I have learnt to multi-task in stressful times. Let me begin by thanking all my staff who have laboured tirelessly under sometimes very stressful conditions. I would also thank all Members of Parliament and members of the public who have supported us with suggestions, affirmation and, most important of all, action on the ground.
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I was struck yesterday that even the comments from the Opposition Members of Parliament – Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Yee Jenn Jong and Mr Low Thia Khiang – were also supportive. At least, I am glad to say that on the environment front, we seem to have bipartisan consensus.
All these immediate crises remind us of our fundamental vulnerabilities. They remind us of the need to stay vigilant and also of the need for us to stay united and to remain cohesive. We have seen how resilient Singaporeans have been during the crises. For instance, during the haze last year, volunteers on their own organised themselves to distribute masks and make herbal tea. Some people even opened their homes to provide air-conditioned places of refuge for people who may not have had such facilities.
We also have had many others – thousands of people – who helped us convey dengue messages as well as helped keep our neighbourhoods clean.
Apart from these immediate crises, we also have had to plan long term. This was something that came across in many of the speeches which Members made yesterday. In fact, our immediate crises are a bellwether of our future challenges in an increasingly dynamic, complex and interconnected world.
Let me share three key principles that underpin my Ministry's approach. First, we need to take a long-term perspective in the way we plan and approach our challenges. Singapore is already a very dense, very built-up highly urbanised environment. This makes it particularly challenging for us. We have to bear in mind both the current and the future risks that may arise from decisions that we make today. The decisions and the trade-offs we make today will lock us in for decades to come. We also have to prepare well in advance, to future-proof our environment and to upgrade our infrastructure.
For example, we are now in the midst of our longest prolonged dry spell; this is likely to be an El Nino year, which means it can even go on into a full scale drought. Yet, in the midst of all this, we have a buffer of safety. This did not come about by accident. It came about because of 50 years of detailed planning, meticulous implementation and the support of our people and the willingness of this House to provide the funding to invest in our infrastructure for the long term.
Similarly, at this point in time, we also have to plan for the next 50 years and beyond. I do not need to remind Members of this House that our Water
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Agreement with Malaysia will expire in 2061.
The second principle is that we need to manage our scarce resources carefully and to assiduously avoid pollution. As a society, we need to learn or relearn the traditional values of not wasting, of re-using, of recycling, of being careful with the way we consume and we also have to avoid locking ourselves into an unsustainable trajectory. We cannot afford to squander our precious resources that we can never recover. Because we are so small, your backyard is my front yard. We cannot afford to pollute any corner or any part of Singapore.
Third, we are all in this together. We breathe the same air; we drink the same water; we eat the same food at the same hawker centres; and we enjoy the same parks. All of us have a collective responsibility to be good stewards of our environment for our own sake, our families' sake and that of our grandchildren.
I will cover four main areas: first, on water; second, on our air quality; third, on the dengue outbreak; and fourth, on pursuing resource efficiency – both water and energy.
First, let me touch on the current dry spell. We have been able to meet our water needs confidently throughout the dry spell so far. That is because PUB has been running our desalination and NEWater plants at almost full capacity. Most of our NEWater is used by industries that need a very pure source of water. In addition to that, we have been able to put about 35 million gallons per day of NEWater to top up and maintain our current reservoir stocks. This NEWater mixed with the raw water in the reservoir ultimately enters PUB's portable water supply.
Nearly all water authorities that use recycled water for human consumption do something like this – I am answering a Member's question from yesterday. They first use the recycled water to top up the reservoirs or to top up the aquifers, and then, this is mixed with raw water and re-treated a second time using conventional treatment methods. This is what we call \"indirect potable use\".
We can also think of this as creating an environmental buffer. The water from reverse osmosis, which is very pure, contains hardly any minerals at all. This water is mixed with raw water in the reservoir, and it is subject to the usual ecological processes that occur in a reservoir, and then it undergoes
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conventional treatment all over again.
I note Er Dr Lee Bee Wah's query yesterday – her question was if we need to double handle the water. Let me spend a little time going through this in detail.
So far in the world, I only know of one water authority which since 1968 has been piping recycled directly to the potable water supply. This is the water authority in Namibia from a place called Windhoek. They have been doing this since 1968.
We all know NEWater is safe to drink. All of us in this House have drunk it. At a National Day Parade, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong raised a toast to Singapore and we all drank it. As a doctor, I know it is safe to drink. But to dispense with the environmental buffer and to make it routine is a big step. It is not one which I want to rush into. First, we have to make sure that Singaporeans understand that it is safe and accepted. Secondly, we have to be doubly, triply, quadruply sure that all the fail-safe mechanisms are in place. My paramount concern must be the safety and health of our people. Therefore, I accept that there is some merit in Er Dr Lee Bee Wah's suggestion, but this is something which I will study very, very carefully. I want to give Members this assurance that our top and paramount concern is public hygiene, safety, security and the peace of mind of our people. Let us not rush into this.
We owe a great debt to our founding leaders and the Pioneer Generation in PUB for their vision, foresight and their hard work that led to the development of the Four National Taps for Singapore. Just bear in mind that the most recent desalination plant with a capacity of 70 million gallons per day was only completed six months ago. We commenced building this plant in 2011. In 2011, PUB was being heavily criticised for floods and not for droughts. This is a good reminder that flash floods come and go but droughts can be prolonged and are of much greater strategic threat to our well-being.
We are reasonably secure for now but we should not be complacent. As I have said earlier, we do not know whether this will turn out to be an El Nino year and, if so, how severe, and the implications that it will have for droughts not only in Singapore but for the region and, even worse, for agricultural producers. This would have a knock-on impact on food prices and other related issues.
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The point is we cannot afford to waste water. We need to be very careful to emphasise conservation and to insist on an efficient use of water across all sectors. That is why PUB has sent advisories to 25,000 non-household users at this point in time, in order to promote water-saving measures. We are also visiting households with high water usage to promote good water-saving habits, remind them to check on taps, look for leakage, and look for any bad habits. Sometimes, people may not even be aware of it. That is why Members would notice that when you receive the water bills, we also let you compare your bill as benchmarked against comparable homes. I would urge all members of the public, if you notice that your bills are somewhat larger than your neighbours', check and see whether you can improve your water usage at home.
There are many aspects in our daily life both big and small. One example of a scheme we launched is the Minimum Water Efficiency Standards Scheme (MWES). We will state that only washing machines with at least one tick of efficiency will be allowed for sale in Singapore from 1 April 2014. We intend to raise the minimum standards to at least two ticks in 2015. The general point here is that we are trying to save both water and money for Singaporeans.
The non-domestic sector currently consumes 55% of Singapore's total water demand. This 55% will grow to 70% by 2016. PUB has started by encouraging the voluntary submission of Water Efficiency Management Plans (WEMPs) by companies since 2010. We believe that these plans will help companies become more aware of their water usage patterns, that they will identify ways to reduce consumption and raise their efficiency. To date, about 35% of large water users submitted their water management plans to PUB on a voluntary basis. We will have to go further. We will mandate the submission of these plans by all large water users with effect from June 2015.
Companies which are consuming 5,000 or more cubic metres of water each month will have to install a private water meter within their premises and to submit their WEMPs annually to PUB.
This requirement will apply to all large water users initially. We will progressively expand the category of companies and premises which will be included in this plan. To support these large users, PUB has enhanced the Water Efficiency Fund in March 2013, in which up to 90% of the cost for water audits and meter installation, subject to a maximum cap of $30,000, can now be co-funded by the Water Efficiency Fund.
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With these mandatory submissions, PUB will also be enhancing the Water Efficiency Fund to better support companies on efforts such as recycling or the alternative uses or re-use of water. Every drop of water saved through these measures will enable our limited water resources to go further and to strengthen our long-term water security.
Let me now turn to the issue of flash floods. Mr Seah Kian Peng asked for an update on PUB's efforts. PUB has adopted a comprehensive \"Source-Pathway-Receptor\" approach to managing storm water and we have been actively upgrading our entire drainage system. In 2012 and 2013, drainage improvement projects at 105 locations were completed. With your permission, Mdm Chair, I would like to display some slides on the LED screens.
The Chairman: Yes, please. [Slides were shown to hon Members.]
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: These drainage improvement works involve constructing new drains, upgrading existing drains to meet the higher design standards. The Geylang River is one example. It is one where we have increased the flow capacity. There are also on-going projects at 165 other locations across the island, most of which will be completed within the next three years. In addition, projects at 32 more locations will commence later this year. This is a massive distributed upgrading programme across our drainage network. Just bear in mind that we have over 7,000 km worth of drains to work on.
Construction of the Stamford Detention Tank, which is located at Tyersall Avenue, next to the Botanic Gardens, has started and it will complete by 2016. You will recall that this tank, together with the Stamford Diversion Canal, will raise the level of flood protection for the entire Stamford Canal catchment, which includes the Orchard Road area which was previously affected by flash floods. I acknowledge that there will be some inconvenience; you will see many obstacles and construction work at many places across Singapore. I appeal for tolerance and support from members of the public in order to let us get these projects done quickly.
Let me also state that we cannot totally eliminate all floods. Despite our best efforts, flash floods may still occur in certain locations during intense storms. We have seen some evidence of a rising trend over the past 30 years towards higher rainfall intensities and more frequent intense rains. Anecdotally, Members would also have observed that in their daily lives. PUB will do its best
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to provide timely alerts on rising water levels and flash floods to the public through our various channels, for instance on radio, Twitter, Facebook, various mobile apps both on the Apple and as well as the Android platforms. You will see data being made available in real time. You will even see \"live\" video feeds from PUB available in real time.
The purpose of all these is, first, to demonstrate transparency; secondly, to allow people to take adequate precautions to react to dynamic situations; and, third, to allow everyone to generate collective solutions. Be part of the solution, do not just complain about the problem.
Let me move on to air quality. We suffered our worst episode of transboundary haze in June last year. This year, unfortunately, the haze situation has begun even earlier. The slash and burn activities have led to a resurgence of hotspots in Sumatra. It is worrying that the current levels of haze experienced in Sumatra, in particular Riau, even today, is worse than it was in June last year.
Right now, we are just lucky that the winds are not blowing the haze from Sumatra to us. Right now, there are about 86 hotspots in Peninsular Malaysia, so the northeast wind is bringing some of that smoke to Singapore.
On top of that, you may recall I posted a photo of a fire in MacRitchie Reservoir last week, probably due to someone carelessly throwing a cigarette butt, and that leading to the dry underbrush and the grass catching fire.
That is why even now our air quality has gone into the moderate range and many Singaporeans tell me they can smell a burning smell in the air. This indicates that haze pollution is a recurrent problem that will continue to plague us in Singapore and, indeed, in the region.
Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Mr Charles Chong asked for updates. Let me state right at the onset that given the transboundary nature of it, this is not something we can solve in Singapore on our own. It requires a bilateral and multilateral approach. Most importantly, we need effective investigation and enforcement on the ground at the source of these fires. If that is not done, all the efforts that we make at international fora, as well as the precautions that we take here, will not be sufficient. We need to emphasise this point: that we need effective investigation and enforcement on the ground, at the source. To be honest with you, progress on this front is not as good as we would hope for it to be. The fact that the situation in Riau and Sumatra is worse
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this year than last year is a warning sign.
At the 23rd ASEAN Summit last October, our ASEAN leaders agreed to adopt the ASEAN Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System (AHMS) which would help us pinpoint companies that practise illegal land clearing activities. However, let me also be brutally frank with Members in this House, we have not yet received the concession maps from the Indonesian authorities. Without these official concession maps, the ASEAN Haze Monitoring System will not be able to achieve its intended purpose.
We have made formal requests to Indonesia to share evidence and name the companies involved in illegal land clearing practices. So far, deafening silence. They give hazy media interviews, but when we ask for clarity, that is not available. We have stated the Singapore Government's position that regardless of who those companies are, regardless of who owns those companies; give us the evidence, we can use that evidence to take action, we will. And we will prosecute them to the maximum extent of the law.
We still need to work with our neighbours. We need to work with them because we need maps, we need evidence, we need investigation, we need enforcement on the ground. We hope to sign a Memorandum of Understanding later this year which will enable us to renew our bilateral collaborations with Jambi Province in Indonesia. We have previously collaborated with them; we focused on capacity building programmes and on joint projects that could reduce forest and land fires by also teaching the local farmers more sustainable methods of land clearing and of agriculture.
We need to continue to encourage the Indonesian Parliament to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. Indonesia is the last member of ASEAN which has signed but not ratified the agreement. We believe that ratifying it will be a strong signal of the Indonesian government's commitment. But that said, ratifying an agreement on its own will be insufficient if ground measures at the source remain weak.
We agree with Assoc Prof Faishal's view: the root cause of haze is commercial. Simply put, it is cheaper for companies to clear land by illegal burning than to do so with any other method. Therefore, last month, Members will recall that we announced plans to enact a new law on transboundary haze pollution. We have published this; we have asked for public feedback; in due time after considering the feedback, I will bring it to this House.
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This law, if approved by the House, will allow us to take to task, not only local companies, but foreign companies that cause transboundary haze in Singapore. As Mr Yee Jenn Jong has pointed out, there will be challenges even if we pass this law because we still the need the cooperation of authorities elsewhere to gather sufficient evidence to enable conviction in court.
Nevertheless, despite the difficulties, I would encourage Members of this House to support the Bill when we do bring it to this House because we need to send a clear and unequivocal signal that we will not condone irresponsible commercial actions that put the health of Singaporeans at risk. I invite all you to peruse the draft version of the Bill which is on the REACH website and please send me your considered opinions directly.
The haze episode also underlies a wider global concern about the transboundary environmental impact of actions of other countries. At the International Conference on Transboundary Pollution that was organised recently – two weeks ago – by the NUS Centre for International Law, the legal experts agreed that clearer international rules are necessary and we also need effective institutions on the ground. We also need strong regional cooperation mechanisms. As such, the Government has decided to appoint an International Advisory Panel on Transboundary Pollution. Let me just share the Terms of Reference of this panel. This panel is to study and advise the Government on the following:
(a) on the trends and developments in international law relating to transboundary pollution;
(b) on the issues arising under international law from the impact of transboundary pollution; and
(c) on the related solutions and practical steps which Singapore can adopt.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has asked Prof Jayakumar and Prof Tommy Koh to co-chair this international panel. It will consist of distinguished legal experts both locally as well as from abroad and we look forward to receiving their recommendations, including the options available to Singapore under International Law, later in this year.
Few of us think about air quality until the haze comes and affects our daily activities. Indeed, air quality is an essential part of our quality of life. It is the reason many companies or the executives of many companies prefer to relocate
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and bring their families here rather than in other cities.
In August 2012, even before the onset of last year's haze, we announced stricter air quality standards for 2020 and beyond and we benchmarked our targets against the WHO Air Quality Guidelines (AQG). We also started reporting PM2.5 concentrations – the exact raw concentrations – alongside the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) because the PSI already reflected five other pollutants, including PM10 and sulphur dioxide. This was, in fact, our first step in the journey towards integrating, improving and simplifying our air quality reporting system. That is why Members will have noticed that since August 2012, when you look at our air quality reports, you will see two sets of figures. There is the PSI and there is the PM2.5.
Well, we have decided to simplify the system further, and we will incorporate the PM2.5 into the PSI. This revised single index will reflect whichever of the six pollutant parameters is the worst. In reality, in our current context, we expect therefore that the PSI will actually be determined almost all the time by the levels of PM2.5. And as a doctor, I think this is reasonable because, in fact, it is PM2.5 that we are most concerned with as far as its impact on health is concerned.
In addition to revising the PSI, I have also asked NEA to publish the raw one-hour PM2.5 concentrations every hour. In summary, we will simplify the reporting system, but we will also publish far more raw data. I believe this raw data will be useful to academics and scientists who are studying this problem, and it also demonstrates complete transparency on our part. These changes will be made in May 2014. My Ministry will publish more details in a press release later today.
To improve our air quality, we also need to reduce our own local emissions. My Ministry and MTI have worked with the major emitters to reduce their sulphur dioxide emissions in Singapore. For instance, the refineries and power plants – the generating companies that generate our electricity – have been very cooperative and they understand that it is in their own self-interest to also ensure that their operations in Singapore are \"best-in-class\". For example, our power plants have increasingly switched to using cleaner natural gas. I believe over 90% of electricity is produced using natural gas, and this is the cleanest fossil fuel available. We will continue to work with these major emitters to
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further reduce and improve our sulphur dioxide profiles.
For the transport sector, diesel vehicles are major contributors to PM2.5. Tighter emission standards for diesel vehicles as well as for petrol vehicles and motorcycles are being mandated in the course of this year. We are also considering tightening the standard for petrol vehicles to Euro V or perhaps even Euro VI by 2017.
To answer Mr Charles Chong, these emission standards will apply to new and locally-registered vehicles. For foreign-registered diesel vehicles, we make sure that they comply with a strict smoke opacity limit test and this is imposed on all diesel vehicles. We pay special attention at the Causeway and the Second Link, and turn away pollutive foreign vehicles. We believe this is needed in order to safeguard the air quality in Singapore.
My Ministry and MOT implemented the Early Turnover Scheme last April to encourage the early replacement of old diesel commercial vehicles and we wanted them to replace these old vehicles with the newer and less pollutive Euro V diesel models. The Finance Minister announced in his Budget Statement that we will enhance the scheme to improve the take-up rates.
Let me share some details at this point. With effect from tomorrow, the COE bonus for light commercial diesel vehicles will be doubled from 10% to 20% of the remainder of the vehicle's 20-year lifespan. For heavy commercial diesel vehicles, the COE bonus will be increased from 30% to the maximum 100%. In other words, one full year's worth of bonus COE for every year of the vehicle lifespan remaining.
Let me simplify and give you an example. Based on the last Category C Prevailing Quota Premium which I think was about $50,000, an owner of a heavy goods vehicle that has, say, about five years of lifespan and a remaining COE life of three years, would only have to pay $10,000 to get a brand new full 10-year COE if he upgrades to a more environmentally friendly Euro V vehicle. We will also extend the duration of this Early Turnover Scheme by one year, until 30 April 2016. NEA and LTA will release more details on the enhancements later this afternoon.
Pollution from vehicles is also affected by the fuel that they burn. Currently, we only regulate the content of sulphur and lead in petrol and vehicle. But we know that other parameters also affect vehicle emissions. For instance, benzene is carcinogenic and there are other elements like polyaromatics and olefins and
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other contaminants and pollution within petrol and diesel which also impact human health. Therefore, we have decided to regulate the other parameters of petrol and diesel, and we would impose these new changes by 2017 in order to further improve the tailpipe emissions of all vehicles in Singapore.
With all these initiatives and the measures that we will put in place, I am optimistic that we will achieve our 2020 targets and then continue to make improvements beyond that.
Let me now turn to dengue. Last year, we saw a historic high, 22,170 cases, or 50% more than the previous peak in 2005. From the beginning of 2014 until last Friday, we have an additional 3,075 cases. Unfortunately, eight persons died last year. Each one is one too many, and we extend our condolences to the families of these eight. Let me put the situation in context.
We are in a dengue endemic region. The threat of dengue cannot be eliminated totally. Even if we were to at one point eliminate it totally, it would continue to come in because this is in the region. When we are dealing with dengue, there are three parameters: the virus, the mosquito and human immunity. In this particular outbreak, this is due to a switch in the virus that is infecting us, in particular, a new DENV-1 virus has emerged and swept through Singapore like wild fire. Because we have very low immunity against it, right now, if you take 100 patients with dengue, 85 of them will be infected with this new Dengue Type 1 virus.
Mr Charles Chong, Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Ms Faizah Jamal and Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about the actions that we have taken or need to take. Let me deal first with the point of vaccine – Ms Lim brought that up. The problem with dengue is that there are at least four different serotypes. Right now, what is infecting us is DENV-1. The problem is that your vaccine has to be equally effective against all four. Otherwise, if you have partial immunity, you might put the patient at higher risk. What we do know from a medical point of view; if you have been infected by one serotype, you have immunity against that. But you can be infected by the second, third or fourth serotype. In fact, it is your second or third infection where you already have partial immunity to another serotype which may put you at higher clinical risk of dengue shock syndrome or dengue hemorrhagic fever.
The point I am trying to make is that I agree with you the long-term solution is the vaccine. But in the short term, no safe vaccine is available yet, and I cannot in good conscience promote vaccination at this point in time. Nevertheless, it is
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something which we have to keep an eye out for. That is the ultimate long-term solution.
So, if we cannot affect immunity on one hand and we have got this new DENV-1 sweeping through us, on the other hand, what can we do about it? There is still one more parameter which we can do something about and that is source eradication – breeding of mosquitoes in our homes and our neighbourhoods.
One question I asked NEA, is this outbreak because we are suddenly having a lot more Aedes aegypti breeding spots? I looked at all the figures. Our NEA officers have conducted 5 million inspections and identified 20,000 breeding spots last year. These are not small numbers. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for the hard and thankless job which they do. But, after 5 million inspections, we discovered that in fact the increase in breeding was not that significant. It was an increase of about 10% only. But this 10% increase in breeding, superimposed with the new virus which we have very low immunity against, led to this explosive situation which we have now, which comes to my point.
At this point in time, the main area where we have any leverage on is source eradication. That is why we have been pushing so hard to eliminate breeding sites. Even if NEA continues to do 5 million, or 10 million inspections in a year, we know that the mosquitoes only need one week to breed. It is not possible for NEA officers to inspect every single premise in every single home and site every single week of the year. Therefore, it still means we as home owners, as premises managers, as Town Councils, have to do our part. We cannot leave it entirely to the NEA officers alone.
Let me also state that construction sites have been one area of particular concern. In 2013, 10% of the 12,000 inspections conducted in construction sites were found to be breeding mosquitoes. That is an unacceptably high number. Because of that, we had to take strong enforcement actions. We have levied fines: I think the total fines levied on contractors exceeded $3.5 million in 2013.
We have had to impose tougher penalties. We issued 55 stop-work orders and we took 26 contractors to Court. The message we were trying to send to the contractors was that we need to strengthen our housekeeping and our environmental management onsite and that we will not hesitate to take strong and tough action because 10% is an unacceptably high rate of breeding. I am glad to say that the most recent figures for breeding at construction sites have
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dropped to about 4%. But I think we can still continue to make improvements.
I would also like to assure Ms Faizah Jamal that there have been concerted efforts to improve coordination amongst different Government Ministries. I totally agree with her. We have an Inter-agency Task Force set up in 2005, which comprises 27 different Government agencies as well as private associations like the Singapore Contractors Association. This Task Force meets regularly to review the dengue data as well as to roll out best practices in each agency's area of responsibility. NEA typically would inspect the premises of other Government agencies every three months – the longest gap we would accept is up to six months.
If breeding is found, we take action, we levy fines on them. Yesterday, I told my Permanent Secretary that maybe we should consider adding mosquito breeding into the KPIs of the individual officers concerned. Maybe if it impacts their bonuses rather than just the fines, it would get even more personal attention and accountability. Anyway, we would not absolve Government departments of their responsibility to protect the environment.
The dengue outbreak is not over yet, although the numbers have come down significantly. For now, we are hovering at about 200 cases or so a week. We will continue to deploy new tools to enhance our operations. One example is Gravitraps. These are containers with water to attract gravid, or pregnant mosquitoes to come and lay eggs; and when they lay the eggs, they are then trapped by these contraptions.
The purpose of this is two-fold: one is that it acts as a trap, so we are also trying to reduce the population; secondly, it gives us early surveillance of where the mosquitoes are, the type of mosquitoes and just as important, the type of viruses that the mosquitoes are carrying. These Gravitraps have both an eradication function as well as a surveillance function. We are rolling them out on a pilot basis. We started first in Bukit Panjang because Dr Teo Ho Pin has been championing this, and in Clementi. I appeal to the other Town Councils that as and when you feel that there is a need in your area, please cooperate with the NEA officers and allow the deployment of these Gravitraps in your areas.
Members will also be glad to know – and I think Ms Sylvia Lim brought it up – that there is an active local research scene on dengue immunology, on vaccines and on anti-viral drugs. The institutions involved in this include the Singapore Immunology Network of A*STAR, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, NUS,
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Duke-NUS and Novartis Institute of Tropical Diseases. NEA will fully support all these research efforts; we share all our data, epidemiologic data as well as our biological samples with them. We hope that the breakthroughs would arise from this work in Singapore.
Mdm Chair, let me quickly move on now to the issue of self-reliance in an uncertain world. And I agree with Miss Penny Low on the importance of engaging and educating the community in building resilience. If you have seen what has happened in haze, dengue and flash foods, we have to inform and educate the public and provide real-time information.
We also need to have more efficient use of resources, such as energy, to enhance our resilience. Since 2008, we have progressively introduced labelling, standards and outreach programmes to encourage the adoption of energy-efficient appliances, which have helped households save money. Both consumers and suppliers have responded positively. In fact, energy-efficient appliances are also becoming more affordable. In 2012, a four-tick fridge cost about the same as a two-tick model, on average. In order to protect consumers from being locked into the high operating cost of inefficient appliances, we have tightened efficiency standards further. We will also be enhancing energy labels to give more information so that consumers can make informed choices.
In industries, we want to promote energy-efficiency. We enacted the Energy Conservation Act. It came into effect in April last year. One hundred and sixty-six of the most energy-intensive companies are now registered with NEA under this Act.
Mr Seah Kian Peng asked for the efforts in the public sector to improve energy efficiency. We also have to lead by example. Since 2006, public agencies have been actively carrying out energy efficiency improvements to their buildings under the Public Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental Sustainability (PSTLES) initiative. Nineteen large public sector buildings have retrofitted, or are in the process of retrofitting, their chiller plants for greater efficiency. Such retrofits typically reduce the building energy consumption by 16% and the retrofitting of these 19 buildings will lead to at least $7.3 million in annual savings.
I am now going to take a break and ask Second Minister Grace Fu to share with you our efforts in food safety and affordability, and a clean and sustainable
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environment.
The Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): Mdm Chair, may I start my speech in Mandarin? Also, may I have your permission to show some visuals?
The Chairman: Yes, please. [Slides were shown to hon Members.]
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Let me begin with a topic that Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Low Thia Khiang care about – hawker centres.
As the saying goes, \"We eat to live and live to eat\". Having meals at hawker centres is an integral part of Singaporeans' lifestyle. It is where a good variety of food is available, prices are affordable and the environment is hygienic. In fact, some tourists also choose to patronise hawker centres, to sample authentic local food.
Madam, I refer to the slides on the LED screen. From these photographs, we can see that hawker centres of today offer a clean and comfortable environment for us to have a meal. I am sure that we all have our favourite local dish, and stalls that we like to frequent. From time to time, we exchange information on where to find good food. So, I would say that a hawker centre is not just a place where we can have a meal. It is also a place where families, friends and colleagues bond with one another. Hence, hawker centres play a unique and important role in our lives. Through our love for local food, we become closer to one another and we also create many shared memories. All these help to strengthen our identity as a Singaporean.
The history of hawker centres dates back to the 1970s. Back then, we started building hawker centres to re-house roadside hawkers so that they can continue their business in a clean and hygienic environment. However, due to economic development and demographic changes, the social role of hawker centres is also evolving.
Today, there are more dual-income families. In order to save time, many of these families choose to eat out. Furthermore, working hours have become more flexible and diverse, and Singaporeans' needs with regard to food are also changing. Due to work arrangements, many Singaporeans would like hawker
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centres to extend their operating hours, or to operate for the whole day.
However, due to an ageing population, our hawker centres also face some challenges. Many first generation hawkers cannot find successors to continue their trade. Many cleaners at hawker centres today are also getting old.
In 2011, we announced plans to build 10 new hawker centres. Since then, my colleagues at MEWR have been thinking deep and hard about the kind of new generation hawker centres that should be built, and whether or not we should continue with the current operating model.
We have also asked Singaporeans for ideas and suggestions, and the public has been generous with their feedback, giving us valuable suggestions. Some of them hope that hawker centres can extend their operating hours, some hope that hawker centres can be more vibrant while others hope that it can provide job opportunities for the disadvantaged. And some also suggested that we enhance the design of tray return collection points and also centralise dishwashing facilities.
Mr Yeo, Mr Liang and Mr Low asked about the management model of hawker centres. In our consideration, new generation hawker centres should be vibrant and viable, and be able to meet the changing needs of our population. We considered carefully all the suggestions, including suggestions on the management model. We hope that some of these new ideas will benefit all Singaporeans, especially residents who live near the hawker centres. We have already taken the first step by allowing NTUC Foodfare to try out their non-profit operating model at Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre, which is due for completion next year.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and Mr Low Thia Khiang referred to the closure of Kampung@Simpang Bedok. This is a privately-run food centre, which closed down recently. We should understand that for privately-run food establishments, some may succeed while others may not. More importantly, when considering the different operating models, we look for models that will benefit both the stall-holders and the residents. We are still in the process of considering the suggestions received. But as I said, the interests of residents and stall-holders will be at the core of our decision.
At the same time, we are also looking at other suggestions to improve the operation of hawker centres. For example, NEA is now working with NTUC's e2i, to look into how we can centralise dishwashing. As for Mr Yeo, I think he will
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be happy to know that Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre will be having centralised dishwashing facilities. However, due to space constraints, we are unable to do so for all the hawker centres, especially for some existing hawker centres. We are also looking at how to segregate food waste, so that recycling can be effectively performed within the hawker centres. Some of these ideas will be piloted at selected hawker centres later on.
Whichever the model chosen, the availability of affordable hawker food is our main objective. While it is the hawkers that determine the prices, my Ministry can help to control their business costs through fair and sensible policies, ensuring that the public can continue to enjoy affordable food.
First of all, we will build 10 new hawker centres in the next few years. This will add several hundred stalls to the market in the next few years, keeping a lid on rental pressure. The centres at Bukit Panjang and Hougang started construction last year, and will be completed next year. The centre at Tampines also began construction at the beginning of this year. Another five centres, including the centre at Yishun that Er Lee Bee Wah had talked about, will begin construction this year.
Secondly, since March 2012, we have removed the reserve rents in our tender exercises for hawker centre stalls. Since then, NEA has awarded 417 stalls or 57% of all awarded stalls at bids lower than what would have been the reserve rents. That means we have rented these stalls out at prices below the reserve rents. We have also allowed the award of stalls to single bidders after consecutive tenders where there were no competitive bids. Since April 2012, we have awarded 89 stalls to single bids. These lower tendered bids also influence the valuers' assessment of market rentals which are used when tenancies are renewed. Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked about this rental policy. I hope that I have clarified this issue.
Thirdly, we have also disallowed the sub-letting and assignment of stalls. This will eliminate the use of hawker stalls as an investment. This will ensure that prices of these rental stalls continue to remain affordable so that those who have genuine interest will join this trade/profession.
Ms Lim and Mr Yeo have also asked about specific issues related to the cleaning of hawker centres. Out of 107 hawker centres that we have today, close to 80% of them are owned by HDB. The remaining 20% are owned by MEWR.
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HDB hawker centres are located within the common areas of an HDB estate. Therefore, the Town Councils undertake the general cleaning of these hawker centres because they fall under the common areas. Hawkers will take care of the general cleaning of the tables. Currently, this table-cleaning function is usually outsourced collective through the hawker associations. How did this division of duties come about?
Under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) regulations, stall-holders are individually responsible for ensuring that tables are cleaned, and their used crockery and utensils are cleared away. In fact, in the early days, hawkers used to handle these tasks on their own. They collected their own crockery and cleaned the tables. But times have changed. Hawkers now outsource table-cleaning duties to contractors through hawker associations.
Most Town Councils and Hawker Associations have been managing the responsibilities of these centres very well. However, there are cases where improvements can be made. We think that if Town Councils integrate general cleaning and table-cleaning contracts, they would achieve better results. Town Councils should consider doing so to enjoy the economies of scale.
NEA's role is to regulate and also ensure the high standards of public hygiene and food safety at all eating establishments including restaurants, coffeeshops and hawker centres. NEA conducts regular inspections of eating establishments and takes enforcement action where there are hygiene lapses. However, as there are many food establishments, over 34,000 of them, which are regulated by NEA, it cannot possibly step in and take over the cleaning of food establishments whenever hygiene conditions are less than satisfactory.
(In English): I now turn to the topic of public cleanliness. NEA formed the Department of Public Cleanliness (DPC) on 1 April 2012 to better integrate and manage the cleaning of public functions that fall under the responsibility of different Government agencies. DPC is in the process of rolling out seven new integrated public cleaning contracts. This way, we aim to achieve a coordinated and effective cleaning regime so that Singaporeans can enjoy clean public spaces.
To address Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Ms Sylvia Lim's queries, private estates are cleaned at least three times a week and DPC checks the levels of cleanliness in these areas at least once every three weeks. Hotspot areas are inspected daily.
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Where there are accessibility issues for mechanised equipment as a result of vehicle parking, we deploy cleaners to manually clean affected areas. Cleaners are also deployed to clean the pavements and grass verges. NEA will explore with other agencies, such as LTA, measures, including those suggested by Ms Sylvia Lim, to improve the accessibility of such areas for cleaning.
Residents can also play a part. One such example is in New York City where, to facilitate street cleaning, residents park at stipulated sides of the road during certain time periods. We will explore suggestions and we welcome suggestions on how we can improve cleaning in these areas.
NEA monitors the performance of cleaning companies. If any cleaning lapses are observed, we will issue demerit points which are translated into financial penalties. Cleaning contractors were fined a total of $1.3 million in penalties in 2013.
NEA is also the regulator of the cleaning industry in Singapore. The Environmental Public Health Act was revised to put in place a licensing regime for the cleaning industry. Licensing conditions include a progressive wage requirement and training. By offering better wages and training, we believe that this will uplift the professionalism and productivity of the industry.
The training requirements under the regime are not onerous. Each worker only needs to undergo at least one module under the EC WSQ Framework to meet the requirement. A module can be as short as eight hours, yet this training can be very effective. I would like to show a visual of this. The top photo shows the e2i conducting courses at hawker centres during the off-peak timing so as to allow cleaners the opportunity to get proper training. The picture at the bottom actually shows the cleaners being trained to use different detergents on different surfaces to effectively clean different types of stains.
The Government is walking the talk on the Progressive Wage Model. NEA currently employs 270 Environmental and Higher Environmental Support Assistants (ESA/HESAs) to keep the streets in private estates clean. Their jobs have been redesigned – both horizontally by expanding their job scope and introducing mechanisation processes, and vertically by giving some the opportunity to handle more complex equipment or by giving them supervisory roles. One of our Environmental Support Assistants is Mr Suaidi. He has been in his job for about 20 years. Before the introduction of mechanisation, he carried out his routine cleaning works – such as the sweeping of dry leaves – using a broom and pan, the conventional method of cleaning. This could be
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physically taxing and was usually a slow process, especially when there was heavy shedding of leaves. We have introduced machines such as the Billygoat, which is an industrial outdoor vacuum that will help make such cleaning works easier.
For those with additional skill sets, such as the ability to handle more complex equipment, they will be trained for supervisory roles. One such example is Mr Mohd Noor. He has been helping to keep Singapore clean for over 40 years. Even though he did not receive formal education, he is now a Higher Environmental Support Assistant. And he is showing me in a photo here how he is using the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) to manage the performance of his team of 10 ESAs. He does so by sending pictures of the site situation to NEA's self-reporting system using the device. In general, with the job re-design scheme, Environmental and Higher Environmental Support Assistants now have a starting salary range of $1,300 to $1,400, up from the previous salary range by about 4%-5%. This was commensurate with the increases in productivity.
Questions have been raised by Members in the earlier discussions on the effectiveness of this training requirement. We would like to stress that the training has proven to be very effective and we hope that the Members will give us their support. Our cleaners deserve to be paid better and be given the opportunity to do so through training and productivity uplift. The cleaning industry needs to uplift productivity through these processes.
In regulating the industry, we adopt several approaches to maintain high levels of public cleanliness. We enforce against litterbugs, we encourage ground-up initiatives and we establish values and norms.
First, we are expanding our use of video surveillance to better apprehend litterbugs, and here are some pictures. Since September 2012, we have deployed cameras at more than 700 locations. Footages from these cameras helped us to enforce against 95 litterbugs last year, up from the average of five a year previously before cameras were used. I was asking about this photo and I was trying very hard to identity the litter. But actually when the staff explained to me, it becomes very apparent. This person in the picture here is actually putting a dust pan over the window and pouring out all the dust and litter that she has collected over the window.
We have taken a very strong view on this matter. Killer litter, or litter that injures any person, will be investigated by the Police and can result in the
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litterbug being sent to jail. We are also working out a pilot scheme to leverage on equipment of other agencies so that we can use the footages from their video cameras to identify and enforce against litterbugs.
We will now show a short video clip of this in action. You can see that this motorcyclist parked his vehicle at the side. The CCTV was there actually for enforcement of traffic but, as you can see, by identifying the number plate of the motorcycle, we could also nab him for other offences such as littering.
We have stepped up our enforcement hours by almost 50% since April 2013. Over 9,300 smokers were fined and almost 9,400 tickets were issued for littering in 2013.
We have tightened our rules. We doubled the court fines for littering for the first and second convictions. For third and subsequent convictions, the litterbug can be fined up to $10,000.
Second, we need to go beyond employing cleaners and enforcement if we truly want to have a more sustainable solution to uphold public cleanliness. A recent survey showed that the majority of Singaporeans – 60% – would not litter because they know that it is inherently wrong to do so. But there are the other 40% who indicated that they would litter if they are not being watched. We need to convert this 40%. We need to engender social graciousness and encourage everyone to play their part in keeping Singapore clean.
For a more long-term solution, we must start by establishing positive norms from young. And I agree with Mr Gan Thiam Poh that schools in Japan and Taiwan offer us very, very good examples and we should learn from these systems. Dr Teo will also be pleased to note that we have a \"green education programme\" with the schools, though not by that name. NEA has partnered MOE to pilot new cleaning routines for students as part of the new Character and Citizenship Education curriculum. However, if our children see rampant littering as they step out of the school compound – that is, if the social norm is out of line with what is being taught in school – the teaching will not be effective. Thus, we need the family and the community to reinforce the positive messages of a socially gracious Singapore.
Our volunteers in the Community Volunteer Scheme do this by approaching and educating people against littering. We have trained 127 volunteers who have since approached 483 litterbugs.
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I will like to reiterate my thanks to the many cleaners, NEA enforcement officers, NGOs and volunteers. They make a discernible impact on the quality of our everyday lives.
Let me move on to smoking. Our long-term goal is to prohibit smoking in public areas except at designated smoking points. We are considering extending the smoking prohibition in more areas and further developing and expanding the use of designated smoking points. We hope that both smokers and non-smokers can work together with us to reduce the effect of second-hand smoke in our environment.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang's example of his residents' feedback of their neighbours' smoking habits highlights another area where we hope smokers can be more mindful of the effects of their smoking habit. We encourage residents who are affected by smoke or cigarette butts to discuss and resolve this issue amicably with their neighbours.
We worked with Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and her Nee Soon South constituency to pilot a community-led smoke-free zone. Six designated smoking points have been set up in the trial period of one year and we encourage smokers to only smoke in these areas. We hope that by providing smokers with such smoking points, smokers are encouraged to act responsibly in the interest of non-smokers.
On noise – noise is another \"pollutant\" of concern these days. We tried to address this with a \"no-work rule\" on Sundays and Public Holidays for construction sites. I am pleased to note that since the phasing in of this rule in late 2011, noise-related complaints on Sundays and Public Holidays have fallen significantly by 30%.
Last month, NEA announced that the Government has put $10 million into a Quieter Construction Fund to promote the use of quieter construction machines, noise control equipment and the adoption of innovative solutions. I would like to encourage construction firms to tap this fund. I also appeal for tolerance towards construction work noise if it is within limits, especially for ongoing critical infrastructure work such as MRT lines or hospitals, so that the welfare of Singaporeans can be better served.
On the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme, we have completed 23 ABC Waters projects island-wide. We have recently completed projects at Sungei Ulu Pandan, Sungei Pandan and the Geylang River. The
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project at Rochor Canal is expected to be completed by the end of this year. I am glad to announce that work on seven additional projects will commence this year. These include the Pang Sua Pond, a section of Kallang River from Upper Boon Keng Road to Sims Avenue, and a subsidiary drain of Alexandra Canal between Tiong Bahru Road and Outram Road. PUB is reviewing future projects for this programme. Mr Heng Chee How will be glad to know that one of these projects is located at Sungei Whampoa, between Whampoa Drive and Kim Keat Road. This is to tie in with the public housing development and the upgrading work for Whampoa Community Centre in the vicinity. Through greater access to our waterways, we can better appreciate the centrality of water and this very precious resource every day.
For an ABC project to work, the involvement of community partners is important. And one of my favourite visuals of this is actually a picture of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. I would like to show the visual now. This picture of a family enjoying the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, nicely encapsulates the work of my Ministry. We are determined to do our best to create a liveable and sustainable Singapore for our present and future generations. A Singapore that is free of litter, one where our children can play with the water and not fear catching diseases, a home with clear skies and fresh air. And, hopefully, not a whole lot of enforcement officers running around.
We have made progress on many fronts, but we cannot accomplish this alone. We call on everyone to play his or her part for a cleaner and greener Singapore. We need to draw on traits found within each of us – of kindness, graciousness, tolerance and care for others in our community. I will now leave it to Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to conclude our remarks for our Ministry.
The Chairman: Minister Vivian.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Thank you, Mdm Chair. In the interest of time, let me quickly address the questions by Dr Teo Ho Pin and Miss Penny Low on Sustainable Singapore Blueprint (SSB). First, let me state that this is not a purely environmental project. The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint requires the whole-of-Singapore approach. It involves MEWR, MND, MTI, MOT and a whole lot of agencies. I just want to highlight the excellent speech by Mr Desmond Lee yesterday on the work that is being done by NParks on the Central Catchment Area, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Pulau Ubin. Recall the work that PUB has done; Ms Grace Fu has just showed Members the ABC Waters projects in which we now have 959 hectares of water bodies and 93 km of waterways open to the public for recreation. We intend to progressively open more of that. We have also seen progress in skyrise greenery, green space, and the expansion of
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park connectors.
We have worked with MTI and MOT on reducing pollution. We are also working with industries to upgrade their energy efficiency and reduce smoke stack emissions. With NEA, we have various schemes in place to promote better conservation of resources and also to incentivise recycling. Our overall recycling rate is around 60%, but at the domestic level, it is only around 20%. Members would have noticed that we have recycling bins progressively placed in every single block in HDB estates. To promote recycling, certain new precincts even have double chutes – one chute for general waste and another chute for recycling.
Talking about park connectors, I was very glad that on Saturday, I cycled with another 1,000 cyclists. We covered 44 km. We went to East Coast, Changi, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Bedok, Tampines, Bedok and back to East Coast. All 44 km on park connectors; only a few places where we had to dismount to cross roads. The point is our park connectors and cycling networks will continue to expand and, of course, there are plans for the railway corridors.
The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint has to be forward looking. We have to generate practical and ambitious targets, and pragmatic plans. This will flesh out over the next few months as we embark on the public consultation exercise, and I hope Members will support us on this.
Let me just conclude, Madam. Today's Singapore is a thriving, liveable, clean, green and beautiful city, but it did not come about by chance. Singapore has been very fortunate because our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a pragmatic environmentalist even before going green became fashionable. He understood and pursued a philosophy of growing our economy whilst protecting the environment. He saw these two pillars as mutually reinforcing; not a zero sum game. It was Mr Lee who oversaw the launch of the \"Keep Singapore Clean\" campaign in 1968. I was struck by the obituary for Mr Chua Sian Chin, the former Health Minister. He was asked about his most significant contribution to Singapore and replied that it was to start the \"Keep Singapore Clean\" campaign.
What we have now is a legacy built over many decades. I thank all Members of the House and the public for their support over these decades, and I look
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forward to your continued support and commitment in the decades to come.
The Chairman: We have a bit of time for clarifications. Er Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Thank you, Madam. I have one clarification. Did Minister mention that for the third-time offenders for littering, the fine can be $10,000? Is that correct? Was there anyone being fined that amount?
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: That is correct. That has just been put through Parliament, so we have not had the experience of fining a person a third time.
Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Thank you, Madam. Two clarifications for the Second Minister. First, regarding the cleaning of private estates, she mentioned in her reply where the constraints do not allow mechanised cleaning, manual cleaners are deployed to sweep up. That is not what my residents observed. Some of them are retirees, so they are able to observe this during the day. They find that there is an absence of such sweepers to do the work, so I do not know whether there is a problem in manpower or whatever it is.
The second clarification concerns hawker centres in HDB estates. I understand that for such hawker centres, NEA is the managing agent for HDB to manage the hawker centres. As such, if there are any issues concerning table-top cleaning, I would imagine that NEA should be interested in it, as there may be public health concerns. I would like the Minister to clarify whether NEA should take a proactive stance to try to work with the relevant agencies, including Town Councils and so on, to try to resolve the problem.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Thank you, Mdm Chair, for this opportunity to clarify. I think that we are very interested to hear the feedback on NEA's public cleansing. If there are areas indeed where the sweepers are not there or has not been there for an extended period of time, we will definitely look into it. As I mentioned earlier on, we have a regime to supervise the cleaners and we do have processes in place.
I must appeal to the members of public that we are in an extraordinary period of time. Because of the dry spell, the litter from our trees has been much higher than before. In fact, we have just spoken to the cleaners, and they reported that they are now doing probably three times what they used to have to do. In other words, in the past, they bagged 10 bags of fallen leaves, but right
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now they have to bag 30 bags.
The time taken obviously has been longer than usual, and therefore we appeal for understanding. We will do our very best, particularly if that area is also a hotspot area. In other words, if there is a threat of dengue or mosquito breeding, we will prioritise. But prioritising means that we are taking the resources from somewhere. We will do our best to manage it, but there will be areas where perhaps you will not see the sweepers as often as you have seen them before.
This is an extraordinary period. It is not something that we expect to have seen in the past, nor expect to see going into the future. We hope to get the understanding of all the residents. If we do find that the cleaners have not been performing their duties, as I mentioned in my speech, we will take enforcement action. We will also take action against the cleaning contractors.
On hawker centres in HDB towns, NEA is the management agent as far as the tenancy is concerned. Yes, we are helping HDB to manage matters relating to the tenants. Obviously, as a public health regulator, we have a lot of concerns over the cleanliness and hygiene of our hawker centres. We do have concerns over other F&B outlets as well. If you look at the number of hawker centres in HDB estates, there are far more centres in HDB estates than NEA-managed centres. The synergy is much better with Town Councils, because they are all located within the common areas in our HDB estates.
We urge Town Councils to step in, if you find that indeed the cleaning of a certain area, or table-cleaning is lacking. We hope that you are able to help your hawkers to find amiable solutions. Ultimately, we are all in this together to maintain a high level of public hygiene for our residents, and for our patrons.
Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang): My question is on the haze. I thank the Minister for outlining the measures that have been taken. Just two points. One, I understand that ASEAN countries are cooperating on dealing with this issue. I am wondering if it would be possible under the auspices of cooperation to persuade Indonesia to enact domestic legislation that might hold concession holders strictly liable for damage caused by the haze.
The second suggestion is, if all other measures fail, whether we might even consider action against Indonesia, say in international arbitration. The Trail Smeltercase might be useful for establishing liability for transboundary harm
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from pollution.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I thank the Member for those comments. First, there is domestic legislation in Indonesia that makes it a criminal offence to burn the forests. So, it is not for lack of legislation. My sense is, it is the lack of political will to investigate and to enforce.
On the second point about international law: that is precisely the reason why we decided to appoint an international panel to advise us. We will await their deliberations and their recommendations. We will keep our options open.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Pasir Ris-Punggol): I want to ask the Second Minister this: so far, how many people have been caught by the mobile surveillance cameras moving around the housing estate to catch high-rise littering, and also how effective are these surveillance cameras, and whether the Ministry will increase the number and also the frequency?
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: I have explained in my speech that we have caught several hundreds for high-rise littering. As to the use of mobile cameras at hotspots and the use of cameras of other agencies, we are at the start of a trial process. So, this is still an initial period of our trial and we will keep Members updated in the future.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Ang Mo Kio): For the centralised cleaning arrangement, most of the hawker centres will not have space for NEA to arrange for centralised washing to be possible. If that is the case, will the Ministry consider off-site centralised cleaning arrangements? Or may be coming up with a hybrid system?
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Madam, I would like to clarify that I did not mention that it will not be available at most hawker centres. What I said was that in some of the hawker centres, we may not be able to find space for it, especially for existing centres. But these are ideas that are worth exploring. We will be very keen to pilot some of these ideas that the Member has suggested in selected centres.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Thank you, Mdm Chair. I just want to ask Minister Grace Fu. I found the video on the throwing of cigarette butt quite interesting. May I ask the Minister whether NEA would be relying on CCTVs installed along lamp posts in private estates to take enforcement actions
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against litterbugs?
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Madam, if I may clarify on the remarks to Mr Gan Thiam Poh first. I think earlier on, I mentioned that the number of high-rise litterbugs that have been caught was 95 last year.
As to the point mentioned by Mr Lim Biow Chuan on the use of CCTVs, as I mentioned, we are at the pilot process of using CCTVs of other agencies. We have been able to effectively use LTA CCTVs, for example, in helping us to monitor the flooding situation. We will be using CCTVs that are available and installed by other public agencies, such as LTA and SPF, for enforcement and also for monitoring purposes.
As for the CCTVs at private estates, I suppose once we are clear about the effectiveness of the use of CCTVs, we will consider using all available resources within the Government agencies. Having the CCTVs is one thing, we need to also have the analytics to pick up actions that we would like to enforce. It is not possible for someone to be constantly watching all the CCTV footages available.
Secondly, as I mentioned earlier on, it is because the motorcyclist was sitting at the motorcycle and the licence number was visible that we were able to trace the person. In private estates, unless we are pretty clear who the person is, we may not otherwise be able to find the right person that matches the images.
There are some enforcement issues, but we are very keen to leverage on all existing resources within the Government agencies. We are particularly interested in what MHA has announced about the CCTVs that they are going to install at our void decks. That is a lot of CCTVs for us to consider. Also, all existing and future technologies that will help us put in place a more effective enforcement regime.
The Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office (Mr Heng Chee How): Mdm Chair, at the COS last year, I suggested that NEA also looked at tapping on the video captured by in-car cameras of littering from moving vehicles. That way, you can definitely get the number plate. I hope that that can also complement MEWR and NEA, as they tap into the CCTV network of the Government agencies and make use of the public's spiritedness as well.
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Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: I wanted to thank the Member for the suggestion.
The Chairman: Ms Tin Pei Ling.
Ms Tin Pei Ling (Marine Parade): Thank you, Madam. I would like to thank the Ministers for the effort in terms of keeping the public areas clean. I just want to ask, apart from fines, will be the Ministry consider releasing the names of high-rise litterbugs so that public pressure can be exerted on them because some of them are rather recalcitrant despite the fines. I was wondering if the Ministry will consider releasing their identity so that their neighbours, the community, can also play a role in being vigilant towards this kind of actions.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Madam, we will treat all offenders in an even-handed way as we are doing right now. Some of these charges are made public if they go to court and they could be reported publicly. This is the kind of regime that we have in place right now.
The Chairman: There are no further clarifications. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, do you wish to withdraw your amendment?
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: On behalf of my GPC members, I would like to thank the Minister and his team for working tirelessly in overcoming the whole range of environmental challenges. Whether flash flood or dry spell, act of God or otherwise, we look upon your Ministry to solve the problems.
I would like to take this opportunity to share an email from my young resident, Clarence Lee, which I feel aptly sums up the work of our Ministry: \"Dr Lee, hope you are doing well recently. Thanks to PAP, it is a miracle that we still have no water issues despite the long dry spell. A lot of my friends from other countries have been dropping me messages praising our Government. I am so proud to be Singaporean.\" With that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.
[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The sum of $1,033,389,600 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]
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[(proc text) The sum of $415,667,900 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Committee of Supply – Head W (Ministry of Transport)","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng (Pioneer): Mdm Chair, I beg to move, \"That the total sum to be allocated for Head W of the Estimates be reduced by $100\".
Mdm Chair, my first cut is on rail capacity and reliability. I would like to address this topic in four areas, namely, (a) rail network and capacity; (b) train reliability; (c) commuter expectations; and (d) service recovery plans.
Madam, the Land Transport Master Plan 2013 aims for 75% of trips, during both the morning and evening peak hours, to be made on public transport by 2030. But with transport infrastructure supply lagging demand, we have received incessant feedback about the crowdedness, especially during peak hours.
The Government plans to spend $60 billion in the next decade to improve our public transport system, with the doubling of our rail network to about 360 km by 2030, as one of the key means of increasing public transport mode-share and reducing crowdedness. This long-term plan is commendable.
However, I would like to ask the Minister to provide an update on the near-term rail capacity introduction. Improvements during the next three-year period are crucial so that commuters can experience a better network and a better travel experience earlier rather than to wait till the end of MOT's planning horizon in 2030. Would the Minister also share with this House our rail network expansion plans and how this will translate to rail density improvements over the longer term? How would these plans compare with those of major city states like Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York when they are realised?
Madam, as we know, to make public transport attractive, beyond increasing rail network and capacity, the focus has also to be on improving train reliability. MOT has increased the allowable penalties for breaches, by pegging the maximum penalty to 10% of annual fare revenue of affected rail system. Although this is a good deterrent measure, the penalty itself does not directly prevent the occurrences of breakdowns and does little to appease commuters
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who are affected by these breakdowns.
Commuters have recently seen a spate of train disruptions, with seven incidents in January and February this year on the Compass and Circle Lines. Some of these incidences were very disruptive to commuters, impacting their peak-hour morning commute while some others are less serious but nevertheless inconveniencing commuters. Although nowhere as severe as the two major disruptions that occurred on the North-South Line in December 2011, the increased frequency of train disruptions has further diminished commuters' confidence in the public transport system. The Committee of Inquiry (COI) which was appointed to undertake a study into the causes of the December 2011 disruptions released an in-depth report in July 2012.
This report provided a comprehensive set of recommendations. I believe that a rigorous approach to track and report progress by LTA and the Public Transport Operators (PTOs) would put into sharp focus the efforts and investments that were put to improving train reliability. Thus far, we have not heard very much about how both the PTOs and LTA are tracking the recommendations of the report. Hence, I would like the Minister to provide us an update and also to ask the Minister to share with us preventive measures that were taken outside of the COI's report by both the PTOs and LTA.
As our rail network expands, ages and with increased frequency of train trips, incidences of service disruptions are inevitable and it will be unrealistic to expect 100% service levels at all times. The Government should provide appropriate benchmarks against rail network providers in other major cities and then to set and manage commuters' expectations accordingly.
Mdm Chair, my last point is on service recovery plans. Importantly, given that service disruptions are inevitable – no system can achieve 100% – I would like to ask the Minister to elaborate on the measures that are being taken to manage such incidences after they happen and to reduce the duration and impact of such service disruptions.
Some commuters are making a nexus between fare increases and service reliability. They said that if reliability remains poor, then there should be no fare increase at all. The Fare Review Mechanism Committee (FRMC's) position is that the two issues are separate. This position, I feel, is largely correct because, as the Minister has cited, the majority of commuters are not affected by disruptions as reliability is close to 99.95%. Thus, a blanket freeze in fare increase will adversely impact the PTO's ability to allocate resources to
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preventive maintenance and upkeep.
However, commuters who are impacted by disruptions are credited only for the fare for the failed journey and also provided alternative bus transport to their destinations. This, in my view, does not fully make good the inconveniences borne by these commuters – those who are actually affected by the breakdown. Perhaps, fare credits for future trips, depending on the duration and severity of the disruption experienced by the commuter and level of inconveniences experienced by the commuter would be more just. These fare credits will effectively offset some of the fare increases and also recompense this group of commuters who are actually affected by the breakdowns.
Mr Seng Han Thong (Ang Mo Kio): Madam, lately, train services have been disrupted quite frequently due to different factors. Such incidents have impacted the reliability of the public transport and, at the same time, confidence of commuters in general.
Thus, the recently announced code of practice on incident management framework, with a command structure to handle large-scale disruptions, is crucial and important.
However, it is even more important to prevent such frequent disruptions from happening. May I ask the Minister, how would the \"Predict and Prevent\" whole-life maintenance approach be effective in restoring commuters' confidence and reliability of the train service? How could the Government ensure that the operators will provide for the necessary manpower capabilities and financial resources to fully comply with the \"Predict and Prevent\" whole-life maintenance approach to train service assets? Madam, in Mandarin, please.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The frequent train service disruptions have caused a lot of inconvenience for commuters, undermining their confidence in the reliability of the rail system. This press report has reflected the sentiment very well. The report said, \"Commuters were unhappy with the fact that train services broke down five times within a month. Minister for Transport said he shared the same feeling\".
Residents told me, \"When the train breaks down, the Minister has a sour face. We can understand that.\"
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They also asked me what is \"Predict and Prevent\". I told them, \"Predict\" means predicting that disruptions might happen; \"Prevent\" means stopping them from happening. They then asked me, \"How does the Minister make sure that the train operators invest enough resources to predict and prevent these incidents from happening?\" Hence, I would like to ask the Minister how to solve this issue.
Dr Lily Neo (Tanjong Pagar): Mdm Chair, public transport reliability is a crucial factor in our effort to promote public transport as the mode of choice transport for the majority. Commuters expect high frequency, reliability and punctuality attached to rail travel. But we have failed in meeting their expectations.
Last year, more than 130,000 commuters were affected by disruptions lasting more than an hour each, much the same number as in 2012, although these were less than in 2011. Such disruptions cause angst and anxiety, let alone the substantial loss in economic impact. Would MOT improve further and make an even better effort in curbing disruptions to our rail travel as soon as possible and adopt a zero-tolerance for major rail disruptions of more 30 minutes.
Breakdowns on the 125-year-old 340-km 24-hour New York City Subway averaged one every 266,000 km compared to Singapore's 25-year-old 180-km network breakdown of once every 120,000 km. Could the Minister give an explanation for this stark difference? Is there anything that we can emulate?
The Minister said in this House last month that Singapore's MRT system is more reliable nowadays and I quote, \"We have made some strides in the right direction. But there is certainly room for improvement.\"
May I then ask the Minister what measures are there in place presently to solve or achieve better reliability? Are these measures sufficient and sustainable in the long run? Will the Minister consider prioritising preventive measures to predict and prevent breakdowns before they occur, as mentioned by Mr Seng Han Thong before me? This is particularly useful for older rail systems.
The purpose is to prevent disruptions by correcting faults before complete breakdowns or major disruptions happen. There should be a team to take
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charge of these tasks on a long-term basis to study and predict the disruptions that may take place, either from past experience or from studies of similar happenings encountered by similar rail systems elsewhere. Public transport operators should be mandated to provide this preventive component from the beginning. Instead of just punishing PTOs for breakdowns, we should incentivise them to invest in preventive measures. I feel this approach will enhance reliability.
On bus transportation, may I ask the Minister what has been the progress on the Bus Service Enhancement Programme? Is there still a shortage of bus drivers? Are the new buses put to maximum utilisation? How will the Minister further improve on service standards? May I ask the Minister whether he will review bus routes to provide more efficient and reliable options? Should long routes be shortened in order to increase reliability? Will the Minister also provide timetable bus services that take more than 10 to 15 minutes for buses to arrive at any one place in order to enable commuters to plan for their journeys better?
Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang): Madam, reliability is a fundamental component of service quality for public transport. Recently, the Minister gave an update on two closely watched indicators for train reliability, namely, the number of train delays longer than five minutes and the number of unplanned train withdrawals. Both indicators tracked over every 100,000 km travelled have shown improvement over the past three years. However, these two indicators may not present an accurate picture of our train reliability, especially when our rail network is expanding rapidly.
LTA intends to double our rail network by 2030. If the number of the incidents remains constant every year, these two indicators will show improvement over time because more trips will be added to meet demand when new lines are added. So, we may have a situation where train delays and withdrawals per 100,000 km travelled are coming down every year, but there is hardly any improvement felt on the ground. Such a situation happened twice in 2010 and 2012. The absolute number of delays on the MRT network for these two years went up in the year before but the indicator showed an improvement for each of the years. This anomaly is even more pronounced for the Circle Line
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from 2009 to 2012.
The two indicators highlighted by the Minister make sense only when the length of the rail network and the number of trips are finite to track improvement. This is, indeed, the case for the North-South East-West Line and the North-East Line. For an expanding MRT network as a whole, the two indicators may not give a complete picture whenever new lines are added.
The reliability of our train service is called into question lately for good reasons. It is no longer a given that one will arrive on time by train anymore. Public confidence in our rail network needs to be restored and any improvements highlighted by official data must be felt by the commuters on the ground.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Mdm Chair, the Yishun neighbourhood is growing rapidly. The estate has always been popular among resale flat buyers and, recently, many BTO flats have been announced for Yishun. There are 11 new BTO projects in Nee Soon South alone. In the next four years, the transport infrastructure in Yishun must be expanded accordingly, or it will not be able to adequately cater to the transportation needs of the residents. I am glad to have the Minister's assurance that plans are already envisioned for the enhancement of the MRT network. I would like to ask the Minister: are there new plans to improve the bus capacity for Yishun in general, and Nee Soon South in particular? It is quite obvious that a projected 20% increase in completed public housing dwelling units will lead to an influx in number of public transport users.
Next, I would like to share the sentiments of many public transport users that the standard of service must be improved. It is appalling that so soon after the Public Transport Council announced the fare increases, we see an intermittent breakdown in the train services. Can the Ministry change the formula on the fare increment calculation to include the level of service or the number of service disruptions in the equation?
Finally, I would like to share with this House the challenges that I face in dealing with some Government agencies, in this case, LTA to be specific. After several years of lobbying, I eventually managed to get the funding for the long linkway along Yishun Ring Road that would enable my residents living in Blocks 858 to 864 – seven blocks – to walk to Khatib MRT station, rain or shine. The
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long covered linkway will pass by an SPC petrol kiosk and a Sikh temple. When my architects submitted plans to LTA for approval, we were asked to get a letter of no objection from SPC and the Sikh Temple. The Sikh Temple has been very helpful and gave us the letter very quickly, but not SPC. Until today, we have yet to get the letter of no objection from SPC. Does it mean that the project cannot proceed if SPC refuses to give the letter of no objection? And why does LTA impose such a requirement? Does LTA have to get letters of no objection when LTA wants to do a highway cutting through a residential area, such as for the North-South Expressway?
I met up with SPC representatives yesterday on-site and they cited two reasons – one is safety and the other is that their signboard will be blocked by the linkway. But for safety, my residents have been walking the same way with or without covered linkway, so I do not see the issue. I hope that it is not to cover their backs or look after their interests, be it LTA or SPC. I hope to get some help. With that, thank you.
The Chairman: We can be colourful but be a little bit less colourful in language, I hope. Mr Gerald Giam.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, in January, when the Public Transport Council (PTC) approved hikes in bus and MRT fares, many commuters asked why fares were being raised when they had yet to see satisfactory improvement in service reliability.
The PTC Chairman acknowledged that service reliability needs to improve, but said that this issue should be kept separate from fare raises, which are to cover rising costs for operators.
This is quite baffling for most commuters, myself included. In most service industries, customers demand good service before they agree to pay. But for public transport in Singapore, we seem to be expected to pay more just to get satisfactory service.
Can the Ministry consider revising the fare review formula to incorporate service reliability as one of its components? This will create a direct link between service quality and fare adjustments, and will better align the incentives for transport operators with the interests of commuters.
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Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Madam, I would like to ask the Ministry for an update on the feasibility study into the Rapid Transit System connecting the upcoming Thomson Line with Johor Bahru, and to explain Malaysia's contribution to the study, reported by the mainstream media in Singapore as one of the most expensive commissioned LTA studies, with Singapore quoted to be footing two-thirds of the cost. I would like to enquire how this co-funding was determined and when the findings of this study are likely to be released.
Mr Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio): Previously, I had called for noise barriers to be installed along elevated MRT tracks to reduce noise level from passing trains. Noise barriers stretching from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 have been identified for first phase of installation work and to that, I would like to thank LTA for its expeditious work.
I understand that the tender was awarded in 2013 for this particular project. With regard to the stretch between Avenue 3 and Avenue 5 Ang Mo Kio, the plan was to implement it from 2017 onwards. Whilst I understand that construction will need to be coordinated with our rail enhancement projects like track sleeper replacements and re-signalling works, I think it is important to recognise the urgency as these tracks are located close to high density flats and schools. Hence, I would like to check if LTA can bring forward the pace of installation at these two stretches as well as other areas in Singapore and what are the challenges they face in doing so.
The Chairman: Mr Cedric Foo, you have two cuts. You can take them together.
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Mdm Chair, my cut is on the progress of installing MRT noise abatement barriers. Noise pollution is an increasing problem for high density communities. Following a 2012 year-long noise pollution study of homes near elevated MRT tracks, the Government has announced plans to install 20 km of noise abatement barriers across the island by 2020, as one of the initiatives of the Land Transport Master Plan 2013. These noise abatement barriers were said to cut noise levels by five to 10 decibels, bringing noise levels in these areas to NEA's acceptable limit of 67 decibels.
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I would like to ask the Minister to provide a progress update on the installation of these noise abatement barriers, what sort of barrier designs were chosen and if tests have successfully shown that the noise levels at these hot spots can be adequately reduced to NEA's acceptable levels.
Mdm Chair, my next cut is on the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP). The BSEP started in third quarter 2012. Through a partnership between LTA and the Bus PTOs, about 40 new services were set to be introduced and 800 buses will be added. Out of this, the Government is to fund 550 buses by end-2014, instead of the original plan of 2016. To date, the Government has funded more than 300 buses. The progress of the BSEP on the Government's part has been good and ahead of schedule.
I would like to ask the Minister about the progress, on the part of the two bus PTOs. How many buses have they introduced to date? And also, how has BSEP benefited commuters? Whether a survey has been done to determine the improvements that commuters have come to enjoy, such as service reliability, frequency of service or crowdedness on buses after these new buses were added.
Under the BSEP, an additional 250 buses remain to be delivered. Would the Minister also inform this House when these buses are expected to be on the roads and how the commuters would benefit when these buses are eventually delivered?
Finally, beyond the existing BSEP, which is slated to be completed soon, since the Government has moved ahead of their original plan, are there additional plans to increase bus capacity? Would there be a BSEP II, for example?
As part of its plans for better bus services, the Government has also worked on improving feeder services by introducing private bus operators for Peak Period on Short Services. I would like the Minister to explain the extensiveness of this programme. Where would these buses ply and when would the programme be implemented?
Mr Seng Han Thong: It is noticeable that there are now more new buses on the roads. Bus capacity has been expanded with the introduction of more than 300 of the 550 buses funded by the Government. With the roll-out of the remaining 250 buses by end of this year, two years ahead of the schedule, may
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I ask the Minister whether the public transport operators are able to recruit enough drivers to meet this sudden increase of their bus fleet? As we know, even if we can afford to roll out more buses in the shortest possible time, the new buses can only be parked at the depot if there are not enough bus drivers. The increase of 550 buses will need more than 1,000 bus drivers. To be exact, it is 550 multiplied by 2.5, for two shifts plus one relief, which is 1,375.
What are the measures taken to ease the existing infrastructure and bus interchanges capacity to serve this increase of 550 buses?
On top of it, would the competitive bidding for the provision of bus routes under the BSEP be extended to the existing bus routes? How would the bus interchanges be managed if there are multiple bus service providers through competitive bidding?
Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Madam, I would like to ask the Minister about the progress and achievement of the BSEP to date.
According to LTA's news release in February, about 300 new buses have been added to our bus fleet of 4,000 since the launch of the BSEP in 2012, as mentioned by hon Members. Another 250 buses are expected to be added by the end of the year. This is actually heartening news. This means that all the 550 buses committed by the Government will be on the roads before 2015. May I ask for updates about the additional 250 buses committed by the operators?
Out of the 40 new bus routes planned under BSEP, I understand that 21 have been rolled out already. Of these, how many are feeder bus services? Will there be more new routes introduced to enhance connectivity at MRT and LRT stations, including more parallel bus services? In addition, does the Ministry have the latest data on the reduction of waiting times and the number of persistently crowded bus services as a result of having more buses in service? How is our recruitment and training of new bus drivers coming along?
As part of the BSEP, private bus services will complement public services. In January, three City Direct Service (CDS) services from Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok/Hillview and Sengkang to the Central Business District were started. Last month, this was extended to West Coast, Sembawang and Jurong East. May I ask how the response to these CDS buses has been and the rate of participation by the private bus operators? Will the other three services from Hougang, Bedok and Eunos be on schedule for this year? May I also ask whether there would be
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one at the Buangkok MRT station in my division?
Last but not least, would the Ministry consider providing free bus travel for certain initial distances universally as practised by Taichung. I understand that Taichung has practised it for their residents; for the first 8 km, if they travel on public bus, they get it free. This will incentivise the use of public bus services as one of the best alternatives to private car consumption and also to ease traffic congestion on major roads.
Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong): Mdm Chair, I would like to declare my interest as I am also Senior Vice President of SBS Transit. I also share some of the concerns expressed by the hon Member Mr Gan Thiam Poh about City Direct.
As part of BSEP, we are very glad that MOT has introduced CDS services that provide a direct link for the residents to travel from the heartland to CBD via expressway. I understand that there are a lot of CDS buses that are quite popular. Could MOT also provide an update as to:
(a) how many CDS services have already been implemented as of last month?
(b) how many more CDS services are planned in the pipeline for this year and next year?
(c) what is the ridership of the CDS services that are in operation currently?
(d) whether MOT is satisfied with the performance of the CDS providers and the ridership of these services?
I also note that CDS is quite similar to the Premium Bus Service (PBS) except that the CDS services allow standees and the fares are lower. From my understanding, PBS operators were summoned for allowing passengers to stand on the bus, not because the operators deliberately allowed standees but passengers demanded to board the bus even though the bus drivers had repeatedly told the passengers that the buses were full and all the seats were
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taken up. The passengers do not mind standing on the PBS buses as they want to get to the office as soon as possible but the bus operator, in such instances, will be fined.
CDS does not face the same capacity issue. Hence, I would like to ask MOT if there are plans to replace PBS with CDS to avoid the above phenomenon, especially when PBS operators have given notice to give up the licence.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Madam, with the implementation of the BSEP last year, public transport services have improved. However, for residents living in private estates like Tanjong Rhu, Meyer Road and Haig Road, there is still a lack of public transport alternatives. There is currently only one public bus service, No 158, plying through Tanjong Rhu estate. And there are very limited Premium bus services travelling along Meyer Road to connect residents to the city during peak hours.
I met transport representatives several months ago to ask for increased number of buses. But to date, there has been no improvement. Many of my residents living in the private estates tell me they will be willing to give up driving to work if they can find comfortable and convenient public transport to their workplace. The irony is that there are three MRT stations – Dakota, Mountbatten and Stadium MRT stations – all within a 10-minute bus journey to these private estates. However, none of the existing bus services provide that last mile connection to link the residents to these MRT stations. Thus, residents at Haig Road only need a bus service to link them about 1.4 km to reach the nearest Dakota MRT station. Residents at Tanjong Rhu and Meyer just need a feeder service to bring them to the nearest MRT station at Stadium MRT.
MOT states on its website, \"We endeavour to make our public transport system attractive, not just to existing users but also people who have access to cars so that they will embrace the bus or train as ‘my other car'\". I call on MOT to introduce short feeder bus services to provide better public transport connectivity to the nearest MRT stations or to introduce more parallel bus services so that residents could take the environmentally friendly option and embrace public transport.
Mr R Dhinakaran (Nominated Member): Our public transport operators exist as private profit-making companies, while being in the business of
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providing essential services. With an eye on their profits, these companies are perhaps less keen to invest and operate on less profitable routes and greater frequency. But the Government on its side has to ensure reasonably priced, efficient, frequent and convenient transportation to the public as a part of its social objectives.
The Government last year for the first time made an intervention by financing the assets needed to provide better and more frequent services and, thereby, helped the operating companies. The infusion of public and budgetary funds to a private operator also forced the need to have some governance and their accounting aspects to be kept in view. While ring-fencing the investment from the other profit-producing investments of the shareholders in those companies is being done, I feel that this approach confuses and leads to lots of misconception amongst people which can be avoided.
The companies are private entities and therefore only a select set of citizens who hold shares benefit from its profits. While ring-fencing ensures that public money accountability is ensured, there is a cost to it, too. Besides, there is a question of why the transport companies should continue to increase profits and not invest more liberally to improve the services. It appears that the transport companies can continue to work on their profitability motive with a fall-back that, eventually, the Government will step into the area where marginal returns on investment is less than adequate to their shareholders.
I would like to propose that we should look at the transport companies like healthcare institutions which operate not on profit or loss basis and receive support from Government. This way, at least, it is neat and clean and is not torn between the objectives as a private company and obligations of a national service provider.
The Chairman: Minister Lui.
The Minister for Transport (Mr Lui Tuck Yew): Mdm Chairperson, as usual, Members of this House have been generous with their questions and feedback on public transport. So, let me try my utmost to respond to some of the issues that have been raised.
The latest Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey (PTCSS), which UniSIM conducts every year, showed that Singaporeans' overall satisfaction with our public transport was 88.5% in 2013, similar to the 88.8% in 2012. Satisfaction with rail services dipped while that for bus services improved. On
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rail services, I am keenly aware of the issues to be fixed. My priority is to address reliability and capacity waiting times and I will go into that in some detail.
Mr Cedric Foo has asked for an update on the progress of the LTA and Public Transport Operators' (PTOs') implementation of the Committee of Inquiry (COI's) recommendations. We have, through the establishment of the Joint Teams after the COI, implemented almost all of them and gone beyond some of the recommendations that they have made. Over the last two years, I think we have seen some results and I will share that with Members in a moment. And with your permission, Mdm Chairperson, may I, therefore, display some slides to illustrate?
The Chairman: Yes, please. [Slides were shown to hon Members.]
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Last year, normalised train withdrawal rates fell by at least 25% for the North-South-East-West Lines (NSEWL), North East Line (NEL) and Circle Line (CCL). These are train withdrawal rates [Please refer to Annex 1.] I have decided not to include also the service delays of greater than five minutes which I have shared on previous occasions so as not to overly complicate the situation. Members can see what the trend is like.
I think we can do much better. The setback that we had seen over the first two months of this year is certainly a stark reminder that when we try to improve the reliability of the train system, it is a lengthy and painstaking journey, even while the overall trend on train withdrawals shows that we are moving in the right direction.
Members like Mr Cedric Foo, Mr Seng Han Thong, Dr Lily Neo and Er Dr Lee Bee Wah have also stressed the importance of reducing the frequency of service disruptions and asked about our plans to improve overall rail reliability.
This year, our goal for NSEWL is to bring down the withdrawal rates by about another 20%, to 1.8 withdrawals for every 100,000 train-km by the end of this year, down from 3.3 at its peak in 2012, and 2.2 in 2013. Our goal, by 2016, is that we should be better than where we were in 2008. So, this year, to continue the downward trend to 1.8 and, by 2016, to bring it down to better than where it was in 2008.
Reliability improvements will take time. Both operators have ramped up their engineering capabilities and processes, hired more engineers and significantly increased investment in maintenance, and so on. We estimate that
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SMRT and SBST have increased their annual repair and maintenance expenditure for its rail lines by about 65% and 35% respectively, over the past two years [Please refer to Annex 2.] Taking into account the expanded network and more trains being operated, it is still a very sizable increase.
I thank Dr Lily Neo and Mr Seng Han Thong for raising the importance of predictive maintenance. Indeed, we are taking a more pro-active, \"Predict and Prevent\" approach towards the maintenance of our rail system. Our operators are strengthening their maintenance regimes to actively monitor the condition of their assets, to predict where the problems are most likely to occur, and to take pre-emptive steps where required. This is one aspect of it.
The other aspect of \"Predict and Prevent\" is to look to those who are operating older systems. Our system today is about 25 to 30 years old. And if we are to anticipate the problems that will come up when the system is 35 years old, then we need to look at those who are operating or who have experience operating such systems. Or, to go to the equipment providers who have trains that are already 35 years old operating in other regimes and to find out the problems that may well arise when our system ages even further.
To put predictive maintenance into practice, we also need to monitor the conditions of the rail equipment over their entire life-cycles, to ensure that ageing equipment are replaced or upgraded before they start to fail. Hence, it is important not only to look to our own data, but to look at the data that other people may have. This is what we mean by a \"whole-life asset management framework\".
In addition to life-cycle monitoring, the operators will need to also put in place real-time condition monitoring systems that will alert them early to potential problems that may arise within our system. For example, SMRT has adopted new technologies such as the Wheel Impact Load Detection (WILD) System and what this does is that it allows early detection of abnormal vibrations. We know that this is important because this was one of the contributory factors to the December 2011 incidents and its engineers can rectify them in a more timely manner.
In particular, we need to focus on reducing train disruptions during the morning peak hours because these cause the greatest inconvenience to the most commuters. The most important checks are done in the wee hours prior to deploying the fleet in the morning. The operators must enhance their night time maintenance works and conduct more stringent checks on the condition
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of the trains, just before they are launched into revenue service.
We are complementing these measures with tighter regulation and higher penalties. As Members are aware – and some Members have mentioned – we recently raised the maximum penalty for poor service performance to 10% of the revenue for the affected rail line, or $1 million, whichever is higher. We will consider carefully Mr Foo's suggestion of compensating commuters inconvenienced by service disruptions with fare credits for future trips. But I think it is necessary to bear in mind that it is not so straightforward to identify exactly who should be eligible for compensation because this will potentially include those commuters who detour using alternative routes, as well as those who have decided to use an alternative mode of transport or forgo their journey entirely.
Tighter Operating Performance Standards (OPS) have also been in place, since the start of this year. The operators are now held accountable for short delays, even if they do not lead to service disruptions. In response to Mr Png Eng Huat's question on how service quality is measured, well, we monitor the occurrence of all service delays that lasted about five minutes or more, to reflect their impact on the commuters. Even if these faults causing the delays are addressed relatively quickly, anything that causes a delay – which means a train stopping till when it starts again – anything more than five minutes, we will monitor this.
Sometimes, this can happen as a result of train withdrawals; and sometimes, it is as a result of track problems. It is not that all service delays are caused by the trains alone. The operators, to their credit, have improved the way they are able to offload the passengers and to move a train out of the way so that sometimes, it happens within a five-minute window. But it is still a train withdrawal and not a service delay of five minutes.
We have to measure both because they impact the commuters in different ways. And today, I have shown Members only the train withdrawal because that is something that we are paying quite a lot of attention to.
What we measure is normalised against the total train-km operated, which is quite different from the metric that is based on car-km used by the New York City Subway, which Dr Lily Neo had mentioned earlier. I think she was quoting from a Straits Times' article in February. So, ours is a train-km measurement
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and theirs is a car-km measurement.
On our six-car systems, one train-km is equal to six car-km, and on the Circle Line, one train-km is equal to three car-km. When we do a like-for-like comparison between Singapore system reliability versus what the Member has quoted of the New York Subway reliability, our reliability in 2013 is considerably better. It is one delay longer than five minutes in every 456,000 car-km for us across the whole network, compared to one in about 247,000 car-km for New York's full year figure for 2013. So, the article, and the allegation that our system is significantly less reliable than the New York City Subway, are incorrect.
We are also upgrading the ageing infrastructure because track infrastructure also plays a very important role in contributing to overall reliability. We are replacing sleepers and the third rail of the NSEWL to improve train speeds, reliability and comfort, and we will do so by mid-2015 for the North-South Line and end-2016 for the East-West Line. That is sleepers as well as the third rail, from which trains draw power.
We are also changing out the signalling system by 2016 for the North-South Line and 2018 for the East-West Line to further improve signalling reliability. More importantly, it will allow us to run 20% more trains during peak hours. These are three major works that we are doing on the track side – sleepers, the third rail and signalling system.
And I will come now to the complementary work of building noise barriers. We are taking the opportunity, as we do these track works, to build some 20 km of noise barriers along elevated MRT tracks. These will help to minimise the disturbance from the noise of passing trains for residents living near these tracks.
Mr Cedric Foo and Mr Ang Hin Kee asked about the progress of this programme. They have tried it out at several places, Bishan and Tampines, and the post-implementation noise measurement shows that the barriers have been able to bring down the noise of passing trains by at least about five decibels.
I am pleased to announce that by improving coordination with some of the other track renewal and upgrading projects, we will be able to accelerate the noise barrier programme which was earlier slated for completion at the end of 2020. I am bringing this forward to 2019. On top of that, we will also be able to bring forward more of the works for completion by 2016. Originally, this was 10 km by 2016. We are now able to push that up to 14 km. LTA will announce the
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locations of the additional 4 km shortly. LTA will also finalise the locations for the remaining 6 km, and will announce them in due course.
Let me now move on to the other issues of train capacity. In reply to Mr Cedric Foo's question, we are indeed increasing rail capacity. To relieve crowding on existing lines, we have purchased more trains. There is a fleet of 13 new trains that are being delivered for the NSEWL in 2014, of which four have already entered revenue service. These trains allow us to immediately insert more trips during the peak periods, to provide additional capacity and shorten the wait for a train within the limits of the existing signalling system. The existing signalling system limitation is 120 seconds interval between trains, and in some instances, we are not able to do that further. In other stretches, we can do so.
As more trains arrive over the next few months, we will continue to inject more into the system, targeting especially the crowded stretches for the morning peak and we will also have more resources to increase the evening capacity. Just as importantly, the larger train fleet will also allow the operators to intensify their maintenance work to prepare the older trains for re-signalling and upgrade them more quickly.
From next year, 42 new trains will join the NEL and CCL and these will increase their existing fleets by about 70% and 60% respectively. What it will mean is that in 2015, we can gradually look forward to more comfortable, less crowded rides and shorter wait times for NEL and CCL commuters.
Across the network, we are also requiring the operators to increase train frequencies under the tightened OPS, that I mentioned earlier, so that by the third quarter of this year, passengers travelling on the NSEWL and NEL generally will not need to wait more than five minutes for trains to arrive, except for the very early morning and very late in the night periods when train ridership is extremely low. Similarly, the waiting times for CCL will also improve to less than five minutes across most of the days when more trains are delivered in 2015.
For residents in Bukit Panjang, I would like to share that the first of 13 new trains is arriving and will be ready for service in the fourth quarter of this year, and all of them will be fully delivered and deployed by mid-2015, and that should increase the existing fleet size by about 70%.
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As we add capacity to existing lines, we are also adding new lines to the system. By 2030, we will double the rail network to 360 km. One of the LTA engineers recently told me that there are 25 of these tunnel-boring machines currently in operation at any one time, digging and digging away and tunnelling below us. There is a lot that is happening underground and we are trying to get the new rail lines as fast as we can. We need to do it safely but most importantly, I seek Members' support to help your residents understand that in order for us to get it up quickly, sometimes there is a bit of noise, road diversions and inconvenience, so bear with us while we try and expedite these works as much as possible.
We remain on track for our rail building plans. Last December, we opened Downtown Line (DTL) Stage 1. In the coming years, by mid-2016 and end-2017, we will open up Downtown Line Stages 2 and 3 as well as extensions to the NSEWL. For Punggol residents, the Punggol West LRT will open in the middle of this year.
As these new lines open, what we will see is that the crowdedness on the existing stretches of the network should improve as we decant some of the current commuters onto the new lines. So, by mid-2016, residents along Bukit Timah, Bukit Panjang and some parts of Bukit Batok will be able to ride the DTL2 directly into the city; and in 2017, those living along the Bedok, Ubi, MacPherson stretch would likewise be able to use DTL 3. Hopefully, we will see a lessening of the load on the East-West Lines. As the Thomson Line and the Eastern Region Line come up towards the end of decade and early into next decade, we will see improvements also along the Northern corridor.
Some academics have pointed out that the key difference between our MRT system and those of cities like Tokyo, New York, London and so on is that ours does not seem to have much redundancy, which means that the impact of an unexpected train disruption is disproportionately large. I agree with them.
A denser network, with more interconnections will provide more alternatives for commuters to explore in the event of a disruption. London Underground took about 150 years and the New York City Subway about 110 years to get to where they are today. If our rail network expansion goes according to plan, in about 15 years, our rail network density will be comparable. By 2030, our public transport system will be much more extensive and much more accessible. We will have some 280 train stations, about double the number that we have today, scattered across the island and eight in 10 homes
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will be within a 10-minute walk to a rail station.
The most important thing is not so much about rail density, even though we are comparable. The most important thing is how close am I to a railway station and how do I get there. Is it walking? Is it cycling? Is it by feeder bus? That is the part that I will move on to next, because buses connect us to not only the final destination but also plays an important part in our hub-and-spoke network.
We have made good progress with our Bus Service Enhancement Programme – some Members have commented on it – since its introduction about 18 months ago. I mentioned earlier in the survey that satisfaction with bus services rose and it went from about 86.4% in 2012 to 88.3% in 2013. It is generally a reflection that the improvements are being felt by commuters on the ground.
Mr Cedric Foo, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Dr Lily Neo, amongst others, have asked for an update on the BSEP. LTA together with the bus operators have worked hard to deliver the programme ahead of the initial schedule. We planned to stage it over five years, front loaded in the first three years, but I think what we have been able to do is to work with them, recruit more drivers, buy more buses and we are confident that we can deliver all 550 of these buses by the end of this year – two years ahead of schedule. So far, we have delivered about 320 of these buses. They have added 2,200 additional trips every week across 125 existing services.
Peak hour loading has improved, and scheduled intervals between buses have decreased by about one to five minutes on average. These are the Government-funded buses. Of the 550, 320 have been introduced. The PTOs themselves have contributed about 100 more buses to meet additional ridership, out of the 250 to which they had earlier committed over the five-year period. It is roughly about 50 buses a year and they have kept to their commitment.
We have also added 24 new routes to our network, in part by augmenting these new routes with resources from private bus operators. Mr Ang Wei Neng spoke about the City Direct services (CDS) of which seven have already been introduced to provide direct connections between the heartlands and the CBD during the peak periods.
There is a difference between the City Direct Service (CDS) and the Premium Bus Service (PBS) that Mr Ang mentioned. PBS targets a niche market
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of commuters who are prepared to pay more for guaranteed seats, and in fact some of the feedback is: why do the operators allow people to stand when I have paid more to get a guaranteed seat and I expect the aisle to be free next to me. I believe that there is still going to be a role for PBS even as we roll out CDS. So far, the seven CDS have been well-received, and three more will be implemented in the coming months. Mr Gan Thiam Poh mentioned this point and I would like to let him know that the response to all 10 CDS tenders has been encouraging and we have received competitive bids from the private bus operators.
By running more buses at higher frequencies, we have significantly reduced the number of persistently crowded services across the island. I thought what would be useful is to show Members half-yearly snapshots of where we were and where we are now. This is something that we monitor – in fact, we monitor more than this. This shows average loadings across the island during a peak one-hour period, and it is a moving one-hour period [Please refer to Annex 3.] \"Red\" shows where the crowdedness is higher, at 80%. Our commitment is to lower it to below 85%, and we use 80% as an early warning indicator of where we should pay particular attention to. So, this is a heat map in July 2012, and it is not only MEWR that is showing you \"hotspots\", even MOT monitors \"hotspots\" of a different kind.
We move forward to January 2013 – some improvement. June 2013 is slightly better, and then now we have January 2014 [Please refer to Annex 4.] What Members can see is that it changes. Sometimes areas that were \"yellow\" previously, become \"red\". The \"reds\", of course, we hope to move it to \"yellow\", and then to \"green\". But what it tells us is to pay particular attention to certain areas, plan to add new buses to it, so that we can address some of these issues that arise and it is a dynamic situation.
To further improve feeder services, we will introduce 15 Peak Period Short Services (PPSS), which overlap critical stretches of the existing feeder services, but specially targeted at the most crowded stretches, and also to further reduce waiting times during the peak hours. Four of these services will be launched in the second quarter in Woodlands, Boon Lay, Bedok and Ang Mo Kio.
Overall, I think commuters are happy with the BSEP. I hear Er Dr Lee Bee Wah's call to provide more bus resources to meet the growing demand arising from more and more BTOs. I will come to this in a while, but I just wanted to
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say that we have, at my last count, introduced 35 buses into Nee Soon GRC to augment existing services as well as to introduce three new services. Many of them, not all, but most of them, in fact, I think also serve Nee Soon South. That is about slightly more than 10% of the buses that we have introduced so far. We recognise of course that there are more and more BTOs coming up, and rest assured that there are plans to make sure that we are going to introduce new services and buses in tandem with these projects.
I have asked LTA to work with the bus operators to further expand our BSEP programme. I intend to introduce another 450 or so buses over the next three years, on top of the 550 buses under the BSEP programme that I mentioned in COS 2012. This will bring the total number of Government-funded buses under the BSEP programme, with this expansion, to about 1,000 buses. We intend to implement a bulk of this by 2016.
This expansion will focus on two objectives. First, we want to introduce more new services. We will double the number of new routes from 40 under the original BSEP to 80 new routes under this expanded programme. This will help LTA to respond to requests such as that made by Mr Lim Biow Chuan, and I think they have been in discussion not only to just introduce a new service, but to try and also extend one of the existing services to better serve the Tanjong Rhu residents.
Second, we want to improve feeder bus frequencies during the peak periods. As I mentioned, this is important to our overall bus-rail hub and spoke system. We will reduce the scheduled maximum intervals for all feeder services to between six to eight minutes. Even for those that are currently serving at six to eight minutes, there may be room to do more, so that it comes more frequently, but is also less crowded. With more buses under the expanded BSEP and more resources from private bus operators, we can increase the total number of buses deployed for existing feeder services by about 60%, compared to before the BSEP programme was first introduced. This actually is quite a significant change.
If I were to sum it all up, with the buses from the Government, with whatever we are using from the private operators, we will increase the total capacity of our bus system by about 1,400 buses, or about 35% more than the original, within the period of about five years, 2012 into 2017. The expanded BSEP, just like the original, will be funded by the Government and not from fare increases. It will follow the same regime that we have for the BSEP which we talked about earlier. It will continue to draw from the $1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Fund (BSEF). Clearly, the fund will now no longer be sufficient to last for the originally envisaged duration of 10 years for the 550 buses. But I know it will be sufficient to
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last the next few years and we will carry out a review of this fund at the appropriate time.
I thank Dr Lily Neo for her suggestion to further improve the reliability of buses by shortening long bus routes. We have observed that on some long trunk routes, only a very small proportion of commuters remain on board the bus for the entire route; most would alight at mid-point, at major transport nodes or popular destinations. Indeed, these points to the possibility of re-configuring the longer routes and we will certainly consider her suggestion carefully as part of the longer term bus route planning. One option obviously is to see how we can shorten these routes. But there are options that could be further studied, which does not result in the complete removal of the long bus route, but instead to introduce shorter variants, to augment the parts of the route that are most popular and most heavily used, so that buses arrive at these segments more regularly.
As Mr Seng Han Thong and Dr Lily Neo have rightly pointed out, these bus improvements are contingent on being able to recruit and retain enough bus drivers, especially in a tight labour market. We have been watching the recruitment efforts of the operators very, very closely. Both have raised salaries and implemented progressive salaries such that the bus captains get higher salaries as they deepen their experience and skills, and take on expanded job scopes. This helps to attract more people to join the industry, and over the past year, the number of bus captains has increased by 5% for SBST and 6.5% for SMRT. We will look at more measures and explore them, including funding support to cover the start-up costs involved in recruiting and the initial period of training for new bus drivers before they are operational and can be deployed to the fleet.
To Mr Seng Han Thong's concern over the capacity of our bus infrastructure, it is indeed a challenge. We will provide additional infrastructure to support this expanded programme, such as the recently completed Taman Jurong roadside terminal, the bus parks at Woodlands and Upper Changi Road East, and the upcoming depots at Jurong West and Loyang. The public bus operators will continue to manage the interchange operations and, where required, lease berth spaces to private bus operators running our bus services. There are, indeed, complications that come with competitive tendering, which we have been experimenting on a limited basis with the CDS and Peak Period Short Service routes. We are using these tenders to help us better understand the feasibility of extending bus tendering to the rest of the bus network which we are committed to do. LTA has been exploring the introduction of greater
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contestability in the bus industry, including the possibility of a contracting model. At the right time, we will share more about this.
To round up on buses, Mr Gan Thiam Poh mentioned the example of Taichung in providing free bus travel. The idea is novel, although not entirely new to us. For instance, free travel was offered on Bus Service 49 last year, on its first day of launch. This was really at the behest of Mr Ang Wei Neng, because his CCC suggested it. And we said, \"Why don't we partner each other, and your CCC chip in and help bear some of the costs?\" They were willing to do so and so we did. We are prepared to consider similar promotions on basic bus services, if the community is willing to come in and partner us; we co-fund them so that residents can try out the new services for free on the first one or two days when a new service is introduced.
Finally, let me turn to the issue of public transport affordability. So far, our current system has done well to keep fares affordable. First, let us start with a comparison of our fares versus that of other major cities around the world like Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo. I think you can see it for yourselves [Please refer to Annex 5.] We have given the cost for a bus trip over 10 km, train over 10 km, and a hybrid trip. Because we have a distance-based fare, obviously, our fares remain the same whatever mode and no matter how many transfers you make.
But beyond this international comparison which is important, the Public Transport Council (PTC) also tracks the affordability of our fares on an annual basis. For a typical family in the second quintile, or from the 21st to 40th percentage points, which we use as a proxy for the average household taking public transport, the proportion of their household income spent on public transport has declined steadily, from 3.7% to 2.6% in 2012 [Please refer to Annex 6.] So, that is for a second quintile family.
For the lower-income groups, we also track the second decile. This is from the 11th to 20th percentage points, and this is the same group that Deputy Prime Minister Tharman used in his Budget address. Their proportion of expenditure on public transport has likewise declined from 5.3% to 4.1% [Please refer to Annex 7.] Therefore, when you look at this, you do know that with the rising salary levels, expenditure on public transport has come down and fares have generally become more affordable.
But we know that there are some groups, like the people with disabilities, lower-wage workers seeking employment, for which public transport fares
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might still be a difficulty. Hence, the Government decided to fund two new concession schemes for these groups, starting April of this year. They will get their cards in July, but, in the meantime, we will give them vouchers of $30 and $80 for the three-month period between April, where fares go up, and July when they get their cards. For those who require even more transport assistance beyond this, about $7.5 million will be withdrawn from the Public Transport Fund to fund the vouchers for this year. So far, about 100,000 applications for the vouchers have been received since it started about a week ago.
In total, together with the enhanced concession schemes, like for polytechnic students, about one million commuters are expected to benefit from both the new as well as the enhanced schemes. There may be others who will benefit from the public transport vouchers. I want to assure the House that we are watching this very carefully, and that the Government is committed to make sure that fares remain affordable for all Singaporeans.
Some have asked why fares have to be increased, especially when service is still below expectations. I think this is a point that Mr Gerald Giam has brought up and also made a suggestion that we should link service quality directly to the fare formula. The Fare Review Mechanism Committee has considered this, and Mr Cedric Foo also has commented on it and concluded that the issue of service level is best addressed separately outside of the fare formula, where the Government can directly regulate and work with the operators to improve the overall service levels. Overall, this is a sensible and practical approach. Even as Mr Foo has mentioned, certainly there are disruptions that impact commuters but, as I have also mentioned in previous Parliamentary Questions (PQ) replies, about 99.95% of the daily trips do not suffer any service delay of more than five minutes. So, 99.95% of the trips that are made every day on the rail network do not experience a delay of more than five minutes. But having said all that, it really does not mean that we are not raising service levels. For instance, we have tightened MRT operating standards and improved the service levels for buses, as I have shared earlier. We also have a unified fare structure that is applicable for the entire public transport system and we would have to unravel this if we want to give differentiated fare increases to different PTOs on account of different service quality issues. That is another point to bear in mind.
Some Singaporeans have also asked why we should raise fares when the two PTOs continue to make profits. We are mindful that the PTOs should not be earning excessive profits at the expense of commuters. I have compiled a slide just to share what the profit numbers have been like over the last five years. [Please refer to Annex 8.] And, indeed, when they look at it, there has been quite a significant drop in recent years for the overall profit levels for both
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SMRT, which is the line on top, and SBST. For them, the most recent financial year numbers have dropped by more than half compared to five years ago. Our public transport system is based on shared responsibilities between commuters, the PTOs and the Government. We seek a balance where the public transport system remains financially viable for our PTOs but fares are kept affordable for all commuters.
Mr R Dhinakaran has asked if we should operate our PTOs as non-profit organisations. While the suggestion to remove this profit incentive from the PTOs is indeed a tempting one, we also have to think about whether there are possible adverse outcomes. This is because once we tell the PTOs that any future profits that they may make would be taken away, their behaviour will change. They would have less incentive to be efficient and productive. If we move to a cost-plus model where whatever cost they incur we will pay for it, together with a small margin, it would change their behaviours quite drastically.
We are not alone in taking this approach of having commercial entities run public transport operations. Sydney is a very interesting study because they had been privatising their bus industry. Part of it is run by unionised public operators, so-called \"nationalised system\"; and part of it has been transiting to being run by privatised entities. Their comparison is that the private operators were able to operate at 20% to 30% lower cost than the public operators. That is quite a significant number. The Hong Kong MTR, which our operators are often compared to, is also a good example of a privatised operator that has done well – reliable system and fares, very much comparable to what we have here in Singapore.
Before I conclude, let me quickly update Mr Pritam Singh and other interested Members of this House on the Rapid Transit System (RTS) link to Johor Bahru. The preliminary engineering study with Malaysia has been completed. We are working with Malaysia to finalise the alignment and the station location in Johor and then to commence the second part of the study which will focus on the detailed design of the system. The second part of the study, like that of the first phase, will be equally co-funded by both sides.
Mdm Chairperson, please let me conclude. At MOT, we do have an exciting vision for our public transport system. In our Land Transport Master Plan, we set ourselves the goal of achieving 75% public transport mode share by 2030, up from about 63% today. We are committed to this goal, we are working hard
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to develop a much more extensive, well-connected and integrated public transport system that can persuade the public to use it as their main mode of travel and which can be the keystone of our overall vision for a more sustainable and car-less transport network.
But even as we work towards this long-term vision, we are also seeking solutions to the real problems that commuters face today. I recognise that there is still a gap in what commuters expect of us and their experience on the ground. We are improving reliability, increasing bus and rail capacity where we can, and as quickly as we can, so that we can sustain the level of service expected of a First-World public transport system. We are committed to developing a transport system that we can all be proud of, a transport system that is an important part of our greater vision to build a liveable and endearing home for Singaporeans.
The Chairman: Mr Ang Wei Neng. You have two cuts, please take them together.
Mr Ang Wei Neng: Mdm Chair, let me now move on to private transport. I would like to call upon MOT to do a comprehensive review of the COE system. Let me give three main reasons for doing so.
Firstly, the latest tweak by MOT to change the definition of Cat A COE in February is not working well enough. According to LTA's data, 42% of the cars registered under Cat A last month have Open Market Value (OMV) of more than $20,000, of which close to 40% have OMV of more than $25,000. That is, many luxury cars are still competing for Cat A COEs. As a result, not only has the price of Cat A COE not decreased significantly, the price gap between Cat A and B has also narrowed.
Secondly, the number of Cat C COEs has shrunk over the years even as the economy grows. The supply of Cat C COEs, meant for commercial vehicles, for the three months between February and April this year is only 1,571 although more than 2,000 commercial vehicles were scrapped during the three-month period before February.
The shrinking number of COEs in Cat C has driven up the cost of commercial vehicles and increased the SMEs' business cost, as shown by the latest COE tender results in March. This is an anomaly unless MOT is of the view
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that there are already too many commercial vehicles in the market. The current Early Turn-Over scheme (ETO) to encourage early scrapping of old commercial vehicles is not attractive enough and I note that MOT will be improving the ETO scheme. I hope it will not be a case of \"too little, too late\" again.
Thirdly, we are expecting a bumper supply of COEs come end 2014, right through 2015 and 2016 because most vehicles are reaching their 10-year legal life span, and this bumper supply of COEs offers the best opportunity for MOT to revamp the system.
If MOT agrees to review the system, I hope the following suggestions can be considered:
(a) To redefine Cat A so that it is exclusively for car models with OMV of less than $20,000, that is, only for mass market models.
(b) Split the COE of Cat C category into two, with one catering for light commercial vehicles and another for heavy vehicles. In this way, SMEs that need to buy light commercial vehicles do not have to compete with the \"Big Boys\" who are buying the heavy commercial vehicles.
(c) Conduct a trial to experiment with the concept of banning car dealers from bidding for COEs by taking half the quota from each category to allow only car buyers to bid by themselves. This is because some believe that the car agents are responsible for driving up the prices of COEs, but we can never be sure of the actual cause unless we do a trial.
(d) Consider a \"reset\", that is, to redistribute the number of COEs of each category based on current needs assessment. This will give MOT a chance to re-balance the number of COEs across the different categories based on parity as well.
Mdm Chair, Singapore is a land-scarce city-state. No matter how you change the COE system or replace it with another vehicle control measure, it will not satisfy everybody. However, we look forward to a comprehensive review so that there does not come a day when only a CEO can afford to buy a COE. The COE system needs to be balanced with social equity so that ordinary Singaporeans who need just a basic car can have a fair chance.
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The ERP2 system. Mdm Chair, I understand that MOT is ready to call a tender to install the next generation of satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing system, or ERP2.
ERP2 could probably track the whereabouts of any vehicle, anywhere, anytime in Singapore even if it is not passing through a CBD area or a restricted zone. With such a \"Big Brother\" watching you, how could MOT ensure that the privacy of a car driver is not compromised?
If MOT could resolve the privacy issue, I foresee that there are many other possibilities and benefits that can be derived from ERP2. For example, MOT could inform the public of the average speed of the vehicles travelling along different segments on the roads, in different parts of Singapore, in real time. That being the case, I hope the Minister could consider relaxing the off-peak car scheme such that off-peak cars can travel on uncongested roads at anytime of the day without surcharge.
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: I share the Member Mr Ang Wei Neng's views about ERP2 and the question about privacy. I also share his views about the many benefits that the satellite-based ERP system can provide but there are clearly concerns about privacy issues and, like Mr Ang Wei Neng, I would like the Minister to address the issue.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: Madam, in 2009 and 2012, I had asked LTA to review the need for ERP on Saturdays along Nicoll Highway. I am trying again this year.
Each time I travel along Nicoll Highway on a Saturday afternoon, the road is relatively empty. It simply defies logic as to why motorists are required to pay ERP on Saturdays for a road which is not so congested. The road all the way to Marina Square, Shenton Way and Chinatown is clear. If there is a need to regulate traffic in the Bugis or Orchard Road areas, in order to ring-fence that area, surely LTA can adjust other ERP gantries to discourage vehicles from travelling towards those areas.
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In fact, I had previously argued that some congestion on Saturdays may be tolerable. And the situation may be similar to traffic conditions on Sundays where there is no ERP. Motorists live with whatever traffic is on the road on Sundays.
I urge LTA to review the need for ERP on Saturdays along Nicoll Highway and, for that matter, whether ERP is required on Saturdays in parts of Singapore.
Mr Png Eng Huat: The Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) is listed as LTA's most ambitious project yet. It has also made the list of projects with huge cost overruns. What started out as a $2.5 billion project became $4.1 billion when it broke ground in 2009. At the end of last year, the cost was reported to be $4.3 billion.
Madam, we have seen more public projects breaking the budget, and by significant amounts in recent times. I seek clarification from the Minister on whether the cost for MCE is going to go up further and the effort by LTA to prevent such cost over-run for the many on-going mega projects as well.
Next, I wish to talk about the design of the MCE. The MCE had an eventful opening in end 2013. As the connecting expressway between AYE and KPE, the MCE does the job seamlessly. I use the MCE almost every day and I can attest to that. However, as a replacement route for part of the ECP, the MCE has more room for improvement.
Many motorists expecting familiar exits from ECP will not find them easily underground, and that is probably where the frustration and confusion lie. But what compounded the situation is that LTA is too dependent on those overworked electronic message boards to direct motorists to the right exits. There is only so much information you can squeeze into those boards and messages have to take turns to be displayed.
The MCE is a very expensive piece of engineering but the solution to providing motorists with a pleasant driving experience need not be expensive. LTA has acknowledged that more signs are needed. There is a lot of space on the walls inside the tunnel for simple, cheap traditional directional signs – \"Rochor Road Next Exit\" in large white font on a green background on the wall leading to the said exit would help clear the confusion quite nicely. I do not see why the walls inside the tunnel cannot be used for such a purpose. Perhaps, the
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Minister can shed some light on this.
Mr Pritam Singh: Madam, in a 2013 circular to professional institutes on the review of parking requirements for places of worship, LTA noted that the worshipping patterns have changed over time with greater congregation sizes and the concurrent use of ancillary prayer halls. This resulted in a shortage of parking facilities and greater reliance on short-term parking along roads, causing inconvenience to the surrounding community.
The regulations of better meeting the parking needs for new places of worship have taken effect. However, managing the parking woes at existing places of worship continues to be challenging. I am concerned that our racial and religious bonds as a society get strained when commuters have to deal with congestion around places of worship. I get particularly concerned when loose remarks are made about the problem concerning one faith every Friday and other faiths which have their day of worship or celebration on weekends and yet other uncalled for remarks about clan or cultural association dinners.
I would like to ask the Ministry if it would consider launching a tolerance campaign with a view to encourage greater understanding between both road users and worshippers, with each party recognising that it has a duty to the other. Worshippers should be mindful of the neighbouring community and take extra efforts to avoid causing obstruction and deploying marshals, as is done in some places of worship. Road users should be encouraged to exercise some patience around places of worship in knowing that worshippers do not seek to inconvenience the larger community.
I believe a targeted public campaign of this nature would also have the unintended but positive effect of generating greater harmony and supporting efforts at building greater understanding between the races.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: Mdm Chairperson, in private estates, many residents complain about non residents parking heavy commercial vehicles, lorries and big pick-ups just outside their homes. This has caused the residential nature of the estate to be affected as heavy commercial vehicles are practically using the roads as parking lots.
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The indiscriminate parking of such heavy commercial vehicles by the roadside has also caused congestion to the estate. There are also insufficient places for the owners to park their own cars. Some residents have resorted to using dustbins, flower pots or clothes racks to block a space for their cars and this has sometimes resulted in quarrels between neighbours which is unhealthy.
I urge LTA to consider a ban to disallow heavy commercial vehicles from parking along residential roads. Owners of such vehicles should exercise consideration for others and find proper parking places for these vehicles at their factories or commercial premises instead of causing disamenities to other residents.
Mr Seng Han Thong: In Singapore and other parts of the world, we have seen the development of using smartphone applications technology to match the commuters' demand for taxi service to the taxi drivers without the need to go through a centrally-manned call centre.
Would the Government, under the current frameworks of Taxi Drivers Vocational Licence (TDVL) and Taxi Operators Licence (TOL), regulate the use of such third-party innovative technology that would enable commuters to be directly served by many more taxi drivers or other private transport drivers all at the same time?
The Chairman: Mr Ang Hin Kee, you have three cuts. Please take them together.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: Thank you, Mdm Chair. I will take the three cuts together. On taxi availability, after implementing the Taxi Availability (TA) indicators, recent data from LTA suggest that more taxis are plying the roads during peak hours and also covering longer mileage. Waiting times at taxi stands also shortened. However, recent information showed that the number of taxi trips at 960,000 per day has remained stagnant in 2013 compared to 2012. Some drivers have shared that they are empty cruising just to cover the taxi availability indicators, especially during weekends, early mornings and late nights.
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I have three inputs for the Ministry to consider. First, some drivers thought if they drive more in one day and less in another, so long as two days' average can meet 250 kilometres, they would have met the TA mileage indicator. In truth, you cannot try to catch up on your daily mileage by driving more on Monday to offset the shortfall on Sunday.
Secondly, taxi operators also cannot offset the higher mileage attained by one taxi to average out the lower mileage of another taxi. Furthermore, the Ministry methodology of computing whether the taxi operator meets the taxi availability mileage indicator is based on each taxi meeting the requirements. This system can be onerous and places an extra burden on taxi drivers. Will the Ministry consider adjusting their system to relieve the pressure faced by taxi drivers?
Second input. Demand for taxi services on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, especially in the early morning, is generally lower than other days of the week because of a five-day working week. So, can the Ministry consider excluding these days from the computation of the 250-km mileage?
Third input. Another indicator is peak-hour availability. Many taxi drivers shared that there are few commuters from 6.00 am to 7.00 am and from 11.00 pm to midnight. However, these time slots are within the peak-hour availability requirements. Although LTA has lowered the requirement for these two time slots, it has not changed commuter demand and, hence, many taxis are still cruising empty during these hours. Can LTA consider removing these two time slots from its TA as far as peak-hour requirement is concerned?
On my second cut on taxi fare review. Taxi fares were deregulated in 1998 to allow taxi companies to set their own fares so that it can be competitive. Currently, there are many different flag-down fares for different types of taxis and by different taxi operators. This has caused some confusion amongst commuters.
The MOT shared last year that it wants to simplify the taxi fare structure. I would like to urge the Ministry to take a holistic approach in tackling this issue. For taxi drivers, they are price takers, that is to say that they cannot influence the taxi rentals they have to pay nor the taxi fares which they collect. And being self-employed, they have also been absorbing the GST on their rental, the diesel tax levy and ERP charges. And any changes in fares may affect their income
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with no corresponding changes to their rentals. As such, I urge the Ministry to find a solution that would adequately cover these concerns.
On my third cut on taxi and bus lanes. Current bus lane schemes have worked very well and the give-way-to buses scheme has also given priority to buses, enabling a smoother travel for our commuters. Emergency services and Police vehicles are allowed to enter bus lanes in the event of call of duty, and school buses and factory buses may also use them during bus lane operating hours.
Taxi drivers are, however, not allowed to drive along, pick up or drop off passengers along bus lanes and at bus stops during such hours. Drivers have given feedback that, very often, the elderly, including those who carry large parcels or even pregnant women, have flagged down taxis whilst standing at bus stops during the restricted hours. Instances of passengers on wheelchairs have also started occurring perhaps due to the handicapped-friendly features of our buses and at our bus stops. They also prefer to be dropped off at bus stops which are sheltered, especially during rainy weather. Some taxi drivers have taken the risk and, therefore, make the effort to pick up or drop off passengers at bus stops during those restricted hours and these have led to fines which have to be paid by the drivers.
As such a public transport option, I would urge the Ministry to consider allowing, on a trial basis, taxi drivers to pick up and drop off passengers at bus-stops at all times and at designated areas. And let us see whether this trial will lead to a better improvement of our services for commuters.
Finally, I have to wrap up by saying that many a times, we fail to look into the report in detail, such as the Land Transport Masterplan. The Masterplan, in itself, has a very comprehensive and extensive coverage on how our public transport is going to improve. So, I hope more Members and others can look into the Masterplan and look at how our public transport has, indeed, proven to be a good service for our public in general.
Mr R Dhinakaran: Despite trying hard for several years, our ability to ensure that taxis are available easily at most places leaves a lot more to be desired. It is a common grouse for many waiting passengers in key places like Orchard Road and this has affected businesses along such stretches in
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Singapore, especially during peak hours. It is a common sight to see long queues for taxis, with most desperately trying to call for a taxi, but in vain.
We have built a lot of rules, surcharges and minimum standards to ensure that we get better service. But things have not improved as these rules are sometimes counter-productive. Taxi companies are private operators with profit maximisation as their sole motive.
The taxi driver is also an individual businessman with fixed costs to foot daily. He is paying the rentals and has a limited risk taking ability. He likes to conserve every bit he can and will not enter the CBD area and pay ERP without a passenger inside. Whenever taxi drivers find that earnings are insignificant due to higher rentals, we have more surcharges to help increase their daily earnings. But the rentals catch up and, yet again, the same thing happens. It becomes a vicious circle and the passengers are left in the lurch.
While taxis are arguably not a public transport service, a significant portion of our public uses it as a substitute for high-costing private vehicles. Moreover, it is also our desire to restrict car ownership, so, like public transport, taxis should also be made more available. I urge the Transport Ministry to look at improving the availability of taxis, which affects businesses and tourists in our small economy, besides Singaporeans who view it as a more affordable alternative to cars.
The Chairman: Senior Minister of State.
The Senior Minister of State for Transport (Mrs Josephine Teo): Mdm Chair, Members have filed cuts relating to taxis, COE, parking, ERP and green initiatives. Before I address their comments, let me restate the considerations that guide our policies on these issues.
The model for transport mobility in any city has an impact on its environment. A car-centric model means not just poorer air quality, but also denser housing, fewer parks and community spaces, and more noise. Cars take up more land space per person than any other form of transport.
A decade ago, 38% of households in Singapore owned a car. Today, 45% do. But this number cannot keep growing. If six in 10 households in Singapore owned a car, that is just 15 percentage-points more than today, we would have to find parking space for another 150,000 cars. This could mean over 500 more multi-storey car parks in HDB estates, or half a dozen in each of our Members'
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wards. And that is just residential parking! Clearly, there is a limit to how many more cars we can have.
This does not mean that high quality mobility is out of reach for Singaporeans. Our public transport system is good and continues to be improved. While public transport remains the top priority for the MOT and LTA, more personalised transport options and shared services, such as taxis, car-sharing and cycling, are also important and will help to give Singaporeans more choices in meeting their mobility needs.
In fact, a shift from conventional car ownership to shared transport is already happening in many cities. From San Francisco to Paris to Tokyo, car-sharing is taking off in a big way. Unlike conventional car-rental schemes, modern car-sharing schemes offer many more convenient pick-up and drop-off points, as well as charging by the distance and hours used instead of by the day.
Technology has been a driving force behind this growth, making it easier to locate, reserve, unlock, pay for and return the car. Technology has also reduced costs for service providers – they do not need a shop-front and the customers self-serve.
But it goes beyond technology. The bigger driving force is the growing culture of a shared economy, which is changing attitudes towards ownership of cars, computing capacity, storage and so on. Basically, anything that has a high upfront cost but need not be used all the time.
The largest car-sharing company, Zipcar, has 10,000 cars supporting 810,000 members while, in Singapore, our existing car clubs have around 300 cars and 9,000 members. Most members do not own a car and continue to rely on public transport. But they like the occasional use of a car for non-commuting trips, such as family outings on weekends, or for bulk shopping and running other errands.
There are no conclusive studies yet, but some estimates are that every car added to a well-organised car-sharing scheme takes the place of 15 privately-owned vehicles. This number, of course, depends on how heavily used the shared cars are. If applied to Singapore, however, a shift of just 4% of the existing car population into car-sharing schemes could expand car access to potentially three in four households, or 30% more than today and this is without the need to add too much to road and parking spaces.
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The emphasis on car access over car ownership makes sense for Singapore. We will, therefore, give more support to car-sharing schemes, so that more households can have this as part of their mobility options. We will start by making available more parking lots in HDB estates for shared cars.
Today, there are about 1,800 HDB car parks. Some have too few lots or are already over-subscribed. So, we will make a bigger push to set aside parking lots for shared cars in car parks with sufficient capacity. MND supports this move.
Madam, car-sharing is not for everyone. Its presence in Singapore is still small and will take time to grow. But I am optimistic about its prospects. Young Singaporeans that I have spoken to welcome the option of car-sharing over car-ownership. Some identify with the more flexible lifestyle that comes with it. Others like the idea of freeing up their financial resources to take up meaningful pursuits, such as travel, sports and culture. And time savings, too, as they will not need to worry about washing or servicing their cars every now and then.
Besides car-sharing, we also need accessible and available taxi services. Most passengers in Singapore are also satisfied with service levels. In a survey commissioned by LTA last year, respondents were asked to recall the most recent taxi trip that they took, and rate that trip in terms of eight attributes: safety, driver's route knowledge, waiting time, ride comfort, taxi booking, customer service, taxi service information, and taxi stand accessibility. A vast majority, over 90%, found their trip to be satisfactory.
Our main insight from this survey, however, is that expectations are exceptionally high. With your permission, Madam, may I share some slides?
The Chairman: Yes, please. [Slides were shown to hon Members.]
Mrs Josephine Teo: Respondents were asked to rate the importance of each attribute, on a scale from one to 10. All eight attributes had an average score at or above nine [Please refer to Annex 9.]
From the commuter's standpoint, taxis should be available when they are needed. Besides better matching of demand and supply, which I will talk about later, better taxi availability therefore means: (a) each taxi being driven more
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regularly; (b) more taxis in service, especially when demand is highest; and (c) more phone bookings being catered to.
These are exactly the outcomes we sought to improve by introducing the Taxi Availability (TA) standards in 2013, after close consultation with the taxi companies and National Taxi Association (NTA). We have, indeed, seen improvements in all three aspects. There are more taxis in service, especially during peak hours. The booking rate has increased to almost 95%.
The most significant outcome, however, is the reversal of the trend of a declining share of taxis operating on two shifts. From 2006 to 2012, the share of two-shift taxis declined steadily from 60%, to just 52%, a drop of eight percentage points down in six years. The share has climbed back up to nearly 60% in the one year since the TA standards were introduced.
This trend reversal is significant because the average daily mileage for a two-shift taxi is 450 km, one-and-a-half times that of a single-shift taxi. In other words, taxi availability can be improved without expanding fleet size if more taxis operate on two shifts, which is the case in other cities where taxi services are rated well by commuters, for example, in New York.
This does not mean, however, that taxi drivers have to drive unreasonably long hours or cruise empty more often, a concern which Mr Ang Hin Kee has raised. The monthly gross earnings for two-shift taxis are generally also one-and-a-half times that of one-shift taxis. This suggests that the extra mileage that they cover is not simply a case of empty cruising.
All of us agree that taxi drivers should, indeed, get sufficient rest, both for their own welfare and for the safety of their passengers. With two drivers sharing a taxi and each of them choosing to rest one day a week, each driver needs to clock four to five hours a day for the taxi to meet the minimum mileage requirement. A taxi hirer with no relief driver would have to clock eight to nine hours daily, with one rest day a week. This is assuming an average speed of 30 km/h, not very high.
We also recognise that there are some days when individual taxis may not meet the mileage requirement, for example, due to illness or family exigencies. That is why the standard is applied on a fleet-wide basis. That is 80% and not 100% of a company's fleet need to meet this requirement every month.
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The current standards also give drivers flexibility to choose their own rest days, whether on a weekday or a weekend. The taxi only needs to meet the 250-km requirement on 80% of the days in a month, and not all the days. It is up to the driver to decide which days they want to meet it. This approach is better than one where LTA specifies the days that drivers are exempt from the requirements, and also less disruptive to commuters who would otherwise find most taxis out-of-service on the same days.
Overall, the taxi standards aim to strike a good balance between giving taxi drivers some flexibility and making sure that most passengers can get hold of taxis when they need one. We recognise and appreciate that some drivers have made adjustments, and will monitor the situation before raising the standards further.
In addition, we will intensify efforts to better match taxi supply to demand. To shorten waiting times at taxi stands, an issue brought up by Mr Dhinakaran, LTA will provide more real-time information to both commuters and drivers. For example, commuters will be able to compare waiting times at taxi stands by scanning quick response codes with their smartphones. LTA will also try out a system to transmit live demand data at taxi stands so taxi companies can broadcast to their drivers. In doing so, we will also reduce empty cruising by taxi drivers.
Mr Seng Han Thong highlighted the trend in some cities towards smartphone taxi bookings. We agree such applications will improve the overall matching of supply and demand of taxi services. We will assess how to evolve our regulations to benefit both commuters and taxi drivers.
Mr Ang Hin Kee has called for a review of the taxi fare structure. Indeed, the different fare structures are confusing and frustrating to commuters. The problem, however, is multi-layered.
Most commuters can see that peak-period surcharges are an effective way to get more taxis on the roads when demand is higher. Most also agree it is fair to compensate drivers for their late night shifts, or trips involving far-flung locations which usually entail an un-hired drive in one direction, either to or fro.
As it is, time-based surcharges are standardised across companies. Location-based surcharges may differ from building to building, but taxi companies tend to levy the same surcharge for each location.
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Surcharges play a part in matching demand and supply. They can be retained with some refinements. For example, a table of surcharges should be prominently displayed in all taxis. Where payable, they should be highlighted to commuters before the start of a trip. However, the main bugbear for commuters is not surcharges but the many variations of flag-down fares.
Generally, these fares should reflect the rental costs of taxis. As taxis are bought at different times, and are of different ages, models, fuel efficiency and so on, their costs are different. Taxi companies have taken to charging different rental rates to reflect these varying costs. Consequently, the companies have also set different fares payable by commuters, commensurate with the different rentals paid by taxi drivers.
While taxi companies would do well to consider if they can simplify rental and fare structures, we are concerned that this may lead to a common levelling up of rentals and fares. While commuters and drivers may prefer a simplified fare and rental structure, I doubt they would prefer one where all fares and rentals are harmonised upwards.
This is why any transition will be tricky and needs to be thought through carefully to ensure that commuters and drivers are not worse off. As a next step, LTA plans to engage regular taxi commuters to get a better sensing of their preference, and will share these findings with the NTA and taxi companies before considering further steps.
Finally, let me address Mr Ang Hin Kee's suggestion to allow taxis to pick up and drop off passengers at bus stops. We have already made a concession to allow taxis to do pick-ups and drop-offs along the roads in the Central Business District, as long as they abide by the bus lane regulations. Mr Ang's suggestion will, indeed, improve convenience for taxi commuters, but it will not be fair to the many other public bus users who will incur longer waiting times to board and alight if there is a taxi obstructing the buses. Besides, it is safer for the elderly and the pregnant to be dropped off or picked up at a proper driveway.
Mr Ang Wei Neng made several suggestions regarding COEs, for example, redefining Category (Cat) A, by Open Market Value (OMV).
Madam, OMV can fluctuate quite significantly for different batches of the same car, due to variations in exchange rates and car model specifications. This would result in certain cars falling in Cat A at certain times, and in Cat B at others.
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For example, a Mercedes-Benz A180 brought in by a parallel importer in November last year had an OMV of $19,800, while the same model brought in by an authorised dealer in January this year had an OMV of about $25,100, quite a big different. Likewise, the Honda Civic models registered in Singapore had OMV ranging from about $19,000 to more than $25,800, from 2010 to 2012. So, within the two-year period, the Honda Civic had OMVs that fluctuated quite a bit.
On the other hand, a technical criterion, such as engine power, is generally more stable and can be measured accurately. It is also a reasonable proxy for value, when coupled with engine capacity. This is why we re-categorised Cat A to be based on both engine capacity and engine power.
Should re-categorisation lead to lower Cat A COE prices? Much as we would all like to see softer COE prices, COE prices are ultimately the result of demand interacting with supply. The intent of re-categorisation was simply to retain Cat A more for mass market car buyers, and early indications are that this objective has been achieved. The median OMV for cars registered since the re-categorisation was $19,000 in Cat A, compared to more than $26,000 before – a drop of almost 30%. The share of cars with OMVs above $20,000 has also nearly halved.
Mr Ang suggested splitting Cat C into two sub categories, which some Members had also raised last year. We are sympathetic to businesses that need the use of vehicles and we have provided concessions to commercial vehicles. These include the nominal Additional Registration Fee (ARF) of 5% of OMV, and the lower effective road taxes compared to cars and exemption from diesel fuel taxes on top of road tax rebates granted last year, and also repeated five-year COE renewals.
But the splitting of Cat C will result in relatively small categories. Cat C COE prices would be generally more volatile, and businesses would have to deal with higher price uncertainty. That is why LTA had decided not to go ahead with it.
We are open to suggestions on how the Government can try to help with rising business costs, but I should caution that it is generally difficult to do so within the COE system without implications for other vehicle users.
In the last year or so, we have listened to feedback and made changes to the COE system where sensible. These changes include: (a) taking taxis out of
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Cat A; (b) lowering the rate at which all vehicle categories contribute to Cat E; (c) lowering the vehicle growth rate to 0.5%; (d) re-categorising Cat A; and (e) shortening the quota cycle to quarterly instead of half-yearly periods to be more responsive to de-registrations.
The motor industry is still adjusting to these changes. We note Mr Ang's suggestions, but it is probably best to leave things be for a while before introducing further changes.
Let me now touch on ERP. Last year, we announced that LTA has completed the technology trial for the next generation ERP system (ERP2), which Mr Cedric Foo and Mr Ang Wei Neng asked about. This is necessary as our current ERP system is coming to its end of life.
If we do not replace the ERP system, it will become more expensive and difficult to maintain and repair. After careful study, we have established the viability of the technologies on offer and will proceed to call a tender in the next few months to develop the ERP2 system by around 2020.
With ERP2, we will be able to calibrate the charging for motorists in proportion to the congested road segments they use, which is a fairer approach. ERP2 can also provide value-added services, such as navigation, payment for roadside parking in lieu of parking coupons and real-time traffic information, which Mr Ang also noted. There could be scope to review the off-peak car and we can do so in due time.
Members have raised possible concerns over the loss of privacy with ERP2. As with any technology, there are benefits as well as trade-offs, but rest assured that there will be appropriate safeguards to minimise privacy concerns. There will also not be any change in the pricing policy and no new charged roads while we transit to the new technology.
Let me respond now to questions raised by Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Png Eng Huat. For the city centre, we charge ERP based on a cordon concept. This means that ERP rates are based on the collective traffic conditions on key routes within the cordon. We take this approach because the roads leading into the city centre are fairly good substitutes for one another.
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The gantry at Nicoll Highway, which Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked about, is part of this cordon. If the gantry were not operational on Saturdays, traffic would naturally gravitate towards Nicoll Highway, resulting in greater localised congestion there. Mr Lim has asked whether ERP ought to be levied on Saturdays at all. In fact, the ERP charges in some sections, for example, in Orchard Road, were adjusted in lieu of the feedback.
Mr Png Eng Huat asked about the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE), which was designed to improve connectivity to the New Downtown at Marina Bay. LTA had undertaken a very comprehensive planning and design process to ensure that the MCE caters to both short- and long-term land use needs.
In January, Minister Lui Tuck Yew updated Parliament that, with the exception of the morning of the first working day, peak-hour traffic along the MCE and the adjoining road network has been generally smooth-flowing. MCE has, in fact, resulted in reduced ERP charges paid by drivers, which is within our planning expectations for the short-term as the New Downtown at Marina Bay is currently only partially developed.
As for Mr Png's query on the costs of the MCE, we expect to keep within the revised MCE budget of $4.7 billion, with possibly some savings. The budget for MCE was revised upwards from the original $2.5 billion, and a full explanation was given in the Parliament sitting in January 2009. To recap very briefly, the cost estimates were revised due to three factors: higher construction and material costs, poorer than expected soil conditions, and higher regulatory standards.
I will now address Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Pritam Singh's questions on parking. Today, LTA regulates the overnight parking of heavy vehicles so that they do not cause disamenities in residential estates. These vehicles are required to secure a parking lot in an authorised parking place under the Vehicle Parking Certificate scheme. It is an offence for a heavy vehicle that is not in use, which is between 12.00 midnight and 6.00 am, not to be parked in its designated parking place.
For places of worship, LTA exercises flexibility when enforcing illegal parking during praying hours or special events, as long as the vehicles do not cause obstruction or pose safety concerns. This is the approach regardless of religion. Most of the religious organisations proactively do their part to manage the traffic and advise their worshippers not to park indiscriminately. Nevertheless, when there are complaints about indiscriminate parking that
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endangers other road users, LTA will take strict enforcement action.
Last but not least, Madam, I would like to share my Ministry's contributions towards managing the carbon footprint of our transport sector. One strategy is to control vehicle population growth. Another strategy is to reduce vehicle emissions, especially by old diesel vehicles, through the Early Turnover Scheme (ETS), which Mr Ang Wei Neng asked about.
More than 850 vehicles have been replaced with cleaner models, under the ETS. We hope to improve on this rate of improvement by sharply increasing the COE bonus offered under the scheme. This could lead potentially to the early turnover of the oldest and most pollutive diesel commercial vehicles, comprising 20% of all Cat C vehicles. Let me explain how the enhanced COE bonus works.
Take an owner of a heavy vehicle with five years of vehicle life remaining and four years of unused COE. And let us assume that the Prevailing Quota Premium payable for a 10-year COE renewal is $50,000. Under the current ETS, the owner transfers the unused four years of COE to the new vehicle when he deregisters his old one. He gets a COE bonus of one-and-a-half years, or 30% of the five years of remaining vehicle life. So, that is the blue part, which is the COE bonus. And, therefore, he needs to pay for an additional four-and-a-half years of COE, and that is $22,500; already less than half of the Prevailing Quota Premium.
But under the enhanced ETS, he will get a much bigger bonus. How does it work? The remaining four years of COE is similarly transferred, but the owner gets a full five-year bonus COE, or 100% of the remaining life of his old vehicle. As a result, he need only pay for one additional year of COE and that is $5,000. The scheme is, therefore, especially helpful to businesses, by bringing down the COE cost of vehicle replacement, with potential savings of thousands of dollars, up to $30,000 in some cases. In this case, he gets extra three-and-a-half years of COE bonus free of charge. Not only that, he only needs to pay $5,000.
The enhanced scheme will kick in tomorrow and will be effective till end April 2016 instead of 2015 to give vehicle owners more time to decide. Nevertheless, we encourage owners to do so early, as they stand to enjoy higher bonuses when they replace their vehicles earlier.
On suggestions to do more to mitigate carbon emissions, we have done so with the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS). Since the
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implementation of the surcharge in July 2013, the percentage of high-emissions models registered has halved to less than 7%, compared to the first half of 2013. In the second half of 2013, 59% of the models were in the rebate bands, compared to about 40% in 2012, had the scheme been in place then.
The CEVS has been extended to June 2015. This was announced during the Budget. We will consider Mr Pritam Singh's earlier suggestion during the debate to sharpen the incentive and disincentive structure when the scheme is up for review.
To conclude, Madam, I would like to return to where I started, which is to advocate for a sustainable model of transport mobility that places the most emphasis on high-quality public transport, supplemented by good access to personalised services, including taxis, car-sharing and cycling, and controlled growth of car population and usage.
Public transport must be our mode of choice for as many trips as possible. Whatever the number of cars we can accommodate on our roads and in our residential areas and offices, better that more are shared by many than owned and used by a few. This will require a shift in social norms and our mobility culture, which is in complete alignment with the broader shifts that we hope to see in our journey of economic and social transformation.
The Chairman: Dr Janil Puthucheary, you have four cuts. Please take them together.
Dr Janil Puthucheary (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Madam, I have four cuts but it can be seen as one larger question. Do we want to encourage cycling as a primary means of transport? Not for everybody and not for every occasion but for an increasing number of Singaporeans. If we do, there needs to be a big-picture approach. If we do, we cannot rely on incremental shifts because we would need to shift natural human behaviour and that combination of inertia and habit often needs a big jolt in order to effect change.
We will need to put in place a series of measures that leverage off each other to make cycling a viable alternative means of transport and not just recreational. Every time someone decides to cycle, there is potentially one less car on the road, one less parking space that is needed and perhaps one less commuter on the bus or MRT. Encouraging an increased share of commuting
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by cycling benefits all commuters.
There are several factors that need to be addressed in order to make this option more attractive. I will bring up just four – safety, cycle paths, bicycle racks and bike sharing. For safety, there needs to be a sense of trust and confidence in one's safety when cycling. A cyclist can take steps to be careful, to be mindful, but a significant part of safety and that sense of confidence comes with the behaviour we take with each other – the sense of mutual respect, the idea that one is responsible not just for one's own safety but for others as well.
Will the Ministry consider a regulatory framework to strengthen the protection of cyclists and pedestrians? Several incidents have happened so there is an increased concern about the education on road safety and responsibilities for cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.
For cycling paths, Madam, the Government has shown support for cycling as a mode of transport by committing to building an island-wide cycling network, more than 700 km by 2030. Like many, I support this move and I am eagerly looking forward to the completion of the network. Could the Ministry provide an update on the expansion of this network? In particular, I hope that close attention is being paid to connect the cycle paths that run parallel to the roads with park connectors and other parts of the island-wide network. Further, all these paths need to connect quite seamlessly with public transport nodes to make them very useable.
Madam, providing basic infrastructure, such as cycling paths, is important. However, there are other needs that have to be looked into in order for Singaporeans to embrace cycling as an alternative form of transport. We lack some supporting infrastructure that is needed in order to make Singapore a city fit for people to choose cycling as their primary mode of transport. One example is the need for bicycle racks. Bicycles are significant investments for some people. The safety of that bicycle at the transport node or at places of work is very important. Could the Ministry provide an update on how such infrastructure needs are being met or whether they will be expanded?
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Finally, Madam, as part of a strategy to encourage more people to use cycling, bike sharing has been particularly successful in some cities. Cities that do not have such big hills, cities that enjoy a relatively predictable weather and Singapore certainly needs those two criteria. Such schemes remove concerns about securing one's bike, it allows multi-modal commuting so you can take a bus to one direction, have a shared bike in another direction and then return either on a bus or MRT or a taxi without worrying about how to retrieve a bicycle for your return journey. It offers a much greater degree of flexibility for commuters. Would the Ministry consider implementing similar programmes with bike-sharing stations located at strategic points in specially designed transport nodes?
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: This cut is also on cycling, specifically the de-conflicting of cyclists and pedestrians on pedestrian footpaths. Cycling has not only become a popular recreational sport, it is also becoming a popular form of transport. It replaces walking or taking feeder buses. Many have now taken on bicycles as a means to reach transport hubs. Also, the availability of some supporting infrastructure like park connectors, bicycle racks, supports this as a mode of transport.
With the increase in bicycle usage, some of the residents have highlighted that footpaths are increasingly congested, especially in morning peak hours, and with some errant cyclists exhibiting dangerous cycling behaviours: ringing the bell as they go and shooing the pedestrians off the footpaths. This endangers the safety of pedestrians, especially children and the elderly, on footpaths.
Cycling on footpaths – the last time I checked – is illegal. Cyclists have to dismount and push the bicycles. But there is currently no enforcement against such errant cyclists. Bicycles are not registered and enforcements are difficult. There is also a general view that our roads are narrow and crowded during peak periods and, therefore, a reluctance for the authorities to push the cyclists to using the roads.
We also do not require cyclists to don helmets. If we really want them to ride safely, as Dr Janil Puthucheary had pointed out, we should require them to wear helmets. Should we enforce the current rules and ban all cyclists on pedestrian footpaths? Should we accommodate cyclists on footpaths? And if so,
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these footpaths are currently too narrow and are not designed to fit both pedestrians and cyclists.
It is not clear who in Government owns the issue. Is it National Parks? Is it the Traffic Police? Is it LTA? Is it the Town Council? Is it HDB? It would be good if we can set a clear policy on this issue because the current status quo is not clear, it is not working and the problem is growing.
Mr Ang Wei Neng: Mdm Chair, I agree with hon Member Dr Janil Puthucheary that we need to promote cycling as a form of transport but I am not too optimistic that it can be a primary mode of transport. I am more optimistic that it can replace some feeder buses, as residents can cycle to MRT stations and take the train to the eventual destination.
We can probably put more effort into facilitating cycling from HDB flats to MRT stations as well as to neighbourhood centres where they can buy groceries. We need to have better facilities for cycling. Besides cycling paths, cycling racks are important. If you visit the MRT stations now, you can see there are a lot of bicycles but there are insufficient cycling racks. Sometimes, it is not too secure and a lot of bicycles get stolen.
We need to build more secure bicycle racks at points where the cyclists need to get on and off, and that would include MRT stations, HDB void decks, neighbourhood centres and even schools and offices.
Besides the facilities, I also agree that we need to educate the cyclists, pedestrians and other road users on the need to accommodate each other, especially at points of potential conflict, such as pedestrian crossings, bus stops, road junction and so on. We also need to have adequate signs to warn the cyclists, pedestrians and other road users of the potential conflict points.
To this end, I also agree with the hon Member Mr Cedric Foo that we need to have a coordinating body to build the facilities required for cyclists as well as liaising with the different agencies, such as the Police, HDB and so on. To this end, I propose that LTA could consider setting up a coordinating body under its wing.
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Mr Yee Jenn Jong (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, two months ago, I did a day-long cycling trip through San Francisco on a working weekday, from the bustling financial and shopping areas to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. It was a refreshing experience. Even in the busy downtown, there were bicycle lanes marked out for cyclists. Where there were no dedicated bicycle lanes, a slow lane was marked out as a shared lane between motorists and cyclists. Motorists that were on the shared lane followed behind us. In some suburbs without any marked lanes, motorists waited patiently for us to cross the road junctions. They kept a safe distance when overtaking us.
Bicycles were allowed onto segments of the trains and subways. There were automated bicycle kiosks in many parts of the city where one could book out a bike and return it at another kiosk. It is no wonder that many in San Francisco commute to work by cycling.
There are other bicycle-friendly cities. For example, in Copenhagen, cycling is already the most popular mode of transport and the city has set even more ambitious cycling KPIs, such as for bicycling to capture 50% of all modes of transport to school or work. The city has dedicated lanes and special short-cut paths for cyclists. It takes a whole-of-city approach to encourage cycling by reducing travelling time on popular routes and to make roads safer and more comfortable for cyclists.
I acknowledge that the Government has implemented cycling paths and plans to have more. Having experienced San Francisco, I hope our Government can set even more ambitious targets to make cycling safer and more comfortable here so that even more could make it as a preferred mode of transport. We can start with new towns by having more dedicated bicycle lanes on roads and to have a more aggressive national campaign to cultivate respect for the roads between cyclists and motorists.
Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines): Madam, there have been too many road accidents involving cyclists. Just two weeks ago, another cyclist was killed. He was only 18. We should not wait for more deaths before being galvanised into action.
Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in Singapore, with many riding on roads. This is a good thing, a form of sustainable transport that many
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forward-looking cities in the world are promoting.
The Transport Ministry is doing a good job of building off-road cycling paths but I fear that its infrastructure policy is not keeping up to address the cycling influx on roads. It needs to do a better job in normalising cycling as a legitimate form of transport. Urgent action must be taken to make our roads safer for cyclists. The Ministry must study accident hot spots to identify solutions for safer roads. It should be open to a broad range of solutions: bike lanes, road markings, signages, junction designs.
Space is not the issue. Our roads are often wide. A bike lane or a junction box does not take up much space. The real issue is being convinced of the imperative to aim for zero deaths on our roads.
I call on the Transport Ministry to adopt the international best practice as defined in the OECD landmark report titled \"Towards Zero: Ambitious Road Safety Targets and the Safe System Approach\". This approach represents a significant shift in thinking about road safety, and envisions a safe road system increasingly free of death and serious injury. Under this approach, it is unacceptable to trade off human life and health for other benefits of the transport system.
Indeed, Madam, it is unacceptable to trade off human life for a car-dominated transport system in Singapore. I call on MOT to take urgent and effective measures to address cycling safety on roads and to put it at the top of its agenda.
Mr Nicholas Fang (Nominated Member): Madam, when we think of cycling, two things normally come to mind – danger and discomfort. Danger in terms of the risks cyclists face when riding on our roads, as highlighted by accidents and traffic deaths which were in our headlines periodically. Discomfort because of our climate, which is almost constantly hot and humid.
We heard on numerous occasions in the House from Members calling for more to be done to make it easier for people to cycle around the country. Much of the debate has centred on how to improve bike networks within towns or how to weave cycling into the public transport network potentially as the first or last-mile solution, as hon Member Mr Ang Wei Neng just mentioned.
I believe and agree with Dr Janil Puthucheary that there is more potential for Singapore to be a true cycling city where more people use cycling as a form
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of transport and even to exercise. Theoretically, small land area and a developed network of well surfaced roads here means it is not difficult to get around on two wheels. This would bring a number of benefits. Among them, better health for people who choose cycling to commute, less strain on our roads and public transport infrastructure and an environment where people are more in touch with their surroundings.
As a long-time, and sometimes, competitive cyclist, I have always enjoyed being out and about on two wheels. I do bear some scars from my rides, but I believe that it can be a safe and enjoyable endeavour overall if a few measures are put in place.
The first and easiest to address is to create better infrastructure for people who are keen to use cycling as a form of transport. While the Park Connectors Network is a useful way for people to travel around certain parts of the island, it is not very useful for those looking to travel into the Central Business District or other commercial areas for work. I am aware of the Government's position on the creation of a dedicated bicycle lane and also the concerns of the significant car lobby in Singapore. But I hope we can continue to explore the potential possibility of such lanes, perhaps not all over the country, but in key areas where many people travel to work.
A second aspect of the infrastructure that will make it easier for Singapore to be a cycling-friendly place would be to have shower facilities to enable people to be ready for work after reaching their destinations. This is something the private sector could be encouraged to address. But perhaps the most critical aspect is the need for a broader mindset change. Motorists see cyclists as a nuisance, clogging up the roads and impeding traffic. While some cyclists do ride irresponsibly, many are safe riders. The key issue to creating a broader understanding is that if more people commute on bikes, it would actually ease the number of vehicles on the road, allowing for a smoother flow of traffic for cars and also on public transport.
If drivers can adopt a more patient and accommodating stance towards cyclists, this would increase the confidence of more people to start riding and perhaps consider adopting it as a way of getting around. I hope the Ministry would consider encouraging this idea in the years ahead.
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Mr Lim Biow Chuan: Mdm Chair, within Tanjong Rhu estate, there are 1,528 households. Of these, about 1,260 residents are above 60 years of age. For many of them, they struggle to climb a three-storey high pedestrian overhead bridge just to reach the other side of Mountbatten Road where there are more amenities like supermarket, clinics, wet market or the Mountbatten MRT station.
I had previously made several requests for a lift to be installed at the pedestrian overhead bridge, but to no avail. Instead, LTA decided to build a long ramp which I did not feel will solve the issue. I just want to invite LTA senior officers to come and witness a 60-year-old or 70-year-old elderly man or woman relying on walking stick to walk along the ramp.
Hence, I am appealing to LTA to consider a signalised traffic crossing along Mountbatten Road so as to facilitate the travel patterns of the elderly residents who are unable to climb the high pedestrian overhead bridge. A signalised traffic crossing will bring about greater convenience and allow elderly residents to cross the road in a safe manner. I note that there are similar signalised traffic crossings along other busy roads like Lornie Road, Bendemeer Road, Victoria Street and Jalan Besar.
I urge LTA to look at the profile of the estate. LTA should aim to allow elderly residents living in the area to have a better quality of life and to have access to more amenities. This would be in line with the Government's efforts to honour the Pioneer Generation and our elderly residents.
The Chairman: Parliamentary Secretary.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim): Mdm Chairperson, I thank Members for their questions and helpful suggestions. Today, our public transport experience in Singapore is already a multi-modal one.
Singaporeans commute by buses and trains, and more people are walking and cycling in recent years, embracing these modes also for health and environmental reasons. Hence, we have laid out ambitious plans to enhance pedestrian and cycling facilities in our Land Transport Master Plan 2013. With your permission, Madam, I would like to show some slides.
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The Chairman: Yes, please. [Slides were shown to hon Members.]
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Over the past year, we have put a lot of emphasis on enhancing the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, and getting views from the users' perspective. Besides personally engaging various groups to hear their views and suggestions, I also join them to try out our cycling network. For example, late last year, I joined a group of cycling enthusiasts on a ride along the cycling paths at Marina Bay. They liked the off-road cycling paths that we are building, and affirmed that this would, indeed, enhance safety for all cyclists. They were also candid in telling me that infrastructure alone is not enough. What is more important is to build a common culture that emphasises graciousness, respect and courtesy towards all road users, whether they are pedestrians, cyclists or motorists.
The Inter-agency Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Committee, which I chair, shares this philosophy. The Committee was set up last year to review and improve road safety initiatives. It has been studying best practices from other countries and analysing accident trends to better understand their root causes.
Dr Janil Puthucheary, who expressed his concern for the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, would be happy to note that the number of fatal and injury accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists has dropped by 15% last year, to less than 1,200 cases in 2013 [Please refer to Annex 10.]
I think this has partly to do with several initiatives that we implemented last year. Some of these are relatively small improvements but make a big difference on the ground. For instance, people have told me that the new \"LOOK\" road signs, as you will see here at selected zebra crossings, reminding pedestrians to watch out for traffic before crossing the road, have been quite helpful. We intend to include these at 150 more zebra crossings this year. We are also testing a new design, the \"Give Way to Pedestrians\" sign, at selected traffic junctions to provide better contrast and visibility to motorists so that they will be more vigilant of crossing pedestrians when making right turns.
LTA has implemented the Black Spot Programme since 2005. This programme identifies accident-prone locations for more safety initiatives to be implemented. One such example is at the junction of Jurong Town Hall Road and Boon Lay Way towards West Coast Road, where we have replaced the usual right-turn green arrow of the traffic lights with controlled red, amber and green right-turn arrows. This simple initiative has halved the accident rate at the junction from 22 to 11 over a three-year period. This site has since \"graduated\"
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out of the Black Spot Programme. Ms Irene Ng would be glad to know that, starting this year, LTA will adjust the criteria of locations to be included in the programme from areas with more than 15 accidents over three years, to areas with 12 or more accidents over three years. This will bring in more accident-prone locations for treatment, and require more resources as the number of locations under this programme would increase by 11% from 90 to about 100. But a small investment like this is very important to make for safer roads.
We are particularly focused on improving road safety for the elderly, who are over-represented in pedestrian accidents. Forty percent of all pedestrian fatalities are elderly pedestrians, although they make up only 16% of the population. I worry because our elderly population is growing by an average of 32,000 each year. To mitigate this situation, we will introduce a new concept called \"Silver Zones\" in residential areas with a high elderly population, and relatively high accident rates involving the elderly. This is based on best practices overseas, such as in South Korea and New York City, where similar zones have been established. In these zones, we will try out a number of additional road safety measures to cater specifically to the elderly. Examples of these include adding a centre divider in the middle of the road so that the elderly can rest for a while instead of crossing the whole road at one go, painting special markings on footpaths to guide the elderly to the nearest pedestrian crossings and transport amenities, and finally, installing lifts at pedestrian overhead bridges. These measures will take into account specific site conditions and community feedback. We will pilot Silver Zones at five locations in the following towns – Bedok, Bukit Merah, Jurong West, Marine Parade and Yishun – by the end of this year.
The safety of school children is another area of focus for the Committee. We have implemented the Enhanced School Zone at all Primary schools for some time now to alert motorists to be more cautious when driving in these zones. I am sure that those of us who drive are familiar with the red-textured road surface of such zones by now.
Through consultation with MOE, the Traffic Police (TP) and the school community, the Committee has put together a comprehensive \"toolkit\" of School Zone safety initiatives, to be implemented at 10 Primary schools this year. One example is the reduction of the speed limit to 40 km/h along roads fronting Primary schools during certain hours. In addition, we have decided that we should also bring Secondary schools into our safety programme. This is done by extending \"School Zone\" signs to the frontages of all Secondary
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schools to alert motorists to the presence of students in these zones. These efforts will complement TP's measure of raising demerit points for offences, such as speeding and careless driving, in School Zones.
Let me share another example where Government agencies have collaborated and worked with the community to do more for school safety as part of the Committee's work. At Edgefield Secondary School in Punggol, MOE has assisted the school to widen its internal driveway to prevent congestion within the school car park that may cause a spill-over to the road. LTA has also stepped up enforcement against illegal parking outside the school, and the National Parks Board has trimmed overgrown trees at a nearby car park exit to improve visibility for motorists. My insight from all these is that there is really no \"one size fits all\" solution to road safety. Agencies must work together with the community to identify the unique road safety issues at each school and resolve them.
Let me now move to cyclist safety. Notwithstanding the number of high profile accidents recently, the number of cyclist accidents has actually been on a downward trend since 2008. The number of cyclist fatalities has actually also been on a downward trend, from 22 per year in 2008 to 15 in 2013. But I agree with Ms Ng that each fatality is one too many and we must continue to make our roads safer for cyclists. I seek Ms Irene Ng's understanding that given Singapore's land constraints, we need to optimise our available road space and balance the needs of cyclists with that of motorists, commuters and pedestrians. Nevertheless, we are taking steps to enhance cyclist safety. LTA is in the midst of refreshing all 190 \"Cyclists Ahead\" signs along popular cycling routes, such as Upper Thomson, Mandai, Upper Changi, Kranji and Tanjong Rhu, to alert motorists to the presence of cyclists on the road. The new signs were developed in collaboration with the Singapore Cycling Federation and the Safe Cycling Taskforce, and I am happy to have heard much positive feedback on these new signs.
LTA is also providing more mid-block signalised bicycle crossings. As shown on the slide, this will allow cyclists to have their own space to ride across roads separately from pedestrians without dismounting. We already have 13 such crossings and six more will be installed next year at Taman Jurong and Changi-Simei in tandem with the completion of cycling path networks in these towns.
Dr Janil would also be glad to hear that the Committee is currently working on designing and implementing a national voluntary cyclist education programme. This initiative is led by the Singapore Road Safety Council, with
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customised curricula for different groups of cyclists, such as students and commuting cyclists. We intend to involve cycling groups, academics and other agencies in this process, and I hope that eventually, we will all see safe cycling as a useful life-skill that we should learn.
I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the members of the Committee, who have put in a lot of hard work to achieve the \"Safer Roads Singapore\" vision that we have always looked towards and improve the safety of Singaporeans.
Let me now share the Ministry's plans to enhance our cycling ecosystem. Mr Cedric Foo, Mr Ang Wei Neng, Ms Irene Ng, Dr Janil, Mr Nicholas Fang and Mr Yee Jenn Jong have made impassioned commentaries on cycling. I agree with all of you. Not only is cycling a healthy activity, it is also environmentally-friendly and one of the most efficient forms of urban transport. In addition, the feeling of freedom and mobility you get when riding a bicycle allows you to connect to your living environment in a way that sitting in a car can never do.
I visited Australia last November and I was very impressed with their cycling infrastructure. In comparison, our cycling infrastructure is less developed. This is understandable, as our journey into cycling is shorter than theirs, and also in other cities like Copenhagen and San Francisco. In addition, we had historically prioritised motorised over non-motorised transport in our infrastructure plans. It is thus a challenge now, in land-scarce Singapore, to build dedicated off-road cycling paths everywhere, even though we would like to do so to better cater to cyclists of all skills.
However, we have one unique advantage, and that is our extensive and wonderful Park Connector Network, which we must better integrate and link up with our cycling path networks to create an island-wide network that will eventually span more than 700 km, or 14 times the length of Singapore, over the next 10 to 15 years. These dedicated, off-road cycling paths will also minimise conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists.
As pointed out by Mr Cedric Foo, errant cyclists who display reckless or dangerous riding behaviours endanger pedestrian safety. TP enforce against such cyclists. In 2013, 543 summonses were issued against cyclists riding on footpaths, a slight increase from 525 in 2012. Nevertheless, I agree that various agencies can explore ways to address this multi-faceted problem more effectively. Agencies and stakeholders will thus need to come together to review this holistically.
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Dr Janil and Mr Ang Wei Neng spoke about the progress of the cycling path networks. To date, over 200 km of Park Connector Networks and intra-town cycling paths are in place. Last October, I announced that cycling path networks will be built in Ang Mo Kio, Choa Chu Kang and Toa Payoh. We will call tenders for them by the end of this year. In addition, we have identified Bishan, Bukit Panjang and Woodlands as the next towns under this programme, bringing us to a total of 15 cycling towns. We will also continue to build more short links between MRT stations to nearby park connectors to further improve connectivity in 12 towns by 2015, starting with Buangkok, Dover and Yew Tee.
I certainly agree with Dr Janil's suggestion to provide more bicycle racks. On top of the 3,000 bicycle racks at 32 MRT stations that have been completed since 2011 or those which are still under construction, we will construct 500 more bicycle racks at 11 MRT stations. This will begin this year. Bicycle racks will also be provided at the Sports Hub, as well as locations in Marina Bay and Jurong Lake District, in partnership with residential and commercial developers. Mr Ang Wei Neng also asked about the provision of bicycle racks at HDB void decks and neighbourhood centres. For all new public housing developments, HDB will provide bicycle racks in the common areas, while for existing towns, Town Councils will provide them based on demand and utilisation of existing bicycle racks, with more generous provisions in cycling towns, such as Pasir Ris and Tampines. Agencies are thus working closely to ensure that bicycle parking needs of residents are met, but we can explore how to better coordinate efforts, as Mr Ang suggested.
Finally, last year, I shared that LTA was planning to pilot a bicycle-sharing scheme, like those in Paris, New York and London, starting with Jurong Lake District by 2015. This scheme is practical for those who do not own bicycles, or prefer the convenience of using shared bicycles for one-way trips. Dr Janil will be pleased to know that with the completion of the first phase of the cycling path network in Marina Bay, we will be able to pilot bicycle-sharing there, too. We will also explore launching this pilot in HDB towns with completed cycling path networks, such as Tampines and Sembawang, should there be interest from potential service providers.
I will move on now to share what we are doing to improve the walking experience. With the massive investments we are making to improve our public transport, especially in building new rail lines, we want to do what we can to make the walking component of a public transport journey far more convenient and pleasant for Singaporeans. This will go a long way towards our ambitions to make public transport a choice mode.
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Many people have told me that Singapore's weather discourages walking. Our Walk2Ride programme, which comprises over 200 km of sheltered walkways connecting MRT stations and bus interchanges with schools, healthcare facilities and public amenities, is our key initiative to improve the walking experience, by protecting pedestrians from the elements. Late last year, we called four tenders to construct these sheltered walkways by 2018. We will begin construction this year.
I would like to reply to Er Dr Lee Bee Wah's earlier comment on the covered walkway. I would like to highlight that the proposed walkway at Yishun essentially blocks the view of the advertisement sign of the SPC. In such cases, LTA takes into account local stakeholders' feedback and concerns and will advise the Qualified Person to inform stakeholders and address their concerns. LTA will continue to work closely with Nee Soon Town Council, the Qualified Person and SPC to get this issue resolved quickly.
We will also continue our vigorous efforts to improve accessibility for the elderly and disabled. This is to \"future-proof\" our transport system as we prepare for an ageing demographic. Today, all bus stops are barrier-free, except for a few that cannot be upgraded due to physical constraints. All MRT stations and bus interchanges today have at least one barrier-free access route.
This is probably a good point to respond to Mr Lim Biow Chuan's request for a signalised traffic crossing near the Kampong Arang estate along Mountbatten Road. In fact, Mr Lim has brought this up a few times and we had assessed it again. We have re-assessed that providing a signalised traffic crossing at this location would significantly impede the flow of traffic at this major road. As he mentioned earlier, we are building ramps at the nearby pedestrian overhead bridge (POB), and this should be ready by next month.
Let me also update Members about the programme to install lifts at overhead bridges. We announced the expansion of this programme last year, from six to about 40 more POBs, and this has received a lot of support. We will review how to expand the programme further, with priority for the Silver Zones. In addition, we will also continue to expand the Green Man Plus scheme by about 240 pedestrian crossings. This scheme allows the elderly and disabled to use their concession cards to get more green time to cross the road.
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Madam, while we have developed a whole host of measures to ensure that our transport system is friendly to the needs of diverse groups, we must aim to do more, to truly make our land transport system people-centric, more inclusive, more accessible and, most importantly, safer for all. I have received feedback and very useful ideas from many people, including many who have spoken in this House today and in the past. I appreciate these valuable ideas. My colleagues and I at MOT and LTA would certainly do our best to help create a liveable and inclusive community for all of us.
The Chairman: Order. I propose to take the break now.
[(proc text) Thereupon Mdm Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. (proc text)]
Mdm Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.10 pm.
Sitting accordingly suspended
at 3.48 pm until 4.10 pm.
Sitting resumed at 4.10 pm
[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]
[(proc text) Debate in Committee of Supply resumed. (proc text)]
[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]
Head W (cont) –
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Mdm Chair, my next cut is on enhancing Changi Airport as an air hub. On a monthly basis, Changi Airport handled about 4.5 million passengers and 29,000 flights last year. That is a 5% – 6% improvement from 2012.
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So, on first impression, this looks like a credible performance, not until you compare them to the competing hubs that continue to grow at a faster clip. Dubai, for example, grew at 16% for the nine-month period between January and September last year. Bangkok's growth was 18% prior to the start of the political unrests that it has experienced in end 2013, and Kuala Lumpur's international passenger growth was at 18% as well. All much stronger than Changi's growth rate at 6%.
With new aircraft technologies, Singapore is losing its competitive edge to Dubai as a regional hub as aircraft can fly from Europe to Dubai, and then with long haul aircrafts no longer have to re-fuel in Singapore, but are able to fly directly between Dubai and Australia, what the airline people call the \"Kangaroo route\". Bangkok and KL are also quickly transforming into Asian hubs for low-cost carriers.
I would like to ask the Minister to share Changi's plans for Terminals 4 and 5, and the three-runway system, and also if more air services agreements are envisaged and planned for, and further strategies to attract low-cost carriers to Changi. Would the Minister also elaborate on the new strategic thrusts that will enhance Changi's competitive edge? In all, can we all look forward to a rate of growth for Changi Airport that is ahead if not at least comparable to those enjoyed today by Dubai, Bangkok or KL?
The Chairman: Mr Charles Chong, you have two cuts. Please take them together.
Mr Charles Chong (Joo Chiat): Mdm Chairman, I hope you will not think it inappropriate that as the topic of my cut relates to the aviation landscape in Singapore, that I would express my shock and grief in the situation which our neighbours in Malaysia are facing over flight MH370.
It is particularly significant to me as a member of the aviation industry in Singapore, and I hope that those who have suffered in this tragedy will have the answers to their questions sooner rather than later. In the meantime, our thoughts and our prayers are with the affected families.
Mdm Chairman, as mentioned by Mr Cedric Foo earlier, and I think it is worth repeating, in the first nine months of 2013, Changi Airport's growth in the number of international passenger movements grew by 6.3% over the same
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period in 2012. As it turned out, for the whole year, Changi Airport handled 53.7 million passengers in 2013, which was a record number for the airport, and which ultimately represented an increase of approximately 5% in international passenger movements over 2012.
However, our competitors are not staying stagnant either. For example, in the first nine months of 2013, as mentioned by Mr Cedric Foo, Dubai Airport's international passenger movement was 16.3% higher than they were in 2012. Hong Kong Airport's figure is 6.3% higher than the same period over the previous year. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports together recorded an 18.3% growth in international passenger movements over the period in 2012. In the same period, KLIA saw a 17.8% increase in international passenger movements.
While some of these figures may appear impressive because they started from a comparatively lower figure in 2012, the message is clear that, with the exception of Hong Kong, which it is maintaining the same figure as us, these airports are seeing faster passenger growth rates than we are and they are closing the gap.
I, too, would like to ask the Minister what measures have been taken to ensure that Changi maintains its air hub status, despite the challenges presented by competitor airports potentially seeking to seal their hub status. We are certainly making plans to make Changi Airport more attractive to visitors, but apart from these types of measures, are there other more structural issues which are being worked through such that carriers can be incentivised to use Changi Airport as a regional hub?
On a separate matter, could the Minister tell us what measures are being taken to raise productivity at Changi Airport to accommodate growth and to reduce manpower reliance? Being essentially a service industry unto itself, it is not unexpected that Changi Airport should be fairly manpower-intensive. However, with the general trend being to increase productivity and to rely less on manpower, this is something which would be in keeping with the Government's general push to raise productivity.
Finally, if you spend as much time in airports as I do, you will notice that during aircraft transits in Changi Airport, many times numerous servicing vehicles, such as ground power units, air-conditioning units, water-servicing
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and toilet-servicing trucks sometimes have to compete with refuelling, cargo loading and catering vehicles for space near the aircraft as they attempt to achieve quick turnaround time at the gate.
This can often lead to congestion and unsafe conditions, especially when transit times are short. At several airports in the region, such as the Bangkok airport, electrical and air-conditioning units are installed as fixed facilities at each gate, eliminating the need for ground power and air-conditioning vehicles to be brought to the aircraft, thereby increasing productivity and enhancing safety.
In addition, some airports have also fixed water-servicing facilities at the gate. At Changi Airport, most of such services have to be done by servicing vehicles being brought to the aircraft. I understand that having fixed aircraft servicing facilities at the aerobridge was discussed even when Changi's Terminal 2 was being planned, however, aircraft servicing is still being done today in the three terminals almost the same way as it was done when Paya Lebar Airport was in operation.
Could the Minister tell us if CAG will consider improving and updating aircraft servicing facilities and, hopefully, sometime before Terminal 5 is constructed?
My next cut, Mdm Chairman. The maritime industry has traditionally been one of our fastest growing economic sectors contributing 7% of Singapore's GDP and employing approximately 170,000 people. With over 5,000 maritime companies operating in Singapore and with the total gross tonnage of ships under the Singapore flag being among the world's top 10, we are certainly continuing to make significant investments promoting and developing our maritime industry.
However, the maritime industry is not without its challenges, as observers have noted. Shipping companies continue to be affected by weak demand, ship over-capacity, high fuel and operating costs and greater environmental concerns. Volatile freight rates, the threat of piracy and labour shortages in the industry have also added to the uncertainty. It is fair, therefore, to say that the global maritime outlook remains cautious and it is not looking like it is going to be smooth sailing ahead.
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With that backdrop in mind, I would like to highlight two performance indicators which MPA has provided for last year. Singapore's port performance, in terms of container throughput, grew in 2013 by only 2.9% compared to growth rates of 9.9% in 2010, 5.3% in 2011 and 5.7% in 2012. Similarly, vessel arrival tonnage in 2013 grew by 3.2% compared to growth rates of 7.6% in 2010, 10.5% in 2011 and 6.3% last year.
While we were fortunate to still record growth in 2013, it is clear from these indicators that the rate of growth has slowed tremendously over the previous years. It is worrying that our investment in this sector, one which we have placed much emphasis over the years, does not seem to be providing the sort of returns one might expect.
In view of the challenges facing the industry and the declining growth rates we are seeing, could the Minister tell us what his Ministry's strategies are to strengthen Singapore's port hub status, growing Singapore as a leading international maritime centre and, ultimately, reversing the declining growth rates?
One key part of the equation is that we need to safeguard our international maritime interests with regard to freedom of navigation and safety, particularly in the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea, which are integral parts of shipping channels into and out of Singapore. Could the Minister please let us know what is being done to safeguard and advance Singapore's maritime interests in these areas?
Finally, Singapore's re-election in November 2013 into the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is, indeed, a positive development in enhancing Singapore's maritime voice. However, that is not the only international maritime body that we are part of and I note that Singapore was also granted permanent observer status in the Arctic Council in May last year.
My understanding of the Arctic Council is that it was formed by eight Arctic states in 1996 with a high level inter-governmental forum to provide a means of promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic states with the involvement of Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, particularly issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. Although the Arctic Council now has admitted 12 non-Arctic countries, including Singapore, as a permanent observer state, Singapore is the only country that does not even experience any winter climate, and the cool temperatures that we experience in
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January this year certainly do not count as winter. Could the Minister please enlighten us on the purpose of Singapore's involvement in the Arctic Council and how Singapore can contribute to the objectives of the Council as a permanent observer?
The Chairman: Ms Mary Liew, not here. Minister Lui Tuck Yew.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Mdm Chair, first, may I echo Mr Charles Chong in saying that our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones that are most affected and impacted by the MH370 incident, and that Singapore will continue to provide all meaningful assistance in any possible way that we can.
Both Mr Cedric Foo and Mr Charles Chong highlighted the performance of Changi Airport versus that of competing airports and asked about our plans to ensure Changi's continued competitiveness. As noted, 2013 was another record year for Changi, which handled 53.7 million passengers, 5% more than 2012. We were the second-ranked airport in Asia by international passenger volume. For airfreight volumes, they registered a slight increase of 0.8%, a reversal from the 1.6% contraction in 2012 and a fair performance relative to the 1% contraction seen within the Asia Pacific region.
Some of our competitor airports have, indeed, grown more quickly, but I think we cannot expect to be growing at such rates, nor is it desirable. If we grow at 18% each year like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, we will need to double airport capacity every four to five years, which is not sustainable, given our land and manpower constraints.
Our emphasis is to try and achieve sustainable, quality growth. On this score, Changi remains well-positioned to ride on the strong growth of air travel demand within Asia Pacific where the International Air Transport Association or IATA has projected passenger traffic to grow by 5.7% annually over the next few years. For 2014 and the rest of this decade, we anticipate passenger growth at Changi to continue at an annual rate of about 4% to 6%.
We have a three-pronged strategy to ensure that Changi remains the premier air hub for the region. First, we will continue to pursue a liberal aviation policy. This will enable airlines to launch new city links and increase frequencies on existing ones, thereby ensuring that Changi continues to enjoy superior connectivity, and improving the value proposition for passengers and airlines.
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For example, the expansion of the Singapore-Indonesia Air Services Agreement (ASA) last year resulted in a 40% increase in the number of weekly flights between the two countries. This made travel between Singapore and Indonesia even easier and enhanced our position as the leading gateway to Southeast Asia.
We also expanded six other existing Air Services Agreements and concluded nine new ones in 2013, bringing our total number of air services agreements to over 120. The Changi Airport Group (CAG) will continue working with airlines to encourage them to take advantage of these ASAs and to add new routes and flights judiciously at Changi.
Another important strategy to ensure Changi's continued success is to expand our infrastructure ahead of demand. In this regard, 2013 was an important milestone as CAG broke ground for the new Terminal 4 and unveiled plans for Project Jewel, the mixed-use complex to be built in front of Terminal 1, utilising the three hectare plot that is currently occupied by the open air car park. In these plans, we have taken the requirements of both passengers and airlines into consideration. For example, Terminal 4 will be designed to facilitate quick aircraft turnaround, in line with the operating models of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) and airlines operating regional services.
The Prime Minister also announced the longer-term plan for a new Terminal 5 during last year's National Day Rally with an initial capacity of 50 million passengers per annum. I am pleased to inform Members that, since then, we have received much useful feedback from the industry. We will take onboard this feedback and refine the Concept Plan that will guide the long-term expansion of Changi Airport. We aim to reveal the Concept Plan later this year.
In the meantime, the most critical work is to operationalise a three-runway system at Changi. This has commenced. We are now moving into the land preparation phase. Land preparation will take a significant amount of time as we have found from recently-completed extensive tests that the soil condition onsite is very much poorer than expected. We expect to appoint a contractor to carry out the land preparation works around the middle of this year. Based on current plans, we are still targeting for the three-runway system to be completed around the early 2020s. In the interim period, CAAS will work with various stakeholders to optimise the capacity of the existing two runways to ensure that we can continue to accommodate growth without compromising safety.
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Increasing airport capacity is not achieved just through runways and terminals alone. Enhancement of procedural capabilities and processes are equally important. To this end, we recently inaugurated the new Singapore Air Traffic Control Centre which features a truly state-of-the-art LORADS III air traffic management system that is able to accommodate significantly higher air traffic. CAAS has also embarked on a $200 million Air Traffic Management Centre of Excellence initiative and this will result in significant optimisation and expansion of Changi's air traffic capacity over the coming years.
Thirdly, as was mentioned by Mr Chong, it is essential that we raise the productivity of airport operations, particularly in light of the tight manpower situation in Singapore. We will introduce self-service facilities and processes in Terminal 4 to validate their feasibility before we adopt them on a larger scale at Terminal 5. Trials of such features are currently underway.
CAAS and CAG are also exploring other productivity-enhancing initiatives, such as introducing fixed ground services at the existing and future terminals and remotely-operated aircraft pushback. These will also help to enhance productivity and reduce our reliance on manpower. Such measures will ensure that Changi continues to deliver the efficient and pleasant user experience for which it is renowned while keeping it cost-competitive for airlines.
At the same time, we will continue our efforts to develop a larger pool of talent for the aviation sector, which provides many good jobs for Singaporeans. CAAS will step up its outreach programmes to attract more Singaporeans to aviation careers, including in the very important aerospace sector.
In summary, the prospects for the Singapore air hub remain bright. But we cannot take our success for granted. We will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that Changi remains globally competitive. In turn, this will help Singapore to continue to thrive as a global hub for business and tourism, support the creation of quality jobs for Singaporeans, and make air travel even more accessible and convenient for Singaporeans.
Let me reply to the points that have been raised on the maritime sector by Mr Charles Chong. As he has rightly pointed out, there are several challenges that the maritime industry has to grapple with. Some of these challenges have affected growth in the sector, not only in Singapore but all over the world.
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Nonetheless, the maritime sector in Singapore remains robust and our fundamentals are strong. Last year, container throughput grew by about 3% to reach another record high of 32.6 million TEUs. This growth rate is quite similar to other major ports around the world, with the exception of Hong Kong that went into negative growth, and Ningbo which was growing more strongly than ports like Shanghai, Shenzhen and even Singapore. We remained the world's second busiest port, after Shanghai, and the world's top bunkering port.
Our maritime sector has consistently contributed about 7% to our GDP, and is also a significant multiplier for the rest of the economy. Our port is a strategic asset providing critical connectivity for our manufacturing industry, giving them a key competitive advantage. Our position as an International Maritime Centre (IMC) provides both a high value-added growth engine for our economy and a source of good jobs for Singaporeans.
We are, therefore, committed to investing in the maritime sector. And here, we have a four-pronged strategy to growing this.
Firstly, let me begin with infrastructure. We take a long-term view of our Port and will continue to grow port capacity ahead of demand. The expansion of Pasir Panjang Terminal (PPT) is on track and the first set of new berths at PPT will be ready later this year. The PPT will eventually increase our port capacity by about 50% to 50 million TEUs per annum. By introducing the new berths, we are just making sure that we have that capacity ahead of time. We have also commenced the development of Tuas Terminal, where we will eventually consolidate all our container port activities in the long term.
We are also committed to developing our Port in a safe and sustainable manner. Our vessel traffic management systems are regularly upgraded to support growing port traffic. We are doing more to promote cleaner shipping. We are working with relevant stakeholders to put in place a framework for Singapore to be ready for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering, which is a cleaner alternative to conventional marine fuels.
Secondly, as Mr Chong has also highlighted, it is essential that key waterways remain open and secure. This is one of the reasons why Singapore participates actively in the work of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and abides by and advocates Law of the Sea principles that uphold the preservation of navigational safety and freedoms.
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We partner our neighbours to enhance navigational safety and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, or SOMS for short. There is the Co-operative Mechanism that has been in place since 2007 that allows the three littoral States, other user States as well as the maritime industry, to work together on areas of common interest – safety of navigation, environmental protection, and so on. One of the key initiatives under the Co-operative Mechanism is the Marine Electronic Highway Project, which aims to improve navigational safety and protection of the marine environment in the SOMS by linking shore-based marine information and communication infrastructure with the corresponding navigational and communication facilities on board transiting ships.
Our third strategy is to promote productivity and innovation across the maritime sector. Last year, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) launched a S$25 million Productivity Programme under its Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF) to support the industry's productivity efforts. Over the next few years, we will focus on key areas, such as our cargo terminal operations, harbour craft operations and that of our ship agencies, which provide services to the ships calling at Singapore.
Likewise, innovation is a key enabler for our maritime sector. And we do so by promoting maritime R&D because innovation is such an important aspect of productivity in the maritime field. Since its inception 10 years ago, MPA's Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) Fund has supported over 250 maritime R&D projects in areas like port automation systems and clean energy. Recently, MPA topped up the MINT Fund by another $50 million to further support maritime R&D.
Finally, we must continually refine and sharpen our maritime policies and schemes to enhance Singapore's attractiveness as a choice maritime centre. These schemes must be business-friendly and relevant to the sector's needs.
Central to our development as an IMC is talent. Hence, our fourth and most important strategy is to grow a core of local maritime talent. It is a sector that is employing over 170,000 people, and there is more scope for Singaporeans to take up the many opportunities in this field, not just as seafarers, but also as financiers, insurers, lawyers, brokers and engineers.
MPA has been working closely with its tripartite maritime partners to promote maritime careers through outreach activities, such as internship programmes, scholarships and the Singapore Maritime Week held in April each
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year. We have helped our educational institutions enhance maritime education and training. Last year, for example, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) introduced a new Higher NITEC course for Shipping Operations and Services, while the Singapore Management University (SMU) launched a Maritime Economics Concentration for its undergraduates and thereby adding to the slew of tertiary programmes that we have in the maritime field. The take-up has been encouraging, with about 100 students enrolling in these courses.
We also continue to groom a core of local seafarers through training schemes, such as the \"Place and Train\" programmes for aspiring Deck Officers and Marine Engineer Officers. This is important not because we think that they should be serving on board ships until they are 60 years old, but because we need them to have some experience commanding a ship at sea and, thereafter, come ashore to hold jobs in the MPA and in the industry where such sea-going experience is quite critical. So, for the Deck Officers and Marine Engineer Officers, we have been providing support for these programmes and we should see another batch of 40 cadets graduating later this year. And for those who are already in the sector and need to be upgraded through short courses and programmes, we have used our Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF) for Manpower Development to annually provide support to about 4,500 maritime professionals in their training programmes.
Finally, let me turn to Mr Charles Chong's question on our involvement in the Arctic Council. As a responsible member of the international maritime community, Singapore takes a strong interest in the development of Arctic shipping and the possible impact of such new shipping routes on maritime trade and the freedom of navigation. But I also think that beyond this interest, the knowledge and the experience that we have gained over the years with vessel traffic management in the very busy Singapore Straits and the emergency responses plan that we have put in place can contribute to the development of safe and sustainable shipping in the Arctic. And over time, as we see more exploratory activities taking place in that remote part of the earth, I think some of the experience that our offshore companies have built up over time, in Keppel and Sembawang, will also come in very useful.
So, in conclusion, Mdm Chair, the Government will continue to work closely with our tripartite partners in developing new infrastructure, capabilities and talent so as to ensure the continuing success of Maritime Singapore. At the same time, we will continue to work through regional and international fora to ensure that the SOMS, as a key waterway for international shipping, remains safe, secure and open.
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The Chairman: We have some time for clarifications. Mr Cedric Foo.
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Mdm Chair, I thank the Minister for his replies, especially on the point of new train introduction for the next three years. But that is only part of the equation. The other part of the equation is ridership growth. If ridership growth is faster than train introduction in the next three years, then crowdedness will become worse and waiting time can be affected as well. Can the Minister comment on crowdedness and waiting time as a result of the interaction between the train introduction and ridership growth?
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Mdm Chair, I think that is, indeed, a very good question. First, let me say that in the coming years, supply is going to be ahead of demand and, therefore, it will allow us to address some of the imbalance that we have seen in the early years. We have seen the growth in ridership come down in recent years. And so, last year, the growth in the number of public transport journeys was about 3%. It was growing at about four-plus percent, 5% in earlier years.
The train capacities that we are adding, for instance, on the North-South and East-West Lines, we are looking at an additional of 41 trains to the current fleet of 128. So, that is about a one-third growth. That will take place this year and the next batch is coming in 2016. So, it is about one-third growth over the next two or so years.
For the North-East Line and Circle Line, as I have mentioned again earlier, we have about 60%-70% increase in the fleet size starting from 2015. That would allow us to run the trains much more frequently than what we are able to do today. For the Bukit Panjang LRT, we have new train cars that are coming in starting at the end of this year. Again, that will result in a 70% capacity increase over the existing fleet size and, likewise, by 2016, we will have made improvements to the Sengkang-Punggol LRT where I think you will remember that we talked about coupling cars together so that instead of running single cars, we can run two cars but over the same system, thereby doubling the capacity. That will take place in 2016.
On top of that, of course, we add new lines to the system because what will happen over time is that instead of relying only on the six-car East-West Line, by 2017, we would essentially have increased the East-West corridor to a nine-car system with the addition of the Downtown Line. So, over time, it is increasing capacity on the existing Lines and, from the figures that I have shown and enunciated, over the next three years, I think the capacity is well ahead of
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what we think demand would be, including shifting some of the population to public transport over our longer term vision as well as catering to population growth. Together with the new Lines, I think we are in good shape when they come on board.
Dr Lily Neo: Mdm Chair, may I ask the Minister to comment on our road congestion problem here, especially now with the rolling out of 1,400 buses by 2017?
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Madam, I thank the Member. That is another good question. The 1,400 buses that I have mentioned earlier, 1,000 are provided for under the Government-funded extended BSEP programme and the other lot makes use of the resources from the private sector.
That is quite a lot of capacity increase: 35% over the existing fleet by 2017. We have got to make sure that we keep speeds for the buses on the roads where it is and, if possible, to increase even further. It is not at the desirable stage right now and it has reached a plateau over the years. We are not increasing the speed; it is just hovering where it is.
We will need to put in place more measures over and beyond what we have done. For example, some of the things that we need to continue to do is to identify places where we can span some of the key bus stops and make them into bus hubs, so that instead of two buses pulling in at one time to embark and disembark passengers, we try to make sure that we can have three and four buses doing so simultaneously. This way, the buses do not have to wait in order to come into the bus bay to pick up and disembark passengers.
We would like to do more to introduce bus lanes, including full-day bus lanes. We have a plan and we have identified some of the areas where we will progressively roll out more bus lanes and full-day bus lanes. In other areas, we are thinking of expanding the road network, especially in some of the towns. We would like to see some of that converted to bus lanes, so that we give higher priority to the buses.
The next thing we are going to do is to put in place at more locations the Mandatory Give Way to Buses scheme. It has worked. To some extent, we need to continue to educate motorists to give some priority to the buses where they are exiting the bus bays, so that they continue with their journey. We will want
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to do more in this regard. Certainly, this is an area that we think has to complement the introduction of more capacity and the recruitment and retention of more drivers.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: I have four clarifications for the Minister regarding the BSEP.
First, how much will the additional 450 buses cost? If we extrapolate the cost of the 550 BSEP buses, and it appears that the 1,000 buses would cost the Government about $2 billion. Is that the amount that it would cost?
Secondly, are these additional buses meant to enhance the standards further beyond the current QoS (quality of service) standards, or is it just to meet the current QoS standards?
Thirdly, while I believe that there should be continued investment in public transport, where will the Government draw the line in subsidising the operational cost of profit-making PTOs?
Fourthly, are there any plans to claw back any of the future profits from them?
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Let me start with the last two questions. Firstly, on profits: for buses, no profits because the operators, both of them, are running losses. The SMRT losses on buses are about $30 million dollars; less for SBST, but also still in the red.
Next point will be on subsidising profit-making operators. As we have explained on numerous occasions on the BSEP, it is a subsidy to commuters rather than to operators. The operators make no profit out of running the 550 buses. The operators will make no profits running the additional 450 buses. The 550 buses, we have already said, if they have to be paid for by the commuters, it would cost probably in the order of about 15 cents more a trip. The Government decided that in order to introduce capacity quickly and we wanted to frontload that five-year programme and introduce 70% of it by 2014 – of course, now, we are making sure that we will introduce all 550 buses by the end of this year – so, that is subsidy to the commuters; no profit to the operators. It will remain the same in the expanded programme.
On the cost of the 450 buses: I think it will be roughly proportionate to what they see for 550 buses. Quite a bit of it is going to be upfront costs. On average,
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it costs about half a million dollars per bus. For a typical day, in terms of operating cost, it is about $600-$700.
QOS standards: the Member may recall that when we introduced the BSEP programme, we left the overall QOS standards the same. We had a separate agreement with the PTOs on the buses and the routes where these buses were introduced to enhance those standards.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: Mdm Chair, I have two questions for the Senior Minister of State on taxis. One is, while LTA deems that Taxi Availability (TA) is based on fleet size and not on the individual taxi, the reality on the ground is fairly different. The taxi operators are unable to know which cab is unable to meet the taxi availability standards and has, in practice, insisted that every taxi meets the TA. I would urge that LTA officials may want to go down to the ground and understand the implementation on the ground. It deviates fairly much from the intended objective of what MOT has put in place.
Secondly, why is it that the ridership for taxis has remained stagnant in 2013 over 2012 despite the improvement or the implementation of TA indicators?
Mrs Josephine Teo: Mdm Chair, the Member's second question first. I do not have data to indicate that ridership has dropped and, if he has a specific question on that, I can get back to him on that.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: The ridership data, Madam, if I could, was indicated by LTA at 976,000 rides per day in 2012, and similarly in 2013.
Mrs Josephine Teo: I would have to get back to you on that. Let me check on it.
The Member's other question on actual implementation, we have said so on many occasions that for the taxi companies, when they are taking actions to try and encourage the taxi availability standards to be met, that they are also to be mindful of the impact on the drivers. This is the same stand that we continue to take. It is good that LTA has continued to raise this issue with the taxi companies. We certainly agree with Mr Ang that it is useful to find out what more is happening on the ground. And, we will do so.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: Mdm Chairperson, just a couple of questions. First, for the Parliamentary Secretary. I have said in my speech that there are similar
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signal light traffic crossings along other busy roads like Lornie Road, Bendemeer Road, Victoria Street and Jalan Besar. Would the Parliamentary Secretary agree that these traffic crossings along those roads would also significantly impede traffic? If that is the case, why would LTA allow traffic crossings there, but not at Mountbatten? I hope LTA can reconsider that.
Next is a question for Minister of State Mrs Josephine Teo. In the 2012 reply to my appeal for no ERP at Nicoll Highway, I understand that the cordon concept is in respect of Orchard and Bugis. I suggested in my speech that we have separate ERP gantries around that area, so that we can then cordon off that area. Why do we have an ERP gantry at Nicoll Highway to prevent traffic from going that side? The removal of ERP gantry will allow traffic going down to Shenton Way, Chinatown as well as to the Marina Square area without having to pay for ERP. Why do we not just move the ERP gantry to the Bugis area as well as to the Orchard Road area?
One last clarification, Madam, for the Ministry about Premium Bus Service (PBS), and about passengers being allowed to stand on PBS buses. The reply from MOT was that passengers are not allowed to stand on PBS buses. The feedback from the residents is that if they do not stand, they do not even get on board the bus; they do not even get to the place that they want to get to. They do not have other public transport options. Would MOT be prepared to consider allowing people to stand on PBS buses, otherwise would MOT provide more services?
The Chairman: Minister Lui, I remember that the question was answered by you about the PBS.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Indeed, Mr Lim is right that we do not allow standing on the PBS buses. In part, this is because of feedback from the rest of commuters who feel that because they are paying a premium, they do not want it to be as congested. We are quite happy to make that change, provided commuters are understanding and supportive of this.
We are agnostic as to whether people stand or sit. It is just that people feel that having paid that premium, \"I ought to have the space and I ought to get a seat\". But we are prepared to relook at that, should there be support for it.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Mdm Chair, I should also remind the Member, Mr Lim, that we have made some adjustments to the ERP charges on Saturday. The gantry along Nicoll Highway was shifted. It used to be where the Stadium was
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and it has gone further down. What this has done is to enable motorists who are using Nicoll Highway to access ECP, to avoid having to pay the ERP charges. That is one adjustment. Next is, although it is not immediately intuitive to a road user that it is part of the network of roads that leads to the Orchard and Marina area, it is, in fact, a substitute for drivers. That is why the gantry is still needed.
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Madam, I must admit that I admire Mr Lim's persistence in benefiting his residents. I would like to share with Mr Lim that for each traffic junction on each road, there are different flows that we have to look at. Even though the Member mentioned a few roads which have similar characteristics, looking deeper into the flow, you will realise that it is different. I have brought the issue up to LTA when the Member raised the issue with me. We realised that at that junction, unfortunately, if we included a traffic signal, it will significantly impede the flow of traffic.
Dr Janil Puthucheary: Madam, two clarifications – one on safety and one on cycling. With cycling, given the approach of public transport in committing to an intended share of total commuting, could we not do the same with cycling? Could we not commit to a certain percentage of commuting being done by cycling as a primary mode? If people are forced to measure it, they will then generate a strategy to achieve it. People will have some stake in it to ensure the shifting of behaviour. Could we set a target of percentage commuting by cycling?
My second clarification is on road safety. We heard about the Black Spot programme and the Gray Zone programme. The sense of both of these is that, is there a reactive component? Could we not be more proactive, rather than waiting for more than 15 incidents or 12 incidents over three years? Is there some way to model, either from the software point of view or, simplistically, if we have two arterial road crossings in an area where there is an eating house and a high-density area of senior citizens, should we not assume that that will be a Black Spot zone, and be proactive about it, rather than waiting for incidents to happen?
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I would like to thank the Member for the question. Two good questions. The first, as I mentioned earlier with regard to our landscape that we have in Singapore, we have always promoted the motorised kind of transport. Also, the Member would realise that we are building pockets of cycling tracks from town to town. What we want to do, first and foremost, is to take care of the first-mile and the last-mile kind of travel. Not only with regard to facilitating the different types of road users to acquire the skills to adjust to one another but, at the same time, we will facilitate
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them getting used to cycling to the different areas.
If you look at the map, over time, Singapore will have all these different pockets of cycling tracks. We are going to connect them one to the other. That will facilitate movement.
We are at a young age in this journey. Many have mentioned other countries and cities, but when we look at it, we will realise that we are making good progress in this aspect. I recently went to Sembawang, the newly completed cycling track. I am so happy that the cyclists and pedestrians were able to look after one another. It is a journey that we need to take on. In the first few years, it may result in some discomfort but, over the years, when you get used to it, I am sure it will be better.
The next issue is about the Black Spot zones. We have a framework whereby we not only look at the Black Spot Programme. As we talk, there are residents also giving us feedback and we will refine the features as we have done in many areas. So, it is not only looking at the Black Spot Programme but the Programme will give us the opportunity to focus on the different areas that we have to look at. As I shared earlier, we are very pleased with the development. We want to see how we can facilitate this process to make the roads safer for fellow Singaporeans and to facilitate the movement of vehicles.
Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Mdm Chair, I want to thank Parliamentary Secretary Faishal for the progress made on cycling infrastructure. But it does seem to me that the approach is still quite piecemeal; more pieces but still piecemeal. Can I ask the Parliamentary Secretary two questions? One is whether MOT could review the transport policy which now seems to favour motorists on roads and to set out a more integrated and coordinated strategy for cycling as a mode of transport which would include the roads. My second question is also related to what the Member Dr Janil raised, which is to set a target for the modal share of cycling for all trips in Singapore. Right now, the current level is about 1%. Can I ask the MOT to set the target by a certain date, for instance, to reach 4% or 5% by 2020 but to set a target so that we can monitor the progress and also to spur this coordinated approach towards cycling as a mode of transport?
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Madam, I am very surprised by the Member's comments that it is piecemeal. I think the efforts that
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we have taken are an integrated one whereby – as I shared with Dr Janil earlier – we are looking at developing all the different towns and it will be connected together. And it is not happening at one region but across Singapore. One thing that we have done is that we have integrated it with the park connectors, and not only park connectors, but also with the works by the Town Council, the local agencies, and see how we can connect all these cycling networks. At the same time, we also look at the educational and enforcement perspectives and see how we can make cycling a culture in Singapore.
So, I hope Members will also look at all these things that we have done. I have met many cyclists and my counterparts from other parts of the world. They shared with me – we are actually on the right track. They shared with me the mistakes that they have done in their countries which many of us thought would be a good thing for Singapore. But they realised that, by having it off the roads, cycling tracks are the right way to go because they have problems that they face with the road users in their country. What we need to do is – I would like to urge Ms Ng to continue to work with us – to see how we can facilitate this culture. For the other aspects relating to her second question, I think I have answered Dr Janil. It remains the same.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Maybe I will complement what Parliamentary Secretary has said with regard to cycling as a target that we should impose on cycling in our modal share. Why do we do it for public transport? Why do we want to move from 63% to 70% by the end of this decade and then 75%? It is because we realise that if we continue on the trajectory that we had in the past where it was actually only in the high 50s, you will require more and more land for roads. And you will need more and more vehicles and then it puts pressure on your COE system, ERP system and congestion overall. Because of those constraints, we felt that with a growing population in land-scarce Singapore where we also want to have more spaces for parks, greenery and roads that are not so close to housing developments, that the only way to achieve that quality of life, that liveable inclusive city, is to move more people away from private transport to mass public transport.
I think cycling contributes to public transportation. It contributes in several ways. First, the last and the first mile – bringing people to key nodes, key hubs, running to the town centre, short errands and so on. There is a small number that uses it as their primary mode of transport. The larger numbers that want to go on the road want it as a form of recreation – serious cyclists with beautiful helmets and all the lovely gear and their bikes – but they like to do it on weekends. And as much as possible, we must try and accommodate that by
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making it safer and so on.
But for me to set cycling as a certain percentage of the modal share, I am not so sure that I really see the rationale behind it. If I do set a number, why did I set the number? What does it mean? What am I going to do in order to drive behaviour towards that number? Do people really want it that way? So I am most happy as much as possible for the average cyclist where I believe it is safer – and I have said it before – they are safest when they are segregated from the motorists who are moving at much higher speeds compared to the average cyclists – let me add – and they are also segregated from pedestrians. Hence, our approach, priority, is to get off-road segregated cycling paths that will allow the cyclists to get to their destinations but also as much as possible to make sure that they do not run into the path of the elderly and the children.
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Madam, may I thank the Ministry for the provision of the Silver Zone package. I realise that there are five areas that were chosen and I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to consider implementing the same package in areas, such as the hon Member Sam Tan's Redhill, Dr Lily Neo's Chinatown, and my Beach Road area where there is a higher percentage of elderly residents compared to the national average.
The Chairman: I wanted to add Bukit Batok East also.
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Thank you, Madam, and I also thank the hon Member. This mood has also been shared by other parliamentary colleagues during the break earlier. They want their areas to be included. I want LTA to seriously focus its attention in doing the measures that we can take in these five areas. Over time, when we find that the measures are really useful and we are able to roll out to other areas, I am quite sure we will look at those areas like the Member mentioned earlier, because the five areas that we have looked at also have a high level of ageing population. So, I want to assure the Member that we will think of her and her residents when we move on.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Thank you, Mdm Chair, for giving me this opportunity to clarify a question which hon Member Mr Ang had asked. Mr Ang had asked why the daily ridership for taxis in fact did not seem to have grown last year. I apologise for not having the numbers with me earlier on. I do now, and I think it is quite useful to follow up on his question.
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The daily ridership for taxis in 2013 was 967,138. The corresponding taxi fleet size in 2013 was 27,695. What that means is that if you use ridership per day per taxi in the peak, it is 34.9. I just crunched out some numbers quickly. If we look at the equivalent numbers last year, what we find is that the daily ridership per taxi in 2012 was 34.2. So, 34.9 this year, 34.2 last year, it is a growth of 2%. A growth of 2% over the course of one year will not seem to be very low. It is still a growth. But the answer to the Member's question is that really we do not know to what extent we can look at these numbers to draw conclusions about taxi demand. That is because the ridership does not give us an indication of the distance travelled or other changes in travel patterns.
In fact, I have the figures with me dating back 10 years. I randomly picked another year, 2010, when there were no taxi availability standards whatsoever. And it turns out that the daily ridership per taxi was also 34.9 – what it is this year – which means that, frankly speaking, this number does not tell us as much as we hope it might. What is probably a better indication of how the taxi availability standards are affecting the drivers would be to look at the gross monthly earnings. I have shared with Members earlier that if we look at two-shift taxis versus one-shift taxis, two-shift taxis cover about one and a half times the mileage of one-shift taxis. Their gross monthly earnings correspondingly are also about one and a half times.
One of the most significant impacts of the Taxi Availability standards has been to bring about a reversal of the declining trend of share of two-shift taxis. What it would seem to suggest to us is that not all but many more of the drivers are using a relief driver so that they are able to meet the Taxi Availability standards because the standards apply to the taxi, not to the driver.
Mr Ang Hin Kee: Just a short clarification. Could it be that the numbers indicate that during peak hours, we have already achieved an optimal use of taxis because, as it is, the ridership has not increased. I do not want to take up too much time in the House but perhaps we should sit down with LTA to examine the statistics that are available to establish whether or not Taxi Availability indicators have, indeed, helped commuters meet taxi demand during peak hours.
Mrs Josephine Teo: It is certainly a good suggestion. But I should also perhaps remind Members that when the Taxi Availability standards were adjusted at the beginning of this year, we did take into account the fact that perhaps during the shoulder peak hours where taxi availability standards also apply, the standards need not be as high as during the peak hours. If we compare the TA standards for the shoulder peak, which would be the hours
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between 6.00 am and 7.00 am, and between 11.00 pm and 12.00 midnight, in fact, we have made it less stringent. It used to be that we required 65% of the fleet to be available, to be in service, actually this was reduced to 60%. But I very much appreciate Mr Ang's kind offer, and we certainly will follow up with him to understand the ridership and demand patterns better.
The Chairman: Mr Cedric Foo, would you like to withdraw your amendment?
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Mdm Chair, I thank the Minister, Senior Minister of State and Parliamentary Secretary for their very thoughtful responses. We have yet to achieve the public transport efficiency that commuters and, indeed, Members have come to expect. There is obviously room for improvement. But what we have heard today gives us confidence. The Minister and his team have shown great resolve. The Government has committed great resources to improving the public transport system and, in time, we will get there. So, Mdm Chair, with that, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.
[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The sum of $638,851,500 for Head W ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The sum of $6,143,856,100 for Head W ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Committee of Supply – Head X (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth)","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tampines): Madam, I beg to move, \"That the total sum to be allocated for Head X of the Estimates be reduced by $100\".
These two years are exciting times for MCCY across its portfolio of arts, culture, heritage, community, youth and sports. We are seeing the reopening of
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Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall in August this year, but before that, the Sports Hub will be ready in phases from April and the National Art Gallery will be the latest kid on the block during Singapore's Golden Jubilee in 2015. These are major investments by the Government not only to enhance our skyline, but they will serve as icons and catalysts to push our pursuits in these sectors. They will also provide the platforms and offer activities to bring the community together and allow our youth to follow their passion and live their dreams.
I am also happy to note that under the Masterplan, there are ideas to pedestrianise the roads in the Civic District, the Arts District of Waterloo Street and Queen Street will be more pedestrian-friendly and conducive for street activities.
Arts, heritage and culture do not and should not just stay in studios, galleries, theatres and concert halls. When I visited Edinburgh Arts Festival many years ago, the whole city was bustling with arts activities everywhere. Arts and culture should spill over in the streets and be around us. I know our friends in the Home Team by nature are just concerned about public disorder and nuisance. The arts sometimes is just messy because it is free-spirited. We can plan and create more physical space for arts and culture, but I hope that MCCY, by nature, should also be an advocate for space beyond physical space for arts and culture to be nurtured in a conducive environment.
It is no different from planting and watering trees, shrubs and plants to build a City in a Garden. How can MCCY make Singapore City of the Arts? And it should not be just in the city, in the downtown. How about our heartlands where the life, heart and soul of Singaporeans are?
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra just played in Tampines last Sunday. It drew a packed crowd, many with their children, sitting on the ground mats in the breeze. Residents came specially for this free public event, enjoying a performance that typically will cost hundreds of dollars for families to watch in a concert hall. What can we do to bring arts to more people?
For Singapore to be an inclusive society, we must also reach out to the less fortunate and underserved group in our arts and cultural outreach efforts. Not only do we have to assist them with their financial and other material needs, they should also be provided with the opportunities to enjoy the arts. This group includes the poor and needy, the disabled, the sick, prisoners and even those with mental problems. What has the Government done to reach out to these
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groups?
Madam, I would like to thank the Acting Minister again for taking up my suggestion to give citizens and PRs free admission to our National Museums. May I know what is the public response so far since May last year? We know that free entry will attract visitors but for interest in our arts and culture or heritage to be sustained, we also need good content. How is the Ministry supporting the acquisitions of our Museums to enhance our national collections?
Likewise, while we can spend millions to refurbish the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, we also need good quality arts programming to fill the halls and expose the public to different art forms. Hence, I would like to ask the Acting Minister for updates on what is being done to support our local artists, both in terms of developing the wider arts ecosystem and in terms of providing better spaces for the arts. Madam, in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Singapore's oldest Hokkien opera troupe Sin Sai Hong put up its last performance at Chai Chee Lane United Temple last Tuesday. The troupe will not be performing any more. A traditional art group with 104 years of history has become a page in history. Mr Cai Jianfu, who has been managing Sin Sai Hong for the last 40 over years and who is also the son-in-law of Sin Sai Hong's third-generation successor, Wei Chungui, told Lianhe Zaobao in an interview that his father-in-law had instructed him to try his best to keep the troupe going, but if there comes a day when they have to terminate the troupe, he may do so. Mr Cai decided to close the troupe now, when they still have 100 or 200 shows to perform, so that the troupe will still be remembered in its good days.
The National Arts Council (NAC) has implemented a new plan several years ago to support traditional arts. I understand that since last year, even commercial troupes like Sin Sai Hong are eligible to apply for funding. But it did not apply. I asked Mr Cai why he did not do it. He explained that the performing troupe has only 13 members and the youngest among them are already in their 40s and 50s, while the rest are in their 60s or 70s. Mr Cai himself is 78 years old. He does not think he can find a successor. Since there is no new blood in the troupe, he did not want to apply. As we can see, Mr Cai has high expectations of himself and his troupe.
Many of the local traditional arts troupes managers are already in their golden years, some of them are even from the Pioneer Generation. They may not be familiar with how the Government works. They may not know any people
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from NAC. Therefore, they do not feel comfortable approaching them for help. I hope NAC will be more proactive in engaging these traditional arts groups, understand their situation and explain to them how NAC is able to help them.
I also suggest that the National Museum of Singapore get in touch with Sin Sai Hong and ask if they are willing to donate their costumes, music scores or plaques which have historical value, so that these can be placed on exhibition in the museum for others to remember 100 years of history.
More importantly, I know there are still a few surviving opera troupes. We need to be more proactive. The Government should keep in pace with the people's passion and provide help to give a second life to traditional arts. We do not wish to remember them in museums after they have closed down.
(In English): I begin my speech mentioning the National Art Gallery, now let me bring it back in my concluding section.
The buildings of National Art Gallery were once our City Hall and Supreme Court, establishments of Government, administration, justice and authority. The Singapore Public Service is well-known for its efficiency and effectiveness, and our country is built on justice and meritocracy.
Next year, our 50th National Day Parade will be held at the Padang. It is apt that at the half century mark, the nation will witness this significant milestone right in front of a brand new institution for culture and heritage.
MCCY's mission is to build social capital, to inspire the Singapore Spirit and together make Singapore home. It is timely to ask what emotional anchors root us to our nation and create a sense of belonging to Singapore, our home.
When we stand on the steps of the National Art Gallery overlooking the Padang, we know we stand today because of the history behind us. Our shared culture binds us as a nation and as a people. The Padang reminds us of how important we should allow space, expand the space, and not just physical space, for the human mind and spirit to express itself. In front of us, we can marvel at the Marina Bay with its skyline and our latest natural water catchment, remember how it was previously nothing, just like over the past 50 years, we have defined and created Singapore's future from almost nothing.
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Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, it is heartening to note that since the early days of our young nation, there were pioneer leaders of the past that had contributed with commitment and passion to the Malay/Muslim community. With dedication, they contributed as youth leaders and community leaders. They have left their mark on the community until today. Examples of such youth leaders from the Pioneer Generation were the late Mr Shaari Tadin and Mr Shafawi Ahmad who were prominent community and youth leaders who made tremendous impact to help the community.
Due to the strong foundation laid by these pioneer leaders and the continuous efforts until today from one generation to another generation, our youths now perform better academically, and more Malay/Muslim students continue to receive tertiary education and hold on to PMET jobs. This continued progress over the years resulted in the improved quality of life for our community.
Madam, the Malay/Muslim leaders in the VWOs and self-help groups have contributed greatly to the progress of the community. However, we must realise that their resources are limited, but there are still many of our youths who still need assistance and guidance.
Our Malay/Muslim community has a large youth base. There is much potential in them, and we must help them discover and maximise their potential. They have shown progress over the years and this is due to the fact that they can be trained for excellence. We must dedicate more efforts into them. Our youth have talent and if we harness them for the right jobs and give them relevant skills, they can get good jobs and achieve success in the industry.
We also must find more effective ways to improve the employability and productivity of our Malay/Muslim youths. In the face of a competitive job market, the skills must include technical and academic skills to ensure that they are more competitive and more competent to get the good jobs so that they can become leaders of the future just like the leaders of our Pioneer Generation.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): Madam, the Malay/Muslim community has made much progress and achievement for us to be proud of. These include in the areas of education, jobs, the numbers of
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PMETs and so on. However, we still have far to go and more effort needs to be harnessed. Moving forward, now it is quite different and requires a different skillset and mindset compared to the last decade. Our community needs to have the capabilities to negotiate the wave of change and evolution. Are we ready to ride this wave successfully?
We need to continue to harness and play our role in our multicultural society, integration, promoting the community spirit and adapting to a more uncertain world by making ourselves relevant, flexible and adaptable and to be able to work, study and compete with anyone, anywhere in the world. Our next generation must be continuously prepared for this.
As stipulated in The Muslim Community for Excellence, we must continue to hold strongly to Islamic principles whilst adapting to changing world context; we must also be self-confident to learn from and interact with other communities; and we must be a model and inspiration to all.
How are we preparing our Malay/Muslim community for the 21st Century and beyond? Can we be exemplary as a global Muslim community that others can emulate? Do we have our priorities right in each family, in the community and in society? And how do we balance our aspiration of our community with the reality of the marketplace?
Let us take an example. More youths aspire to go to university and so do their parents wish the same for them. The reality is that the places are limited and competition is high. Some may end up having to consider overseas institutions, which can be costly. Some may have to rely on hefty loans. Will all this measure up for them and their families eventually? Should we now start programmes to counsel and manage expectations of parents and their children on this? How do we encourage them to see the many pathways to the peaks and not just that one standard peak that everyone would be chasing?
How about in the area of credit management? Our community may have to look at this area critically and in depth, studying underlying reasons why some get caught in a vicious cycle, with debt issues, loans and some even being passed on from one generation to the next.
Whilst we must highlight and celebrate our achievements and successes, we must also help those lagging behind. We must reach out our hands and make sure that the people who need them are willing to take our hands. We should also encourage the more successful Malays to come forward and help
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the less well-off and those in need in the spirit of graciousness and gotong royong.
I would appreciate the Minister's comments and views on some of these issues, as we move into the coming years.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, the Suara Musyawarah is a platform that aims to provide the Malay community in Singapore with an open, constructive and rational channel to voice their concerns about living in a multiracial and multi-religious society in Singapore. Firstly, allow me to take this opportunity to thank all those who were involved in the preparation of the report, especially the committee members of the Suara Musyawarah, as well as the participants who expressed their sincere and frank opinions and feelings.
The report by the Suara Musyawarah in general, has a positive and constructive tone. However, there are certain participants who expressed feelings that seem to show unhappiness and disappointment. At the same time, they accept the reality of life and look forward to a positive resolution of these difficult issues. Their unhappiness, shown in several parts in paragraph 31 under the theme \"The Spirit of Togetherness\", is seen under the main section 2 entitled \"The Perception of Unequal Opportunities\". In this paragraph, it was reported that several participants have voiced their concern that \"our community is still not fully accepted as equals and playing an important role in Singapore society, and certain stereotypes and negative perceptions towards our community have led to discrimination\".
In another part within the same paragraph, it was reported that \"the concerns raised highlighted the policy or practice that questions the loyalty of Malays in this nation. This is an unhealthy perception and can flow into other aspects of life and create cracks in our society. Many hoped that the issue of our community's loyalty can be resolved quickly.\"
Madam, on 9 February 2014, during the event to commemorate our Pioneer Generation, the Prime Minister thanked the Pioneer Generation of Malays for their sacrifices. The Prime Minister appreciated the Pioneer Generation of Malays for choosing to remain in Singapore during the separation from
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Malaysia. The Prime Minister agreed that the Malay community at that time was faced with a difficult choice, that is, to choose to be the majority race and receive many special privileges by crossing the Causeway, or to choose to remain in Singapore and become a minority race in the blink of an eye. According to the Prime Minister, based on this, the sacrifice of the Malay community in Singapore, especially the Pioneer Generation, is a unique one.
I believe that one of the main factors that caused the Pioneer Generation of Malays to choose to remain in Singapore during the separation is loyalty. As the sons of Singapore, it is natural for the Pioneer Generation of Malays to pledge total loyalty and dedication to serve and sacrifice for the development and well-being of Singapore.
However, Madam, as time goes by and as the nation undergoes development, negative perspectives and perceptions that question the loyalty of Singapore Malays began to appear, which resulted in segments of the Malay community in Singapore beginning to feel and perceive that they are not treated equally or not given the same opportunities as other communities in Singapore.
Madam, here I would like to voice out the requests of the Suara Musyawarah participants that the issue of the loyalty of Singapore Malays can be resolved soon. I ask that the Government, together with the Malay Members and Malay community leaders, join hands in this effort.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our women are usually the pillars of the family and the household. They are the ones taking care of the children and the husband, and sometimes even taking care of aged parents. Their responsibility becomes even heavier if they work and have their own careers, in addition to managing the household and other related matters. Juggling their time becomes a necessity.
However, there are still many of our women who are not working and are economically inactive.
Several programmes from the NTUC and MENDAKI SENSE help women find employment or upgrade and upskill themselves. But we can still involve more of our women in the workforce if they are able to work. It will also help increase their status and their family's income. Hence, this strategy should be further enhanced to give encouragement and confidence to our women.
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Women who do not work or do not have their own careers usually do not have their own accounts like the Medisave account and also insurance policies. Hence, women in this category are worried about financial matters and expenditure, and the payment of medical costs becomes a source of worry if their family members fall ill.
There are also women who are caught in divorce problems and situations where their ex-husbands do not pay alimony. These women are forced to depend on our social assistance schemes for a long time.
In addition, other issues affecting some of our women include the issue of single mothers and some of them have many children, the problem of dysfunctional families as well as women who lack the skills or capabilities and qualifications.
Yet, we must also acknowledge and take pride because the number of women who are successful has increased, including those with good education and entered universities. Those who are working as PMETs have also increased and the salary range has also increased.
(In English): Therefore, I would like to enquire on how we are continuing to evolve and strengthen our programmes and outreach to the Malay/Muslim women of today. How do we intend to coordinate and integrate assistance and avenues for help? Also, how are we planning to continue to change the mindset and lifestyles of our women of today? Our women are our asset. They must be a model and an inspiration to all, including minority societies globally.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Can the Minister provide an update on the implementation of the Edusave fund for madrasah students? Also, what is the status of the Enhanced Joint Madrasah System that will be implemented in 2015?
Currently, we also see more and more debates and differing views within our Malay/Muslim community which is causing a divide. For instance, there are those who call themselves true Muslims while others, considered as liberal Muslims or those who are independent and open minded.
I am worried that the practice of group labelling amongst ourselves will divide not only our Malay/Muslim community, but also Singapore's multiracial
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and multi-religious plural society. Does Islam not promote tolerance and respect for one another, even if there are differences, as long as it is not against Islam? What is the Minister's view on this and what can be done by MUIS, our mosques and our madrasahs?
Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Strong families and stable homes are an important foundation to our society. Troubled homes and divorces have a huge impact on the lives of young children, affecting their development and eventually leading to various problems in the community.
However, with the worrying trend of divorces, especially among young couples, we should not sit still. Government agencies like the ROMM and the Syariah Court, as well as self-help bodies like MENDAKI and several Malay/Muslim bodies, have implemented various initiatives and programmes to overcome this issue, especially at the upstream level which can help in early prevention.
All these initiatives can increase awareness among the community, and with awareness and knowledge, there will be a firm commitment to ensure that priority is given to building strong families.
Therefore, we are seeing more results, because the figures show that the number of divorces within the community has gone down since 2006, from 1,782 to 1,587 in 2012. The number of couples marrying early, whereby one of them is below 21 years old, has also gone down.
On this note, can the Minister elaborate on the programmes that have been planned to prepare and strengthen the homes of Malay/Muslim couples? In addition, what type of assistance is available and being planned for divorce cases, where the couples face various problems like accommodation, payment of alimony and taking care of the children? How can we ensure that the affected couples receive the support and guidance that they require?
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Health issues and chronic diseases are increasingly becoming major concerns to Malay/Muslims in Singapore. The number of patients with diabetes,
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kidney problems, high cholesterol and heart problems is also increasing. During the recent Budget debates, I also spoke about these health issues which are expected to become prevalent as our community ages.
In 2010, over 16% suffered from diabetes; more than 22% had high cholesterol levels while around 28% had heart disease. What is more worrying is that 24% of people in our community are extremely overweight. It was also found that the number of diabetes patients rose sharply between 2004 and 2010, especially among our Malay/Muslim community.
These statistics are worrying because even though various approaches and programmes have been done all these years to increase awareness about chronic diseases, weight management and the importance of practising a healthy lifestyle and diet, the number of obese people and the number of chronic patients are still increasing.
Hence, the question now is what else can we do to manage this issue? Are there ways where a more structured programme and a more effective approach can be planned and implemented?
In addition, over 40% of Malay/Muslims are 40 years old and above, while over 34% are 50 years old and above. As more and more of us will become older in the near future, are we ready and have we prepared a more detailed plan to manage the issue of an ageing society?
Can we involve all 69 mosques that we have currently in these engagement efforts, since many of our community members who are over 40 years old, are active in the mosques? Can we also involve our Malay/Muslim doctors and healthcare professionals in this effort, for instance, the Muslim Healthcare Professionals Association? I would like to hear the details from the Minister on this matter.
Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Malay/Muslim organisations in Singapore have played an active and important role in pushing for progress among the Malay/Muslim community. In terms of resources and expertise, these organisations have an intimate knowledge that can aid the development of the Malay/Muslim community and bring it to a higher level.
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One of the key recommendations in the Suara Musyawarah report was a call for more collaborative efforts to maximise resources and improve efficiency of services to the community. While there have been some efforts at collaboration, I would like to ask, is there room for more of such efforts and capability building arrangements, especially between Malay/Muslim institutions and key organisations, such as MUIS and MENDAKI? MUIS and MENDAKI serve as very important organisational pillars for the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore. A concerted effort between the institutions and key stakeholders may be the next vital step in bringing about progress for the community and tackling the many issues facing the Malay/Muslim community.
In whatever collaborative efforts, it is important to ensure that our efforts reach the targeted group. Can we tap on the mosque network to better reach out to members of the community, especially families in need?
I believe that it is time that we look into doing things differently to address key issues facing the Malay/Muslim community. For a start, what we can do is simple in nature but yet, big in heart – to work together but, doing it differently.
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, I have observed, over the last decade, an increase in the level of religiosity across all the different religious groups, including the Muslim community. The Muslim community is privileged to have religious scholars, such as the late Ustaz Abdillah Aljufri, Syed Isa Semait, Ustaz Saripi Rawi, Habib Hassan Alatas, our esteemed Mufti and many asatizahs who made contributions to the development of Islamic religious education in Singapore. As a community, we have also been able to adapt to the multi-racial and multi-cultural landscapes in Singapore, where Muslims have been able to be part of Singapore's development. As Muslims, we must be able to bring goodness to the nation, be it morally, intellectually, economically, stability and many other forms of contributions. Our community must be able to adapt to the changing landscape towards greater diversity and different needs of the society. Regardless of our religion and culture, we must treat each other with respect and bring more goodness to our nation.
During last year's COS debate, Minister shared about the Adult Islamic Learning or ADIL to cater to working adults who are interested in receiving part-time religious education. I understand that it has been well received by the community. However, as I mentioned earlier, with greater diversity, there exists
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many different groups of people with different demographic profiles and needs.
May I know MUIS' plans to ensure that religious education can meet the increasing demand and whether it is able to address critical issues of concern to the community? In addition, could the Minister update on the progress of aLIVE, and whether there is scope to make religious education for children even more accessible?
Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, the rise of social media has created an environment conducive for open feedback and sharing of information. While this trend promotes diversity of views, it may also cause major differences of opinion and lead to polarisation within the Malay/Muslim community. In this respect, mosques play an important role to create a common shared vision of religion as the community navigates through the current landscape of diverse views and knowledge.
The mosque is a source of Islamic knowledge and centre for Malay/Muslim interactions. The mosque also stands as a symbol of unity amongst Muslims.
The Malay/Muslim community appreciates the Government's effort to upgrade many old mosques in Singapore and support the construction of new mosques in our newer residential estates like Punggol. I hope that these new and upgraded mosques with better facilities will provide greater opportunities for the Malay/Muslim community to conduct programmes that will facilitate the socio-religious activities of the community and create understanding that will enhance the solidarity of the Malay/Muslim community.
Many mosques are undergoing upgrading. May I ask about the latest update for upgrading works and what is the progress for the three new mosques in Punggol, Jurong West and Woodlands? I would also like to emphasise that the mosque plays a very important role to enhance solidarity and bring progress to the Malay/Muslim community.
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Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, the Haj and Korban activities went smoothly and in an orderly manner for Singapore Muslims last year. This was achieved despite the various challenges and uncertainties of the two religious activities that are important to the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.
We welcome the continuous efforts of the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob and MUIS (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) with regard to the Haj quota issue. His recent discussions with the Saudi government raised the possibility of an increase to the quota and it will certainly be appreciated by the community.
However, many people understand that the restrictions imposed on the number of places to perform the Haj is not limited to Singapore solely, but to other countries as well. In fact, we are made to understand that countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, who have a far greater number of Muslims, have to accept a much longer waiting list for the Haj.
However, MUIS has implemented a registration system that aims to make the administration and allocation of places more transparent and fair to everyone. Yet, there is certainly room for improvement, including constantly providing information to the community.
The same goes for the Korban ritual, which has become a part of our community's life every year. Last year, for the first time, we imported livestock from Canada, in addition to those from Australia. This new development was well-received because it offers another option to our community, who gave an encouraging response.
More importantly, the Korban ritual went smoothly even though there were several challenges and uncertainties, for instance, the regulations set by the Australian authorities.
In this matter, can the Minister give an update on the efforts to improve the system for the Haj and Korban this year?
The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Mdm Chair, before I begin, I would like to seek your permission to
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display some slides on the LED screens.
The Chairman: Yes, please. [Slides were shown to hon Members.]
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: I would also like to inform Members that I would be taking clarifications immediately after my reply.
Madam, together with the nation, our community has come a long way over the last 50 years, overcoming many challenges along the way. Our pioneer Malay/Muslim leaders stood together with national leaders to build a cohesive and progressive multiracial nation. The hard work and values of pioneers like our first President, the late Mr Yusof Ishak, allowed us to progress with the nation. The late Mr Yusof was a champion of racial harmony, who led Singapore through its most difficult years, including the racial riots. Another notable pioneer was our first Attorney-General, the late Prof Ahmad Ibrahim, who also drafted the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA). We have many other community icons, including the late Haji Abu Bakar Maidin, the former President of Jamiyah. He dedicated his life to serving the needy and promoting inter-religious harmony. There is also Ms Manijeh Namazie, one of our earliest librarians and a familiar face to the generations who passed through the hallowed halls of our National University of Singapore libraries.
These and many other Malay/Muslim personalities are role models for our young. They are passionate, driven individuals whose successes have helped Singapore grow as one nation. We must honour and celebrate them. Madam, I have asked MUIS and MENDAKI to set up a joint committee to see how our community can do so, and I am happy to add that Mdm Chair herself has graciously agreed to lead the team in this special endeavour.
Some plans are already underway. MUIS and MENDAKI plan to organise an appreciation ceremony for pioneers later this year, and also to chronicle their journey through a commemorative book. They will also host their \"In Conversation Series\" and \"Fire-side Chats\", where pioneers and senior community leaders will be paired with youth leaders as mentors. Madam, I support these efforts wholeheartedly, and call on all community organisations to think of more innovative ways to honour our cherished pioneers.
Madam, the Government will continue to support our community's efforts to succeed. There are some who question whether the Singapore model of meritocracy and multiracialism works for a minority community. But our achievements speak for themselves. All around us we see those who have made
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it good, even though we are a minority community, thanks to a nation's commitment to a system where hard work brings rewards.
In response to Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, the community has made steady progress on many fronts. The entry of our students to tertiary institutions has risen steadily. Income and wealth have also gone up. Our median household income has risen from $2,709 in 2000, to $3,944 in 2010. Malay/Muslim PMETs have also increased from 7.2% in 1980 to 27.8% in 2010. Many of our youth have not only obtained better academic results, but have also achieved excellence in other fields.
What is even more heartening is to see successful individuals giving back. Take for example, Mr Syakir Hashim. At just 21 years old, Mr Syakir is the founder and director of Urbane Academy, a social start-up which offers an afterschool mentoring support programme for students between 11 and 14 years old. It is Mr Syakir's and his colleagues' passion to share their life experiences and struggles with their students, so that these become lifelong learning tools for them.
We should not forget the important role played by community organisations in these success stories. Mr Syakir's Urbane Academy, for instance, started out under the funding of CLF Labs. In another example, MENDAKI awarded Mr Muhammad Nabil Bin Mohamed Aliffi, the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award in 2013, to help fund his fashion design studies in London. At just 22 years old, Mr Nabil was already making waves in the fashion world, including at glitzy events in London, Paris and Milan. He also co-founded VULTURE Magazine, an indie art and fashion publication, which within six months attracted advertisements by luxury brands such as Burberry and Chanel.
Mdm Chair, we need to continue to strengthen the foundations of our community, so that we are better equipped to not only face the challenges ahead, but to seize the opportunities before us. With this in mind, the Suara Musyawarah Committee, led by Haji Sallim Abdul Kadir, undertook a community-wide exercise last year to listen to their aspirations and concerns. The report had many noteworthy recommendations which I discussed last year. We have studied the recommendations in greater detail especially those pertaining to youth, education, family, and service delivery, which I will address now.
Madam, education remains a priority for the community and a key social leveller for the nation. Since its inception, MENDAKI has been a key partner in
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this regard, with its flagship Tuition Scheme. Close to 15,000 students benefited from MENDAKI's programmes in 2013, a 34% increase from 2011. In addition to helping students level up, MENDAKI also celebrates those who have excelled, through talent and leadership development programmes, such as the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award and the Ridzwan Dzafir Community Awards. MENDAKI will do even more in the coming year, particularly to enhance outreach and to offer more differentiated intervention programmes.
A key initiative is MENDAKI SENSE's new Student Care Centres. The first of these was launched at Blangah Rise Primary School last year to provide after-school support for students. The holistic care, covering academic as well as social and emotional learning, is important to help these students grow into competent and confident individuals. A second centre at Block 217 Choa Chu Kang Central opened in the latter half of 2013. Now, there are a total of 110 students enrolled in these two centres, which have since been renamed Champs Network Student Care Centres. SENSE will be rolling out three more centres within the next few years.
We have not let up in our drive for a quality madrasah education system. Our madrasahs need to produce competent religious teachers and scholars, who in turn can give proper guidance to our students and the community. We also want to ensure that our madrasah students are able to rejoin the national education system if they so wish to do so.
To address Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar's query, the implementation of the Enhanced Joint Madrasah System (JMS) is on track. Madrasah Aljunied and Al-Arabiah recently completed phasing out primary level education, and are now full Secondary schools. This year, Madrasah Al-Irsyad will be a full-fledged JMS primary school. Intensive teacher training on the enhanced curriculum will be a key focus for these madrasahs, to maintain the rigour, quality and consistency envisaged under the JMS.
These enhancements will, of course, require resources. Where possible, MUIS will increase its support. But, fundamentally, our community and parents of madrasah students should also share the cost of investing in our madrasahs. To help parents with the increased costs, MUIS will increase its disbursement to the Progress Fund Madrasah Assistance Scheme (PROMAS) by 5% this year. MUIS will also grow the $6.3 million Wakaf Ilmu, which was launched in 2012 to benefit part-time and full-time religious education.
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Our madrasah students will also benefit from MOE's Edusave Fund, amounting to almost $700,000, which can be used for enrichment programmes. MUIS will work closely with MOE and the six madrasahs to implement this in the second half of this year. So, I have asked MUIS to co-ordinate the efforts among the madrasahs to identify areas of focus and to use the Edusave funds strategically, for example, enrichment programmes that get our students more interested in areas such as Mathematics and Science.
Ultimately, one of the objectives of education is to prepare our students to seize economic opportunities. And this will become more challenging in a changing global and regional economic landscape, which requires businesses and the workforce to be more innovative, productive and adaptable. So, I agree with Mr Zainudin Nordin that the challenge is not only to equip our students with the hard skills like language and technology, but also the soft skills, such as creativity, management and effective networking. Looking ahead, I am happy to announce that MENDAKI will introduce a new initiative to equip our Malay/Muslim tertiary students with universal career skills, such as staff management, career planning and networking.
Assistance will also be given to those new to professional, managerial, executive and technician (PMET) jobs. Recently, MENDAKI SENSE collaborated with Temasek Cares to start a two-year mentoring programme to coach such employees on \"soft\" skills, such as leadership and management. Priority is given to those from low-income families. I would like to encourage our community partners to look into more ways to groom a generation of career-savvy youth, who are confident, competent and hungry to ride the transformation of our economy.
Madam, we also want our businesses to transform themselves, especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) can play a leading role in this, including through its increasingly popular SME Centre. SMCCI can also tap on the expertise and links of the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF), and work together on initiatives such as entrepreneurship incubation projects on new media and training displaced workers to set up home-based businesses.
Our businesses must also be proactive in utilising the full range of Government support to innovate, increase productivity and develop their manpower. The recent Budget has numerous initiatives to help our businesses. These include subsidies for high speed connectivity plans, extension of identified ICT solutions to another 10,000 SMEs, and increased funding for worker training and upskilling, through the $500 million top-up to the
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Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund. This is a good time and opportunity for our SMEs to transform themselves to be more efficient and competent entities.
I am happy to note that some of our community organisations are already taking steps to guide our SMEs on these recent developments. Earlier this week, MENDAKI SENSE hosted an industry partnership and networking event, where it apprised participants of the various schemes and initiatives from this year's Budget. Such efforts, Madam, we believe are useful as they spread awareness of the initiatives to help businesses adapt to this modern and competitive economic landscape.
Apart from youths and businesses, we are also looking at how we can help the women in our community. Many are now much more qualified and face the challenge of trying to balance equally important roles in supporting the household and raising our children. Dr Fatimah touched on this earlier as well. Adaptability and skills upgrading is thus very important for this segment of our community. Among the initiatives is MENDAKI SENSE's \"Back to Work Women\" Programme, which helped over 300 women and single mothers in job skills upgrading and employment matching last year.
Mdm Chair, the family remains the foundation of our community and nation. A resilient family is a source of strength and innovation in hard times. Our young couples need to recognise that a strong marriage and family is not built overnight and they need to know where to turn to when they face challenges.
In this regard, I wish to assure Mr Zaqy Mohamad that we place a strong emphasis on preparing our couples for married life and have adopted a life stage approach to help them even before marriage. Some of you may have heard of the Bersama Mu marriage preparation course introduced in 2008. It has since been renamed the \"Cinta Abadi Marriage Preparation Course\". Following an extensive review, the enhanced curriculum will now emphasise a more consultative and collaborative approach in marriage, as well as introduce a \"visioning\" element for couples to set and work towards their life goals together.
We are also planning more structured post-marriage enrichment to help couples with marital or parenting challenges at different stages of marriage. This is the next \"milestone\" phase after the Cinta Abadi Marriage Preparation
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Course. In November last year, MSF's INSPIRASI Hubs also started a pilot marriage enrichment programme called GEMS – Growing Every Marriage towards Success – to provide guidance and support to couples who have been married for more than five years. Our goal, Madam, is for these couples to become strong family units for the benefit and future of their children.
But, unfortunately, divorce is sometimes the only way out for some couples. So, we will continue to be there to help, to make sure that these couples make an informed decision. I am happy to note that Syariah Court's Marriage Counselling Programme (MCP), which reaches its 10th anniversary this year, has been quite successful at facilitating reconciliation between couples. Almost half of its 24,000 referrals to date did not proceed with divorce.
SYC is already looking to do more. Following a review of the Marriage Counselling Programme, there will be two improvements. First, SYC is moving towards a more child-centric divorce process. To better address the welfare of their children, couples with children aged below 18 will be encouraged to discuss their co-parenting plans early before the divorce is finalised. SYC is partnering social service agencies to prepare social welfare reports to help the Court make informed decisions in cases of child custody disputes. SYC will also refer cases of couples with children to HDB, so that they can receive guidance on their housing post-divorce.
Second, to improve the quality of counselling services among its mediators and counsellors, SYC will develop a more comprehensive training guide for its MCP agencies. SYC is already working together with the Singapore Mediation Centre on the accreditation of all its mediators. SYC will also upgrade the Syariah Court Case Management System (SCMS) to harness technological advances such as data analytics to better analyse trends and customise interventions.
Madam, a major challenge facing the community is in the area of health. Dr Intan shared her concerns that the community, and the nation as a whole, is ageing and health issues are coming to the fore. I agree with her. Healthcare is something we must pay attention to now so that it does not become a big problem in future. The Suara Musyawarah Report highlighted the need for proper health management, including leading a healthy lifestyle and prioritising medical insurance coverage. These two go hand in hand, and universal coverage through MediShield Life will help in some ways. Two plans are underway.
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First, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) has thus far partnered a few mosques in running health promotion initiatives on an ad hoc basis. These have shown some success, and HPB will now be extending many programmes to 10 mosques, including health screening sessions and physical activities such as aerobics and soccer. I am also happy to learn that the Muslim Healthcare Professionals Association (MHPA) is interested to complement these efforts through community-driven initiatives. The CLF would be able to provide some support.
Second, the Pioneer Generation Package announced at Budget 2014 will also include top-ups to the Medisave accounts of our Pioneer Generation, additional subsidies at the Specialist Outpatient Clinics and polyclinics, and subsidies for MediShield Life premiums. As the first round of Medisave top-ups will be disbursed by July, I urge our seniors to make sure that their Medisave accounts are in order. I would also like to encourage our Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs) to help us in our efforts to spread the message and explain the Package and the benefits to our seniors.
Another challenge lies in the area of service delivery. There are some who require help to get through difficult periods, but are not aware of the assistance schemes available and where exactly to turn to. To address these delivery gaps, our community agencies know that they have to work closer together to strengthen outreach and improve accessibility. As Mr Zainal Sapari has also mentioned, community partnerships can indeed alleviate capacity challenges, I am happy to name two new initiatives.
First, MENDAKI, in collaboration with MUIS and six mosques, will launch \"Nadi Khidmat\" this year. This initiative seeks to improve accessibility to social services for Malay/Muslim families through our mosques. Simply put, families that receive MUIS' social assistance will also now be able to access MENDAKI's educational and employment assistance schemes in the same place. Nadi Khidmat officers will also be on hand to guide our families to national agencies for other forms of assistance.
Second, to strengthen community partnerships and our MMOs, I have asked CLF to develop a Capacity Building Framework for the MMOs. This framework will help our MMOs tap on the expanded Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund (MMCDF) of $2.6 million to meet their training needs. Over the last two months, CLF has engaged various MMOs, including the Singapore Women Muslim Association (PPIS), Jamiyah and the Prophet Muhammad Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board (LBKM), in refining the framework. Some have expressed interest in customised and niche training such as value-
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based learning to oversee preschool and student care centres.
Together with the National Council of Social Services (NCSS) and the Social Services Institute (SSI), CLF will also identify specific programmes that MMOs can look at to build their capabilities and improve organisational development. Madam, these measures will help ensure that the MMOs, who are our key partners in providing welfare and social services, are efficient, well-organised and have good governance.
Madam, allow me now to touch on our community's socio-religious life. Our community, like others, is diverse with many holding different perspectives on a range of issues. This is partly due to an increased exposure to what is happening around the region and the world, as well as the influence of the vocal few. Our community has always been sensitive and mindful in engaging with others within the multi-cultural and multi-religious context that we live in. We should take pride in this and equally apply this to differences within the community as well.
Our religious life has been shaped by the basic principles of moderation and tolerance. We are committed to the principles of Islam and the traditions which underpin our religion. Muslim communities have flourished because they could confidently absorb knowledge from different sources without undermining the basic tenets of Islam. And in this regard, our scholars have shown the way in accepting differences in interpretation as part of the rich diversity of Islam.
And we must continue to maintain and strengthen this tradition of diversity. Equally important is the challenge to guard against extreme views that could dilute the richness of our religious life. Extreme views may manifest in many forms, including the tendency to use labels with pejorative undertones to judge others who see things differently. But we have done well to reject such extreme views. For example, we rejected the views of those who peddle violence and reprisal in the name of religion and we have the Religious Rehabilitation Group to thank for leading the way.
However, Madam, the sheer accessibility and the spread of misinformation on social media will continue to pose a threat to our harmonious religious life. Some members of our community may be easily influenced by the extreme stances of the vocal few from other parts of the Muslim world. Enlightened guidance and the continuous acquisition of knowledge must be the basis of our defence against such forces. It is, therefore, imperative that we strengthen our
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religious knowledge. We should work together to ensure that our children receive proper guidance, appreciate Islamic values like peace and harmony and are receptive to diversity.
So, to this end, MUIS will introduce new plans to improve the accessibility of religious education, which Dr Faishal Ibrahim also asked about. Madam, this is a work in progress for MUIS. MUIS' aLIVE programme has already grown from 1,800 students in 2005 to 14,000 students in 2013. Overall, MUIS is committed to add 3,000 places in 2014 and another 4,000 places in 2015. MUIS has also been working on enhancing content and teachers' development. Our youth face many emerging issues and challenges. As such, MUIS is adding new content to its aLIVE classes, to equip our students with the knowledge and maturity to tackle these with confidence.
Four more plans are in the works. First, to give parents more flexibility in their children's religious education, MUIS will be piloting Kids aLIVE (Home Edition). This will give parents the option to teach their children at home, with periodic \"check-in\" times with assigned religious teachers. This programme will be piloted at two mosques and aims to reach out to 500 new students.
Second, given the strong demand for MUIS' Adult Islamic Learning (ADIL) classes after its launch last year, MUIS is planning for seven more mosques to offer ADIL classes. This will bring the total number of ADIL centres to 13 in 2014. MUIS also plans to introduce intermediate modules in 2015 for those who have completed their basic classes. To cater to the increases, MUIS will train at least 20 more asatizahs from 2015 to 2017.
Third, MUIS will work more closely with private players in the religious education sector, particularly in training and accreditation. With the \"Private Islamic Education Network\" (PIENet), the Muslim community will have more choices and greater accessibility in receiving religious education.
Fourth, Madam, the Islamic Education Fund (IEF) will be further reviewed later this year to benefit more underserved families, so that no one will be left behind in Islamic education.
Apart from religious education, MUIS will continue its efforts in improving support for our community's religious life. Plans are underway to provide more prayer spaces through both the Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) and building of new mosques.
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As we work with MND and URA on long-term mosque planning, we will also look at shorter term difficulties, such as overcrowding during Friday prayers. We recognise that some mosques like Al-Istighfar Mosque in Pasir Ris and Darul Ghufran Mosque in Tampines are overcrowded during Friday prayers. However, Madam, there are mosques nearby that are not fully occupied such as Kampong Siglap in Marine Parade and Alkaff Kampong Melayu in Kaki Bukit. Hence, for those who are able to afford the time or have the transport, they can do their part to perform their Friday prayers at these mosques with more space. Together, Madam, we can make our mosques conducive places of worship.
Mr Zainal Sapari requested for an update on our mosque upgrading programme and the new mosques. In August 2013, we witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Al-Islah Mosque in Punggol town. The Mosque Building Committees for the upcoming Jurong West and Woodlands mosques have also been appointed. So, I urge the community to support these two Mosque Building Committees' efforts however they can, to play a part in getting the two new mosques ready by 2016.
As for our mosque upgrading projects, I am happy to report that Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah in Delta, Alkaff Upper Serangoon in Upper Serangoon and Mujahidin Mosque in Queenstown will be done by the first half of this year. During my visit to Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah mosque two weeks ago, I observed that the local community is already benefiting from the upgrading. The mosque now has barrier-free facilities and has also designed its classrooms such that the walls are collapsible and can be used as additional prayer space. The creative and optimal use of space will be a key feature in our mosque building and upgrading programme. The principle is basically to improve the conduciveness of the mosque environment without unnecessary lavishness.
Finally, I would like to reply to Mr Zaqy Mohamad's question on our readiness for Haj and Korban this year.
MUIS will continue its efforts to facilitate Korban. While Australia remains our primary source of livestock, MUIS will continue working closely with AVA to look for alternative sources that can meet our food safety and public health standards, such as Canada, Ireland and France. However, there will always be an issue of cost, which is determined by different factors such as market forces and logistics.
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Haj, as with Korban, is a religious obligation. MUIS' role is to facilitate these, but it should not be subsidising the costs. For instance, MUIS collects Haj fees to cover the costs of Haj administration and operations, including providing medical and welfare services to our pilgrims. While MUIS is mindful to keep fees as affordable as possible, there is a limit because these are driven in part by market forces and the costs ultimately should be borne by those who choose to perform these religious obligations. Fortunately, MUIS receives donations of about $200,000 from the MSE Angullia Wakaf Fund every year to help defray these operational costs.
Uncertainties remain on the yearly Haj quota. Last year, our official quota of 680 was initially cut by 20% to 544 places in June, but was restored later in September. MUIS responded well by working with AMTAS and the local community in allocating the additional 136 places, and with everyone's cooperation, as noted by Mr Zaqy, Haj proceeded smoothly.
Madam, I had the chance to visit Makkah and Madinah during my trip earlier this year. Massive redevelopment works are ongoing at the moment, and I saw for myself why cuts are necessary for the security and safety of our pilgrims. I seek the community's understanding that we may not receive the additional Haj places this year. Nevertheless, we will continue to appeal to the Saudi authorities to increase Singapore's official Haj quota from 680 to 800, and to seek additional places once the redevelopment works are completed.
Mdm Chair, our community is constantly on the move towards excellence. Our early leaders and pioneers have set a strong foundation for our community. Like fellow Singaporeans, they braved the odds and worked tirelessly to lay the foundations for today's successes. As mentioned by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman, the best tribute we can give to our pioneers is to do better than them. Hence, we must build on their achievements and push on to greater heights. I am confident that our community is on the right track.
And key to this is encouraging and empowering our youths, many of whom are actively seizing the opportunities and contributing back to the community and nation.
Strengthening partnerships among various stakeholders – community organisations, agencies, families and individuals – will also put us in a good stead in overcoming the challenges before us. At the same time, it is crucial that our institutions go back to basics and ensure that their foundations remain firm – MUIS must focus on its primary mission of enhancing and facilitating our
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community's socio-religious life, while MENDAKI must continue prioritising the educational and developmental needs of our youths.
We must remain united as a community that is committed to the principles of meritocracy and multiracialism. These principles, Madam, have served us well. Going forward, we must also lend our voices to the discussion of how these principles can serve a Singapore that is facing new and complex challenges. We must remain true to our faith. We should guard against divisive forces taking root to preserve racial and religious harmony, within our own community and with other communities, too.
Our future is full of hope and optimism. All of us can do our part to strengthen our community and build a home for all. Together, we can realise our vision of a Community of Excellence and build a vibrant Singapore.
Mdm Chair, allow me now to conclude my speech in Malay.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In my English speech just now, I spoke about the contributions of the Pioneer Generation in building and developing our nation. They had also contributed in the establishment of social, welfare and religious organisations that are now playing a role in helping the needy and providing the pathway for our children to attain success.
Due to the efforts and sacrifices of the Pioneer Generation, our community managed to achieve success in many fields, including education and employment. As a community, we share the joy when our young people succeed. They have managed to not only overcome obstacles in their lives and achieve success; in fact, they are now making contributions to the country and society. These are the ones who will take over the leadership of our community in the future.
One of the pioneer figures who made a huge contribution to our community is the late Ustaz Ahmad Sondhaji Mohamed. He was a member of the Fatwa Committee of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) from 1975 and is described as a progressive religious leader. The ideas of the late Ustaz Sondhaji had a major influence on the decisions of the Fatwa Committee in issues like kidney transplants and using NEWater. These progressive fatwas enable the Muslim community here to live alongside other communities in this country and still continue to perform their religious obligations.
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We should learn from the progressive thinking of the late Ustaz Ahmad Sondhaji in order to overcome various current challenges and carry our community forward.
In my speech earlier, I outlined several challenges that have been solved together. Among the critical challenges include an economic landscape that is changing rapidly and health issues. The issue of healthcare will burden us in the coming years because our community is ageing and also due to an unhealthy lifestyle. We must place focus on healthcare needs if we do not want health problems to affect our lives in the future.
I would also like to touch on our way or approach towards differences in the understanding of religious matters. Differences of opinion or understanding towards religious issues will become more prevalent in our community due to the influence of social media. This is a phenomenon that affects all religions. We should manage these differences rationally and wisely. We should not make unreasonable accusations on those who do not share our views. If there are disagreements, we should leave it to the Office of the Mufti to have the final say.
In summary, we must work hard to develop the basic infrastructure for our community. I have presented several important initiatives implemented by institutions like MUIS and the MENDAKI to strengthen the basic facilities that are required by our community. These include infrastructure and educational, social and religious programmes. Hopefully, these measures will enable our community to implement various activities more effectively. The programme for families will hopefully assist our community's efforts to build resilient, stable and happy families. These efforts will complement the various national programmes that are available and, hopefully, will place our children in a better position to compete and seize opportunities that are made available by the nation. I am confident that with the hard work of each individual and community leader, our community can continue to achieve a higher level of success and, therefore, contribute to the development of Singapore.
The Chairman: We have a little bit of time for clarification. Mr Zainal Sapari.
Mr Zainal Sapari: I share the Minister's concern about the need for a rational and open discourse on sensitive matters. What more can MUIS and the community do to ensure a conducive climate exists both online and offline?
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My second clarification. We are proud of our 69 mosques. Can the Minister share his vision for our mosques in the next 50 years?
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: I thank the Member for those two questions. Let me begin with the second question. We are quite privileged to be able to have 69 mosques for a very small community. Going forward, I have emphasised to MUIS that it is not about building more mosques; it is about making the experience of going to a mosque more meaningful, more insightful and more enriching. So, we will spend more time on developing content within the mosque.
What is it that we can do more to serve the community, to make the experience of visiting the mosque a pleasant and a memorable one. We will emphasise this not only in terms of the programmes for our children, but across the whole board. As I mentioned in my reply, we are now running religious classes for adults. It has been well received. We want to expand that even more. I think this is something which the community is looking forward to. So, the mosque is the platform by which we outreach to our community, offer religious services which they need, but offer it in a manner in which it will leave a meaningful impact in their spiritual and religious life.
On his first question, I think this is a question that not only affects the Malay/Muslim community but across the whole of Singapore. Social media is a new game in town; it has changed a lot of things. But the fundamental principle remains the same, that is, in any discourse that we have, whether it is offline or online, ethics is important, rationality is important, respect is important.
What we can do as a community is really to try and enhance the level of discourse, when we engage offline or online, using those principles that I mentioned earlier. On the part of MUIS, we welcome anyone to discuss things of concerns with MUIS. In fact, we have gone online to discuss with those who have queries about matters that pertain to their interest in religious matters which they wanted to seek some clarification on. I think the role for the community and community leaders is to step forward and establish some norms in which we all can be proud of in the way which we engage one another. Those norms are important. It is not for the Government or MUIS to stipulate; it is for our community leaders to establish those norms, so that it becomes an accepted practice for our community.
Having said that, looking at the recent experiences, I am quite happy that there are rational voices, especially online, that have stood up against those
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who have been rabid and irrational, name calling and discourteous. So, we need more of such voices, and I hope that we can encourage such leaders to step forward to do so, whatever the discourse may be. As far as we concerned, differences is not the problem. It is how we manage the differences, and how we agree to disagree on those differences. And if we can set the right tone, I think that is a good way for our community, going forward.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Madam, we see much instability, political and civil, in many of our traditional Islamic hubs, such as Yemen and Egypt. In the Minister's view, given our international standing as an educational and economic hub, can MUIS consider establishing Singapore as an Islamic hub, focusing on niche areas, perhaps leveraging on Singapore's economic hub status? What is MUIS' vision of establishing our international Islamic credentials in the next 10 years?
Second question. Madam, at the start of my MOM cut, I spoke about the need to strengthen TAFEP on employment discrimination. I think this was raised by Suara Musyawarah, which Member Faisal Manap also spoke about earlier. I note that he spoke about it, but I differ in opinion in that the community tackles this with the broader institutions like MOM and TAFEP. So, for the Malay organisations dealing with employability, would they work closer with TAFEP in terms of strengthening the engagement, to address employment discrimination?
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: There are two questions. I begin, again, with the second question. It is not an easy matter, but I agree with the Member that as far as possible, issues of such nature, we should work within a national framework. TAFEP was created for that purpose. In fact, Mdm Chair had a hand in the formation of TAFEP. It has worked well. There is always room for improvement. I would advise strongly that if there are any concerns about perceived job discrimination, to bring it forward either to MENDAKI SENSE or to TAFEP directly. And I am sure that MOM will deal with this directly. At the end of the day, it is difficult for us to evaluate just at face value. Investigations are necessary to ascertain exactly what happened, and then to take the corrective measures in order to overcome those challenges.
On his first question, the vision of a Islamic hub is, of course, very grand, but I think we have to be very realistic that for such a small country with very limited talent pool, what exactly we can do. We have done well in certain areas. For example, our mosque management is something which other countries – I will not mention which countries – have come to visit and understand how we manage it. I think we have been blessed, because we have followed the
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Singapore system of governance in management, and that has filtered into the way we run our mosques and our organisations. Beyond that, education is an area that we are paying close attention to. Our madrasahs, especially Madrasah Aljunied, used to be a hub in the region for talent from the region to come and study. We have lost that prestige because other institutions have grown and overtaken us.
Having said that, I am confident that we can carve out a niche for ourselves that the Member mentioned earlier. But let us let the JMS run first and stabilise ourselves before we decide where exactly is the niche that we can be strong at. If you ask me, without committing my colleagues at MUIS, I think the one area that we have shown our ability, really, is integrating modern knowledge and traditional knowledge. And that is one programme that we are looking forward to in our JMS, to allow our students who go through our madrasah system to be trained comprehensively, not just in traditional Islamic knowledge, but also in modern knowledge. So, perhaps, that is an area that we can pay attention to.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, I would like to ask if the Minister or the Government will implement efforts or measures to address or look into the issue of loyalty that has been discussed in Suara Musyawarah?
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] From what we know about this issue of loyalty, although there is a perception among the few in our community, the community in general feels that we have opportunities in Singapore. Based on what I said earlier as well as efforts that we have made and undertaken, and our community's achievements, these have shown that our community has a role in contributing to Singapore and, at the same time, our community has also integrated well with other communities.
I think that if such perceptions are present, the best way will be for them to forward their complaints to the relevant parties and we can discuss them. We know that in terms of opportunities in education, National Service and others, a lot has happened. Many opportunities have been given to the Malay/Muslim community, and from 1965 until now, many Malays have shown that they can also contribute and their contributions are also acknowledged by the Government.
I feel that this is something that does not need the effort of a committee. But if such perceptions are present, we should forward them to the relevant
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parties and we can discuss them.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Just two short clarifications for the Minister. I applaud the formation of Nadi Khidmat at the mosques. Will Nadi Khidmat be working closely with our social service officers and the schools, so that a holistic approach can be rendered to families who are disadvantaged?
And my second clarification: the Minister mentioned that there are 14,000 students who are taking part in our aLIVE programme as of last year. What is this percentage in terms of the total number of children that we have, and are we targeting more to take part in this programme?
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: I do not have the exact figure about the percentage but the Member is absolutely right that it is a concern within our community that not many of our young students go on to take on the religious classes while they are in Secondary school. This is, in fact, a challenge for our community and that is why, in my reply, I explained that we are now trying to make it as easy as possible for Malay/Muslim families to send their kids or to have their kids receive religious education. The programme that we are now piloting is to have the aLIVE classes at home.
Having said that, by making a wide availability of classes across many locations and having more flexible time schedules, perhaps, is the way to go. I have asked MUIS to study this but, certainly, having invested in the aLIVE programme by developing new curriculum, training new asatizahs to run the programme, we must ensure that we can maximise the potential as much as possible.
On Nadi Khidmat, I think that is the intention – to be able to leverage on national institutions which are available locally. The Nadi Khidmat officers will work with the mosque officials, not only to reach out to those who are already on assistance but other Malay/Muslim families within the constituency and help put them into either MENDAKI or MUIS programmes or national programmes. That has always been our approach. We have the wrap-around care that we piloted several years ago, and the purpose is to ride on national programmes as our first step before we tap into community resources.
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Mr David Ong (Jurong): Mdm Chair, it is almost 10 months since admission to the museums is made free to Singaporeans and PRs. Has the public responded positively to the free admission? Museums tend to focus on producing outputs such as attendance numbers, collections and programmes to assess how well they are doing. I hope the Ministry can focus more on museum outcomes and impact on visitors' experiences.
It is not about how much, how big or how many but how the museums are able to develop its audiences as regular users and extending its relevance and collaboration with the community. The museum experience should not be restricted by its four walls or opening hours but also reaches outwards to the community. Apart from the onsite engagement, our museums can leverage on online, mobile and social media platforms to reach out and build meaningful relationships with its users.
Can the Minister share with us MCCY's strategies to ensure that our museums stay relevant, to continue to evoke positive visitors' experiences and repeat visits? What plans are in place to ensure that the Singapore Story presented in our National Museums remains resonant, relevant to Singaporeans, especially in light of our 50th anniversary?
The Chairman: Mr Arthur Fong, you have five-and-a-half minutes for your three cuts.
Mr Arthur Fong (West Coast): Thank you, Chairman. In the region of Southeast Asia, we probably rank amongst the top museums in terms of collections and display although we have not won many accolades. We have received some notable mention, though.
Our museums regularly host exciting internationally known collections. The Art Museum used to host paintings of the famous Wu Guan Zhong, and the Asian Civilization Museum some years ago hosted one of the few internationally recognised Buddha relics. Yet, it was reported that both the ticketed as well as non-ticketed events suffer from a decline in attendance.
What is the status of attendance since the free admission for Singaporeans and PRs? Would extending the closing hours to suit working Singaporeans to
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attend after work help, perhaps a night at the Museum or some programmes that we could glean from other successful museums? What plans are there in store to make our museums not only resonant with Singaporeans but as one of the must-see places when foreigners visit us? Not quite like the must-visit Guggenheim or National History Museum in New York. But we can aspire to become a must-see for museum goers. This should be a goal we can strive for.
[Deputy Speaker (Mr Charles Chong) in the Chair]
My next cut. Last year we witnessed an effort to make quality arts and heritage experiences more accessible to all Singaporeans in the form of free museum admissions.
Each constituency launched art programmes, bringing culture and an appreciation of the arts and our heritage to a new level. I might add that the enjoyment and participation of the community in such events contributed to much more community bonding.
Given the encouraging momentum of arts and cultural heritage efforts in the community, are there more initiatives to bring arts and heritage events even closer to the wider community? How is the Government supporting community efforts to protect and preserve as well as to showcase our heritage and thereby foster a stronger identity?
My next cut on local artistes. Sir, the local art scene has come some way and it is dynamic, transforming itself all the time. Some 10 to 20 years ago, there were only a handful of names.
A look at each year's Cultural Medallion awardees will testify to the development and pool of talent we have. To name a few, Nick Shen, who mastered the art of face change, Karen Tan returning from London and on to performing without missing a beat and, of course, in our House, Nominated Member, actress Janice Koh.
Our local art ecosystem is much alive. What is being done to support our local artistes in their efforts to scale new heights in a challenging environment? What role can the Government play in aiding their development not only locally
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but regionally or even globally?
Ms Janice Koh (Nominated Member): Chairman, the installation of art in our public spaces invigorates our city. It humanises our built environment and it helps make Singapore unique and distinctly recognisable. Public art is community art because it is inclusive – it is freely accessible and it enables anyone to experience art in the course of their daily life, with no barriers and admission fees.
When embraced by the community, public art can become important landmarks that help foster a strong sense of identity and place. From the majestic \"Angel of the North\" sculpture at Tyneside, England, to the technologically clever \"Federation Bells\" in Melbourne, Australia, good public art not only brings pleasure to viewers, it can fill us with a sense of pride and wonderment. Even British graffiti artist Banksy's street art has been known to raise the value of the property he paints on.
Singapore has no shortage of good public art. Han Sai Por's \"Seed Series\" at the Esplanade plaza; Kumari Nahappan's \"Nutmeg & Mace\" at ION Orchard, and Chern Lian Shan's \"River Merchants\" along the Singapore River are just some of the few that spring to mind.
Sir, we have a growing number of organisations and public agencies willing to commission such artworks and no shortage of good Singapore artists who can produce them. This is a positive development. However, we need to turn our focus on another aspect – the proper maintenance and upkeep of these works.
The maintenance of artworks is probably not as glamorous as commissioning or unveiling the art. But as a maturing society, we should be respectful of the artist's craft and vision. This means putting in place regulations to ensure the good upkeep of these works.
In this context, I would like the Ministry to consider making it mandatory for corporations and organisations that commission public art to show that they have the means and ability to maintain the work, especially if they have benefited from additional GFA and tax deduction schemes, or tapped into public funds. The Government can make it compulsory for organisations to submit plans and budgets, detailing how they intend to upkeep the work, and official
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approval can be contingent on these submissions.
Another consideration, Sir, which I raised previously in this House, is for the Government to publish a complete list of public artworks in Singapore and their owners. This will not only help create public awareness, it will encourage institutional accountability over the upkeep of the work.
Sir, the maintenance and upkeep of public art goes beyond our relationship with the art. It shows others who we are. When Singapore decided to plant trees in our bid to become a \"garden city\" after Independence, it demonstrated that we were a serious and committed people who can maintain the greenery around us. It was an everyday commitment to show our resolve as a young nation. I hope we can see the maintenance of our public artworks in the same spirit.
Mr Nicholas Fang (Nominated Member): Sir, on to culture of a different sort – sporting culture. As we approach the official opening of the Singapore Sports Hub later this year, much focus has been on the amount of investment being pumped into the sports sector to build more infrastructure for the community. It is certainly welcome to know that we will have world leading facilities that can host top international sporting events as well as more infrastructure in neighbourhoods across Singapore which will make it easier for more people to enjoy a healthy sporting lifestyle.
My concern is that such efforts and investments are not enough. You may remember a sports movie, \"Field of Dreams\" where a farmer builds a baseball diamond on his farm after hearing a voice telling him, \"If you build it, he will come\". That is in reference to a dead baseball legend in the movie. Now, I am paraphrasing here but, perhaps, we are hopeful that if we build more facilities, they – people – will come to use them. This may work in movies but I think more needs to be done. The creation of a deep and sustainable sports culture is not an easy task but it is, certainly, a worthwhile one.
Singapore's sports culture has long been based around participation. The number of mass participation runs, cycling events, triathlons and adventure races over the years is testament to the popularity and commercial viability of these events. But if you consider the most popular mass event in Singapore, the Standard Chartered Marathon, where we often see a peak of just over 60,000 runners taking part, this is a significant field for a marathon. But it is the biggest
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event in Singapore and it represents virtually all endurance athletes in the country. Other events will not hit such large numbers. Other popular sports for most Singaporeans looking to keep fit include football, badminton, basketball, table tennis. Our stadiums are quite well utilised by weekend warriors and also after office hours. And this is an encouraging base to build on but I have to say we are still a far cry from being a truly sporting nation.
Is this goal something that we should aim for in the first place? Well, I think so. I said on previous occasions in this House that sports have many intrinsic benefits and in discussions with other veterans of the local sporting scene, there is widespread agreement that many of the virtues of sports are not extolled often enough. The health and fitness aspects are well known but are gaining in importance as we face an ageing population in the years ahead. A population kept fit and strong through sporting activities and exercise is less likely to require significant medical treatment later in life.
At the same time, sport can teach and transmit other less tangible benefits, including a core set of values that can be very useful for life in general. As Singapore matures and develops as a nation and society, we will face evolving challenges. Some of these will be familiar to us, most will not. Climate change, a maturing economy and a competitive global marketplace and other social and demographic challenges will require certain qualities and characteristics in people to be able to survive and thrive.
People who have played sport enjoy the experience of being on the playing fields, work as part of a team, planned for and worked with a specific goal over a long duration of time, and would have picked up a wide range of positive attributes. These include resilience, respect for others – be they team-mates or opponents – focus, determination and patience. They will also learn how to assess situations under pressure and to make decisions – when to take risk and when not to do so. They would learn to believe in themselves and to have confidence in the face of adversity and they will learn the value of integrity and honest effort.
While essential for any athlete looking to excel at the top levels of sport, these virtues will also benefit entrepreneurs, young students, businessmen, public officials; basically anyone. Many top athletes have gone on to achieve success outside of the sporting sphere and they have credited the lessons they learned during their competitive days as being a critical part of their success journey.
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How do we achieve this in Singapore? I firmly believe that we need a more broad- based appreciation for sports beyond just joining in as a participant. Yes, experiencing it first-hand is very powerful but not anyone is cut out to be an athlete, regardless of the level, and not all of us have the time or resources to play a particular sport. But it is possible to develop an appreciation of sports as a sports fan as well and to follow the exploits of athletes, enjoy the thrills and spills of watching competitions \"live\" or on television, in the papers and magazines and online. And it is possible to learn some of the key values I mentioned earlier vicariously as well. It is a great way to get the young involved from an early age.
I hope that the Ministry can encourage the development of the sports sector to include more options to enjoy sports as entertainment, either through more spectator-friendly events or more diverse coverage in the different media. I would also echo a call made by Mr Ng Ser Miang, a veteran of the local and international sporting scene for us to look to develop our own Singapore sports event which can become iconic on the global stage instead of merely paying for the rights to hold international events that come and go depending on where the money is.
I feel as well that the corporate sector too can do more to encourage a greater appreciation of sports. There have been some staunch supporting sponsors in the local scene such as OCBC, Standard Chartered, Osim and others which have helped to grow local sporting events and develop our national athletes. Perhaps more companies can step forward to offer more regular support, for example, sponsoring the S League or some other sporting leagues and encouraging inter-company rivalries, and broadening a fan base and following for such events.
It is going to take a multi-pronged approach to drive the development of a true Singapore sporting culture with all sectors and stakeholders having a critical part to play. But I honestly believe that the benefits will make all of this worthwhile in the long run.
Mr Arthur Fong: Sir, we will be hosting the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games as well as the ASEAN Para Games for the first time.
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Although we have hosted large scale sporting events, such as the YOG, it has been 21 years since we last hosted the SEA Games back in 1993. We have never hosted a regional paraplegic sporting event involving some 1,300 participants from the region. All eyes will be upon us.
What is the status of Singapore's preparation for both the 2015 SEA Games as well as the ASEAN Para Games? Given that we are also celebrating our Golden Jubilee, are our resources overstretched? Are there contingencies should some critical resource needs overlap?
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Mr Chairman, last year, the Sports Facilities Master Plan was announced. May I ask the Minister to give an update on the new community-based sporting facilities that are to be built in the coming years? What are some significant sports infrastructure enhancements in the pipeline and when will they be completed? As Yishun Town is a highly populated town and also the second fastest growing town, my residents are looking forward to having more sports facilities there. What can we expect in Yishun?
The Ministry cannot bear the sole responsibility of creating a sporting nation. Promoting sports must be from all levels, an across-the-board effort from schools, National Sports Associations (NSAs) and private sectors. The NSAs have been actively promoting their passion for their respective sports.
I would like to declare my interest as I am the President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA).
We should support them in their efforts to encourage and enable more Singaporeans to participate in different types of sports. I would like to ask how are we supporting our NSAs with more funding and resources to promote their respective sports.
Next, I would like to give my input on our Singapore Sports School. As in Sports Schools in many other countries, I am sure one of the desired outcomes of our Sports School is to produce world-class athletes. In order to do that, our Sports School must be able to attract top-notch athletes instead of losing many of them to other mainstream schools via DSA. Hence, I would like to urge for a review of DSA's criteria.
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I also hope that the review of the Sports School can look into lightening the academic workload of students, providing a through-train to its students all the way to University level in order to make the Sports School more attractive. Our Sports School has to aim high and, hence, I would think they should not be competing in our inter-school tournaments. Our Sports School athletes should be sent to compete in the region and beyond. In order to do this, the funding has to be adequate and more consistent.
Just to give you an example, for School-Within-School Programme for table tennis (SWS), when it first started with four players, we were given $250,000. Today, there are 17 players and the funding is still $250,000. We cannot and should not do things half-heartedly.
Finally, I would like to bring up the issue of NS deferment for national athletes again. Last year, the Minister for Defence made the highly commendable decision of granting swimmer Joseph Schooling NS deferment so that he can focus on training for the 2016 Olympics. This was a timely and possibly momentous move that is likely to have a huge impact on Schooling's sporting career and possibly Singapore's sporting history.
I hope this can be extended to other male national athletes as well. The Olympics is not the only prestigious sports event, even if it is indeed the most prestigious. Our athletes require more opportunities to participate in as many regional sporting events as possible. Allow them to defer their NS if they have decided to put their life and soul into their chosen sport. As the host nation of the 28th SEA Games, the heat is on us to send in as many top-notch athletes as possible.
Miss Penny Low (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir, sports can change lives. This is especially so for para athletes, their families, their communities. They may be different, but our fellow human beings would deserve an environment that tells them and their families that they are worthy and that they can make it. They may face more challenges than the rest of us but that is all the more reason we should champion them and cheer them on.
When they succeed, it is not just a personal success; it is a family triumph, a community victory and a national pride. We should create an environment that supports these brave athletes. Hence, my questions are:
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(a) What is being done to support para athletes in terms of training, exposure and equipment needs?
(b) Given the higher financial expenses, how can we lighten the burden on the families and encourage more disabled to take up sports?
(c) Are there jobs in the sports sector where para athletes can pursue with dignity as their career?
(d) Is the Sports Hub designed with para sports in mind?
(e) Does MCCY have a plan to build the necessary infrastructure for para sports?
Sir, inclusivity is a key feature of our Budget 2014. We should seek to promote inclusivity in our major headlining events in 2014 and 2015 and forever. For example, as we begin planning for the grand opening of the Sports Hub, the SEA Games, the Para SEA Games and SG 50 Celebrations in 2015, para sports should also feature prominently in the celebrations.
They inspire every Singaporean to overcome the odds and scale greater heights. Disability is a mindset. It is not an insurmountable obstacle. But the journey is lonely unless we have communities that believe in the disabled and a society that creates space that they deserve, space that they need and space for all. I know what the journey feels like because I, too, had been wheel-chair bound, albeit for a while.
Dr Lam Pin Min (Sengkang West): Mr Chairman, the Sports Hub is opening in mid-June this year, and a whole range of sporting events and festivals has been lined up in the Sports Hub calendar. I am sure many Singaporeans will be able to participate in the activities at the Sports Hub in one way or another. Besides these events, the Sports Hub will also be gearing up to host the 2015 SEA and ASEAN Para Games.
I would like to ask the Minister if the Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework for the Sports Hub development has served its purpose and met its original objectives.
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With just slightly more than a year to go, I would also like to ask the Minister for an update on the preparation for the SEA and ASEAN Para Games in 2015.
Mr Arthur Fong: Sir, the Sports Facilities Masterplan costing $250 million was unveiled last year. The main objective would be to build facilities to cater for future sporting needs and sports development. Are there any updates in terms of new community-based sporting facilities to be built in the coming years, aside from a new stadium in Sembawang? How is the Government engaging both private and the community stakeholders and what is the gauge of the interest from them?
Not just with building new facilities, would the Minister consider – much like MOE's programme like the PRIME Programme for rebuilding and improving existing schools – perhaps a Sports PRIME Programme for rebuilding and improving existing sports facilities. One to mention would be the indoor sports facilities at Clementi that is 20 to 30 years old.
Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines): Sir, I would like to declare my interest as Patron of the Singapore Cycling Federation.
There has been a spate of national cyclists hit by cars while training on our roads. National cyclist Dinah Chan was one of them. Despite her injuries, she managed to bounce back to win a historic cycling Gold for Singapore at the last SEA Games.
Another national cyclist, Ho Jun Rong, was not so lucky. He was hit by a car while training for the SEA Games in 2010. It left him with a broken collar bone and ended his dreams for a medal. National cyclists Benedict Lee and Travis Woodford were also hit by cars while training last year. There are others.
It is unacceptable to expose our national cyclists to such unnecessary risks to train for Singapore's sporting glory. It is like asking our swimmers to train in shark-infested waters, or our sprinters to run on a minefield. It is our moral responsibility and duty to provide them with safe training venues.
Our national cyclists are serious about winning medals for Singapore. Dinah, for example, is taking a one-year leave from work to train so that she can
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win medals for Singapore. Can Singapore match their level of commitment? Is Singapore serious about training them up and making a mark in international competitions? Given the danger of training on Singapore roads and the expense of extended overseas training, it is crucial to provide a high quality local training base for our cyclists.
To that end, I would propose a Singapore Cycling Centre featuring an indoor velodrome. The velodrome would not be just for elite cyclists but, like those in Hong Kong, UK and Australia, offer a wide variety of public sessions that cater for all ages and abilities and also to different sports in the centre of the velodrome. Such a Singapore Cycling Centre with a velodrome would transform the long-term development of cycling, a sport in which Singapore has proved that it can do well. It would also attract and produce more youngsters with potential.
Our BMX riders also need a place to train once the Tampines Bike Park is closed this year. I would like to ask that the replacement site be in an area where there is space for a future Singapore Cycling Centre with a velodrome next to it. I hope that the Minister would consider this seriously and not put the brakes on this idea.
The Chairman: Mr Hawazi Daipi is not here. Mr David Ong.
Mr David Ong: Sir, sports inculcate valuable qualities, such as teamwork, shared responsibilities, uphold team interests, fair play and sportsmanship. Also, sports help people to stay healthy and fit, and bond our people and nation together. As such, apart from rallying behind elite sports, more can be done to encourage and build a broad-based interest in sports amongst Singaporeans across all ages and from all walks of life. How does MCCY intend to achieve this?
The Super Sports Club – the key recommendation under Vision 2030 Sports Masterplan – endeavours to be a public sporting club. Can the Minister provide an update on the progress of the Super Sports Club and Active SG?
Many of our residents have asked for the use of common sports facilities in schools and other sporting facilities in their neighbourhood. What is the status of MCCY's attempt to work with schools, colleges and tertiary institutions to open their facilities for community use? Perhaps MCCY can share with us some of the obstacles in achieving this goal and share how we may get around them
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and make sports accessible and inclusive for all Singaporeans.
Dr Lam Pin Min: Mr Chairman, first let me declare my interest as the President of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association.
Sir, I watched the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi, fascinated by the many different sports on display and the talent of the individual athletes representing their individual countries. All of them had put in tremendous efforts to represent their countries and to do their countries proud. As expected, the big nations, Russia and US, won the most medals. Yet what I found most fascinating was that many smaller nations had been able to punch above their weight in spite of their significantly smaller population. Norway, for instance, has a population of about five million, and won an astonishing 26 medals. Slovenia has two million but won eight medals. A recent count by an article in The Atlantic showed these two countries topping the medal charts, if it is ranked according to final medal performance by the size of each country's population.
However, while it is important to achieve sporting excellence through the various high performance strategies, I would also like to highlight that sports is more than just medals and glory. As a country, we need to make sports a way of life. I would like to ask the Minister if his Ministry has plans to partner the NSAs and provide the necessary support and funding so that, collectively, we can work towards the common goal of making sports a national language that can inspire, unite and motivate Singaporeans – to borrow a quote from the Acting Minister Lawrence Wong himself.
The Chairman: Dr Lam, you are out of time. Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, the Singapore League (S League) is the first professional football league in Singapore. Officially began in 1996 after the nation's withdrawal from the Malaysia Cup in 1994, the inaugural season saw a total of eight participating teams. The last game in the first season between Geylang United and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) saw a record attendance of 30,000. It remains the best attended game in the
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history of the league.
In 2003, as a way to inject more interest into the league, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) invited foreign clubs to participate. Sinchi FC was the first foreign club to participate in the league and to date, there have been a total of eight foreign clubs that were involved in the competition.
Some of them are still playing in the league today such Albirex Nigata (Singapore) and Harimau Muda. Some foreign clubs played for a season and left due to poor performances, technicalities or off-field disciplinary problems. With the involvement of the Lions XII in the Malaysia Super League (MSL) since the 2012 season, the interest of many local fans has shifted away from the S League.
On the website of the S League, it is said, and I quote, \"The S League is widely regarded as the best league in Southeast Asia.\" I would like to ask the Minister what are his Ministry's plans, (a) in rejuvenating the league and generate more interest in the league and (b) in raising the standards of play and enhance the experiences of local fans on match days.
Lastly, I would like to propose to the Ministry to consider reshuffling and renaming the participating teams in accordance to the town they are geographically located, using the electoral boundaries map as the basis for this delineation. I am of the view that this would foster a greater sense of belonging among the residents living in the community as the football club would then be seen as an integral part of the local ecosystem and a source of pride for the residents.
Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade): Sir, how are we using sports to reach out to underprivileged communities? How effective has the SportCares initiative been?
This initiative was started to facilitate sports philanthropy and volunteerism. Since last year, the SportCares Foundation has raised S$1 million from corporates and individuals, including through one-to-one matching from the Sports Council. These funds go towards sports programmes that provide skills
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and character development for children, teenagers and youths in need.
I have taken part in a few of these SportCares events, for example, Football with a Heart. I was among 700 footballers representing over 40 organisations which helped to raise more than S$400,000 for organisations that included \"Football with a Heart.\" I would like to ask what projects there are in place today, an update on the funding, and whether the Ministry has some specific roles in mind for the sporting community to play in this effort.
The Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Lawrence Wong): Mr Chairman, I thank Members for their interest in our work at MCCY. And with your permission, I would like to display some slides on the screens. [Slides were shown to hon Members.] Pardon the voice, it is a bad time to have a raspy throat but I will make do.
Next year, we celebrate 50 years of Independence. That we are able to do so at all is not to be taken for granted. Our Pioneer Generation, they would know this best. They fought for Singapore to survive. They met slim odds with great conviction. So, here we are nearly 50 years later, a nation strong and free – because of that early grit and determination to succeed.
Members have debated the way forward for the next 50 years and beyond. Some suggested a break from the narrative of scarcity and vulnerability, toward trust and possibility. Others highlighted that it would be foolish and dishonest to ignore the harsh realities that confront us.
For our Pioneer Generation, perhaps these seemingly opposing views were two sides of a coin. They knew what it was to be at the mercy of international forces beyond their control. They knew what it was to be uncertain and afraid. But where they were uncertain, they were also determined; where they were afraid, they also had a quality of optimism. Not blind faith, but conviction, and a keen eye for possibilities. Our pioneers were neither larger than life nor anointed with powers beyond the ordinary. They did not chase glory or seek danger. But together, they saw possibilities for Singapore, for our way of life, and the nation we could be. They were heroes when it counted. They were extraordinary when we needed them to be.
So, I am glad that Budget 2014 honours our Pioneers. And as our Jubilee approaches, we need to look in both directions. To our past and the example of our Pioneers; and to the future, to the sort of Pioneers this generation wants to
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be.
I thank Mr Baey Yam Keng, Mr David Ong and Mr Arthur Fong for their strong support of our museums. I agree fully with them on the importance in building awareness of our past.
That is why I decided on free museum entry last year for all Singaporeans. Members asked what has been the impact. In the six months since the policy was introduced – from June to December last year – visitorship increased by more than 25%. So, I am glad to announce that 2013 was a record year for museum visitorship. For the first time ever, we had more than three million visitors to our museums.
It is more than just the numbers because many are visiting for the first time, like Mr Sani. Last month, he brought a friend from Australia to the National Museum of Singapore. Mr Sani works in the sales industry and he says that his favourite exhibits at the National Museum are the ones on Food and Film. He says that they remind him of the old days – vendors who sold kueh tutu, and tok tok mee, and the films of the late P Ramlee.
Another example is Ms Lee, who brought her two daughters to see the Total Defence exhibits at the National Museum. Now that admission is free, they tell us that they do not have to rush to see all the exhibits within a day. So, Ms Lee is planning to visit the museums more often in the future with her family.
Overall, our free admission policy has made an impact. But we cannot stop there. As several Members said just now, it is not just about the numbers for the visitorship. We also want Singaporeans to have a meaningful time at our museums, so that they will return. And as Mr Arthur Fong said just now, we want our museums to be a must-see stop for visitors as well. So, I agree with Members that we must invest in quality and content. That is why we are setting aside more resources for conservation, for acquiring of new collections. That is why we are also embarking on two major projects on the occasion of our 50th anniversary.
First, the National Museum. The Museum serves an important civic function in engaging Singaporeans on our national history. So, it must resonate with the people. We find that stories tend to work best. Mr Alex Yam spoke earnestly about this earlier in the Budget debate. He urged us to help these stories live on, \"Simple, heart-felt stories of ordinary men and women\" that
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embody the pioneering spirit.
And I agree with him. That is why we aim to design a new experience in the Museum that will capture more of what we call \"everyday heritage\" – heritage taken not only from the grand pages of history, but from the lives of \"ordinary\" citizens. In particular, the Singapore Memory Project has collected stories from Singaporeans from all walks of life. We will showcase a selection of these memories in the Museum.
Stories are told not just in words, but in seemingly simple objects as well. And we will feature more of these in the Museum too. This year, the Museum has been collaborating with MediaCorp on a TV programme called \"Treasure Hunt\", where we invite Singaporeans to contribute their own artefacts that are part of our national heritage. We have received many interesting collections, including old campaign posters, football medals from the 1977 Malaysia Cup and personal items from the early days of National Service. These are objects which many of us can relate to and they tell a very personal history of Singapore.
Most of the memories that Singaporeans have shared hark back to the post-independence era, when we were finding our feet as a young nation. So, the new Museum experience will provide more glimpses into Singapore's history post-1965. I think this is a natural and significant step in our telling of The Singapore Story. It is a story that must expand over time and that all Singaporeans must know.
Central to this is to make the Museum a place young Singaporeans remember growing up with and would want to go to. So, we are introducing a new Wing at the National Museum called Play@NMS which will be dedicated to children and young families. This new Wing will open in May this year and this will put us on a good start for the broader museum revamp, which will be ready by next year.
The next project is the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM). As Singaporeans, we ought to know what has shaped us; how the confluence of Asian cultures in the region has driven the way Singapore interacts with the world. So, the Museum plays a different, but also important role in understanding our national context.
The ACM will undergo quite a transformation. For a start, we are re-designing the lobby, introducing new shops and dining options, and expanding the permanent galleries. This will give us more exhibition space for important
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artefacts. For instance, we will bring in the Tang Cargo – a selection of over 50,000 objects, salvaged from the Java Sea, that testify to our past as a centre of trade in Asia.
One of the expanded spaces is the China Gallery, which should be completed next year. I am glad that the private sector has stepped forward to help fund this. The building will inject a fresh and modern element into the otherwise classical architecture of the Museum.
Meanwhile, we are exploring a new entrance for the ACM that opens onto the Singapore River. We may combine this with the new gallery space that will breathe more light into the Museum. This needs a bit more study, but it is a potential game-changer for the Museum. It would open the Museum to many more visitors and convert it into a vibrant offering along the waterfront. Not to mention, this would connect the Museum to the historic heart of Singapore.
These are some of the Ministry's efforts leading up to the 50th anniversary. But the celebration is not just about what MCCY wants to do. It is for all Singaporeans to decide the true spirit of SG50 and what it means to be a Singaporean in this important phase of our nation's journey.
We have received many ideas from citizens on how to celebrate SG50. I have enjoyed reading the suggestions that were submitted through our website. One bright idea came from Claire, who suggested that the whole nation wear red to support Team Singapore at the 28th SEA Games next year – a \"sea of red\", she said. Mindy suggested a \"Kallang roar\" at the new National Stadium. Yok Lian suggested holding a quiz competition between housing estates on Singapore's history and future plans.
I think these are all very good ideas. We have set up an SG50 Celebration Fund to resource these initiatives driven by the community. And I would encourage Singaporeans to tap on the Fund and to implement their ideas.
It has never been for the Government to define a Singaporean culture or a Singaporean way of life. As then-Minister of Law Mr E W Barker said as early as 1969, and I quote, \"The evolution of a common culture is not the monopoly of the Government... Culture must evolve spontaneously from the social milieu\".
Indeed, culture and heritage are not contained in the walls of our Museums. Several Members like Mr David Ong and Mr Arthur Fong also spoke about this. Our culture and heritage spill into, and emerge from the community; from
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ordinary lives, from everyday places. So, it is the community that we look to engage.
Our strategy has been to create spaces for heritage to flourish. We now have 13 heritage trails all over Singapore. We also have community museums, galleries and heritage corners. We will continue to work with residents to bring these to life. We hear their stories and we record them for the future.
Several Members spoke about creating spaces in the city that will allow us to feel an emotional connection to place. Ms Janice Koh mentioned this in the Budget debate earlier, Mr Baey Yam Keng said it just now in his speech too. I share their sentiments, but I also acknowledge the practical challenges and constraints we face. We will always have to tread that careful line between attachment to physical sites and Singapore's development needs. We are doing more to preserve these physical sites – to document and research them and, in some cases, to protect. But we are also sowing the seeds for new \"spaces\": spaces for sharing, reflection and for communities to remember.
Take Mdm Helen Chua – a resident from Taman Jurong. This is a photo of her daughter in the 1970s. Mdm Chua shared this with us for an exhibition at the community museum in Taman Jurong. She recalled how her family would catch large, black tiger prawns near Jurong Lake. They would bring them back in a pail and the whole family would share them for dinner.
It is a simple story, a personal memory. But in the act of sharing, it became more about family and community, about the shared experiences that many growing up in the Jurong area could identify with. We thank Mdm Chua for sharing because stories like these remind us that as we move ahead, some things will always be with us; and these are the memories that we must preserve and remember.
I have spoken on the importance of our past. Let me move to the future of our cultural scene, in both the arts and sports. I will start with the arts.
For many years we have talked about being a global city for the arts. Perhaps to the point that some have forgotten what a precious dream this was to members of our Pioneer Generation. Becoming a cultural city was not merely a pipe dream or a good-to-have: it came from pride in our emerging identity and the desire for the world to know about Singapore.
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Pioneer artists like poet Edwin Thumboo were deeply invested in a cultural vision for Singapore. I quote from a recent conversation he had with an officer at MCCY, \"Everything Singapore has earned, we have had to build up; we have had to create. And right from the beginning, the Pioneer Generation writers knew we had to create our own national literature. The sense of forming an identity was very strong. And with that, to create a multiracial society that taps the strengths of all the cultures.\"
Besides building a national identity, our Pioneers also engaged with the regional and global context. Take our pioneer artist Liu Kang. He was passionate about Singapore and Southeast Asian art. In a 1963 essay, and I translate from Mandarin, he wrote, \"Southeast Asia needs an arts centre to be the leader of the pack. Where, then, is this arts centre? I say it is Singapore!\"
Mr Chairman, I believe that Singapore can be, as Liu Kang and our pioneer artists believed: the leading arts centre in Southeast Asia.
Singapore is an increasingly important destination for the arts. We are seeing more articles on this in regional and international media. Our arts calendar is more vibrant than ever. Earlier this year, we had a very successful Singapore Art Week as well as the Singapore Biennale. As I speak, the Mosaic Music Festival is running at the Esplanade. Later this year, we can look forward to the inaugural Singapore International Festival of the Arts, the Heritage Festival, the Night Festival – which is a night at the museum, as was suggested by Member Mr Arthur Fong – and the Writers Festival.
We need to maintain and expand our reputation as a top-notch destination for arts and culture. Updating our capabilities and museums is part of that picture and I have explained what we are doing earlier. We will have to do more than that and the crown jewel of our performing arts landscape: the Esplanade. Incidentally, CNN has just ranked it as one of the top 15 most beautiful concert halls in the world, so it is something that we can be very proud of. After more than 10 years of operations, we want to refresh this national icon, so we will refit the Esplanade to upgrade its existing spaces and also set up a theatre mainly for children.
Altogether, we will invest more than $65 million into the museums and our cultural institutions. This does not include several major projects which we are already undertaking. For example, we can look forward to the reopening of the
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Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall in August this year and, of course, we have the National Art Gallery which will be opening in late 2015. So, there is a lot that we are doing; for conservation, for capabilities, for programming, new collections and also infrastructure upgrade this year and next year.
Beyond infrastructure, Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Arthur Fong rightly said that we need to look into the entire ecosystem of arts and culture, and there are two main groups that we are committed to developing: our artists and our audiences. These are not mutually exclusive. Singaporean artists will benefit from a larger audience of art lovers. In turn, more local talents will emerge from a strong culture of arts appreciation. So, it is a virtuous cycle.
Let me speak first on supporting local artists. Since the launch of the National Arts Council's (NAC) New Grants Framework, we have committed over $14 million in funding for our local artists and arts groups. This is 30% over what was committed in the same period last year. Rather than wait for artists to apply, NAC works with them proactively to discuss their development. We fund programmes like structured training and apprenticeships. We also provide holistic support for our arts groups. We recognise the challenge of rising costs, and we see their long-term potential for growth, so we provide grants for organisation development.
We are also working hard to profile our artists on the international stage. Singaporean artists already participate in many overseas arts fairs, artist residencies and more. The Singapour Festivarts in France, London Book Fair and the Venice Biennale are just some examples. But more can still be done.
MCCY will provide $20 million over the next five years to give our artists more opportunities to perform and showcase their works overseas.
When our artists perform overseas, they are also flying the Singapore flag. They represent an important part of our efforts in cultural diplomacy. I believe this additional investment will do more to profile our creative and cultural assets abroad and enhance Singapore's reputation as an arts centre. It will also be helpful for our own artists as they gain more exposure through international exchanges and seek to broaden their audiences overseas.
This is something which Mr Baey Yam Keng had highlighted in his speech earlier about the limits of our small market. I believe by giving support to our artists, they can broaden their audiences and reach out to more people. Mr Baey also spoke earlier about creating art with an authentic Singapore voice and he
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mentioned \"Ilo Ilo\" as a very good example.
If you ask Singaporeans and artists now to list what they feel to be Singaporean art, it is not so easy to do so. But when you look at an art performance, listen to music or watch a film, or see an art piece, you can see something distinctively Singaporean about its character and spirit. We want to strengthen this process of creating Singaporean art and having more international exchanges will enable our artists to grow, mature and develop their own distinctive styles that reflect our Singaporean identity.
As these artists do well and gain recognition abroad, I am sure Singaporeans will also take pride in their achievements and I believe this will, in turn, motivate our artists to create more authentic and exciting work that not only resonates with local audiences but also has universal appeal.
Besides supporting our local artists overseas, another key approach is to have our public spaces filled with art. We want art to be a part of our cityscape.
Good public art opens a window into the character of a city. It transforms the spaces around us and the way we engage with the environment. We want the streets of Singapore to stand out not only for their skyscrapers but also for their beauty and creativity.
I am glad to share that more spaces are opening up for street art in Singapore. This has already started to happen at the Aliwal Arts Centre in the heart of Kampong Glam and in sections of the Rail Corridor, which holds many precious memories for Singaporeans and we are studying the possibility of more spaces to follow, in neighbourhoods around Singapore.
We are also investing in other forms of public art, like murals and sculptures around Singapore. This is not new – the Government has administered different schemes over the years to encourage public art. One example is URA's Art Incentive Scheme, which ran from 2005 to 2012 and it has helped to introduce public artworks in the downtown area.
We want to do even more for public art in different spaces, including those outside the central region. I have decided to set up a Public Art Trust to commission, display, promote and maintain public artworks. The Trust will receive donations from patrons of the arts and we will match these donations dollar for dollar through the Cultural Matching Fund.
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The Trust will give more opportunities for artists, especially Singaporean artists, to integrate their work into the built environment. So, with this Public Art Trust, I hope we can see more artwork in our public spaces – in our housing estates, in our parks and even in Changi Airport to welcome both residents and visitors. To start things off, MCCY will provide the Trust with $10 million in seed funding. NAC will consult the public on its features before finalising the scheme by the end of the year.
Ms Janice Koh was rightly concerned about maintenance and I would like to assure her that the Trust will fund the maintenance of the artwork it commissions. And, likewise, as she mentioned, detailed plans and budgets for maintenance will have to be submitted during the application process.
She also suggested a list of public art in Singapore. We are looking into making the information public for artworks that have been commissioned under past and current incentive schemes. We will certainly do so for the Public Art Trust and NHB will post information relating to its public art tax incentive scheme on its website by the end of this month.
For the community to embrace the arts, they must not only look but participate. That is why MCCY is committed to helping the arts flourish in neighbourhoods all across the island. We do this through community-friendly spaces like libraries and community centres which we call \"community nodes for arts and culture\". These are places where all can gather to enjoy performances, workshops and more.
Community nodes already exist in Siglap South Community Centre (CC), the Woodlands Regional Library and the Kallang CC. This year, NAC will be rolling out new nodes at the Jurong and Tampines Regional Libraries, and NAC will continue to work with different partners, both public and private, to identify more nodes around Singapore. By 2025, we aim to have 25 community nodes distributed across Singapore. This will take the arts within easy reach of Singaporean households.
There is one demographic in particular that we are doing more to engage and that is our youth. Earlier I mentioned new spaces for children at the National Museum and the Esplanade. The upcoming National Art Gallery will also house the Keppel Centre for Art Education to provide special programmes designed for children. These include immersive artworks that will encourage children to touch, play and create art together.
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We are also doing more in schools. Earlier this year, the lower Secondary history syllabus was integrated with the content of our National Museum and we hope all 30,000 Secondary 1 students will go through our doors this year. Meanwhile, our museums run workshops and provide field-based learning resources for educators in subjects like social studies and history. We have also provided teaching resources for local music and literature.
Sir, I move now to talk about sports, which is an integral component of our cultural vision for Singapore.
It is fitting to start by highlighting one of our pioneer sportsmen – Mr C Kunalan. He is one of the most respected athletes of his generation. He participated in the 1964 and the 1968 Olympics. He has won many medals for Singapore at the Asian Games and what we now know as the SEA Games. So, we spoke to him recently, and I quote from what he told us. He said, \"When I think back – yes, we were some kind of pioneers. But mostly, I felt humbled and small. I thought: wow, I can represent Singapore. But, of course, there were many others before me.\"
What he said reminds us that this is not a sprint; it is a marathon, a relay that all Singaporeans are a part of. I would agree with Mr Nicholas Fang that there needs to be a long-term national effort to build a deep and sustainable culture. And you cannot do this in a short time, it has to be built up over the long term, but I share his aspiration and the aspiration which many Members have also articulated for Singapore to be a sporting nation.
The Government will continue to invest in infrastructure and programmes that help talented and committed Singaporeans meet their sporting aspirations. But we cannot do it alone – the Government cannot do it alone – and that is something Er Dr Lee Bee Wah mentioned too. We need the support of our National Sports Associations (NSAs), our corporate partners and, most importantly, our fellow Singaporeans.
All the sports facilities and programmes that we are working toward will not count for much if Singaporeans are not convinced to participate. Nor can our Team Singapore athletes truly shine without Singaporeans to believe in them and to cheer them on. Ultimately, Singaporeans make the difference in whether we can become a sporting nation.
I spoke earlier on the significance of 2015 as our nation's Jubilee. And 2015 is also a major sporting year and a chance for all Singaporeans to pitch in. As
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Members have mentioned, we are hosting the SEA Games in June and the ASEAN Para Games in December.
Our theme for these Games is to \"Celebrate the Extraordinary\" – to show how ordinary people with extraordinary dreams can achieve excellence and demonstrate the triumph of the human spirit. It is a theme that fits well with the spirit of our Jubilee and that of our Pioneer Generation.
Several Members asked about our preparation for the SEA Games and the ASEAN Para Games, and I would like to assure them that we have the resources; we are already in a deeper phase of preparations and, in the coming months, Singaporeans can look forward to more events to build momentum towards 2015. We hope to see many Singaporeans involved. We all have a role to play – as athletes, volunteers, spectators and gracious hosts. Together, we can make this a defining experience for all Singaporeans.
Next year's Games will be particularly memorable for our Team Singapore athletes. It is a chance to compete and win on our home ground in front of a home crowd. I know many are already motivated by this challenge and this possibility of doing so, and they are already training very hard for the Games, and many are striving to improve on their personal best. I agree with Members, including Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and a few others who have said this, that we should give them our full support.
Today, our Team Singapore athletes are supported through the High Performance Sports (HPS) system which includes the Singapore Sports School and the NSAs.
In terms of direct Government funding, our national athletes will receive $60 million over five years. This includes grants for training and loss of wages, and the Sports Excellence (SpEx) Scholarship which we announced last year. The scholarship supports our most promising athletes and enables them to pursue full-time training. Through the High Performance Sports system, our national athletes also receive support in sports medicine and sports science.
For the sportsmen in National Service – a point which Er Dr Lee Bee Wah mentioned – we will work with MINDEF to find ways for them to train and compete for Singapore, while still meeting their National Service obligations. And we will certainly do so for the athletes who have been selected to
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participate in the SEA Games next year. For exceptional sportsmen who demonstrate the ability to compete successfully at high-level international competitions like the Olympic Games and bring pride to the country, MCCY will also continue to work with MINDEF to assess their requests for deferment, as we have done recently in the case of swimmer Joseph Schooling.
Besides the Sports Excellence Scholarship which we launched last year, we are also looking at ways to help our athletes balance their pursuit of high performance sports with their longer-term careers. The average length of a career in professional sports is limited. Our athletes are naturally concerned about their longer-term career prospects, after their retirement from sports.
So, we have started a Career Scheme to bring in companies that are prepared to recruit athletes, provide flexible workplace arrangements for their training and then allow these athletes to transit into successful post-sports careers. Mr Nicholas Fang earlier spoke about the need for companies to do more in the area of sponsorship. I would say this is another important area that we hope that our companies in Singapore would also step forward to support our Team Singapore athletes. I have spoken to a number of employers and I know that they recognise the benefits of the athletes as potential employees because of their attributes and the virtues they carry, for example, their resilience, discipline, drive for excellence and team spirit. These companies also see the broader corporate benefits of being associated with sports and having the athletes as their \"brand ambassadors\". So, we want to push this area of work. I have asked the Minister of State Teo Ser Luck to help me drive this because of his own personal interest in sports, but also because his work portfolio now has enterprise development and SMEs in it. He is well suited to do this. So far, we have had a diverse range of companies, like Resorts World Sentosa and StarHub, agreeing to be part of this Career Scheme, and I hope that even more companies will step forward.
For the SEA Games and Para Games next year, we are working closely with the NSAs to better understand their training plans and to identify what additional support might benefit our athletes in their preparations. We are taking an inclusive approach and will support both able-bodied and para athletes – something that Miss Penny Low mentioned. We are committed to supporting para sports, and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sam Tan will elaborate further in his speech. We are also prepared to provide additional funding to enable more athletes to train full-time in preparation for the 2015 Games.
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But we are not just focused on the current Team Singapore athletes. We are also committed to building the best possible environment for our young student athletes to pursue their aspirations so that more will follow in the footsteps of our sporting pioneers and sporting heroes.
I have faith in our young athletes to make the best of their potential. On our end, we will continue to build up the support system, especially through the Singapore Sports School. As Members are aware, MCCY has announced a strategic review to see how the School can become a national sports academy of excellence and provide talented student-athletes with the best environment for their potential. I share Er Dr Lee Bee Wah's sentiments that we need to look at training, their academic curriculum, how we can optimise their training, academic and competition schedules, and funding, and we need to benchmark with the best in the world. That is the reason why we are embarking on this review. We hope that through this review, we can provide a better platform to groom and nurture our student-athletes and, at the same time, give them a sound academic education so that they can progress to Institutes of Higher Learning.
Er Dr Lee asked if we will be reviewing the criteria for Direct Schools Admission. I think she asked this just a few weeks ago in a Parliamentary Question (PQ) and I had explained previously in response to that PQ that this is really under the purview of MOE. But if the Strategic Review of the Singapore Sports School shows that there is a need for adjustments, especially in the context of sports talents, we will take this up with MOE.
I spoke earlier about how arts and culture are for everyone and everywhere, and the same holds true for sports.
The Sports Facilities Master Plan which we announced last year aims to give a majority of Singaporeans access to sports and recreational facilities within a 10-minute walk of their homes. We want to meet sporting needs at all levels – national, regional, town and community.
The biggest project in the Master Plan is the Sports Hub. Dr Lam Pin Min asked about the status of the Sports Hub, and also the Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework. I would say that the PPP has enabled the Government to tap on private sector expertise, not just in building but also in operating the Sports Hub. So, the risks of the project are shared with the private sector. The private sector will design, build and run the Sports Hub, and ensure that the facilities are top-notch, both for community use and the hosting of quality events. The
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private consortium that is operating the Sports Hub, Sports Hub Private Limited, has assured us that the stadium will be ready to host events from June this year.
Members also asked for an update on the progress of the Sports Facilities Master Plan and also on community-based facilities in particular. We are ready to embark on the first phase of the Master Plan and we estimate that it will require an investment of $1.5 billion to implement this first phase.
Phase One will include a mix of new facilities as well as rejuvenation of existing ones, with innovative new features. So, let me share some of the facilities we have in mind for Phase One. These are just some examples.
First, the existing Ang Mo Kio Swimming Complex. We hope to redevelop this into the Ang Mo Kio Wet Play Field, like you see here in this slide. We are studying the possibility of introducing modern wet features, such as an adventure sports pool, with a floating playground. This is an existing facility which we hope to rejuvenate.
There are also new facilities, and we have several in the pipeline. I will share some examples. One is the Punggol Regional Sports Centre. That is a picture of how the Punggol Regional Sports Centre would look like. It will be integrated with Punggol's waterways and co-located with the SAFRA Clubhouse. You cannot see the clubhouse in this picture. It is to the right of the swimming pool. It is adjacent to the swimming pool and they will share some facilities, and it will be integrated with the waterway so there should be a lot of scope for water sports and this Centre will host sports activities and events for the community of Punggol.
At the town level, one upcoming project is the Sports and Recreation Centre in Sembawang, which will be part of a future one-stop community hub. And here, again, you can see the visuals of how the Sports and Recreation Centre will look like. The site is located on a hilly area, so we are making use of it – the designers are looking at making the best use of this site to provide sporting and community facilities and also to create a vibrant social space that will offer greater convenience and many possibilities for residents.
At the community level, we are also working with HDB through its Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) to create new sporting spaces for residents. We call this the Sports-in-Precinct programme and it will feature sheltered playing areas, multi-use courts and new materials. We are starting to pilot this in different neighbourhoods and one of this is in Jurong Spring. You
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see a picture of what has been done or is being done, and this is integrated with the NRP project within Jurong Spring. These are just examples of what we have in Phase One of the Master Plan. These are just examples. We will work out the plans for the other towns.
We will not stop at Phase One. We will work out the plans for the other towns, including Yishun, which Er Dr Lee has asked for.
Finally, we will continue working with MOE to make more sporting facilities in schools available for community use. Mr David Ong, I believe, asked for an update. Under the Dual-Use Scheme today, 155 schools have already opened their sporting facilities to the community in the form of school fields and indoor sports halls, and we are continuing to work with MOE to expand the scope of these dual-use facilities.
So, overall, we are building these sporting facilities all over Singapore, for all Singaporeans to enjoy. As we know, we have a diverse community in Singapore, and so our sporting needs are different. We will do our best to balance these different needs, and across the various sports.
For example, Mr Faisal Manap asked about football – how to revive Singaporeans' interest in the S League. The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) oversees the S League, and this is an issue which they are very concerned about and they are aware of what is at stake. It is not easy because, as the Member mentioned, there are now several leagues of football, like the Malaysia Super League (MSL) featuring the Lions XII, and soon there will be a new ASEAN Super League (ASL) which will be hosted in the Sports Hub. So, there are alternatives that are available. Yet, there remains a need for a vibrant domestic league that will serve as a broader development platform for our own footballers. The FAS and the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) have set up a joint taskforce to study how we can raise the standard of Singapore football and build more interest in the sport, including in the S League. Indeed, one of their initial ideas is to see how the S League clubs can be better integrated with the community. One of the issues today is that the S League clubs do not play where they are located. Tampines Rovers does not play in Tampines, they play in Clementi. But it is also partly a consequence of our facilities. As we build more facilities and more stadiums, then we can look at siting these clubs where they are relevant and also building a community following in these clubs. So, these are ideas that the FAS and SSC are looking at through the joint taskforce.
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Ms Irene Ng asked about cycling – whether we might build a cycling centre with an indoor velodrome. This is something we will study seriously. I should qualify though that it is actually very difficult to find a site for a cycling centre with an indoor velodrome, given our land constraints. But we have to try, and I understand the concerns that the Member has raised. So, we must do our best to support our cyclists in their training and we will find ways to support them, whether locally or in the region, because there are velodromes around us. Malaysia and Indonesia have velodromes. In fact, we are also supporting cyclist Dinah Chan in her training at the velodrome in Perth. So, we will look at different options to support our cyclists to train in a safe environment.
In the meantime, SSC is in discussions with other public agencies on potential replacement sites for the BMX track at the Tampines Bike Park, something which Ms Ng also raised. We aim to provide a replacement site by the end of the year.
Even as we invest in sports capacity, we also need to build broad-based interest in sports among Singaporeans. This is something which several Members emphasised. You cannot just have the infrastructure alone; you also need better programmes.
So, over the past year, SSC has piloted the Super Sports Club Concept in the western region. We have gained many insights from our partnerships with schools, sports clubs and more. And we are continuing to beef up sports programming in the community to promote and sustain Singaporeans' interest in sports. More than that, we aim to start a new national movement for sports, which we will call ActiveSG, so that Singaporeans of all ages, all walks of life and different levels of ability can participate.
ActiveSG will complement the \"hardware\" – the infrastructure provided under the Master Plan, to extend compelling sports programming to all Singaporeans. The vision for what SSC's sports facilities will be in the future is that they will not just be venues for hire. But when you go to a sports centre, there will be programmes that you can sign up for, you can learn to play a new sport, you can improve your skill in the sport you already know, you can join a community league so that you can play with friends and make new friends. To make this happen, we will work with NSAs, corporate groups and other partners to create these sporting programmes together. I believe ActiveSG will strengthen ties within and between communities. It will gather neighbours, loved ones and, perhaps even rivals, to train and compete in a variety of sports.
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These initiatives all build towards stronger partnerships for mass participation in sports. There is one important group, in particular, that we want to forge closer ties with. These are our National Sports Associations (NSAs). I have talked about how we are partnering them better for broad-based initiatives, like ActiveSG, as well as specific sports, like football. In fact, SSC has started working with NSAs to develop a shared vision for their multi-year sports plans, to promote their respective sports. We are also working with them to build professional capabilities to better serve our constituents.
And as Dr Lam Pin Min and Er Dr Lee Bee Wah suggested, we will give our NSAs more resources and support. It is not just a question of how much funding, but also how we provide it. We want greater stability and certainty for our NSAs to carry out long-term programmes. MCCY will now provide NSAs with multi-year baseline grants – there will be certainty for multi years – with annual increases each year pegged to the overall budget growth rate. I hope this will give greater funding certainty to our NSAs.
On top of that, MCCY will provide our NSAs with additional funding of $25 million over the next five years. This will support innovative ideas to bring their sport to the next level for the community and for Singapore.
Mr Chairman, moving into our 50th year of Independence, I am excited about the possibilities in store for Singapore as a city of the arts, a sporting nation, and at the end of the day, an endearing home. We want Singapore to have strong emotional anchors that will make this place special for all Singaporeans.
I have sketched out our broad vision for culture, arts and sports. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sam Tan will elaborate in his speech later on other segments, including traditional arts, and how we can reach out to the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the community through the arts and sports. Later, as we wrap up, Dr Amy Khor and I will talk about what we hope to achieve in strengthening our community bonds.
For now, I will say this much. We have come a long way since 1965. Life has not been perfect; we have stumbled and struggled here and there. All things told, we can be proud of what we have today. Our Pioneers had a dream, an idea of what Singapore can be; they fought and worked hard to achieve it. We must now continue in this same pioneering spirit – to fight and dream, for what
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our home can be.
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The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong): Mr Chairman, the Acting Minister has earlier outlined what we want Singapore to be: a City of the Arts, a sporting nation and, most fundamentally, our home. To fulfil these objectives, MCCY has adopted an inclusive approach to the arts and sports.
Mr Baey Yam Keng, Miss Penny Low, Mr Arthur Fong and Mr Seah Kian Peng spoke about the need for the Government to engage all segments of society. I fully agree with them. Please allow me to share how we are supporting the specific sectors that Members of this House have asked about – they are our traditional arts groups and also our disabled athletes. Thereafter, I will cover more broadly our efforts to reach out to the wider community.
Mr Chairman, with your permission I would like to display some slides on the screens. [Slides were shown to hon Members.] Thank you. Mr Baey Yam Keng asked how the Government supports, preserves and promotes our traditional arts, citing the example of Sin Sai Hong, a Hokkien street opera troupe that is closing down. I am heartened by Mr Baey's initiative to link Sin Sai Hong up with the National Museum of Singapore on the possibility of donating their costumes, props and other opera items to the Museum. The Museum welcomes donations of heritage value that can be preserved for all Singaporeans to enjoy, and I understand that the curators are now in the
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process of engaging Sin Sai Hong.
As someone who appreciates the traditional arts, the loss of Sin Sai Hong really saddens me. I remember watching Sin Sai Hong's performances when I was young. But I would like to take this opportunity to assure Mr Baey that this does not mean the demise of the art form. To preserve the art form, apart from the Government's effort, opera lovers must also come together to support our opera troupes. And this is, indeed, happening on the ground. I am very heartened to also learn that the Chinese Opera Institute has recently set up a research and development fund which is open to our opera troupes, and they have raised nearly $500,000. With MCCY's Cultural Matching Fund, they could come close to their fundraising target of $1 million.
To support our traditional arts, NAC launched a five-year National Traditional Arts plan in 2011. The plan aims to improve the quality of productions, increase the audience base and also the accessibility of traditional arts, as well as to identify the next generation of practitioners. For example, under the plan, the NAC supports traditional arts programmes in schools and NAC also works closely with industry partners to leverage on cultural festivals to profile the traditional arts. Indeed, as Mr Baey has pointed out, not all groups are aware of the available support, so NAC has started to proactively reaching out to the arts groups. One example is the traditional arts consultancy programme where NAC pairs promising traditional arts groups with the consultants to upgrade their management skills and also to plan for their future. To date, four traditional arts groups have benefited from this programme and NAC plans to continue this programme in the Financial Year 2014. Another example is the Malay music where NAC brought together various Malay music groups and practitioners to form a Malay Music Development Committee.
Through this Committee, NAC has launched training programmes that build skills among the Malay music practitioners. Since its implementation, we have seen a growing interest in the traditional arts, especially among young Singaporeans. In fact, last year, I attended the Singapore Kwangtung Hui Kuan's Dialect Nursery Rhymes book and CD launch, one of the many projects supported by MCCY. To my pleasant surprise, the dialect rhymes in the CD were actually recited and sung by school students in five different dialects. It was most heartening to see such an interest among our young.
So, this is the Nursery Book and there is a CD inside. I bought 10 copies at the launch and I have been giving this book to friends and relatives who are interested in traditional arts. I am very happy to present this copy to Mr Baey for being so passionate about promoting the traditional arts. By the way, I still
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have two extra copies left. So, Members who are keen can come and see me after this, on a first-come-first-served basis.
Mr Chairman, now allow me to give my speech in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Traditional arts is not just an important part of developing Singapore's culture. It promotes understanding between different communities and is a channel for us to appreciate one another. Hence, MCCY will continue to support, develop and promote traditional arts.
Owing to work and personal interest, I often attend arts performances. In the past, the most frequent feedback I received was that the Government did not give enough grant for traditional arts groups.
Based on the feedback, the National Arts Council (NAC) launched the National Traditional Arts Plan. Under this programme, many established and emerging traditional arts groups received funding. Among them was Di Yi Music Company, an arts group consisting of 20 musicians. They play traditional Chinese music as well as cross-genre modern music using traditional Chinese instruments to promote Chinese Chamber music. After it had received the seed funding, it has grown tremendously. Last year, they received a major funding from NAC to stage the inaugural International Chinese Chamber Music Festival at the Esplanade. The Festival featured performances by famous chamber music groups from Beijing, Taiwan and Macau. It provided opportunities for networking and for people to appreciate Chinese Chamber music.
Since the launch of the National Traditional Arts Plan, we saw the number of audience watching traditional arts grow gradually year on year. However, we are more concerned with whether younger generations are interested in traditional arts. The NAC has done a study in 2011 and found that 49% of traditional dance audience are aged between 25 and 29. It is truly encouraging to see the audience are getting younger.
How do we cultivate the younger generation to understand and appreciate traditional arts is a key concern. Through helping schools organise traditional arts programme, we have increased students' exposure to traditional arts form. These school programmes include bringing arts groups to perform during assembly, organising learning journeys to traditional arts studios and helping students put up traditional arts performances.
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NAC will continue to deepen its collaboration with its stakeholders. This year, we will have close collaboration with many traditional arts groups to stage a series of shows and performances. These include Malay dance, music programme Muara, Chinese dance and Indian dance. In addition, we will periodically tap on existing cultural festivals and activities to promote traditional arts, such as the Singapore Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival.
Besides funding and support from the Government and schools, the community also play an important role in supporting traditional arts. With the support from the people, traditional arts will have a fixed audience base and will be able to get sponsorship from businesses. With the support from the business, arts groups will be equipped to stage excellent shows. The Nan Hwa Amateur Musical and Drama Association celebrated their 50th Anniversary last year. They staged the Teochew opera – the Dream of Xiaozhuang, sponsored by the Super Group. The first performance drew 1,000 audience. If the Government, businesses and the audience can work hand-in-hand to support traditional arts, I believe traditional arts will have a bright future.
Therefore, sincerely, I hope that these efforts would deepen Singaporeans' understanding of traditional arts, cultivating a sense of identity and pride. This would ensure that our traditional arts can continue to play an important role of our cultural building block.
(In English): Mr Chairman, I will now speak on another area that is close to my heart – that is, how we are better supporting our disabled athletes, a point that was mentioned by Miss Penny Low.
Miss Penny Low spoke very passionately about our disabled athletes and I share the passion which is contagious. I am happy to inform Members of this House that the Government is committed to supporting our disabled athletes. Vision 2030 speaks about Sports Without Boundaries – and, indeed, we want all Singaporeans, including the disabled community, to be able to experience the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle. We also want our disabled athletes to know that they can aspire to sporting excellence.
We have been supporting our disabled athletes in many ways. We provide grants to the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) to help the Council and their athletes with coaching, overseas competitions, sports medicine and sports science. Last year, we awarded the Sports Excellence (SpEx) Scholarship to seven disabled athletes, including equestrian, bowling and boccia athletes.
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The Acting Minister earlier spoke about the SpEx Career Scheme. SSC is exploring job placements for our able-bodied as well as disabled athletes in companies which have signed up for the scheme. SSC is also actively looking for more companies to join the scheme to give our disabled athletes more career options. I encourage more employers to come forward to be part of this effort. We will continue to work with the SDSC to see how we can better support our disabled athletes, and at the same time provide more opportunities for the disabled community to enjoy sports.
We are also embarking on research and capability development for disability sports. The Singapore Sports Institute (SSI) has started exploring research into sports, such as boccia, so that our sports scientists can provide specialised support to our disabled athletes, to customise their sports equipment and raise their performance standards.
Miss Penny Low also asked about infrastructure for disability sports. The Sports Hub and all new SSC facilities are intended to be used by Singaporeans, including the able-bodied and the disabled. As such, the public access facilities at the Sports Hub, and new SSC facilities will meet the Building and Construction Authority's guidelines for accessibility. They will have amenities like parking, ramps, lifts and walkways that cater to the needs of the disabled and those who are having mobility issues. We are also progressively upgrading our older SSC facilities to make them disabled-friendly too. We hope to be able to see the less able-bodied making full use of the Sports Hub and SSC's facilities. We will certainly consider Miss Low's suggestion to feature our disabled athletes more prominently at the official opening of the Sports Hub.
Mr Chairman, I had the chance to meet with our disabled athletes at the recent ASEAN Para Games in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. They are, indeed, extraordinary. Watching them in action, one could see their grit, determination and tremendous courage. They made Singapore proud when they came home with 27 medals from the Games. But beyond winning medals, their positive attitude and fighting spirit were an inspiration to us all.
I remember vividly a conversation with our table tennis athlete, Mr Jason Chee. For those who know Jason, he was the navy man who was involved in a horrific accident that had caused him to lose both his legs, an arm and two fingers of the remaining arm. After the accident, he could no longer swim or dive as what a navy man does. Despite such adversity, Jason never gives up.
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He retains a positive outlook. He has picked up other skills, trains very hard and is now part of our Team Singapore table tennis team.
At the ASEAN Para Games in Myanmar, I watched Jason's match against an opponent from Vietnam. While both athletes were on wheelchairs, Jason's opponent has two arms with 10 fingers intact. And our Jason has one arm and three fingers. The game was one-sided, with Jason managing to win only a few points in each match. Watching from the sidelines, all the Singapore supporters could not help but feel downcast. When the game was over, I went up to Jason, struggling to find some words of encouragement to talk to him. But much to my surprise, Jason was all smiles and what he told me next was something that I will never forget. He said, \"It was a good game, I scored a few points from him. Next time, I want to score a few more!\"
These words lifted the spirits of Team Singapore. Jason's never-say-die attitude helped his teammates turn the corner and our table tennis team won four medals, which is a very good result for the team's first international outing!
Apart from Jason, there are many other fine role models amongst the Team Singapore disabled athletes – for example, Nurul for boccia, Laurentia for equestrian and Pin Xiu for swimming. Their next target is the 8th ASEAN Para Games which will be held in Singapore in December 2015. I look forward to seeing them in action and I strongly believe that many of them will inspire us once again with their extraordinary deeds.
Mr Chairman, Mr Arthur Fong asked what we can expect for the Para Games in 2015. The Para Games will be special as this is the first time that we are hosting them. We will work with the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) and Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) to ensure the Games' success.
We are looking beyond the event itself. The Games are an excellent opportunity to build a community that supports and is inspired by our disabled athletes. Through the Games, we hope Singapore could better appreciate and value people with disabilities and to support every individual to reach his or her full potential, regardless of bodily condition. So, as we prepare for the ASEAN Para Games next year, I hope all Singaporeans can rally together in support of our disabled athletes and the disabled community in Singapore.
Mr Chairman, I will now cover our broader efforts to reach out to the community. Mr Arthur Fong spoke at length about bringing the arts and
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heritage closer to the wider community. There are already many such initiatives, such as People's Association's PAssionArts for the community, NAC's Silver Arts Festival for our pioneers and seniors, and NHB's Heritage Grant Scheme for ground-up community efforts. MCCY has been increasing accessibility to the wider community, because we believe that the arts and sports have the potential to uplift our society – including the underserved and the vulnerable. I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Baey Yam Keng and also Mr Seah Kian Peng that the arts and sports have a transformative power that can touch lives, give hope and help heal. I will first speak about what we are doing through the arts.
I am happy to share with Mr Baey Yam Keng that NAC has been working with the social service sector to support quality arts programmes in special education (SPED) schools and also in VWOs. A good example is the Hua Mei Elder-centred Programme of Integrated Comprehensive Care, which offers a range of arts programmes as part of its integrated services. One of their regular participants, Mdm Maligah, shows great talent and keenness in pottery. When she is engaged in it, she is so focused that she forgets about her chronic pains. In a way, the creative arts serve a dual purpose, as therapy and as an avenue for Mdm Maligah to express herself and also her artistic talents.
We hope to forge many more partnerships like the one at Hua Mei and so NAC is setting aside an additional $1.5 million under ArtReach for VWOs which are interested to work with artists to develop programmes for wellness, intervention or rehabilitation. NAC will match interested artists with VWOs and we will be working with the Community Development Councils to ensure that artist-led projects are coordinated and have maximum impact in the community.
Mr Chairman, I will now share an example from sports. As Members will recall, we established the SportCares Foundation under Vision 2030. Before I go on, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Seah Kian Peng for his personal effort in supporting SportCares. In fact, I am pleased to note the strong support from the community and from corporates. We started fundraising last year with a $1 million Government matching grant, and we now have a total of $2.2 million that will reach out to and serve 4,000 children and youths across 43 sports programmes and projects.
SportCares' flagship programme, the Saturday Night Lights (SNL) football programme, has produced encouraging results. It is helping more than 300 youths to develop good values and also a sense of purpose in life. This model of sport and life coaching has been replicated in other sports, such as the CareRunners programme. And we will roll it out to additional sports activities,
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such as dragonboating, canoeing and kayaking, in the coming months.
Mr Chairman, ArtReach and SportCares initiatives can make a positive difference because of strong support from the community itself – they include Singaporeans, artists and sportspeople who give of their time and effort, passion and skills, to reach out to the underserved and the vulnerable. I think they deserve our appreciation.
I have shared with Members MCCY's inclusive approach of using the arts and the sports to engage the under-privileged in our society. We do so because we envision Singapore as a caring and an inclusive society, a home where all of us can live more meaningfully and purposefully through the arts and sports. With this, thank you.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Committee of Supply Reporting Progress","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Chairman, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow?
The Chairman: I give my consent.
[(proc text) Resolved, \"That progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow.\" – [Mr Lawrence Wong]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. (proc text)]
Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2014/2015, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.
Mr 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":"Adjournment","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"[(proc text) Resolved, \"That Parliament do now adjourn.\" – [Mr Gan Kim Yong]. (proc text)]
Adjourned accordingly at 8.10 pm.
\tPage: 185
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