1 Mr Hri Kumar Nair asked the Prime Minister in light of the recent high profile prosecutions against senior civil servants, whether the Government is taking any steps to address the issue of confidence in our public institutions.
2 Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked the Prime Minister how does the Government plan to address public concerns on the integrity and trust placed with our enforcement departments and what measures are taken to ensure adequate oversight over enforcement units.
3 Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Prime Minister (a) since the implementation of the internal disclosure policy in the Civil Service in February 2011, how many reports have been received, including those from Organs of State and Statutory Boards; and (b) what percentage of these reports are serious enough to warrant formal investigations.
4 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Prime Minister whether the Government keeps track or has plans to keep track of the number of public servants who possess annual entry passes to the two integrated resorts.
\tThe Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Teo Chee Hean) (for the Prime Minister): Mdm Speaker, may I have your permission to take the first four questions together?
Mdm Speaker: Yes, please.
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: Thank you. The Government emphasises very strongly the integrity of the Public Service and the public's trust in public officers. We expect public officers to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. The Government is thus concerned about the recent spate of cases involving public officers. Although the statistics do not show an uptrend, we are concerned that these cases should not undermine public confidence or convey the impression that standards have slackened over time.
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This is why we are prosecuting the cases vigorously.
We have systems and processes to maintain the integrity of the Public Service. These include robust financial procedures, personnel-related measures, strong enforcement and inculcating sound values. These measures are regularly reviewed and strengthened where needed to address weaknesses or adapt to new circumstances. For example, we are reviewing our financial and audit processes, not just for the officers directly handling money and procurement, but also supervisors and managers who must give command emphasis to proper financial management in their units.
As I informed this House in February 2012, all Government agencies are required to have in place sound accounting practices and internal controls to ensure the integrity of their financial systems. Members have filed a number of questions on audit which the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam will address later in this session.
We also have checks and safeguards on the suitability of officers. All public officers are required to declare their financial standing when they are first appointed to the Service, and every year thereafter. The purpose is for the Public Service to know whether an officer may become vulnerable due to financial embarrassment. The Service can then assist the officer to overcome his financial difficulties, and thereby protect both the Service and the officer.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked about oversight of enforcement units. We have instituted additional measures for enforcement officers and units because they do have a special responsibility to uphold the integrity of the system. For example, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) conduct psychometric testing when they recruit officers. All potential SPF, CNB and Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) officers also undergo security vetting before their appointments. As a further check, the Police conducts credit bureau screening on all Police officers, and CNB screens officers involved in enforcement and regulatory work. Arising from the recent CPIB case, CPIB has also recently implemented credit bureau screening for its uniformed officers and for civilian officers who handle financial and procurement matters.
Mr Ang Wei Neng asked if the Government has plans to track the number of public officers who possess annual entry passes to the two casinos. The Government currently does not do so. While there is no blanket rule prohibiting public officers from visiting the casinos, agencies have imposed restrictions on officers where there is potential for conflict of interest. For instance, officers
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from the Casino Regulatory Authority are prohibited from visiting the two casinos here, or overseas casinos belonging to the parent companies of these two casinos, except for official duties. Police officers working on law enforcement matters involving the casinos are also prohibited from visiting the casinos, except for official reasons. In addition, Police and CNB officers who are involved with general law enforcement work, as well as CPIB officers, are required to declare their casino visits within seven days of each visit. Other agencies, such as MTI, also require officers working on casino-related issues to declare visits to the casinos.
The Public Service Division (PSD) is studying the application of similar safeguards for officers occupying positions that expose them either to the risk of being suborned and exploited, or to the temptation of misusing their positions to feed, say, a gambling habit.
PSD has also been reviewing the rules and requirements relating to public officers in general visiting casinos, to tighten them. For public officers in general, PSD intends to require those who visit the casinos frequently, or who purchase the annual casino entry levy, to declare these actions. PSD is currently working out the implementation details for these new rules, to strike a balance between strengthening safeguards and imposing too many checks and rules on the system and public officers.
As I informed Members in February 2012, there are several different avenues for public officers to report suspected wrongdoing. An officer can report such cases to his supervisors, or directly to his Permanent Secretary. He may also file a report to the Head of the Civil Service or the Public Service Commission (PSC). Officers may also report to enforcement agencies, such as the Police or CPIB.
Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked about the number of reports made under the Internal Disclosure Framework. Since February 2011, 81 reports of suspected misconduct have been made by public officers. Eighty-six percent, or 70, of these reports led to further investigations. Of these, half, or 35 cases, resulted in some form of disciplinary action. The Government will do more to make all officers, especially new ones, aware of the reporting channels already available to them.
The Public Service does not tolerate wrongdoing and misconduct, and will take firm action in all cases, decisively and transparently. Every case is thoroughly investigated. If need be, a separate agency will conduct the
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investigations to ensure independence and impartiality. For example, in the recent CPIB case, the investigation was carried out by the Commercial Affairs Department of SPF, which then submitted the investigation papers to the Attorney-General's Chambers. In all cases, if investigations reveal wrong-doing, the officer will be charged, regardless of his rank or seniority.
Errant officers who have not broken the law but whose actions are serious enough to constitute misconduct are subject to disciplinary action, either by the Permanent Secretary or PSC. They may be warned, reprimanded, fined or have their increment forfeited, reduced in rank, retired in the public interest or dismissed, depending on the severity of the case.
Madam, strong processes and enforcement must be underpinned by sound values. We expect officers and leaders of the Public Service to uphold the core values of integrity, service and excellence, and to imbue these values in their officers. The core values are also embedded in many processes, such as hiring new officers, training and developing officers, and assessing their performance. For example, an officer's performance and progression are assessed not just based on his intellectual and inter-personal qualities, but also his motivation, commitment and integrity.
All public officers are governed by a Code of Conduct, which sets out key principles expected of public officers. PSD has recently updated the Code of Conduct with guidelines for situations that public officers are likely to encounter in their work. For example, how officers should behave when they deal with suppliers and vendors, and what to do when conflicts of interest could arise. The updated Code will be issued by PSD soon.
Even with the principles, policies and processes in place, we must appoint the right people as Public Service Leaders to ensure that the Public Service is well-led and maintains its integrity. PSC interviews the candidates and exercises its independent judgement in assessing the character and values of these potential public sector leaders, before appointing them to key leadership positions.
The Chairman and members of the PSC are appointed by the President, acting in his discretion, if he concurs with the advice of the Prime Minister. The President also has veto power over the appointment of key officers in the Ministries and Organs of State who may be involved in investigations, prosecutions and the administration of justice, such as the Attorney-General, Auditor-General, Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court,
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Commissioner of Police and the Director of CPIB.
The Director of CPIB, in particular, reports to the Prime Minister. However, if the Prime Minister refuses to give consent to the Director of CPIB to make any inquiries or to carry out investigations into allegations or complaints against any person, the CPIB can still proceed to carry out such inquiries or investigations if the President, acting in his discretion, concurs.
These powers of the President are enshrined in the Constitution. They are important safeguards that this Government, on its own volition, has put in place to maintain the integrity and incorruptibility of the Government and the Public Service.
Our Public Service is internationally recognised as effective and efficient, with zero tolerance for corruption and wrongdoing. This Government is committed to upholding high standards of integrity in our Public Service. This is an endless task that requires continuing effort and commitment of the leadership.
We may have tight processes and systems in place, but there will still be people who try to circumvent them. They may succeed for some time, but sooner or later they will be caught. This is because Singaporeans, including our own public officers, reject corruption. We have prevented corruption from becoming a way of life in Singapore and succeeded in keeping Singapore clean. This differentiates us from many other countries and is a distinctive part of what makes us Singapore.
There are reporting channels for public officers as well as members of the public to report possible wrongdoing. Citizens and public officers will be outraged if they are asked for, or offered, a bribe. The recent court cases demonstrate that the Government will not hesitate to act against any officer who does wrong – no matter how senior he is or what position he holds – even if it causes embarrassment to the Government. We will also continually review our systems and processes and improve them to plug loopholes, address weaknesses or manage new circumstances.
Public officers know that they are held to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. The vast majority adhere strongly to the Public Service values of integrity, service and excellence as they carry out their duties to serve Singaporeans, every day. I am confident that they will continue to do their best, and in doing so, help to maintain public trust and confidence in the
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Public Service.
\tMr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mdm Speaker, supplementary questions, please. I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his answers. In an organisation as large as the Civil Service, it is inevitable that some officers will, from time to time, be found to have acted inappropriately. The real question, therefore, is one of accountability.
Could the Deputy Prime Minister please clarify under what circumstances the different disciplinary measures he mentioned apply? In particular, there has been mention of public servants being issued letters of warning. What are the consequences of a public servant receiving such a letter of warning? Will this, for example, affect his increment, his bonuses, or his prospects of promotion? And when investigating a public servant's wrong-doing, how far up the command chain does accountability then go?
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: As I have mentioned, there is a range of punishment and disciplinary actions that are possible. If a public servant is suspected of committing a crime, then that is fully investigated, the papers are referred to the Attorney-General's Chambers and charges will be put out against him, if the Attorney-General so decides. There is a trial in Court and he is subject to the full weight of the law. So, that is in those circumstances.
If, however, there has been no criminal offence but the public officer has still fallen short of what the Service expects of him, either in his supervisory capacity or in adherence to specific rules or the Codes of Conduct in the Public Service, but which does not amount to a criminal offence, then the Public Service will deal with him either departmentally through his Permanent Secretary or, in more serious cases of this type, with PSC. And the whole range is available, including warnings, reprimands and so on. In deciding on what to do, his Permanent Secretary and PSC will take into account all factors, including the severity and culpability of the officer in specific cases and also whether there are any mitigating circumstances, for example, the overall service record of the officer and also what other contributions he may have made, in this particular case. So, those are fully taken into account. And that separates criminal charges versus shortcomings in the officer's performance.
In the case of a person who has been issued with a warning, this enters formally into his record and can have implications on his performance-based pay components, for example, his performance bonuses, his increments, and
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can have an effect on his progression.
\tMr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong): I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for the comprehensive reply. It was reported that the recent CPIB Assistant Director who was charged for misappropriation of money and forgery had been involved in heavy gambling. The gambling habit could be the main driving force for him to commit a crime. Would the Deputy Prime Minister reveal how many times had the officer been visiting the Integrated Resorts (IRs) for the past couple of years? When public officers, especially if they are law enforcers, buy annual passes to the IRs, they tend to have a higher tendency to gamble and it is also bad for the image for the law enforcement agencies. So, would the Civil Service consider banning those public officers in the law enforcement agencies from buying the annual entry passes to the IRs?
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: Mdm Speaker, I am unable to comment on the specifics of the case because the case that the Member referred to is before the courts. But, as I have said earlier in my reply to the main question, what PSD intends to do is this. We already have certain rules in place for enforcement officers, for example, police officers who go to the casinos. Those who are directly involved or who potentially may be directly involved in investigating crimes there are not allowed to. Police officers, in general, have to declare within seven days if they go to the casinos. But PSD is studying the application of further safeguards and, as I said, for public officers in general, PSD intends to require those who visit the casinos frequently or who purchase the annual casino entry levy to declare these actions.
\tMr Yee Jenn Jong (Non-Constituency Member): I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for the answers. The Deputy Prime Minister said that there have been 81 reports since February 2011, of which 86% were investigated. I would like to get a sense of how this compares to the total number of cases that were investigated in the same period. What sort of awareness programmes have been put in place to let civil servants know that they can whistle-blow on wrong practices that they see in the Civil Service?
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: Mdm Speaker, I have outlined in my reply the entire range of reporting processes that civil servants have available to them if they see something that is not right in their department. And that includes reporting to his supervisor, his Permanent Secretary, PSC, the Head of Civil Service, or to the enforcement agencies. By and large, this has worked well. We will make sure that in our introductory courses and in further courses that a civil servant attends, that these reporting channels available are made known to him. And
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this is what we will continue to do.
I do not have a comparison between the 81 cases reported versus all cases because I am not sure what Mr Yee means by all cases, because there can be any number of cases, including cases that are picked up, reported by the public and so on. And I do not have that data fully with me here, because the Public Service receives feedback of all kinds, hundreds of thousands, every year. As for the 81 cases that were reported under the internal disclosure policy since it was announced in February 2011, I can give some sense of what these were. The types of cases reported included things like officers who were engaged in employment outside of their duties without seeking supervisory approval; misuse of staff pass; sexual harassment and assault; falsifying transport claims; inappropriate relationship with subordinates – so a whole range of things.
\tMr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang): Mdm Speaker, I want to thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his comprehensive answer. Just to add on to the issue of transparency, because I think most members of the public I speak with always ask this question: who watches the watchman? I also understand, based on the Deputy Prime Minister's reply, most of the reporting chains or whistle-blowing are all within the Civil Service chain. Has the Government considered putting an independent committee or an ombudsman function to oversee the enforcement agencies' officers in their conduct and also the processes and procedures which can improve the way the agencies are run?
I also noted in the Deputy Prime Minister's reply that psychometric testing and credit bureau vetting were done upon recruitment. As many of these officers who have been prosecuted recently have also served for a number of years, are these tests also done on a continuous basis or just upon recruitment?
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: As I have pointed out in my reply just now, there are a number of oversight channels which are not restricted or limited to within the Civil Service. PSC, for example, is not a Civil Service organisation. It is an independent organisation whose Chairman and Members are appointed with the concurrence of the President. So, it acts independently in terms of appointment, investigations and disciplining of officers. It is quite a separate and independent organisation – an Organ of State – which is provided for under the Constitution for precisely the reasons that Mr Zaqy Mohamad identified.
Apart from that, we also have reporting to organisations which are not within the chain of command of the officer involved, for example, CPIB or the Police, which are not directly involved in the organisation that the person is in.
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The positions of certain specific persons are also protected under the Constitution, and the appointments are also protected, and these include the Judges, the Auditor-General and the Attorney-General. So, these are all independent positions which provide for the kind of independent checks and balances that we are looking for.
\tMdm Speaker: Mr Low Thia Khiang.
\tMr Zaqy Mohamad: Madam, the Deputy Prime Minister has not replied to my questions about declarations and vetting.
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: Declarations and vetting are done on a regular basis. PSD, as I said just now, is looking at them again to see whether we need to tighten up some of these vetting procedures and also whether there are new types of things which we should be looking at, given new circumstances.
\tMr Low Thia Khiang (Aljunied): Thank you, Madam. A supplementary question. I noted that in this case, the Director of CPIB was replaced. I would like to know why the Director of CPIB was made responsible for this case. Under what circumstances when such corruption cases or whatever cases happen in the Civil Service, and to what extent does the supervisory authority of the officer take responsibility? Under what circumstances would the head of department or head of agency be dealt with?
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: Mdm Speaker, as explained earlier, each case is unique, and each case has to be considered in the light of the facts and the actions of the individuals, including the supervisors and the heads of the different agencies. In the case of CPIB, the Independent Review Panel found that processes in CPIB had been circumvented, resulting in a loss of funds from 2008. And in 2011, the Director, Mr Tan, introduced new tightened processes which would have uncovered and stopped the losses. However, the tightening was not implemented well, allowing the processes to be circumvented and the continued loss of funds. So, the previous and current Directors of CPIB have been formally warned for weaknesses in CPIB's internal processes. This is the substance of what has happened. Both Directors had supervisory and command responsibilities over the particular unit in CPIB. Both Directors have been issued formal letters of warning for their lapses and have accepted responsibility for them.
The Ministry will consider all relevant factors and, in the case of the two Directors, the Prime Minister's Office considered the supervisory lapses of the
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two Directors and also took into account their past contributions as well as their performance in other aspects of their duties in CPIB, in deciding to issue the warning letters.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Improving Compliance with Government Procurement and Contract Management Practices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"5 \tAssoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance following the latest findings by the Auditor-General's Office, what are the strategies that will be implemented to strengthen procurement practices and procedures in Government agencies and Ministries.
6 Ms Tan Su Shan asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of the Auditor-General's Report for FY2012/2013 which showed lapses in procurement processes and oversight of external consultants (a) what remedial action is being taken by these Ministries and Statutory Boards to address the weaknesses; and (b) what are the enhanced controls that are being implemented to ensure that such lapses do not happen again.
7 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Auditor-General, on discovery of instances of non-compliance by public sector entities with Government procurement rules and principles, carries out independent investigations in all such instances to determine if any gratification has been paid or received corruptly by the transacting entities; (b) if so, what is the scope of these investigations; and (c) if not, how does the Auditor-General satisfy himself that there is no corrupt gratification involved that necessitates a referral to the CPIB for further investigation.
8 Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what are the processes and measures put in place to ensure effective follow up on the findings of irregularities and weaknesses indicated in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2012/2013; (b) how many public officers have been disciplined in the past five years for lapses in proper accounting, management and use of public funds and resources, and non-compliance with the relevant laws and Government Instruction Manual; and (c) how often are Ministries and Statutory Boards audited by the Auditor-General's Office and whether the frequency can be increased.
\tPage: 18
9 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in view of the Auditor-General's remarks in the FY2012/2013 Auditor-General's Report that procurement has continued to be an area prone to lapses for the last six years and that annual audits are conducted on a test-check basis and do not reveal all irregularities and weaknesses, whether the Government will immediately direct a thorough one-off audit of all Ministries and Statutory Boards with specific emphasis on procurement-related transactions.
10 Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the recent procurement lapses have led to increased time required to (i) approve projects within the public sector and (ii) award tenders and contracts to vendors; (b) whether time between the publication of tenders to the time of award has increased in the past year as compared to the previous years and, if so, what are the types and values of these projects; and (c) whether the Ministry has sought feedback from vendors on any added changes or procedures imposed on them due to the tightening of Government's procurement process.
11 Mr Teo Siong Seng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the latest Report of the Auditor-General which highlights the need for public sector agencies to step up on monitoring of contractors' performance will further increase the compliance costs of private sector companies bidding for public sector contracts.
\tThe Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam): Mdm Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 5 to 11 together, please?
Mdm Speaker: Yes, please.
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Members are rightly concerned about the lapses highlighted in this year's Report of the Auditor-General (the AGO Report). As Deputy Prime Minister Teo as Minister in charge of the Civil Service has just stated, the Government is determined to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in the Public Service. This resolve certainly applies to the question of public sector procurements.
Before I get into the specific improvements being made, I want to emphasise that the system of checks and balances in procurement operates as a whole. It is not just about rules to ensure fair competition and value for money in public tenders, but also regular audits to detect lapses, and where
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appropriate, disciplinary actions against those responsible, including supervisors. And where there is any suggestion of corruption or fraud, it is investigated promptly and thoroughly, and the officer faces the full measure of the law, regardless of who he is.
So, it is a whole system, and it is working, which is why Singapore is widely recognised internationally as having one of the cleanest and most efficient systems of government anywhere. Nevertheless, we take each finding of a procurement lapse seriously and take action to minimise recurrence.
Our rules and procedures for procurement are comparable with those in most other reputable jurisdictions, and in line with World Trade Organization standards on open and fair competition.
We review the rules regularly, and especially when we observe weaknesses. Members may recall that in 2010 and 2011, we took major steps to reduce opportunities for procurement fraud. In 2012, we introduced further checks to ensure that single bids offered competitive terms. We also extended the minimum opening period for suppliers to submit bids for quotations from four to seven working days. These are examples of how we review the rules when we see weaknesses and, where it is necessary to tighten, we tighten up.
This year, the AGO Report highlighted that a Statutory Board had procured a service from a related party in a manner that did not comply with our rules. The procurement rules require that any bid by a related party be treated on a strictly arms-length basis, and that a successful bid has to comply with the tender specifications regardless of ownership. The rules are clear. We are nevertheless reviewing if there is a need to further tighten approval processes for transactions involving related parties.
The procurement lapses cited in this year's AGO Report are, in fact, all due to non-compliance with established rules, rather than gaps in the rules. It should also be noted that the majority of the findings concern lapses committed before 2012. This partly reflects AGO's recent focus on Government procurement in its audits, which have included looking at procurements in previous years. Government agencies have since last year made special efforts to improve procurement processes. MOF has also strengthened training programmes for procurement, and developed and disseminated checklists to guide supervisors and officers on what to look out for at the various stages of the procurement process.
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We are doing more to build up capabilities, to help officers and supervisors implement the rules well. That includes having the skills and knowledge to seek value for money, and not just accept the cheapest tender bid. As Minister of State Josephine Teo mentioned during this year's Committee of Supply debate, we are developing a Procurement Specialist Track to build up a strong pool of officers with the skills needed, and with good career progression pathways. The new specialist track will be launched next year. Details will be announced in March.
However, in a system with 80,000 procurements each year, we cannot realistically expect to eliminate all lapses or human error. To seek to do so would be too costly and time-consuming, not just to Government but also to businesses and the public. Our approach, therefore, is to make every reasonable effort to minimise lapses, while undertaking regular audits to check for any that do occur and keeping open channels for suspected irregularities to be reported. Where any lapse is detected, we take actions to minimise recurrence.
MOF has required all Government agencies to ensure that they have an effective system of internal audit and control.
It is crucial that the top management sets the right tone. MOF has reminded the Permanent Secretaries and other Heads of Government agencies to maintain active oversight of Internal Audit. They will also henceforth be required to report to MOF with an assessment of findings on procurement audits and follow-up actions in their agencies each year, as well as pre-emptive plans to avoid future weaknesses. This is a new reporting system which the Permanent Secretaries and Heads of agencies will have to comply with. This would include follow-up actions on audit observations by both their internal auditors and the Auditor-General.
We will also keep up with the latest knowledge and techniques in supervision and audit of procurement, including good practices developed in the private sector. MOF will be making available additional analytical tools to help both auditors and senior management of the various agencies review procurement activities more effectively.
Let me turn next to the external audit of our agencies by the Auditor-General's Office (AGO). AGO conducts annual checks of Ministries with regard to financial statements, as well as internal controls and processes that directly impact on the financial statements. On a less regular basis, AGO also selectively audits other aspects of internal controls in the Ministries, either based on its
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assessment of risks or arising from public feedback. The Statutory Boards are audited annually by private external auditors. In addition, AGO conducts audits of internal controls of nearly all statutory boards at least once every five years.
AGO's resources have been significantly enhanced – its manpower has grown by over 50% over the last five years to about 180 staff currently. AGO has also, as I mentioned earlier, focused particularly on procurement issues in recent years. Every finding by the Auditor-General of a procurement lapse is taken very seriously within Government. It leads to improvements in procurement processes, and an awareness not just in the agency concerned but other agencies of the need to avoid the same problems.
AGO's audits are for practical reasons conducted on a test-check basis. AGO cannot realistically cover all aspects of procurement in all agencies. However, from time to time, the Government does conduct thorough, one-off reviews of specific aspects of procurement across the public sector. For example, before we tightened our procedures in 2012 for handling single bids, we reviewed the procurement transaction data for the entire public sector.
Let me go on to disciplinary actions, which some Members asked about. The cases highlighted in the latest AGO report for fiscal year 2012/2013 were administrative or procedural lapses. There was no evidence of fraud or corrupt intent. That is, in fact, the case with most procurement-related lapses – they are either due to a lack of knowledge, carelessness or poor supervision. But that does not mean that officers are not responsible for their lapses. Agencies will still assess their officers' roles in each of the lapses and take follow-up actions.
In the last two years, 60 officers and supervisors have been counselled, reprimanded or issued warning letters, depending on the severity of the lapse. Where warranted, officers were penalised in their performance bonuses or increments.
There have been cases in previous years where AGO has basis to suspect corrupt or fraudulent intent. It refers all such cases to the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) or CPIB for further investigation.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Teo Siong Seng have asked about the impact of our tightening measures in recent years on procurement efficiency and vendors.
Our main aim is to improve compliance, build capabilities and strengthen audit. These do not impact vendors directly. A number of the rules that were
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refined can, in fact, improve procurement efficiency and benefit vendors. For example, since we introduced new rules last year on single bids, and extended the minimum quotation period from four working days to seven days, the percentage of quotations receiving single bids has decreased to about 4% in 2013 to date, from 15% in 2012.
Mr Zaqy and Mr Teo's questions, however, relate to a broader point. We should not burden Government procurement with ever-increasing rules and procedures. Doing so would slow down the Government's functions and its responses to needs, and often impose higher costs. It can also deter some businesses from participating in Government tenders.
We should keep instead to a sensible balance of rules, audit and enforcement actions, so as to minimise risk of wrong-doing without hindering the vast majority of legitimate procurements, or causing civil servants to become risk-averse and bureaucratic in handling procurements.
We have been taking steps in recent years, Mdm, Speaker, to strengthen the procurement system. However, the public sector's procurement needs will grow and become more diverse in the years to come. We are placing greater emphasis, therefore, on supervision and top-level oversight, by requiring the Heads of Government agencies to assess and report to MOF on follow-up actions where problems are found, and on their pre-emptive plans. MOF itself will monitor the timeliness and effectiveness of these actions, and review further practical ways in which we can preserve the well-functioning of Government procurement.
\tMr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang): Madam, I thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for his comprehensive reply. There were two questions in my Parliamentary Question (PQ) that were not answered: one, whether the amount of time taken to approve papers has increased since these measures were taken; and, two, the time to award tenders, whether it has also increased over the last year since the new measures were put in place. For the public to also better understand the evaluation criteria for each tender, would the Ministry also consider letting the public know the evaluation criteria and tender process for each tender outgoing, such that there is better understanding of how these are going to be evaluated, so that there is less misunderstanding about where there should be lapses and so forth?
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: There has been some trend for the evaluation periods to go up. I do not think this is a bad thing. On average, the
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evaluation period over the last five years has increased from about two weeks previously – the start of the five-year period – to about three to four weeks currently.
This is not simply because of greater caution. It is also because of the change in the nature of public sector tenders. More tenders are now being specified in terms of outcomes. In other words, rather than specifying things upfront in terms of what the contractors should not do in terms of the technique or the process, you specify an outcome. And you get bids that then provide for different routes of achieving that outcome, sometimes even from the same bidder providing a range of alternatives. This requires more time to evaluate. It is less straightforward than it used to be.
So, four weeks are, to my mind, not excessive, and, indeed, for the large public sector infrastructure projects, it is more than four weeks. I do not think we are in a situation where we have gone past the tipping point and we are now being inefficient because of excessive caution.
\tMr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, I have three supplementary questions for the Deputy Prime Minister. Firstly, of the many procurement lapses discovered by the Auditor-General in this year's report, were there indications of gratification being paid, given or received by public servants in any of them? Secondly, does the AGO presume that any procurement lapses may involve gratification and, therefore, conducts specific investigations to discover that? Thirdly, if gratification is found to be involved, does the AGO presume that there may be corruption involved, unless the contrary is proven, in accordance with section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act?
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: First, with regard to this year's procurement lapses, there was no basis to suspect gratification. There was certainly no evidence of it; no basis to suspect fraudulent or corrupt intent. Where there is any evidence of gratification, then by definition and presumption, there is corruption. In fact, in some of the cases in the last five years – not this year's report but previous years' – there was reason to suspect that there might be some fraudulent or corrupt intent. In those instances, AGO refers the cases to either CAD or CPIB. That, in fact, is being done.
\tAssoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene (Nominated Member): While I am assured that most of the lapses were due to non-compliance with the rules, the question is: what can the Government do to ensure that there could be
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better compliance? Year in, year out, we get the same sort of issues arising. There is this public concern out there. I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Government intends to do to ensure that rules are complied with. Is it because there is a lack of training, an ignorance of the rules, weak enforcement or that the penalties are too light?
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: This is the usual question that, indeed, is one that we are addressing. We do it each year but we are looking at this very seriously internally.
First, capabilities need to be built up, up and down the procurement chain; not just the officer who is responsible for administering the tender, but the supervisors and top management. So, we are doing two things. First, we are taking significant steps to build up capability, through training in general, and, indeed, there are some agencies, such as MDA, that are requiring all their Division 1 officers to go for procurement training even if they are not directly involved in procurement. That is one aspect.
Secondly, it is important that we have the Procurement Specialist track. It does not mean that everyone doing procurement has to be on the Procurement Specialist track because there is some merit in officers rotating in and out of procurement within an organisation. But you do need a core of people who take pride in being procurement specialists and have a career progression pathway, culminating in being a Chief Procurement Officer within the Government. It is important to build up that core, just as we have done for certain other services.
Thirdly, however, we are placing emphasis on top management responsibility – setting the tone within each agency, as well as overseeing internal audit. The external auditor is not the fulcrum. At the end of the day, supervision within an organisation, the tone that they set and internal audit are critical to a well-functioning procurement system; and we are taking further steps in that regard.
\tMs Tan Su Shan (Nominated Member): I am heartened to hear about the increased training and the emphasis on procurement standards being lifted. My question is around the use of technology and analytics to surface these issues before they become an issue. Has the Deputy Prime Minister looked at how technology or data analysis can be used to surface these control lapses before they become a control lapse?
Page: 25
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Absolutely. There is an important set of techniques that has been developed, particularly when it comes to larger organisations or common procurements across many organisations and we are making greater use of IT. We are providing these additional tools to our agencies. Some of our agencies, for instance, within the defence establishment, already use these tools quite effectively. It is becoming a bit of a science in the private sector and we are keeping close track of that and trying to make sure that we are never far behind.
Mdm Speaker: Mrs Lina Chiam, last question.
\tMrs Lina Chiam (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, I thank the Minister for being so patient to answer the questions. My question is directed to the Minister for Finance. What is the role of the auditors? I believe the role of the auditors involves the purchase order, delivery order and the invoice – I believe there should be an auditors' report every year. How come there is no auditors' report? And may I know the names of the auditors?
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Well, first, can I just clarify whether Mrs Chiam is talking about internal audit or external audit or are you referring generally to both?
\tMrs Lina Chiam: Both.
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Okay. First, audit as a norm, not just in our public sector but the private sector and indeed internationally amongst the public sectors, is performed on a test-check basis. Otherwise, if you were to scrutinise every transaction, then audit becomes part of the approval process in the first instance. So, audit is done on a test-check basis, based on where risks are thought to be higher. It is a risk-focused exercise. Not everything needs to be checked every year, or even across a period of years, but focus on where the risks are likely to be.
Occasionally, we would do this very thoroughly and on a very resource-intensive basis. For instance, in 2009, we did a thorough health check of IT. There were some problems we observed and we did a thorough health check of IT in the Government sector. I will tell you how long it took – two to three years – just for audit of IT processes; a very resource-intensive exercise. So, it is not something that you do often.
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The system rests, ultimately, not on waiting for audit, let alone enforcement actions. It rests on having, first, sensible rules not overdone but, very importantly, honest and diligent officers and supervisors with the tone being set at the top.
Mdm Speaker: Ms Sylvia Lim, please keep your question short.
\tMs Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Thank you, Madam. Madam, I have supplementary questions concerning the scope of the Auditor-General's audit. Earlier, the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned that the AGO's capabilities had been beefed up and there have been more staff, but I understand that their audit is limited by the Audit Act, which sets out the nature of the audit that the AGO conducts.
I have done a comparison, for example, with the Malaysian Audit Act. It appears that, in Malaysia, the AGO there has wider powers in terms of the nature of their audit. For example, the AGO can look into whether public properties have been properly disposed, whether there has been waste and extravagance and so on.
So, my question is, one, whether the Deputy Prime Minister can confirm whether, indeed, the scope of AGO is perhaps narrower than some other governments and, secondly, whether the Government has plans to review the scope of the audit done by AGO.
\tMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: I am always happy to review this, but, as of now, no Government agency perceives the AGO to have a scope that is too limited. In fact, the AGO is – how do I put it – feared. Agencies take very seriously the coming of the AGO for an audit. When you talk about Government financial statements and internal controls and processes that impact on those statements, they can cover anything. They can cover a very wide area because everything, ultimately, comes down to that dollar.
Interpreted correctly, the current ambit of the AGO allows it to look at virtually all the internal controls and processes because everything at the end of the day does have some implication on Government financial services. I do not want to compare too literally with other countries but I think it stands recognised around the world, Singapore is regarded as having a cleaner and more efficient system of government than many others.
Page: 27
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Follow-up Actions after Death of Inmate in Prison","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"12 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs in light of the recent case where a senior prison officer was convicted of causing the death of an inmate by a negligent act (a) whether the deceased's next-of-kin will be compensated and, if so, how will they be compensated; and (b) whether there was a delay in the investigation process given that the senior prison officer was charged in Court almost three years after the inmate's death.
13 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Singapore Prison Service's restraining methods on inmates pose a continuing risk of fatal or permanent injury; and (b) whether there have been any changes to the restraining methods following the death of an inmate due to positional asphyxia.
14 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs regarding the recent case where a senior prison officer is convicted of causing the death of an inmate by a negligent act, why is the Ministry's Committee of Inquiry looking into the circumstances surrounding the inmate's death which occurred in September 2010 only able to submit its report in June 2013.
\tThe Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mr S Iswaran) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Mdm Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 12, 13 and 14 together?
Mdm Speaker: Yes, please.
\tMr S Iswaran: Madam, all three questions concern the unfortunate death of a prison inmate, Dinesh Raman s/o Chinnaiah, who passed away on 27 September 2010 after he was restrained and relocated to a cell, following his unprovoked attack on a prison officer.
Madam, every case of death in prisons is taken seriously. Apart from the Singapore Prison Service's own investigations, the Police conducts independent criminal investigations to establish the circumstances and cause of death; determine whether any criminal offences have been committed; and identify the persons responsible for the incident. The Police's investigation findings and recommendations are then submitted to the Attorney-General's
\tPage: 28
Chambers (AGC) to consider whether prosecutorial action is to be taken.
In addition to the Police's criminal investigations, my Ministry will thoroughly review the incident, especially the actions of all parties involved, and the appropriateness of protocols and processes adopted by the Singapore Prison Service (Prison Service). Our aim is to ensure the safety and security of inmates and prison officers, and to maintain the integrity of our prison system of strict discipline and order.
Madam, let me first set out the timeline of events to put the incident and the actions that followed, in perspective.
Prison Service reported Dinesh Raman's death to my Ministry on 27 September 2010, the same day of the incident. Police commenced criminal investigations immediately. Separately, the Prison Service reviewed their processes and procedures for the use of Control and Restraint (C&R) techniques. The prison officers directly involved in the incident were redeployed from operational to staff duties, pending the outcome of investigations. The Police completed its preliminary investigations and referred its findings to the Coroner, who convened a Mention session on 4 November 2010. The Coroner's Mention formally commences a public inquiry into the circumstances of a death.
On 17 August 2012, the Police submitted its consolidated findings to AGC. On 4 February 2013, after reviewing the findings and further clarification with the Police, AGC decided to take prosecutorial action.
On 1 March 2013, the Police informed Minister for Home Affairs that the investigations had been completed. After being briefed by the Police on its findings, the Minister decided to appoint a Committee of Inquiry (COI) to conduct an independent audit of Prisons' broader systems, processes and protocols for bringing violent inmates under control. On 4 June 2013, Minister for Home Affairs accepted the findings and recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry and directed Prison Service to implement them immediately. All the recommendations have since been implemented, or are in the process of being completed.
The charge against a Senior Prisons Officer, who was the direct supervising officer of the incident, was heard in court on 19 July 2013. DSP Lim Kwo Yin pleaded guilty to the charge of Causing Death by a Negligent Act and was fined $10,000.
\tPage: 29
Madam, it took 28 months from the commencement of Police investigations to the Attorney General's decision to prosecute. This was due to the complexity of the case. Let me elaborate.
The Police's investigations included a thorough study of the C&R doctrine, training, protocols and techniques used in prison; it entailed meeting external experts, both domestic and international, to seek professional views and an assessment on the C&R techniques deployed; and it involved interviews with 130 witnesses comprising 72 prison inmates, 23 prison officers, eight prison medical staff, seven police officers, two CISCO officers and Dinesh Raman's next-of-kin. In total, the Police conducted 144 interviews. Police investigators also went to the United Kingdom to consult a C&R expert from the National Tactical Response Group, under the UK Ministry of Justice.
In comparison, the recent Shane Todd case, which took 13 months for the State Coroner to reach a verdict, involved 60 witnesses. That case did not involve criminal charges. Another example is the Yishun Triple Murder case of 19 September 2008, which concluded with a conviction four years later on 20 November 2012 and that involved 68 witnesses.
Madam, the prison environment is complex and the risk of security incidents is real and present. Strict discipline and control is essential to maintain a safe and secure environment, for both inmates and prison officers. While the number of violent incidents in our prisons is low when compared with other jurisdictions, they do happen. Last year, there were 61 assaults by inmates, 40 of which were against other inmates and 21 against prison officers. We have zero tolerance for any violence or abuse that could adversely affect order and discipline in our prisons because it is the foundation for the effective rehabilitation of inmates.
To achieve this, our Prison officers are trained in C&R techniques, which involve using both defensive and control methods, to subdue a violent inmate swiftly, safely and decisively. Our Prison Service adopted these team-based C&R techniques from the UK C&R Training Centre in June 1990. They have been adapted to our local prison environment and are in line with international best practices in the UK, US and Hong Kong. C&R techniques follow a fixed procedure that involves teams of prison officers, each with a specific role or task. The procedure enables prison officers to use reasonable force in a controlled manner to restrain and manage violent inmates and to gain quick control over the incident with minimal injuries to all.
\tPage: 30
Over the last four years, our prison officers have had to use C&R techniques 331 times to deal with a range of violent incidents. Prior to the case of Dinesh Raman, no prison inmate had ever died or suffered serious injuries as a result of C&R techniques.
The COI assessed that the C&R techniques are safe, useful and appropriate for managing violent inmates, as long as safety precautions are observed. The COI did not find any malice in the actions of the prison officers involved in restraining Dinesh Raman. However, the COI identified specific areas of improvements, given the way the C&R techniques had been used in this incident. For example, the officers involved did not maintain constant communication with Dinesh Raman as required by the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), in order to monitor his overall condition. The COI also found that officers should have been more conscious of the risk that the C&R technique might cause positional asphyxia and of how to prevent this from happening.
All our prison officers are trained in C&R techniques. In addition, officers directly managing inmates are required to undergo C&R recertification biennially. In response to the COI recommendations, the Prison Service has reviewed its C&R doctrines, instruction manuals and training materials to place greater emphasis on the risk of positional asphyxiation and preventive measures. The Prison Service has also reviewed its recertification requirement to ensure that all supervising officers are covered, including the superintendents of prisons even though they may not need to directly apply C&R techniques themselves.
In addition, the Prison Service has introduced new protocols, such as applying C&R techniques on violent inmates in a standing position where possible, to reduce the risk of positional asphyxia. These new protocols have been adapted from other jurisdictions, such as the UK Prison System and the Hong Kong Correctional Services.
Following the conviction of the senior prison officer on 19 July 2013, MHA has been in touch with the family of Dinesh Raman and their lawyer to discuss the family's concerns, as well as the matter of compensation. AGC has informed the family and its lawyer in writing that the Government accepts liability and will compensate the family. As discussions are ongoing, I am not able to provide details.
\tPage: 31
In closing, the COI has found that the Prison Service's overall system and processes for managing violent inmates are appropriate, safe and effective. The COI made recommendations to improve specific aspects of the C&R techniques, which have since been acted upon.
MHA recognises that maintaining order and discipline for the safety and security of inmates and prison officers, is a difficult and challenging task. Nevertheless, we expect prison officers to perform their duties with integrity and professionalism. It is important that the Prison Service has a team of disciplined and well trained officers who obey the law and manage inmates conscientiously according to rules and procedures.
We take a serious view of any professional misconduct, procedural lapses, neglect or excess of duty by prison commanders and officers, and will take firm action against them according to the law and Civil Service disciplinary processes. This is important in order to maintain public confidence in the institutions and also in the people who continue to serve in them.
With the conclusion of the Court case, MHA has initiated disciplinary action against the superintendent, supervisors and other officers involved in the incident.
\tMr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Mdm Speaker, firstly, my condolences to the family of the deceased. The mainstream media reportage on this episode has been a little bit varied. For example, one netizen helpfully pointed out that\tTODAY reported that when Prison Officer Lim tapped the inmate's face, his eyes were open. And then, he proceeded to decontaminate him because there was pepper spray on him. The Straits Times\treported a little bit differently, saying that Lim and a number of other officers actually carried out this act to wash away the pepper spray. Lianhe Zaobao said that the prison officer took about 30 minutes to check on Dinesh Raman, while the English papers said he did so in one or two minutes. The Business Times\tdoes not say anything —
\tMr Teo Chee Hean: Madam, a point of order. I am not sure what point the Member is trying to make. He is quoting from various newspapers which I do not think is appropriate. I think he should ask the question.
Mdm Speaker: Mr Singh, can you please put your question? It is not relevant to make those statements.
\tPage: 32
\tMr Pritam Singh: Yes, I will put my question. In view of the varied reportage on the death of the inmate, would the Minister order the release of the Committee of Inquiry's Report to assuage public concerns on how Dinesh Raman died?
The second supplementary question: when the Coroner's Bill was read for the Second time in Parliament in 2010, one important reason for the enactment of the Bill was to move to a fact-finding regime, which would better serve the public interests. In this case, while the cause of death has been established as positional asphyxia, the circumstances remain unclear, as evidenced by the varied mainstream media reportage on the issue. As such, would the Government consider re-opening the Coroner's inquiry in the name of public interest?
My third supplementary question: the Second Minister mentioned just now that on 4 November 2010, the Police finished preliminary investigations. Can I just enquire what were the findings of the Police's investigations at that point?
The fourth supplementary question: was the deceased ever found guilty of any minor or aggravated prison offence as defined in the Prison's Act, prior to his death on 27 September 2010?
The final supplementary question: have any of the other seven officers been found to have contravened Prison regulations, specifically Part IV, which covers subordinate officers? What actions is the Ministry considering to take against them?
Mdm Speaker: Before I proceed to ask the Minister to respond, I just want to draw Members' attention to Standing Order 21(1) (j), which says \"a question shall not be asked as to whether statements in the Press or of private individuals or bodies of persons are accurate\". So, I hope that Members will refrain from doing that in the future.
\tMr S Iswaran: Thank you, Madam. Madam, the Member has posed a series of questions. I will endeavour to respond directly where appropriate. First, I thought I should address the issue of the Coroner's inquiry, since the Member has raised it. The Member is a lawyer so he would be familiar that the Coroner's Act mandates that the Coroner holds an inquiry for all deaths occurring in official custody and they are held in open Court. Where a Coroner's inquiry is discontinued under the Coroner's Act, this would generally be the result of a criminal proceeding having been concluded. In such an instance, the cause of
\tPage: 33
death would have been made known to the Court in the course of the proceedings.
At a pre-inquiry review held on 23 July 2013, the State Coroner noted that the cause and circumstances connected to the death of Dinesh Raman had already been established in the criminal Court and that DSP Lim had pleaded guilty. The State Coroner decided that there was no need for him to continue with the Coroner's inquiry. There was no application by any party to discontinue the Coroner's inquiry. The counsel for Dinesh Raman's next-of-kin was present at the pre-inquiry session and did not object to the discontinuance of the inquiry. I would add that it was also not unprecedented or uncommon for a Coroner's inquiry to be discontinued at the State Coroner's discretion after an accused person had pleaded guilty. There are cases that attest to that.
Madam, the Member has asked a series of other questions. On whether the Committee of Inquiry's Report would be released, I need to specify very clearly that the purpose of the Committee of Inquiry as appointed by the Minister of Home Affairs was not to establish criminal guilt or liability. The purpose of the Committee of Inquiry was to audit the Prison system and its processes to ensure that adequate steps have been taken, or to identify what additional steps need to be taken in order to prevent a recurrence of such an incident. That is the substance of the Report. We have already explained what the recommendations were, and as I said in my reply, those actions have been taken up by the Prisons service.
Whether the deceased had any record of incidents in Prison, I do not propose to go into details but it would suffice to say that there were recorded incidents prior to this where the deceased was involved in various forms of violation of Prison rules, and in one case, particularly serious.
On disciplinary proceedings with respect to the other officers, as I have said in my reply, MHA has initiated disciplinary action against all the officers involved pursuant to the outcome in the Court. That process is now running its course.
\tMr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong): Mdm Speaker, I thank the Second Minister for the comprehensive reply and assurance that the Prisons department has taken measures to prevent this kind of incidents from happening again. The mother of the deceased is a resident in my constituency. She had seen me a few times in the course of the last couple of years and she said that the communications by the Prisons department to her were not very consistent.
\tPage: 34
She said the Prisons department had not been telling her the full story until the recent Court case. I would like to urge the Minister to consider asking the Prisons department to improve the communications process to family members of the deceased so as to lighten the anguish they are facing.
Secondly, I want to urge the Minister to consider giving a fair compensation to the family for the difficulties they have gone through. The mother is also requiring financial help at the moment.
\tMr S Iswaran: Madam, I thank the Member for raising the concern on behalf of his constituent – the mother of the deceased. On the point of communications, I think it would be fair to say that Prisons and MHA officers, in general, endeavour to maintain appropriate communication with the parties involved. In this case, I think they would have been constrained by the fact that the matter was still under investigation. I am not sure what inconsistencies the mother of the deceased referred to but clearly, Prison officers would have been constrained in what they could talk about with her with respect to the incident. However, I can assure the Member that throughout the process and certainly after the outcome of the Court case, there has been regular and appropriate communication with the family of the deceased and their legal representative in order to address their concerns and also to take up the matter of compensation.
This takes me to the second point on fair compensation. The matter of compensation will be worked out in accordance with the rules that we have, and it would be a matter that would be settled between the next-of-kin and their legal representative, and the Attorney-General's Chambers and MHA.
Mdm Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
\tMr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Non-Constituency Member): I have got three supplementary questions. I would also like to extend my condolences to the family of Dinesh Raman. My reason for asking my original question was because I am concerned that even the approved C&R techniques risk fatal or permanent injuries to inmates. So, my first question is: was the restraining technique that caused the death of inmate Dinesh Raman on 27 September 2010 an approved technique? Secondly, has Prisons factored in the possibility that a combination of C&R techniques, even though they may be individually approved, could cause fatalities? Lastly, will the review of the C&R doctrine in Prisons apply to the Police and other security services so as to ensure that there
\tPage: 35
is no repetition of such a tragedy, Government-wide?
\tMr S Iswaran: I want to thank the Member for his questions. Madam, let me first re-state findings of the Committee of Inquiry, for the record. The findings were that the C&R method used in the Prisons is safe, effective and appropriate. The application in this instance may have had certain aspects that were wanting but the overall system and process were found to be appropriate, safe and effective.
Prisons adopted this system, as I said, from the UK system in 1990, and regularly reviews the system according to our own operating environment and also taking reference from any key developments in other jurisdictions. This is no different. In fact, Prisons reviewed it periodically and adapted one of the techniques in 2005 as a result of some changes in international norms, especially in the UK. So, the C&R technique regime applicable at the time of Dinesh Raman's passing was up-to-date, based on Prisons' active review of the processes. Whether a combination of techniques can lead to an unfortunate outcome, well, this is precisely why I emphasised the point. The purpose of the C&R techniques – the protocols in the regime and the very well-defined roles for individual officers – is precisely to ensure that reasonable force is used in a controlled manner in order to bring a situation under control with minimal injuries to all parties. That is the objective. So, we have to understand the context of the prison environment and what its objective is. As I said, also for the record, we have had no incident since these techniques were adopted since 1990 where the death of a prison inmate, or for that matter, serious injuries were attributed to the use of C&R techniques.
Finally, whether the review of C&R techniques can be shared with other agencies, where appropriate, the Home Team has platforms where our departments share areas which are of common interest.
Mdm Speaker: Mr Pritam Singh, do you have something to say?
\tMr Pritam Singh: I refer to the Minister's reply with regard to the Coroners Act and reference to section 39 with regard to causes and circumstances of the death. Once those were established, then section 39 kicked in. That was the clarification provided by the AGC as well. There is a section in the Coroners Act, section 26, I am referring to subsection (3) which states that \"Notwithstanding that proceedings at any inquiry might have been concluded by a Coroner, where it appears to the Public Prosecutor that further investigations are necessary, the Public Prosecutor may direct the Coroner to reopen the inquiry and make
\tPage: 36
further investigations\" and it goes on.
My case is that there is a lot of confusion as to what were the circumstances of the death. The cause has been established: positional asphyxia. That is quite clear. When I was going through those newspaper reports, in the public eye, there is some confusion as to really what happened. While the Committee of Inquiry Report may not reveal what were the circumstances of the death of the inmate, could there be any additional information that the Ministry can provide so that the public is assuaged as to what exactly happened without having to worry about which newspaper report is saying what.
\tMr S Iswaran: Madam, the Member has again cited a range of reports in the media. I want to emphasise that the process we have undertaken is a rigorous and thorough one. It involved the Police conducting a detailed investigation which I have elaborated upon; after 28 months submitting its findings to AGC which decided to take prosecutorial action. Separately, the Prisons service has undertaken its own review. Another separate process was initiated with the Committee of Inquiry. The Coroner acted in his own discretion according to the law. There was no application to adjourn the hearing and the facts have all been presented in totality. The Member should take reference from the fact that we have endeavoured to run a robust investigation to make sure the facts are clear to the decision-making bodies and for appropriate action to be taken.
\tDr Janil Puthucheary (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mdm Speaker, I have two supplementary questions for the Minister and they relate to the same issue of doubt. To what extent was there objective corroboration of the extensive eyewitness testimony that was obtained as part of the investigation, for example, by CCTV footage? Secondly, while the cause of death was established as positional asphyxia, was there any other internal injury that could in any way account for the death?
\tMr S Iswaran: Madam, I thank the Member for his questions. The post-mortem basically established the facts that the injuries were consistent with the application of C&R techniques but did not correlate them in any particular way to the cause of death. As for objective corroboration, clearly the Police did not just rely on the testimony of eyewitnesses which is why there was a review of, on the one hand, protocols and techniques and processes and training methods; on the other hand, the references to external experts and all other sources of information before arriving at a definitive view on the facts, and the charges
\tPage: 37
that were recommended.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Curbing Excessive Borrowing","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"15 Mr Laurence Lien asked the Prime Minister how concerned is the Government with the rising household debt and whether new measures are being planned to curb imprudent borrowing by households.
16 Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Prime Minister (a) what is the average number of housing loans taken up by over-leveraged borrowers with total debt payments at more than 60% of their income; (b) what is the average total housing loan owed by these over-leveraged borrowers; (c) what percentage of total household debt do the housing loans of over-leveraged borrowers make up; and (d) what estimated percentage of these over-leveraged borrowers can be pushed into forced property sales if the mortgage rates were to rise by 3 percentage points.
\tThe Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information (Mr Lawrence Wong) (for the Prime Minister): Mdm Speaker, I am taking these questions on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). With your permission, I will take Question Nos 15 and 16 together.
Mdm Speaker: Yes, please.
\tMr Lawrence Wong: Madam, Singapore's household balance sheets are, on the whole, in good shape. Even excluding the value of property assets, cash and deposits owned by households exceed household debt in aggregate.
Another indication of the health of household balance sheets is the household debt-to-income ratio. This ratio fell in the second half of the last decade and has since risen because of the strong growth of investments in the property market. However, the debt-to-income ratio, estimated at 2.1 times in 2012, still remains significantly lower than in the middle of the last decade when it peaked at 2.6 times.
Overall, therefore, households are currently not more leveraged than they have been in the past decade. The problem instead lies with a segment of
Page: 38
borrowers. MAS knows from an examination of banks' credit files that some households are likely to have borrowed too much, lulled by an extended period of low interest rates. These are the borrowers that could be vulnerable when interest rates normalise.
There is no precise measure of over-leverage. A rough guide is to look at the debt service burden, or the proportion of one's monthly income that is used for monthly re-payment of all loans, including the interest payments. By this measure, MAS estimates that about 5% to 10% of borrowers have a monthly debt servicing burden greater than 60% of their monthly income. It will be reasonable to consider them as over-leveraged. Housing loans constitute the bulk of their borrowings.
However, while over-leveraging will cause borrowers difficulty, especially when interest rates rise, this does not mean that they will automatically default on their loans. Most of this group of borrowers with debt service burdens of more than 60% of their income, meaning overly leveraged category. Most of these borrowers have above-average income levels. In other words, their incomes are higher than the median household income of $6,000. Majority have also taken up private housing loans and are currently servicing only one housing loan. Therefore, they are likely to have a larger absolute buffer of income and assets.
Nevertheless, we cannot be complacent about household leverage. More borrowers, including those whose debt service burdens are currently below 60% of income, will face some difficulty when interest rates rise. Fundamentally too, we have to prevent a situation where credit supplied at low interest rates drives property prices, taking prices beyond levels that can be sustained by underlying income growth. This is why the Government has taken a series of proactive measures to restrain borrowings for property purchases.
Apart from housing loans, MAS is also dealing with other components of household debt. As Members would be aware, MAS has reintroduced Loan to Value limits and tenure curbs for car loans. MAS has also proposed new rules on unsecured credit and credit cards to help individuals with credit problems avoid further debt. MAS will continue to encourage prudence in both lending and borrowing and help to keep household debt at a manageable level.
\tMr Laurence Lien (Nominated Member): Madam, I thank the Minister for his response. The Minister mentioned the household balance sheet at a macro level and that it looks healthy. Given that the numbers at a macro level
Page: 39
may not reveal what is happening at the micro level, has the Government done more in-depth analysis of individual household balance sheets to ensure that it is not just that households will remain solvent, but that they are also saving enough for contingencies and retirement?
\tMr Lawrence Wong: I thank the Member for the clarification. It is an important one because at the aggregate level, as the Member has observed, our household balance sheets are resilient. That is clear from a wide range of indicators. So, as I indicated in my reply, it is a segment of borrowers who have perhaps fallen into the overly leveraged category. But as I also indicated, if you would look more closely at the profile of these borrowers, they are not necessarily in the vulnerable category. The bulk of them have above-average household income levels.
For the bulk of them – it is close to more than 90% – are servicing private property loans, and more than 80% of them are servicing one loan, not multiple loans so they are owner-occupied. For this category of borrowers, while they have exceeded 60% in terms of Total Debt Servicing ratio, they probably have a larger buffer in terms of their household income and assets, and they would be in a lower risk of default. So, overall, I think both at the macro and micro levels, our situation is quite resilient but we should not be complacent, as I have mentioned, and that is why we have introduced measures recently and we will continue to watch the market closely.
Mdm Speaker: Order. End of Question Time.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos 17-23, 28-29, 31-36, 40, 43, 46-52, 54, 56-62, 65-69, 73, 75-76, 81-82 and 84-88 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix. Question Nos 24-27, 30, 37-39, 41-42, 44-45, 53, 55, 63-64, 70-72, 74, 77-80 and 83 have been postponed to the next available sitting of Parliament.]
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The Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mr S Iswaran) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time.\"
Madam, the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act (TSOFA) was introduced in 2002 to counter terrorism financing in Singapore. It gives effect to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. It also gives effect to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001), which calls on states to work together to prevent and suppress acts of terrorism, including terrorism financing.
Over the past decade, we have stepped up capabilities to counter the terrorist threat and taken swift action against terrorist groups such as the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and its members.
Nevertheless, the threat of terrorism continues to be our top security concern.
At the global level, Al Qaeda and its affiliates have exploited the instability in parts of the Middle East and North Africa in the wake of the \"Arab Spring\", to extend their operations and establish safe havens. Within the region, JI and other groups have remained resilient and continue to regroup and plot attacks.
Since March 2012, Indonesian police have arrested and killed more than 30 terrorist suspects and disrupted several plots against tourists and diplomatic missions. In July this year, Malaysia also indicated that it had identified at least 15 terror operatives who were recruited in Malaysia to fight in faraway conflict zones, including Syria.
Madam, a robust regime to counter terrorism financing is crucial to our fight against the terrorist threat. In addition, given Singapore's status as a major financial centre in the Asia Pacific region, we must protect the integrity of our banking and financial system and prevent it from being abused by persons seeking to fund terrorist activities.
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This requires us to remain vigilant and to have effective measures to identify and cut off the sources of funding that fuel terrorist operations and networks. This amendment Bill seeks to strengthen our counter terrorism financing regime and enhance our ability to combat terrorism.
Cooperation across nations is essential in countering terrorism financing, given that the movement of funds across borders can be conducted with increasing ease. As a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Singapore is fully committed towards international efforts to counter terrorism financing. The FATF sets standards for how countries should criminalise and act against terrorism financing as well as cooperate to deny terrorists access to funds and other assets.
The amendments proposed in this Bill will further align our counter terrorism financing regime with the FATF standards. Madam, let me now elaborate on the key amendments.
The TSOFA currently makes it an offence to provide or collect property for terrorist acts, provide property and services for terrorist purposes, use or possess property for terrorist purposes, or deal with property of terrorists.
Clause 3 of the Bill increases the financial penalties for terrorism financing offences to enhance the deterrent effect. The maximum fine for these offences will be raised from $100,000 to $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for entities. This will be in line with the maximum fines for money laundering offences under sections 46 and 47 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, or CDSA. The maximum imprisonment term for terrorism financing offences will remain unchanged at 10 years.
Due to the serious nature of terrorism financing offences, there must be sufficient deterrence against acts that seek to undermine investigations into terrorism financing offences.
Clause 6 of the Bill introduces a new section 10B, which will make it an offence to disclose information that is likely to prejudice an investigation of a terrorism financing offence under the Act.
The proposed tipping-off provision is similar to section 48 of the CDSA which criminalises tipping-off that prejudices investigations in respect of money laundering offences. The penalty of a fine not exceeding $30,000 or
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imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both, takes reference from the CDSA.
Currently, sections 8 to 10 of the Act require persons with information concerning terrorist property, transactions relating to such property, or any terrorism financing offence to disclose the information to the relevant authorities.
Clause 6 of the Bill introduces a new section 10A to protect the identity of informers against disclosure and discovery during legal proceedings. Similar provisions are currently provided for in other legislation, such as the CDSA, Misuse of Drugs Act and Prevention of Corruption Act to protect informers.
Mdm Speaker, even as we strengthen our laws to fight terrorism, we must also find ways to rehabilitate and re-integrate terrorist detainees and former detainees. While the Act prohibits dealing in property including funds of terrorists, section 7 allows MHA to grant exemptions from the prohibition.
Currently, exemptions are granted for transactions relating to basic expenses, in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1452 (2002). Such basic expenses would include payments for foodstuff, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums, and public utility charges.
Clause 4 of the Bill refines the exemption provision under section 7 to facilitate the use of funds by terrorists and their families to meet their basic expenditure needs more adequately.
The refinements are in two areas.
First, the Bill broadens the scope of exemption. Currently, section 7 provides for the Minister to make exemptions only for the offence of dealing with property, but not for providing property and services.
This means that even if the Minister has, for example, granted an exemption to allow the purchase of a HDB flat, the bank is prohibited from providing a bank loan to finance the purchase of the flat.
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Under the new section 7, the Minister may make exemptions to permit the provision of property and services, including financial services like loans.
I would like to assure the House that this exemption will only be invoked to cover cases where the provision of such property or financial services would support the subsistence or rehabilitation of a terrorist, as well as the subsistence of his family. The exemptions granted under the new section 7 will not extend to the provision of property and services for terrorist purposes.
Second, the Bill streamlines the process for granting exemptions for transactions relating to basic expenses.
Currently, the Minister makes a separate exemption order for each transaction that is for the purpose of meeting basic expenses. To streamline the process, a general exemption order will be made by the Minister upfront, with the definition of basic expenses stipulated in the order, to automatically exempt transactions undertaken to meet stipulated basic expenses.
The definition of basic expenses would be consistent with that in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1452 (2002) which allows funds and resources for such expenses to be exempted from financial sanctions.
To maintain control and oversight of these exempted transactions and monitor the use of the proceeds, the new subsection (3) provides for the Minister to require that a person must first obtain a notice of exemption before the general exemption order can apply to him. The notice of exemption may be obtained from the Minister or a public officer authorised by him.
Finally, the Bill makes amendments for the consolidation of identical terrorism financing provisions across different pieces of legislation.
At present, Singapore's legislative regime for countering terrorism financing consists of the TSOFA, as well as the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations.
To streamline the legislative framework and increase administrative efficiency, the overlapping terrorism financing provisions in the UN Regulations and MAS Regulations will be consolidated under the TSOFA.
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Mdm Speaker, the terrorist threat continues to be a real one. To prevent a terrorist attack on Singapore, we have adopted a holistic strategy that not only seeks to harden Singapore against attacks through robust security measures, but also emphasises upstream preventive measures.
This includes working with religious and community leaders to educate Singaporeans against extremist ideologies and to rehabilitate and re-integrate terrorists back into society.
The proposed amendments will boost our fight against terrorism by strengthening our counter terrorism financing regime and supporting our terrorist rehabilitation efforts.
Terrorism is an international threat supported by a global network of terrorism financing operations. This requires close international coordination, supported by international bodies, such as the FATF.
The proposed legislative amendments are in line with international practices and FATF standards and will enhance the Government's effectiveness in countering terrorism financing. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move.
Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mdm Speaker, this Bill represents Singapore's continuing resolve towards combatting terrorism and to join hands with the rest of the international community to battle this scourge. I, therefore, welcome this Bill. There are, however, a few points that I would like to raise.
First, a point for clarification. Sections 8 and 10 of the Bill make it mandatory for persons with information about transactions relating to terrorist property or acts of terrorism financing to disclose it to the Police. However, the Bill does not protect the identity of informers. As a result, those who may otherwise aid the authorities may be deterred, for fear of reprisal. The Bill addresses this gap by introducing a new section 10A to protect the identity of informers during legal proceedings. However, the protection given to informers is not absolute. Under the proposed section 10A(3)(b), if the Court is satisfied that justice cannot be fully done between the parties without the disclosure of the name of an informer, the court may permit inquiry and require full disclosure concerning
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the informer. This provision, as broadly phrased as it is, creates some uncertainty. Could the Minister clarify what sort of circumstances would justify the disclosure under section 10A(3)(b)? Furthermore, should further safeguards be implemented to ensure that informers are adequately protected? One way this can be done is to require the Minister's approval before disclosure of the informer's identity is allowed.
My second point concerns clause 4, which refines the scope of exemptions the Minister may make in respect of terrorism financing prohibitions under the Act. It is paramount that the exemption provision is drafted as narrowly as possible, so that there is no possibility of funds being channelled towards terrorist activities. In this regard, section 7(1) may be too broadly drafted. It confers upon the Minister the discretion to exempt any person from section 4(b) and section 6, which prohibit the provision of property and services for terrorist purposes and dealing with property of terrorists respectively, so long as the property or services will not be used by or benefit a terrorist entity.
I urge the Minister to consider drafting the provision more narrowly, perhaps by articulating the precise circumstances in which an exception may be granted. On the same note, I would like to clarify how section 7(1) is intended to operate. At the point when the exemption is granted, how will the Minister be able to determine whether or not the property or services will be used by or will benefit a terrorist entity? Can the Minister revoke the exemption, and, if he does, what is the status of acts already carried out when the exemption was in force?
My third point concerns the scope of the exceptions to the new section 10B, which makes tipping-off an offence. Sub-sections 3 to 6 set out a series of exceptions for advocates, solicitors and legal counsel to ensure that advice rendered, or information disclosed for professional purposes and for the purpose of legal proceedings will not constitute tipping-off.
In particular, my concern is that section 10B(5) is too narrowly drafted. This subsection extends the protection granted under sub-section 4 to legal counsel employed by one of a number of corporations related to each other under section 6 of the Companies Act (CA). This mirrors the language in section128A of the Evidence Act in relation to the scope of legal privilege. But that serves a fundamentally different purpose. The fact of the matter is that there are corporate counsel who advise companies or entities within a group of entities which do not fall within this scope. This would also include Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and their related entities which are not granted any
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protection.
In the 2012 parliamentary debate on the amendments to the Evidence Act, I queried why legal privilege was extended to companies and their related corporations, but not to LLPs and their related entities. The Minister for Law's response was that this was a concession to corporate reality; many MNCs operate under a group of related companies, and the CA has a definition of \"related corporation\", but no similar definition exists in the Limited Liability Partnership Act. The concern was that the extension of legal professional privilege to related legal entities of a limited liability partnership may run the risk of the privilege being abused to hide communications or material that ought to be disclosed. While this is a legitimate concern, the same rationale does not apply in the present context. Sub-section 5 is an exception to the offence and should be drafted in a wider manner.
In fact, sub-section 5 stands in sharp contrast to the wider exception under sub-section 6. Under sub-section 6, an exception is granted for legal counsel employed by a public agency who renders legal advice to other public agencies as part of his duties of employment, provided that the conditions in sub-section 4 are fulfilled.
The exception under section 10B(5) should, therefore, apply to any legal counsel who provides advice to any entity in the group of companies, provided it is within his job scope to do so. As the legal counsel would still have to fulfill the conditions of sub-section 4, there are adequate safeguards in place to ensure that the provision is not abused. With that, Madam, I support the Bill.
Mr Arthur Fong (West Coast): Thank you, Mdm Speaker, for allowing me to speak on the Bill. Many Singaporeans may not remember the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce (BCCI) in 1991. Even professionals in the financial sector and, perhaps, practitioners in the legal and compliance functions of today, may not recall the incident. England's Master of the Rolls, Lord Justice Sir Thomas Bingham, said, and I quote, \"I would like to pay a tribute to the Monetary Authority of Singapore for excluding BCCI. Singapore was one of the intelligent countries that did so. That was a shrewd and sound judgement.\"
As a small country, I am proud to say that we have continually done the right thing, notwithstanding the storm of criticisms levelled at us. In the BCCI
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saga, Singapore was proven right in denying the BCCI the licence to operate in Singapore. More than 60 countries did not and, among those, many were major financial centres.
This prudence and, more so, the calibrated responses that characterise this Government, continues to this day. I would imagine that had we not exercised what Sir Bingham referred to as \"shrewd and sound judgement\", our financial sector development would not have emerged, progressed and developed into what it is today.
Mdm Speaker, we may have done the right thing in the past and done well by it. It is, however, worth reminding ourselves time and again to be on our guard. The security environment, hyper developments in financial products and the industry, the breakneck speed in innovations in communications, the Internet and computer technology, as well as the interplay of all these factors in transnational crime, are constantly evolving. Governments are worried about these issues. The situation confronting us is much more complex than in 1991 and more so since 11 September 2001. Terrorism and its financing are a clear and present danger.
Singapore is an attractive target for terrorists. Our readiness and resolve in making ourselves a hard target are clear to all. Our anti-terrorism resolve comprises two components. Firstly, we have physical defences, augmented by investments in hardware and software. Secondly, we have the support of a citizenry that knows only too well the vulnerabilities that a small multicultural, multi-religious nation like ours faces. This Bill reflects our readiness and resolve to fight terrorism by suppressing financing for its activities. This also marks our commitment to counter and fight transnational crimes as the Bill will give effect to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 for states to cooperate and prevent and suppress acts of terrorism, including terrorism financing.
We are a major financial centre by many definitions. The financial industry is one of the crucial engines of Singapore's survival. The MAS (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations are clear on how banks and practitioners in the financial industry must act. In this regard, as a banker, I can attest to the strict standards and regulatory requirements placed upon financial institutions, their employees and the users of the services of these institutions. There is no quarter given when it comes to not meeting standards. For example, \"tipping-off\", in the context of money laundering and/or terrorism financing, is covered in the Act. I applaud the consolidation of some overlapping provisions relating to terrorism financing under the Bill. This is consistent with the Government's bi-focus on the financial regulatory system and the criminal justice system. I believe this is
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also in the spirit of the FATF's 40 recommendations and the nine special recommendations.
Mdm Speaker, the banking industry has been working hard alongside the regulators to erect, enhance, update and strengthen our defences against such crimes covered in both the MAS (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act and those covered in the TSOFA Bill. The practices of Enhanced Due Diligence, Transaction Trend Monitoring and Suspicious Transactions Reporting will shore up our fight against terrorism financing by our financial institutions. In keeping with our ambitions to be a pre-eminent financial centre, the raft of regulatory changes to address such crimes must persist.
To better meet our international obligations and keep pace with evolving international standards on anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism, the regulators have not shied away from doing the necessary. The amendment being proposed in this House, to increase the maximum fine for both individuals and entities, sends a clear signal to all of the serious nature of such acts. The inclusion of \"tipping-off\" as an offence into the Bill will ensure that all persons or corporations, not only financial sector persons, must be mindful of the consequences of their actions.
I believe that the provision to protect their identity is also an incentive for informers to step forward. This will enhance the effectiveness of prosecuting those associated with such crimes. I am happy to note that while one of the recommendations of the FATF-40 is for countries to adopt the measures set forth in the Vienna and Palermo Conventions, the refinements to the exemption provision in the amendment provides the calibrated approach that I talked about in my opening remarks.
Mdm Speaker, finally, I would like to suggest that the authorities and, perhaps, even the media, educate more of our citizenry on the changes made to this Bill and, for that matter, the significance of the Act. Just as I am an advocate for more of our citizenry being our eyes and ears to suspicious items or situations in our daily lives, we can educate more people on the genesis of the Act. This education is particularly useful as naïve individuals could be used as \"mules\" in money laundering that potentially may be part of a larger web for terrorism financing. Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.
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Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Mdm Speaker, I rise and support the Bill which will update and better coordinate our efforts to tackle terrorist financing. However, I have some queries on the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the framework which I shall elaborate on later in my speech.
The 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda in the United States in 2001 and the Bali bombings by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in 2002 awakened the world to the ascendency of terrorists around the globe. Governments worldwide mounted massive and coordinated crackdowns. In Singapore and Malaysia, arrests were made of suspected terrorists in 2001 and 2002 which had been a success to the crushing of JI division in Singapore and Malaysia at that time. Al Qaeda has also been abated by counter-terrorism operations by the US and other governments in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2002, this House also passed a parent Bill – the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act – as part of a global effort to tackle terrorist financing.
Just as the situation appeared to be somewhat under control, more recent events showed that terrorist groups may go through periods of melee but are capable of regeneration and resurgence which should not be written off. Within the last two weeks, the US government detected chatter among high-level persons from Al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula talking about a major attack and leading to the closure of several US embassies and consulates in the Middle East. Close to home, sporadic terror attacks in June and July this year had occurred in Sulawesi and Java by persons who are linked to the JI and Al Qaeda.
It is clear that our counter-terrorism efforts must continue and a key component to tackle is financing. Financing enables terrorist groups to survive and thrive and to fund their recruitment, training, operations and even public outreach. The task of suppressing terrorist financing is a challenging one as such individuals or groups solicit and transfer funds from various channels which are difficult to track. Often, groups get financing through fund companies or legitimate welfare or humanitarian organisations. For instance, JI reportedly received funds from abroad via cash couriers, remittance and gold shops, donations, funds companies making purchases for JI's use and collections from Muslims and Muslim charities.
Given that terrorism financing involves multiple, informal and even the fairest channels, are we able to gauge whether the Act has any tangible effect in suppressing terrorist financing in Singapore since it was enacted more than 10 years ago? For instance, how many prosecutions have been carried out since the Act came into force in 2003? Are there other indicators the Government is
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tracking?
The United Nations Security Council has also acknowledged that the existing sanctions on terrorist financing could be strengthened and has indicated that they will try to do so by June 2014. Is Singapore engaged in this review process? Will the Minister be able to tell us what general directions are being studied by the UN?
I now turn to queries on two clauses in the Bill. Clause 2 of the Bill amends the definition of \"terrorist\" and \"terrorist entities\". These will now cover all individuals and groups listed by the UN Security Council in the Al Qaeda Taliban sanctions lists as updated from time to time at the UN's official website. The individuals or groups listed are recommended by the UN to be subject to exit visas, travel bans and arms embargoes as set out in the Security Council Resolution 2083 of 2012. The UN framework also builds in a check-and-balance in the office of ombudsmen who will assess requests for individuals or entities on the list to be de-listed.
Given Singapore's past experience of being a target of JI, it is good to note that the JI is on the UN's Al Qaeda list. The links between Al Qaeda and JI are clear and had been cemented by Hambali, a JI elite who is a member of Al Qaeda. Hambali had arranged for Al Qaeda to fund JI and train them in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to school young members of JI families in radicalised madrasahs in Pakistan. Also on the UN list is the JI's younger cousin, Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) which was founded in 2008 by one of the core founders of JI, Abu Bakar Bashir. The JAT has been linked to several terrorist attacks in the past two years in Indonesia.
Madam, I have a concern regarding the comprehensiveness of the UN list. In the wake of the JI arrest in 2001 and 2002, MHA put up a White Paper on the JI in 2003. The White Paper carried a chart showing the links between the Al Qaeda and the JI which also implicated two other groups – the Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
MHA stated then that KMM had hosted 911 Al Qaeda suicide bombers and helped JI procure ammonia nitrate for making explosives. As for the MILF, MHA stated that they had received funding from Al Qaeda, conducted training of Singapore JI detainees in Mindanao and even directed the Singapore detainees to private US establishments for attack. Given the active and significant role of both KMM and MILF at that time, I was surprised that these groups were not specifically listed in the UN Al Qaeda list. Is there a reason for the exclusion?
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Has the risk threat assessment changed or is evidence to prove the linkage with Al Qaeda insufficient? Would the exclusion make the UN list less effective?
Madam, my last query relates to exemptions given by the Minister under section 7 of the Bill. Clause 4 amends section 7 regarding when the Minister can exempt the person in Singapore or any Singapore Citizen outside Singapore from certain prohibitions against transacting in properties and services involving terrorist individuals or entities. The new section 7 will allow the Minister to also exempt the person from section 4(b), that is, the person may be permitted to provide properties and services to an individual terrorist but not for a terrorist entity.
The explanatory note for the Bill states that the supply to an individual terrorist may be allowed if it is not for a terrorist purpose. The rationale for the change was explained as to allow a terrorist and his family funds for basic necessities as required by the humanitarian exception under the UN Security Council Resolution. Earlier, the Minister also mentioned that part of the rationale was rehabilitation. While the rationale is justified, I would like to ask if there are any safeguards to ensure that the funds of other assets are not channelled to terrorist purposes, especially now that there is an auto-exemption regime. For instance, will there be follow-ups to account for how the money is utilised? Despite the queries I have raised, Madam, I support the Bill.
Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene (Nominated Member): Mdm Speaker, this Bill seeks to ensure that Singapore strengthens its counter-terrorism measures and continues to give effect to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the United Nations Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 1373 (2011).
The main focus of the parent Act and the amendment Bill before us is not about outlawing terrorist acts but it is about criminalising financing of terrorist acts, such as the provision of financing and other resources and support to alleged terrorists. Such precursor acts are essential to the terrorism supply chain by which terrorists commit terrorist acts.
Significantly, the principal Act extends the reach of criminal law to precursor acts or acts preparatory to a terrorist attack. It does not target terrorists per se; instead, it is targeted principally at non-perpetrators of terrorist
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acts.
Although this Bill does not substantively change the law, it is worth bearing in mind that the principal Act has a significant reach. It potentially captures actions that do not constitute attempt, conspiracy, or incitement of a terrorist attack. By moving to the margins of this supply chain and to activities that occur before an act of terrorism, the danger that innocent interactions and everyday transactions could fall within the penumbra of this anti-terrorism legislation is not to be simply brushed away. In short, the impact of such precursor offences on individuals and communities can be significant, given that ethnic communities do transfer funds, not through the usual banking channels.
The threat of terrorism remains real. The fact that there has been no successful terrorist attack in Singapore may give rise to a false sense of security. At the same time, there is an almost irresistible, evocative appeal in the label of \"terror\", \"terrorism\", and \"terrorist\". The mere use of any one or all of these T-words brings us into the realm of the extra-criminal world with all the attendant fears, dangers, moral panic and even a crisis.
Nevertheless, as a society, we cannot allow ourselves to be paralysed by the terrorist threat. This is so even as we treat terrorism as an existential threat. The Government has described Singapore as an \"iconic target\" for terrorists.
The statutes, including this Bill before this House, that provide special powers to the authorities to deal with the scourge of terrorism, must be properly justified. The use of special powers must be strictly constrained by reference to the needs of policing to prevent terrorist activities and for prosecuting terrorism.
However, in fighting terrorism, it is absolutely essential that this operational imperative must be balanced by the critical need to ensure that the values we hold dear are not compromised or undermined by the operational imperative – values, such as rule of law, due process and protection of fundamental freedoms provided for in our Constitution.
Madam, with those broad remarks as the context to my consideration of the Bill, I now turn to specific clauses in the Bill.
Clause 2 broadens the definition of \"terrorist\" – primarily through a new First Schedule in which membership of or association with specified \"terrorist entities\" would automatically make a person fall within the definition of a \"terrorist\" under the Bill. This is regardless of whether the person participates
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in or facilitates the commission of specific acts of terrorism.
The definition issue was debated in this House in August 2002. But a decade on, it is also apt to revisit the definitions, notwithstanding that defining \"terrorist\" and \"terrorism\" is fraught with much difficulty. The transnational dimension of terrorism adds to the complexity.
Madam, because there is yet to be an internationally agreed, binding definition of terrorism, could we be bolder and attempt to fill the definitional void? Clause 2 widens the scope of who is a terrorist to include a person merely by just belonging to or being associated with specified terrorist organisations.
I fear that we would lose some of the moral high ground against terrorism with such a broad application. Put another way, it is like the Government saying, \"Trust us, although we can't define them specifically, we know a terrorist, a terrorist act, and terrorism when we see one and so need a broad enough definition for us to act against them.\"
Why should we be concerned? A broad and tautological definition means that the law is more exposed to the increased possibility of abuse by the Executive, wilfully or otherwise, by over-zealous determination to deal with a perceived threat.
To be sure, the prudent and principled use of discretionary powers by the various executive agencies in our various anti-terrorism legislations will go a long way towards maintaining the legitimacy of the various laws on our statute books.
Mdm Speaker, it is impossible to legislate that those upon whom such discretionary powers are vested will exercise such powers with utmost scruples, responsibility and wisdom. But the need to exercise discretion properly is fundamental in any anti-terrorism legislation, with the Judiciary performing the ultimate check and balance role. Our anti-terrorism laws must be cognisant of the need for fettered discretion.
Clause 3 of the Bill seeks to increase the maximum fine for the various terrorism financing offences under the Act. It proceeds on the premise that fines ought to be aligned with the financial penalty for money laundering offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (Cap 65A). However, given the severity of terrorism in terms of its impact on society, should not the fines and the jail term be heavier than for
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less severe offences, such as money laundering, for non-terrorism offences?
Clause 6 seeks to protect from disclosure the identity of any person who gave information to the authorities under the principal Act under a legal duty. Clause 6 also criminalises the disclosure of information which will likely prejudice the various investigations under the Act.
Madam, while I appreciate the necessity of protecting identities and disclosures of information in order not to compromise investigative and enforcement actions, I am concerned with the broad wording of clause 6. Given that the liberty of an accused person is at stake, surely he must be given sufficient information on the allegations against him to enable him to mount a proper defence? But the proposed section 10A provides for a blanket non-disclosure regime which makes it difficult for an accused person to mount a proper defence.
Further, there are no safeguards in place to restrict the operation of clause 6 to situations where it is absolutely necessary on operational grounds. Given that criminal sanctions will be imposed on convicted persons under the Act, the Bill does not specifically provide that it would be an offence for a person, such as a law enforcement officer, to wilfully suppress information to the court, or provide information which he knew or believed to be false. The way clause 6 is drafted presupposes that the state could and would do no wrong.
In addition, clause 6 excludes the possibility that, even in the pursuance of a specific operational objective, executive actions would always operate in a just or reasonable manner. Given the broad powers conferred by clause 6, the potential for abuse is always there.
Madam, I am all for equipping the law enforcement agencies with the requisite powers to keep Singapore safe and secure. However, these special powers must be balanced by the appropriate safeguards.
Although not directly under the purview of the principal Act, I would like to ask the Minister whether other measures would be applied to those individuals who are found to be guilty of supporting terrorism financially. Would such supporters of violent extremist ideology be required to undergo counselling similar to that for alleged terrorists?
Finally, I would also like to ask the Minister whether the Government intends to have a comprehensive anti-terrorism legislation, rather than several
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stand-alone legislations, with the omnibus Internal Security Act as the primary legislative tool.
I say this because I find the foundational premise of this Bill to be somewhat conflicted. The principal Act is a criminal legislation but it is also endowed with special powers that take it beyond the criminal law framework. This makes it difficult for the courts to regulate the proper use of the legislation or for an accused person to have the full protection that the criminal law regime normally provides. For me, the heart of the matter is a definitional one in which terrorism is neither completely within nor outside of our criminal law framework. Madam, despite my reservations, I support the Bill.
Mr R Dhinakaran (Nominated Member): Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to speak on this Bill that will help to protect the society and strengthen our security against a serious threat.
Terrorism has today become a real and persistent threat in our society. And although it is not new, as acts of terror have been recorded during previous episodes in history, we can all agree that terrorism has now become more audacious in its attempts, both successful and unsuccessful, as well as more permeating due to the sheer volume of the movement of capital, people, goods and services and information, due to globalisation and the IT revolution.
In Singapore, we have been fortunate that we have not directly felt the brunt of this ugly truth but we should not take this for granted. In combating terrorism, addressing its financing is a critical measure.
Arguably, the objective of terrorism is to strike fear in the hearts of societies. I refer to section 2 of the original Act, where a terrorism act has been defined. Although the use of threat has been listed as an act of terror in sub-section (2), it would be useful to expand this definition to include the act of conceptualising such threats. This ensures that the act of actually planning such threats can also be brought under the law and made liable for prosecution.
As has been seen in the recent examples in Singapore as well, individuals make threats to our society as practical jokes, or to satisfy personal vendettas. If the global trend in this can be relied upon, we may see a higher incidence of such threats made in Singapore, that could not only strike fear in the heart of our society, but also to disrupt the provision of essential services, including the
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Police, armed forces, transportation or medical services, to name a few.
I strongly advocate that the Act include a strong deterrent for such individuals to make such threats, even if done in jest or for fun. We must dissuade such individuals in carrying out such irresponsible actions, and the law is one tool we can use, besides other avenues, including education.
In terms of providing property for terrorist purposes, I wonder if it would also be useful to specify clearly in either section 4 or 5 of the Bill that to house a terrorist, or to have reasonable belief that the person is involved in terrorist-related activities, is also an offence prosecutable under the Act.
Clause 3 of the Bill seeks to increase the maximum fine for various terrorism financing activities as set out under the Act. This is to align the fine amounts with the money laundering offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. I would argue that the money laundering offence to aid a terrorism act could potentially lead to grave consequences – and, in many cases, more detrimental impact than in offences to aid corruption or drug trafficking. Without the risk of suggesting a hierarchy in crimes, I would urge the Minister to consider raising the fine amount for the various terrorism financing activities to be higher than the $500,000 proposed in the Bill, based purely on the potential damage this action could cause.
While I am happy that the Bill provides for protection of the identity of the whistle-blower or informant, I also think that a stronger deterrent must be established to complement the incentive of protection. Sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 8 of the Bill lists someone who has possession, custody or control of any property belonging to any terrorist or terrorist entity; or has information about any transaction or proposed transaction in respect of any property belonging to any terrorist or terrorist entity. Therefore, I propose that any person who contravenes these sub-sections, be made liable to pay a fine higher than the proposed $50,000 currently specified in the Bill.
Similarly, the fine penalty for those who disclose information that may prejudice the investigation should be higher than the $30,000 proposed to act as an effective deterrent.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasise that the threat of terror is a serious one and, so, there is every reason that harsher penalties should be considered to act as strong and effective deterrents. Besides increasing this deterrent, it is
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also important that the Bill be expanded to include the act of threats, conceptualising terror and even housing terror suspects. Thank you, Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.
Mdm Speaker: Order. I propose to take the break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.05 pm.
Sitting accordingly suspended
at 3.45 pm until 4.05 pm.
Sitting resumed at 4.05 pm
[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]
Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast): Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join the debate.
According to counter-terrorism experts, it does not cost much to mount a terrorist attack. But money remains critical to meet the broader organisational costs of developing and maintaining a terrorist organisation and network. Terrorists need money to purchase deadly materials, fund strategic and operational planning, facilitate communications and travel, radicalise others and provide for their families. As such, finding means to raise, launder, transfer, store and gain access to funds remains a top priority for all terrorists groups.
The Achilles heel of terrorism financiers may be found in the choke points critical to laundering and transferring funds. Disrupting fund flows constrict the capabilities of terrorists and frustrate their ability to execute attacks. We need to deny terrorists access to financial tools and restrict their flow of funds, forcing them towards more costly, less efficient and reliable means of financing to the point where they are vulnerable to being picked up by intelligence agencies.
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In fact, financial information has come to be one of the most powerful investigative and intelligence tools available to governments. As money moves through the financial systems, it leaves a verifiable trail enabling investigators to obtain critical information that may indicate illicit activity, identify those responsible, and uncover previously unknown links between terrorist operatives. Financial intelligence has helped to disrupt plots and prevent attacks. For example, the British authorities foiled the Summer 2006 liquid-explosive aviation plot, thanks in large part to critical financial intelligence.
Singapore has been tightening its laws to combat the financing of terrorism and money laundering. The Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) (Amendment) Bill, or TSOFA Bill, contains amendments that are timely and necessary to enhance the effectiveness of Singapore's counter-terrorism financial regime and strengthen Singapore's compliance with international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Mdm Speaker, I support the amendments proposed in the Bill, including increasing the maximum fine for terrorism financing offences, making tipping–off an offence, and protecting the identity of informers. It is also a good move to consolidate all terrorism financing provisions contained in the various regulations under TSOFA, and to refine the exemptions that the Minister for Home Affairs may make to achieve compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution.
However, Madam, in other jurisdictions, such as Canada, Australia and Hong Kong, terrorist financing is criminalised as a money laundering offence under their overall anti-money laundering (AML) regimes, given the similarities of the methods used in money laundering and terrorist financing to mask financial resources and activities from the scrutiny of state authorities.
However, in Singapore, we have two separate legal regimes: TSOFA under the Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT) regime; and the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, or CDSA, for all other money laundering offences.
This structure creates the risk that related laws may become inconsistent over time, as well as create ambiguity about which law to apply. For example, the proposed amendment to increase the maximum fine in TSOFA is made to bring the fine amounts for terrorism financing offences in line with those for money laundering offences under CDSA. Both TSOFA and CDSA contain similar clauses on \"Duty to disclose\" knowledge or suspicion of a suspicious
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transaction. But the penalty for contravention is a fine of $20,000 with no jail term under section 39 of the CDSA, whereas the penalty for a similar failure to disclose under section 8 of the TSOFA is a fine of $50,000 and/or a maximum five-year jail term.
In many instances, it is not possible for the private sector, such as the Financial Institutions, who file Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) to know the underlying cause of the suspicious transactions spotted. Moreover, it is common that terrorists raise funds from a range of criminal activities, from low-level fraud to involvement in serious and organised crime, including drugs and arms trafficking and extortion.
As terrorist and criminal activities are often intertwined, it is often difficult to determine whether the funds raised from these activities are destined for terrorist activities or simply the proceeds of general criminal activity. I would like to ask the Minister if there is an opportunity to simplify the legislative framework for AML and CFT to reduce the possible inconsistencies and to help all participants better understand and comply with the law.
Mdm Speaker, financial institutions (FIs) are regulated and required to implement processes to detect sanctionable transactions and report suspicious transactions. Currently, each bank defines its own AML and STR policies and procedures. The procedures for detecting suspicious transactions are far from being an exact science. The MAS recently revealed that it has imposed financial penalties on 22 FIs and issued 47 warnings and reprimands for weak controls. Such incidents reflect that FIs remain vulnerable to money laundering.
To help FIs become more effective in their efforts to guard against money laundering and terrorism financing, I would like to make the following recommendations for the Government's consideration:
First, rather than depend on each bank to define its own policies and procedures for AML and STR, Singapore should consider prescribing a more consistent approach for a minimum set of standards in the industry. Currently, some banks have stronger policies and processes than others, but a country is only as strong as its weakest link. Whilst I acknowledge that we need to allow FIs to operate a control framework that is commensurate with the size and complexity of their business activities, we must ensure that FIs operate at a minimally acceptable standard. Regulators should also encourage collaborations across FIs to share best practices and insights. Meeting AML and CFT standards should not be a competitive issue and banks should join hands
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to safeguard the overall industry from illicit proceeds.
Second, regulators should provide a feedback mechanism to help FIs approach terrorism-financing related issues, such as STR, in a more targeted way. Many practitioners in the industry complain that the Government does not provide enough guidance about what it is looking for so that FIs can better finetune and calibrate parameters to pick up suspicious transactions. Currently, STR filers are unsure whether they are picking up and reporting the right trends, whether their systems are adequately calibrated, and whether they are better at reporting or not. Many are concerned that they are spending huge amounts of money on compliance that may be focused simply on checking the right boxes, but not the overarching objective of combating the financing of terrorism and money laundering.
The relevant authorities can assist the financial sector in its efforts to identify and prevent terrorist financing by sharing intelligence. FIs' understanding of trends, high-risk areas and persons of interest, will enable them to incorporate these into their procedures and risk models designed to identify terrorist financing. A multi-agency forum, similar to the British's \"vetted group\", comprising experts from law enforcement agencies and the regulated private sector, should be formed to consider sensitive intelligence on new money laundering risks, such that these can be shared as \"industry alerts\".
Third, when FIs are able to study an aggregated view of a suspicious client's transactions across banks and multiple jurisdictions, it is much more powerful than monitoring simply the transactions through their own banks in a single location, as this helps the FIs to monitor and \"join the dots\" on that particular client's overall financial activity, to determine if these transactions are suspicious or not. However, there are currently no such database and the regulatory practices in many jurisdictions restrict the flow of clients' information, even within the same bank, across borders.
Madam, to really win this war against terrorism financing, there need to be platforms to enable high-risk transactions to be monitored and information to be shared across banks and transnationally. After all, FIs already pool credit information through credit bureaus, so similar databases should be considered to monitor suspicious segments.
As the noose tightens in the formal financial sector to launder funds, terrorists will be forced to find alternative means. The physical movement of cash is one way terrorists can move funds without encountering the AML and
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CFT safeguards established in FIs. There is evidence that some groups have converted cash into high-value and hard-to-trace commodities, such as gold and precious stones, to move assets outside of the financial system.
It is common industry knowledge that quite a few foreigners visiting Singapore from overseas often pay for their high-end purchases, such as watches and jewellery, here with armfuls of cash. How such individuals are able to bring or obtain such large amounts of cash in Singapore is worrying. In this day and age, persons with legitimate objectives can easily use cheques or credit cards to purchase high-value items, hence, dispensing with the need for cash-settled transactions.
We must guard against would-be terrorists attempting to utilise such means to \"cleanse\" their dirty deeds here. How aware are Singapore-based high-end art, wine, jewellers, precious stone and metal dealers and retailers of their AML and CFT obligations? How many STRs are filed in total, of which how many have been reported by non-financial institutions? How many end up being investigated and/or prosecuted?
To address this, I suggest that the Minister consider requiring a risk-based assessment of such vulnerable industries to be conducted and imposing industry-specific cash transaction reporting requirements – such that cash purchases above a threshold of, say, $30,000, need to be reported. I also suggest we step up education for vulnerable industries so that they are aware and effectively trained to fulfil their legal obligations.
I also have a question about the application of Singapore's AML and CFT regulations to transactions that take place within the Singapore Freeport, the free trade zone. While there may be no taxes imposed on both residents and non-residents on transactions that occur within the Freeport, it is crucial that AML and CFT regulations be applied and enforced even within the free trade zone to avoid possible abuse of Singapore territory for illicit purposes. Are there reporting requirements for cash-settled transactions within Freeport that exceed a certain threshold? I read from marketing material that there are \"simplified customs procedures to preserve client confidentiality\" within Freeport – I hope this convenience has been well balanced against our AML and CFT obligations.
I turn yet to another possible avenue of abuse by terrorists − the non-profit sector. According to FATF, \"the misuse of non-profit organisations for the financing of terrorism is coming to be recognised as a crucial weak point in the
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global struggle to stop such funding at its source.\" Charity groups are especially susceptible to abuse by terrorists and their supporters. They offer a veil of legitimacy for terrorist fundraising, attracting unwitting donors who are unaware that the money they donate for humanitarian purposes actually funds terror. The Government should develop strong oversight mechanisms for charities and NGOs, and guard against the possible infiltration of charities by terrorist operatives.
Madam, with globalisation, the volume of international remittance has more than tripled to US$381 billion in 2011 since 2000, making it even more challenging to detect suspect terrorist financing. Technology allows fund transfers by cell phone, transfer and storage of funds via online means, such as cashU, e-gold, bitcoins, while the Internet facilitates communication and radicalisation, logistical arrangements and funding support from potential donors anywhere in the world.
Madam, Singapore is approaching the continued threat of terrorism from a position of strength. Our strict legal and regulatory framework has enabled Singapore to avoid a proliferation of informal financial systems, including unlicensed money remitters, such as \"hawalas\", cash and chit type of networks and cash carriers that are common in other parts of the globe. We have rules on stored value cards. We have an enviable network of treaty parties to collaborate with in this global fight against terrorism.
We must continue to deny terrorists the money and means to engage in terrorism. I urge all parties to be cognisant of their critical role in keeping Singapore safe as they join hands with law enforcement and intelligence officers in this ongoing battle. Only by working together can we move the needle in this war against terrorism. Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.
Mr Desmond Lee (Jurong): Mdm Speaker, despite more than a decade of counter-terrorism activity and tighter enforcement cooperation around the world, the recent unprecedented closure of US embassies in the Middle East and Africa, and the shock of the Boston Marathon bombings remind us how alive and real the threat of terror still is. Upstream measures, such as tackling and disrupting the financing and support of potential terrorist activity, remain vital in the fight against terror. I, therefore, support the Bill, which aims to strengthen the legal framework against terrorist financing.
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I just have a few points to make for the Minister's consideration.
The first broad point is on clause 3, which introduces higher penalties via the new section 6A.
Previously, an individual who engages in terrorist financing activities prohibited under sections 3 to 6 of the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act (\"the TSOFA\") would face, per charge, a maximum 10-year jail term, or a maximum fine of up to $100,000, or both. But, for a corporation, it would only face a fine of up to $100,000, although directors or executive officers complicit in the offence would potentially face an imprisonment term.
Clause 3 raises the maximum fines for individuals to half a million dollars and, for corporations, up to $1 million.
While this enhancement is definitely in the right direction, given that these terrorist financing offences are carried out with the intention or with the knowledge that terrorist acts will be carried out, I would share Mr Dhinakaran's point made earlier, that the maximum penalties are still considered low.
Firstly, the Ministry says that it wishes to bring the penalties in line with the general money laundering offences in the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, or CDSA for short. While there are certainly similarities between both types of offences, my view is that terrorist financing activities are, without doubt, far more serious than general money laundering offences, and should, therefore, be treated as such.
Secondly, I looked at some foreign legislation. In the United States, under Title 18 of the US Code, the maximum penalty for financing terrorism is a jail time of up to 20 years, or double our maximum, or fine, seemingly indeterminate, or both.
Thirdly, given how open Singapore's economy and financial system are, the number of foreign corporations and financial institutions operating here, and the difficulty of detecting terrorist financing activity, given the speed and complexity of the world of finance, I think the maximum penalties against corporate entities are still considered low. Some may well be prepared to run the risk, in light of the gains that may potentially be made dealing with funds of murky origin.
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I, therefore, urge the Minister to further review the overall penalty framework at the next amendment. For instance, let the court determine the amount of fine based on the circumstances, rather than prescribing an artificial ceiling. Or, if a ceiling is preferred, let it be $X or a multiple of the value of the assets involved or profits gained or potentially gained out of such activities, whichever is higher. And let the gains be separately disgorged and confiscated in their entirety, over and above these fines, through quasi-civil action.
I move on to my second broad point, which is this: tough and rigorous laws such as these are important, but what is far more important is the ability of our security forces to detect violations and to prove them evidentially before our courts.
A few sub-questions: firstly, how extensive and rigorous is our sentinel watch over financing activity taking place in Singapore, as well as through Singapore? Apart from the typical financial institutions, such as banks, finance companies and insurance companies, do we also monitor moneylenders, pawnbrokers, remittance agencies, informal and traditional money transfer agents, property agents, and so on? Both Ms Sylvia Lim and Ms Foo Mee Har have earlier described the complex and imaginative ways in which financiers seek to move funds across borders. How confident are we in our financial centres in Singapore that money flowing into Singapore to finance terrorism here or in the region will be caught? Do we impose requirements that these entities conduct checks and screenings and put in place due diligence systems to weed out suspicious transactions?
Secondly, is the Minister able to share with this House how many investigations and convictions have taken place under the TSOFA or similar terrorist financing offences under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations?
Thirdly, how do other countries rate Singapore's ability to tackle this problem of terrorist financing? How have our latest mutual evaluation results been under the FATF framework? Are there any major gaps identified through mutual evaluation that we need to plug in the context of anti-terrorist financing, as well as our compliance with the Special Recommendations?
My third point is about terrorism and the Internet. So many examples of Internet self-radicalisation and Internet-based fermenting of hate abound that policymakers around the world worry over how to effectively tackle this problem. How will we in Singapore handle this? Can we proactively block
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access or make access to such sites that promote terrorist self-radicalisation difficult? And would funding, financing or establishing such websites amount to a violation of TSOFA?
[Deputy Speaker (Mr Seah Kian Peng) in the Chair]
My last point is a more general one. It has been more than a decade since the 2001 New York Twin Towers bombings and the uncovering of the Yishun MRT bomb plot right here in Singapore. Terrorists look for soft targets to achieve maximum dramatic effect, and, like any other city in the world, we have so many of such soft targets. While we continue to actively police and protect such installations, can I ask the Minister the following:
Firstly, how can we continue to exercise the highest levels of diligence and alertness day-after-day when we protect and police civilian areas, such as MRT stations, airports, bus depots, shopping malls and so on? How do we prevent complacency or a false sense of security from setting into our people and our security forces?
Secondly, what is the state and level of Singapore's cooperation and engagement with key law enforcement and anti-terrorism agencies worldwide? As we would all know, we cannot, in Singapore alone, contain the problem of terrorism. It is a global effort.
Finally, how ready and how resilient are we in Singapore in the event of catastrophe? Are our contingency plans ready, comprehensive and fully practised? With that, Sir, I support the Bill.
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill. I also stand as someone who has been up close and personal with victims and casualties of acts of terrorism. I was in Afghanistan treating casualties after September 2001. I also managed casualties from the Bali bomb blast and the Jakarta bomb blast, for example. Therefore, understandably, I support the stricter penalties. We, indeed, have to put forth our stand that we mean business and are extremely serious on matters related to terrorism.
Pertaining to the fines and penalties for the terrorism funding offences, can I just clarify the following? What will happen if the funding comes from an
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overseas entity or institution? What will be the processes involved? Do we have any arrangements in ASEAN for cross-border cases? As countries which are a party to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, are there certain courses of action, cooperation, legal assistance or even extradition that we have with other states?
Also, what are the platforms for countries, signatory to the Convention, to share best practices? Do we share some common electronic reporting filing system, collate resources and perform surveillance on suspicious activities related to the subject?
I also feel it is crucial for the Ministry to engage financial entities and institutions with regular and systematic audits and visitations or seminars to help educate and create awareness and, hopefully, deterrence.
Our local policies and MAS' guidelines and audits are certainly steps in the right direction. Reinforcements are certainly necessary, and compliance and proper behaviour in accordance with these are also important to be reinforced at appropriate times. For the community and the public at large, groups, such as the religious rehabilitation group, can certainly help with education.
Also, Sir, how are we preparing and adapting to the use of more cyber techniques and channels in abusing financial institutions, organisations and individuals in terrorism-related offences?
Finally, I would like to bring up a point pertaining to the 2012 Country Reports on terrorism and the comments made on our counter-terrorism cooperation with other countries. It was described as \"inconsistent and masked by a transactional mindset\". The report also criticised our bilateral and multilateral engagements on counter-terrorism intelligence and law enforcement cooperation. I personally feel this is inaccurate and an unfair view which reflects the lack of depth of understanding of our approach and strategies which focus on mutual trust and respect between nations. In fact, Sir, by debating and passing this Bill today through Parliament for implementation, it is yet another platform to show our alignment, commitment and how we are a party to the global counter-terrorism efforts, from every angle and perspective. With that, once again, I support the Bill.
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Mr S Iswaran: Mr Deputy Speaker, first, let me thank all the Members who have spoken, for their considered views on the Bill and also for their general support for the Bill and its policy objectives.
Members have raised a number of points which fall into three broad areas.
The first relates to the importance of international cooperation in combating terrorism financing. The second relates to the need for an effective enforcement regime. Finally, Members have also raised questions on specific provisions in the Bill. I will address these in turn.
Ms Foo Mee Har and Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef spoke on the need for countries to work closely together to combat terrorism financing. Specifically, Assoc Prof Fatimah asked about the cooperation mechanisms among countries that are parties to the International Convention on the Suppression of Financing of Terrorism. The Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act (TSOFA) includes provisions that allow the Convention to serve as a basis for mutual legal assistance under our Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (MACMA) and for extradition under our Extradition Act. We are, therefore, able to make and accommodate requests for mutual legal assistance and extradition involving other convention parties.
Our law enforcement agencies work closely with their foreign counterparts to share best practices and exchange information to investigate and disrupt any terrorist plot or terrorist financing activity. For example, the Suspicious Transactions Reporting Office (STRO) in the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with its Financial Intelligence Unit counterparts in other countries, such as Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, United Kingdom and United States, for the purpose of combating money laundering, terrorism financing and related criminal activities. These MOUs allow Financial Intelligence Units of different countries to share financial intelligence with one another.
Regarding Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef's question on the processes to deal with funding from an overseas entity, it is an offence under the TSOFA to deal with funds belonging to terrorist or terrorist entities, regardless of where the funds originate, locally or overseas. If the financial institutions detect funds which they know or have reason to believe may be from terrorists or terrorist entities, they are prohibited from dealing in such funds, and are required to make a report to the law enforcement authorities for investigations to be
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conducted.
Sir, the transnational nature of the terrorism threat makes cooperation across countries all the more important. We are fully committed towards working with the global community in the fight against terrorism financing. While Singapore is not directly involved in the review of Al Qaida sanctions by the United Nations Security Council mentioned by Ms Sylvia Lim, we will, as a member of the UN and a major financial centre, review and refine our regime in line with new developments, including any enhancement of sanction measures by the UN Security Council.
Mr Desmond Lee asked how we fared relative to other countries in tackling terrorism financing. Singapore did well at our last Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Mutual Evaluation in 2008. Singapore was rated either Compliant or Largely Compliant for the FATF's Special Recommendations on Terrorist Financing. Our results were on par with those of the United States and United Kingdom. The amendments in this Bill will further strengthen our compliance with the FATF standards.
Let me now turn to the enforcement regime. Domestically, we have also put in place a robust regime against terrorism financing and money laundering. As various Members − Mr Desmond Lee, Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef and Ms Foo Mee Har − had mentioned, having tough laws alone is not enough. We must be able to detect and enforce against violations, as well as engage key stakeholders in various sectors to raise awareness and strengthen capabilities.
Section 39 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (CDSA) requires any person to file a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) if he has reasonable grounds to suspect that any property is linked to criminal conduct, and such suspicion arose in the course of employment or business. This requirement applies to all persons in Singapore, including financial institutions and entities in other sectors. This would also apply to any person working in the Freeport facility in Singapore highlighted by Ms Foo.
Mr Arthur Fong and Ms Foo Mee Har spoke on the important role that our financial institutions play in preventing and detecting suspected terrorism financing activities. We fully agree with a mutually reinforcing approach to fight against the scourge. Besides the filing of STRs, financial institutions are also required by MAS to perform ongoing monitoring of their customers. MAS conducts regular on-site inspection and off-site supervision to ensure
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compliance. Financial institutions which fail to put in place the necessary measures are subject to a range of supervisory actions, including sanctions for serious breaches.
Ms Foo made a point about risk-based approach and being more targeted, and we agree with that, because a one-size-fits-all approach does not work when you talk about risk management and transactions monitoring. Instead, MAS supervises the financial institutions, including money changers and remittance agents, to assess that the robustness of their systems is commensurate with the scale and complexity of their operations, and the risk profiles of their customers. So, it is a calibrated approach and it takes into account the risk. MAS also provides supervisory guidance to financial institutions to rectify any weaknesses, including in their processes for STR filing. Regular outreach is conducted, together with industry partners, to raise awareness. The STRO has been engaging various persons and entities that have filed STRs on an ongoing and regular basis to provide feedback on their STRs. So, this is part of the education process that several Members spoke about.
Besides financial institutions, STRO also works through business associations and regulatory bodies to broaden the reach to businesses and professions from other sectors, such as real estate agents, lawyers, accountants and jewellers. The appropriate relevant regulatory agencies will continue to review and enhance the regulation of these sectors to mitigate the evolving terrorism financing and money laundering risks. But the outreach is an ongoing effort. These efforts have resulted in more suspicious transaction reports being filed by industry players. In 2012, STRO received nearly 18,000 STRs, of which more than 2,000 were filed by non-financial institutions. STRO has also assessed that the quality of these reports has improved over the years. We will continue the outreach efforts to the various sectors to strengthen the STR reporting regime.
Mr Desmond Lee and Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the number of investigations and convictions for terrorism financing offences. We have investigated a number of cases, but there has not been any prosecution thus far. This is because most cases involved terrorists who were self-financed and the issue of third-party financing did not arise. Swift action was taken to detain the terrorists. As a matter of course, where there are suspected financing activities, provisions under the Criminal Procedure Code may be used to seize the funds. Once it is confirmed that it involves terrorist activity and the person is deemed a terrorist, section 6 of the TSOFA applies to prohibit dealing in terrorist assets. Notice is then served on institutions and counterparties not to
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transact with the terrorist which, essentially, freezes his assets.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Singapore operates a rigorous regime against terrorism financing and money laundering. The proposed amendments in this Bill, such as the increased penalties and new provisions to protect informers and criminalise tipping-off, will further strengthen our enforcement regime against terrorism financing.
I will now move on to specific questions that Members have on TSOFA and the proposed amendments in the Bill.
Ms Foo Mee Har asked whether the legislative framework to counter terrorism financing and money laundering, which is currently found in two different Acts – the TSOFA and CDSA − should be simplified to reduce possible inconsistencies.
Sir, the objectives of the TSOFA and the CDSA are somewhat different. The CDSA focuses on depriving criminals of their proceeds from a criminal offence. The TSOFA, on the other hand, can be pre-emptive – it seeks to cut off the resources available to terrorists, so as to prevent the commission of terrorist acts in the first instance. While there may be some similarities, such as in terms of methods used to carry out money laundering and terrorism financing, there is merit in having two different legal regimes which allows us to take a more calibrated and targeted approach, depending on the nature of the offence.
MHA is reviewing the CDSA, including the penalties provided within the Act. Where it is necessary to align certain provisions or penalties with the TSOFA, we will do so.
Ms Foo commented that it may be difficult for the bank to establish whether the suspicious transaction or funds is for terrorist financing or other criminal activities, and, therefore, whether to make a report under TSOFA or CDSA. In practice, we would require just one report from the institution. The authorities will then follow up with the investigations and assess whether an offence under TSOFA or CDSA has been committed.
Assoc Prof Eugene Tan was concerned that the definition of \"terrorist\" in the Bill was too broad. On the other hand, Ms Sylvia Lim asked if there were concerns that certain terrorist groups were not listed and identified specifically. The Bill defines a terrorist to include any person who commits, attempts to commit, participates in, or facilitates the commission of any terrorist act. It also
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includes any person set out in the First Schedule of the Bill. So, even if he is not in the Schedule, if he fits the definition, then he is caught by the Bill.
Mr Deputy Speaker, our definitions of \"terrorist\" and \"terrorist act\" are consistent with the legislation of other jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong. It is also in line with the International Convention on the Suppression of Financing of Terrorism. We have taken reference from international standards and comparable jurisdictions.
The provision to specify persons as terrorists in the First Schedule is intended to enable us to meet our international obligations under the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions, which require financial sanctions to be imposed on individuals and entities designated by the UNSC Committees.
This Schedule is currently set out in the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations and will be moved to the TSOFA with the consolidation of the overlapping terrorism financing provisions.
This Bill does not change the existing definition of \"terrorist\" in the Act.
Mr Dhinakaran suggested expanding the definition of \"terrorist act\" in the TSOFA to criminalise the act of planning or conceptualising a terrorist threat. The TSOFA does not criminalise terrorist acts but the financing of terrorism. We have to be clear about the intent of the Act.
The commission of terrorist acts is criminalised under other statutes, such as the Terrorism (Suppression of Bombing) Act, Hostage Taking Act and Maritime Offences Act. The planning and agreement to commit such acts would be an offence of criminal conspiracy under section 120B of the Penal Code.
Mr Desmond Lee, Assoc Prof Eugene Tan and Mr Dhinakaran also asked whether the penalty for terrorism financing offences should be set higher than for money laundering offences, given the severity of terrorism acts. I appreciate the sentiment behind the questions and the proposals.
The penalties that have been proposed for the terrorism financing offences are in line with those of other jurisdictions. For example, Canada, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland and United Kingdom impose a maximum imprisonment term ranging from five to 14 years. The Member mentioned the US legislation, where the maximum imprisonment term is 20 years. So, there is a spectrum
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and we think 10 years is a reasonable reference point at this stage.
The Bill will also raise the maximum fine for terrorism financing offences to the same level as for money laundering offences, that is, $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million in the case of entities. This is a significant increase – five-fold for individuals and 10-fold for entities – and it should provide a strong deterrence. I recognise the point that Mr Lee made about corporations and the sum of $1 million may not be significant. But we have to look at it in totality. Once an entity is the subject of such action, the reputational damage and the limitations that will affect its operational capabilities will also have a significant sobering effect.
We have made this move to significantly enhance the penalties. We will monitor the effectiveness of these enhanced penalties and we are not averse to the idea of reviewing them if necessary.
Besides increasing penalties for terrorism financing offences, the Bill also seeks to strengthen our counter-terrorism financing regime through the inclusion of a new section 10A to protect informers.
Assoc Prof Eugene Tan was concerned that section 10A may make it difficult for the accused to mount a defence. Mr Deputy Speaker, we need to strike a balance in the public interest between giving the accused unlimited access to all available information for his defence, and protecting informants so that they will not be afraid to provide much needed intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks. This does not absolve our enforcement agencies from conducting proper investigations and gathering the requisite evidence to prove all the elements of the offence. But the key point here is this balance is an important one and this Bill seeks to strike a balance in the context of what we have experienced in Singapore today.
Mr Hri Kumar also spoke on the circumstances that would permit disclosure of the informer's identity and safeguards available.
Disclosure is permitted in limited circumstances specified in sub-section (3). Disclosure is allowed in criminal proceedings if the court is satisfied that an informer had wilfully made a material statement which he knew or believed to be false. In other proceedings, disclosure is permitted only if the Court is satisfied that justice cannot be fully done between the parties without the disclosure.
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This exception is intended as a safeguard against injustice resulting from protecting the identity of informers. In such situations, the Court will assess whether to lift the protection after weighing the interest of protecting the informer's identity.
This is an established system. We have experience in this and it has generally worked well for us. Other statutes, such as the Misuse of Drugs Act, contain similar provisions to protect informers.
Assoc Prof Eugene Tan was also concerned about witnesses providing information which they knew or believed to be false during court proceedings. Although the TSOFA itself does not have a specific provision to criminalise such acts, they can be dealt with under the Penal Code.
Under section 193 of the Penal Code, for example, if a person intentionally gives or fabricates false evidence in a judicial proceeding, he is liable to a fine or an imprisonment term of up to seven years, or both.
I will now move on to the comments from Members on the new section 10B which criminalises tipping-off that prejudices an investigation under TSOFA.
Mr Hri Kumar has raised some questions on the scope of the legal privilege in the new section 10B. As Mr Kumar has pointed out and, as the Minister for Law can attest to, the scope of this privilege was explained when the Evidence Act was amended in 2012.
The reasons for limiting the scope of the privilege apply equally to the use of legal privilege as a defence to the offence of tipping-off. Given the gravity of the offence of terrorism financing, we see no justification, in this instance, for a wider defence, especially since we want to safeguard against abuse of legal professional privilege.
The Bill also refines the exemption provision in section 7 to support our terrorist rehabilitation efforts. Mr Hri Kumar suggested that section 7(1) should be drafted more narrowly to spell out the precise circumstances in which an exemption may be granted.
Under the General Exemption Order for basic expenses to be made under section 7(1), the definition of \"basic expenses\" will be clearly specified so that only transactions, such as payment for foodstuff, rent, mortgage, medicine and public utility charges that fulfil this definition, will automatically be exempted.
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Outside of the General Exemption Order for basic expenses, there may be other legitimate circumstances that warrant an exemption order to be made. It is not feasible to spell these out precisely or comprehensively, given that the nature and type of such transactions or activities may vary and evolve over time. But let me assure the House that our agencies will carefully examine the merits of each case before granting any such exemption.
As for the question on revoking of exemptions, an exemption order can be revoked by the Minister. If an exemption order has been breached, then the exemption may not apply and the person exempted will be guilty of the offence for which he is exempted.
Mr Hri Kumar and Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the safeguards to ensure that funds will not be channelled towards terrorist activities. Again, I want to assure Members that there are procedural safeguards in place.
Our law enforcement agencies will conduct a thorough investigation at the point of application for such an exemption to ensure that the transaction is for a legitimate purpose before any exemption is granted, and these exemptions can and will include conditions and requirements, such as regular reporting. Our agencies will also monitor the exempted transactions or activities to ensure that the property and services are utilised for the declared purposes.
The Government works closely also with the community on the rehabilitation of terrorists and to counter the spread and influence of extremist ideology in Singapore.
Assoc Prof Eugene Tan asked whether persons who are found guilty of terrorism financing offences will be required to undergo counselling. All terrorism-related cases, including terrorism financing, will be thoroughly investigated. Subjects who are found to be ideologically indoctrinated to support terrorism activities will be encouraged to undergo counselling as part of their rehabilitation.
Mr Desmond Lee asked about the levers to block access to and funding of websites that promote radicalisation. The TSOFA makes it an offence to provide funds for terrorist purposes, which would include the funding of extremist websites. Under the Broadcasting Act, MDA is also able to require Internet Service Providers to block access to such sites.
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Mr Deputy Speaker, I believe I have substantively covered the points that have been raised by various Members in the course of this debate. I want to stress that terrorism continues to pose a significant security threat, both globally and in the region.
Singapore has consistently taken a strong stance against terrorism. As a responsible member of the international community, Singapore is committed to supporting international efforts to combat terrorism, including terrorism financing.
The proposed amendments will align our regime with the practices of other jurisdictions. They will also bring us into greater compliance with international standards, as well as strengthen Singapore's competitiveness and status as a trusted financial hub.
I urge Members of the House to give your support to the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) (Amendment) Bill.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Are there any clarifications for the Second Minister? Ms Sylvia Lim.
Ms Sylvia Lim: Thank you, Sir. I have two clarifications for the Second Minister. Earlier, the Second Minister mentioned that, so far, there have been no prosecutions under the Act. I wonder if he is concerned about that because the Act has been in force for about 10 years now. How does he read the fact that there has been no prosecution so far?
Secondly, it is in relation to the UN listing, a point which I raised earlier about the two groups which ISD identified as active in Singapore in collaboration with Al Qaeda and JI. I agree with what he mentioned about the definition being an inclusionary one, so it is not just whether you are on the list but also whether you are engaged in such activities. My follow-up question is whether Singapore, as a member state of the UN, had tried to get these two groups listed because, I think, under the procedure, member states are allowed to do so. I would like his clarification on that.
Mr S Iswaran: Sir, the fact that there were no prosecutions under the Act per se is not a cause for concern. As I stated earlier, and I will explain again, it
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is because the overwhelming majority of cases in our context have been cases of terrorists who were self-financed. So, the issue of third-party financing does not arise. However, once it is confirmed that there is terrorist activity and the persons are deemed terrorists, the appropriate notifications will be served on the financial institutions and other relevant parties, to ensure that they understand that transacting with these individuals or entities would constitute an offence under TSOFA.
Ultimately, the real test is whether we have been able to pre-empt such incidents from occurring in Singapore. So far, the record is good, but we need to continue to be vigilant and not take things for granted. And many of the provisions in this Bill are really intended to strengthen our ability to counter this form of activity.
On the UN listing and whether Singapore specifically made an effort to list these two entities, I am not aware of the details of the effort on our part. I will provide clarifications on this issue to the Member later. But substantively, I think the point is that regardless of the list in the Schedule, we are not constrained. As long as an entity or an individual is identified as a terrorist threat, then the appropriate provisions of this Bill, and, indeed, any other related Acts covering the issue of terrorism, will come into force.
Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene: Sir, I would like to ask the Second Minister whether the Government has any plans to have a comprehensive anti-terrorism legislation and, if not, why not.
Mr S Iswaran: Sir, at this stage, we do not have a plan for a comprehensive Act for terrorism. As I have enumerated in the course of my Second Reading speech and the response to Members, we have a range of Acts and provisions across different pieces of legislation that enable us to act against terrorism, whether it is pre-emptively or on an\tex-post basis. And, indeed, one could argue that whilst this may not be elegant from a legislative point of view, it does give us the flexibility to take calibrated and targeted action, depending on which piece of legislation is most appropriately used in the context of the actions that are required. Having said that, I will not rule this out but it is certainly not on the agenda at this point.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Are there any more clarifications from hon Members?
[(proc text) Hon Members indicated none. (proc text)]
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[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr S Iswaran]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Status of Children (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BP","content":"[(proc text) Order for Second Reading read. (proc text)]
The Minister for Law (Mr K Shanmugam): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time.\"
The Bill deals with the legal parenthood and status of children conceived through assisted reproduction technology, or ART. This is now being introduced because of the increased use of ART treatment in Singapore.
We have been studying possible legislation in this area. We consulted the public last November on a draft Bill. That followed earlier consultation with family law experts and religious groups in 2011. We studied the Law Reform Committee's 1997 Report on the status of children conceived through ART. We also looked at and discussed the legal position and practices of other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Having undertaken this review of the legal and socio-cultural issues, both locally as well as abroad, we settled on a new legislative regime which embraces the unique realities of families and children in Singapore.
The Bill really represents the culmination of these efforts. It attempts to do three things: (a) clarify the legal parenthood and status of children conceived through ART; (b) clarify the legal parenthood and status of children conceived where the wrong egg, sperm or embryo was used in the fertilisation procedure;
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and (c) modernise laws relating to legitimacy and evidence of paternity.
The Bill does not go into or seek to regulate the provision of ART services in Singapore. Neither does it seek to deal with surrogacy issues. These will continue to be regulated by MOH.
I will now take the House through the main provisions of the Bill. The premise of the Bill is that a child conceived through ART should have at least one legal parent. The status of legal motherhood is governed by clause 6. The gestational or birth mother will be treated in law as the mother of the child. Clauses 7 and 8 govern legal fatherhood.
The Bill provides for several broad scenarios. Clause 7 deals with the situation where the gestational mother is married. The gestational mother's husband will be regarded as the legal father of the child where the husband is: (a) the genetic father of the child; (b) not the genetic father, but had consented to the ART procedure. Consent is presumed unless the contrary is proven; or (c) not the genetic father, did not consent to the ART procedure, but accepted the child as a child of the marriage, knowing that the child is genetically not his.
Clause 8 deals with the situation where the gestational mother is in a relationship with a man, as if he were her spouse. The Bill terms this man her \"de facto partner\". In such cases, legal fatherhood is premised on a court declaration of parenthood, not the operation of law. The \"de facto partner\" will not be treated as the legal father of the child, unless an application is made to the Court, and the Court so declares under clause 8.
The circumstances under which such Court declarations may be made are similar to those governing the legal fatherhood relating to husbands under clause 7. In terms of what the Court has to consider, the welfare and best interests of the child is the Court's primary consideration when exercising its discretion.
Clause 10 sets out a list of factors which the Court may have regard to when considering what is in the welfare and best interests of the child. These include the child's wishes and the bond developed between the child and any of the parties to the proceedings. If the gestational mother subsequently marries her de facto partner after the ART treatment, the rules on legal fatherhood pertaining to husbands under clause 7 will also apply.
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As for the position of gamete donors, clause 5 dissociates parenthood from biological descent. Sperm or egg donors are not to be automatically treated as parents of the child except as provided for by the Bill.
Let me now turn to the legal parenthood and status of children conceived as a result of an ART mix-up. The wrong egg, sperm or embryo used in the fertilisation procedure as a result of mistake, negligence, recklessness or fraud could take place. The Bill sets out the default position to ensure certainty, in the interests of the child. Absent an application to Court, legal parenthood would be determined as if the mix-up had not taken place. But any interested party – for example, the other sets of parents in the mix-up – can apply to Court for a declaration that he or she be declared as the parent of the child. This particular provision is unique to Singapore. Through this, we seek to achieve two objectives: (a) ensure that the child will not be left parentless if no one wants to take care of the child after discovery of the mix-up; and (b) give the Court flexibility to declare parenthood where a different result would be in the best interests of the child.
We also seek to make amendments to the Evidence Act and Legitimacy Act. These are relevant to all children, whether conceived naturally or through ART. Let me turn, first, to the Evidence Act. Amendments to the Evidence Act will modernise our laws relating to evidence of paternity. Clause16 repeals and re-enacts section 114 of the Evidence Act. This enables relevant scientific evidence, for example, DNA evidence, to be produced before a Court to displace the presumption of paternity under that section.
If you turn to the Legitimacy Act, clause 17 amends section 3(1) of the Legitimacy Act. This was a suggestion of the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) Law Reform Committee. Previously, an illegitimate child whose father is domiciled in Singapore at the date of marriage can be legitimised by the subsequent marriage of his parents. Now, this rule is extended to children whose mothers are domiciled in Singapore at the date of marriage. The effect is legitimation of the child where either the father or mother has a strong connection to Singapore. Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support this Bill. Science and technology have improved our lives and enabled us to live
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in a manner our forefathers could not even conceive. And every time we think we have reached our capacity, we are often reminded that that capacity may well be limitless.
So it is with Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART). It is a cold, clinical term. What it really represents is HOPE – hope for childless couples around the world and in Singapore to bear children, to hold their own flesh and blood in their arms, and to experience the joys of parenthood. It has been said that life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation. As a father myself, I cannot agree more. Becoming a parent is a life-changing and humbling experience.
It is, therefore, no wonder that many have turned to ART in the hope of becoming parents. And the Government has supported the hopes of such couples. In 2008, the ART treatment co-funding scheme was introduced to subsidise the cost of ART. This scheme was further enhanced earlier this year. As of March 2012, a total of 3,841 couples had benefited from the subsidy. And I have no doubt that the numbers will continue to rise. All this has resulted in more births in Singapore using ART – from 720 in 2006 to 1,308 in 2010. It is the same story around the world, with reported increases in countries where such facilities are readily accessible. In Japan, for example, there were 26,680 babies born through IVF in 2009, compared to just 11,119 in 1999. So, more than double in 10 years.
When this Bill was introduced, some raised concerns about the ethical issues it gives rise to and such concerns are inevitable. This Bill deals with controversial issues, such as conferring parental rights to a man even if he is not the sperm donor. It also gives a man parental rights where he is not married to the mother at the time of the procedure. There will be concerns that we are sanctioning ART for single women and compromising the family unit.
As difficult as these issues may be, it bears reminding that this Bill is intended to tackle real life problems. ART exists and ART procedures are being carried out. And there are real situations and circumstances where the law is unclear or unsettled on paternal rights and legitimacy of the child. One example is where the husband or partner of the gestational mother has not given consent to the use of his sperm. Another example is where the wrong egg or sperm is used in the fertilisation procedure, as has happened in Singapore.
As the use of ART becomes more prevalent, we will have to confront disputes similar to those which have arisen elsewhere. Let me cite a few
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examples around the world.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a lady became pregnant after her divorce, using her ex-husband's previously-stored sperm from a failed IVF treatment. The man applied to disown the child because the woman did not obtain his consent for the procedure and he failed in court.
If this Bill becomes law, and a similar dispute arises in Singapore, the ex-husband would not be the legal father of the child, given that he was neither married to the lady nor her \"de facto partner\" at the time of the fertilisation procedure, and he was not her \"de facto partner\" after the procedure.
In Australia, a couple lived together for six months before breaking up in 2002. They remained friends and began IVF treatment in 2008 after the man agreed to donate his sperm. The man attended the birth of the child and visited him regularly, until the relationship between him and the mother broke down in 2011. A Family Court judge awarded the man equal parental shared responsibility of the two-year-old boy.
Should a similar dispute arise in Singapore after this Bill is passed, the man would not be the legal father of the child, given that he was neither married to the mother nor was he her \"de facto partner\" at the time of the fertilisation procedure and he was not her \"de facto partner\" after the fertilisation procedure either. Further, the man may not even be able to make an application to determine parenthood under section 10 since he does not fall within the ambit of section 10(2).
In the UK, in Leeds, there was an IVF mix-up with the result that a lady's eggs were fertilised with the sperm of the wrong man. That man and his wife were undergoing treatment in the same clinic at the time. The lady had twins as a result of the IVF procedure. The biological father applied for access to the children in 2002. The Court decided that he was the legal father of the twins.
Should a similar dispute arise in Singapore after this Bill is passed, the default position under section 9 of the Bill is that the gestational mother and her husband will be the legal parents of the child. The biological parent will, however, be able to make an application to the Court to contest this position by virtue of section 9(3). Section 9(4) states that this application must be made within two years of the mistake, negligence, recklessness or fraud being discovered.
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So, whatever the religious, ethical or other sensitivities which may arise, we should not shy away from addressing the difficult problems that will arise. We should clarify the law so there will be a measure of certainty. There must be clear rules that we can follow in times where emotion is likely to reign.
I, therefore, commend the Ministry for tackling these difficult issues. Like any good piece of legislation, the Bill seeks to anticipate as many possible scenarios as possible, and tackle them in a clear, consistent manner. Nonetheless, I wish to highlight three aspects of the Bill that may require further consideration.
First, the extra-territorial application of the Bill may give rise to a conflict of laws. The Bill does not only apply where the child is born in Singapore. By virtue of section 3(1)(b), it also applies to persons, such as the gestational mother of the child, husband, donor of the egg or sperm and other connected persons who are domiciled in Singapore. Problems may arise where the ART procedure is carried out overseas and the child is born in another country. Singapore law and the law of the country where the child was born may apply conflicting laws on the issue of parenthood. How will such conflicts be resolved? Given the increased mobility of Singaporeans and the availability of ART overseas, this is a problem that we may encounter. I hope that the Minister will clarify this point.
Second, sub-sections 7(3)(d) and 7(6)(e) of the Bill provide that the husband or \"de facto partner\" at the time of the fertilisation procedure may be treated as the father of the child where he has \"through a course of conduct accepted the child as a child of the marriage or of the relationship\". This applies, notwithstanding the fact that he did not consent to the fertilisation procedure and did not provide the sperm. While I understand that these provisions must be applied flexibly, it is uncertain what conduct or actions will be sufficient to constitute acceptance.
And there are important consequences: the interpretation of the phrase determines whether a man owes legal duties to the child and, if so, when he becomes subject to these duties. Furthermore, section 11(c) sets out that a child shall be treated as legitimate from the last date a list of events occurs, one of these events being \"the date the child is accepted as a child of the marriage by the man who is to be treated as the child's father\".
Section 11(c) is phrased differently from sections 7(3)(d) and 7(6)(e). Nonetheless, I assume that section 11(c) really provides the same condition of \"acceptance\" of the child by the man through a course of conduct. If so, the
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interpretation of this phrase affects the legitimacy of the child as well. Given that so much turns on the interpretation of this phrase, I hope that the Minister will shed some light on what actions are intended to demonstrate acceptance. I accept that the Minister cannot give an exhaustive list, but some guidance would be useful to help interpret the law.
My last point is that section 10(6) may be worded too narrowly. Section 10(6) allows an application to Court to determine the parenthood of a child to be opposed by either the child or any person who is treated or is seeking to be treated as the parent of the child. In contrast, section 10(3) provides that an application to determine the parenthood of a child may be made by \"any other person\" who has \"sufficient interest\" in the parenthood of the child.
To put it simply, the scope for making an application is wider than that for contesting an application. As a result, someone with an interest in the well-being of the child, but who is not seeking to be treated as the parent of the child – for example, an older sibling or grandparent – will be unable to contest an application. This appears to be an anomaly. In any event, we should allow the Courts to determine who should be allowed to be heard and not seek to restrict its jurisdiction. I, thus, urge the Minister to consider widening the scope of section 10(6) to allow persons with \"sufficient interest\" in the parenthood of the child to contest an application.
To conclude, Mr Deputy Speaker, this Bill deals with real life problems that we cannot and should not ignore. The issue of legal parenthood is far more than a question of legal status. It has a direct impact on lives and families. This Bill is, thus, both practical and timely. I support the Bill.
Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene (Nominated Member): Mr Deputy Speaker, this Bill is timely with the growing popularity of Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) in Singapore. We now have more ART children in Singapore. I understand that in 2006, 720 children were conceived through ART, a figure that doubled to 1,308 in 2010. The number of ART cycles done has grown from 2,432 in 2006 to 4,672 in 2011. These figures reflect the growth in demand and supply of ART-related services. ART is a growth industry, indeed, but it also raises questions over the genetic, gestational and social aspects relating to procreation on children, parents and their families.
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Through ART, the likelihood of separation between the gestational, social and genetic parenthood is greater. The legal regime that governs who is the parent of a child in a non-ART birth is relatively uncontroversial in our family law. The woman who gives birth to the child is the mother and the man presumed to be the genetic father is the father. With ART involving the use of donated sperm, such children would be raised by a man who is not their biological father. This separation of social and genetic fatherhood is inevitable in such a situation.
Sir, as I see it, one objective of the Bill is to promote heterosexual nuclear families with the father as the basis for defining and organising family life. Underlying the Bill's regulation of fatherhood is primarily the view that a father is the person with genetic ties to the child. But the Bill does not take a strict view on this and the various provisions in clause 7 provides recognition of social fatherhood – that what makes a parent is not just biology alone but about the everyday activities relating to the care and custody of a child such as meal times, cleaning, washing, education and the like. This course of conduct approach is a sensible one to take since it privileges substance over form in determining legal fatherhood.
The Bill is relatively straightforward in spelling out how parents of an ART child is to be recognised in selected situations. I welcome the drafting intent of ensuring that the ART child does not have a single parent, even though the child's mother has a spouse. The proposed parenthood regime avoids situations in which an ART child would have a set of parents who are not in the same marriage or be left effectively parentless.
In this regard, clause 8 is to be welcomed for granting the High Court the flexibility to take into account specific circumstances on a case-by-case basis. There is only so much that legislation can do in such a situation, but case law can augment what it means by \"the best interest of the child\".
Sir, I find the Bill interesting for what it does not cover. I recognise that this is deliberate as the Bill does not seek to regulate ART services and treatment in Singapore which comes under the purview of the Health Ministry. Even then, this Bill in seeking to provide for the legal parentage and status for children conceived through ART has a limited scope. For example, the Bill is clear that it only applies to heterosexual couples, whether married or not to each other at the time of the fertilisation procedure. The \"de facto partner\" in the Bill refers to the male partner and, as such, excludes same-sex couples.
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I have several questions which I hope the Minister can enlighten us on. One, does the Act apply in cases where the fertilisation procedure is carried out overseas, but the child born in Singapore? Two, clause 4 relates to the giving and withdrawing of consent to a fertilisation procedure. However, it is silent as to whether the consent can be withdrawn after the fact, that is, after the fertilisation procedure has been carried out and before the child is born. Three, the Bill does not specifically address the issue of surrogacy. Again, would it be correct to assume that a child born to a surrogate mother from a fertilisation procedure overseas does not come under the purview of the Act? Going by a plain reading of clause 6, however, it would appear that gestational surrogate mother would be treated as the legal mother of the child.
Sir, in situations where the Act does not apply – such as in surrogacy – there arises the real possibility of uncertainty and conflict over who the child's parent or parents are. The changing trends in our society point to more couples wanting to achieve their desired families even if they do not conform to the traditional family form of husband, wife and biological child.
I appreciate that the above matters are not under the ambit of this Bill. They are very complex and controversial issues, and defy the jurisdictional boundaries between the Law and Health Ministries. But they also highlight that what the Bill and other legislation on our statute books do not deal with are also life issues that present real concerns. They are very much the proverbial \"elephants in the room\". As a society, I hope we can engage them proactively, rather than leaving such children in a state of legal limbo.
The House would also be mindful that this Bill can be criticised for not being pro-life by not adequately promoting respect for the embryos, sperms and eggs, since ART involves creating, transferring, freezing and the discarding of embryos. These ART processes connect with the right to life issues and for which I recognise that the pro-life and the pro-choice advocates in Singapore contest passionately over.
We cannot hide from the reality that not all Singaporeans share similar religious, moral and ethical concerns. For some Singaporeans, as Mr Hri Kumar had pointed out, ART is critical to their having their own children. Objectors to reproductive autonomy rights will, however, appreciate that it is important, given the boom in the fertility business, that we properly regulate the regime governing the legal parentage of ART children. Not to do so will render it injustice to these children.
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Sir, this Bill is primarily procedural in that it prescribes how fatherhood will be accorded in different situations. Yet, this Bill does have a signalling effect. It is \"loaded\" in that there is an inherent moral dilemma in providing the legal architecture that the Bill seeks to provide. For those who object to ART, creating this regime can be perceived as signalling a wider approval of ART and encouraging the expansion of ART because it reduces the \"planning costs\" for the stakeholders. For example, where the mother and male partner are not married to each other and the child was not brought about with the sperm of the partner, they can still avail themselves to the Act.
On the other hand, by not providing the legal architecture, we would also be prolonging the legal uncertainty, and generate potentially contentious and heart-rending litigation over who has parental rights over an ART child.
The Bill conveys the idea of the need for a father and families, and implicitly creates the notion of the inferiority of other family types. This is a very complex matter and I worry that this Bill raises more questions than answers. Not so much relating to the legal parentage of the child but to other matters.
This Bill makes an important first step but much more needs to be done to develop a working consensus that takes cognisance of individual rights, and the delicate balance between the individual and society and public policy.
Sir, ART facilitates the formation of alternative families, for example, without sexual intimacy, where the mother and male partner are not married to each other, or with two parents of the same gender. We have to deal with the greater uncertainty and the ambiguity of kinship relations including those of motherhood and fatherhood. Legal ambiguity in such scenarios would not be in the best interest of the child. In this regard, I reiterate my call earlier this year that we seek to promote and create greater awareness of adoption as an alternative to ART for married couples. This is not to suggest that adoption is the panacea. Sir, notwithstanding the concerns that I have, I support the Bill.
Mr R Dhinakaran (Nominated Member): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to speak on this Bill. This Bill will play an important role in strengthening the protective layers around Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) and reassure parents going into it that there is enough legal cover to assist them should anything go wrong.
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I feel that as we try to encourage the birth rate in Singapore to improve, we should also focus more resources into making assisted reproduction and adoption as attractive and viable options. This Bill certainly helps us work closer towards that goal as well.
I only have two minor points to suggest that may help in the overall effectiveness of this Act. Firstly, in the section of interpretations, on the definition of \"de facto partner\", I would like to suggest that the condition that the gestational mother be in a live-in relationship with her partner at the point of their application of ART be inserted into this section. This provides some certainty that the eventual parents of the child have taken a mature and responsible decision of having the child and also to provide some certainty that both parents will have joint domestic responsibility of the child eventually.
My other point refers to section 10 of the Bill, which constitutes the application to determine parenthood. In sub-section 7(b) of this section, it has specified the factors that the Court may use to consider the welfare of the child to determine the parenthood of him or her.
Earlier in the Bill, it was also provided that the Court may choose to declare that the \"de facto partner\" of the child's mother as the father even though he did not consent to the gestational mother undergoing the fertilisation procedure initially, but did nevertheless, act as if he had accepted the child. We can all agree that a man should act in this manner on goodwill and humanity. I feel that this should then be reflected as a consideration as well under section 10: by reflecting goodwill by non-biological parent as a factor that the court may use to consider the welfare of the child to determine the child's parent. This is especially when the child's biological relationship with any of the parties has been listed and could prejudice a decision in favour of the biological parent. It is not always true that a biological parent may ensure that the child's welfare is maximised and therefore the goodwill of the non-biological parent should also be considered.
All in all, Sir, I support the Bill for being comprehensive in its consideration of a sensitive and important topic. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Ms Tan Su Shan (Nominated Member): Mr Deputy Speaker, since the first IVF baby was born, there has been tremendous development in the field of Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART). Societies around the world have
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embraced this new technology. Technological advancement must come hand in hand with social and legal advancement. The word \"parent\" may no longer mean the same thing as it did before the advent of reproductive technology. Hence, this Bill is an urgent and long-awaited response to acknowledge, clarify and protect the status of children born out of IVF technology. It is ironic that it took an IVF mix-up for this law to be amended, but as they say, better late than never.
As I am neither a doctor nor a lawyer, please excuse me if my speech has more of a layman's approach. Allow me now to distill my speech into three broad points.
The first point is to expound on why we need this Bill and to recognise that this is a response to the changing socio-economic, medical and family trends in Singapore.
The second point is to state that for this Bill to be meaningful and relevant, it should not be solely reactive. It should be forward looking. This is because it will become the eventual framework supporting new areas in family law surrounding the family unit derived from medically assisted reproduction. Hence, it should cover some of the future contingencies that many Singaporeans are already considering or already carrying out.
The third point is to consider offering egg-life extension options to more women as an extension of IVF. Whilst there has been tremendous advancement in the field of IVF technology, the one constant that has not changed is the ticking of a woman's biological clock. This puts time limits on our fertility window.
On point one, I am told by lawyers that this Bill has taken 16 years to be presented in Parliament in its current form. The idea of a statute to clarify the status of children born though artificial conception was first mooted in 1997 but it took the recent IVF case to get us to where we are today. Hence, there is urgency in updating our laws.
The Bill recognises that there is the option and availability of such options here and this is because there is a growing trend of families choosing such options because women are marrying later, having children later and as a result having less children than they would like to have. In a recent survey done by NPTD, the Marriage and Parenthood Study 2012, 84% of married respondents said they wanted to have two or more children, but only 51% have two or more
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children. The statistics I mentioned that Singaporean women are marrying later and as they marry later, they have children later. And that the number of ever-married females remaining childless is growing. These childless numbers are rising and they may not necessarily be voluntary. Hence, it comes as no surprise that more couples and more women would turn to such technology.
A recent report from Clearstate – Clearstate is part of the Economist Intelligence Unit – states that 71% of respondents to a recent survey they did here indicated they would consider IVF if the need arose. According to MOH, the number of women opting for ART treatments had increased from 1,933 to 3,271 between 2006 and 2009. The number should be even higher now. This number is quite a large percentage of our annual birth rate.
On point two, I had asked that for this Bill to be relevant, it should not just be responsive but also forward looking. Which means it needs to be more comprehensive and to anticipate other contingencies resulting from the growing number of new techniques that couples in Singapore are adopting.
Here, I will quote from some research done by an independent, non-profit research group called BELRIS or Bioethics Legal Group for Reproductive Issues in Singapore:
[(proc text) BELRIS made a point that in relation to the welfare and best interest of a child, the \"gestational test is arguably the most straight-forward approach\" in defining who the \"mother\" is, as is the very broad definition of father in the Bill. They believe that a gestational-based definition of mother, as well as the broad definition of father, may solve some more straight-forward problems. However, in the long run this definition may be short-sighted in the context of the rapidly evolving field of assisted reproduction. (proc text)]
And, perhaps, an intention-based concept of parenthood would not only be more forward thinking but is also necessary. An intention-based concept of parenthood places emphasis on the fact that at the point where agreement is reached, all parties involved intend that any child born of the arrangement is to be regarded as the child of the commissioning couple upon birth. Why? Because as I have said, more childless couples or unmarried parents are choosing these options to procreate.
Allow me now to share some examples of this trend and discuss how this Bill may not be adequate to address such contingencies.
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Contingency number one: women who freeze their eggs overseas. The Minister mentioned rightly that some of these issues are to be addressed by MOH. I have to bring them up here as this Act does impact the definition of the father and the mother. For this contingency, doctors tell me that more Singaporean women are availing themselves of the services of overseas IVF centres. Some single women, who have the means, may elect to freeze their eggs overseas as they are not allowed to do so in Singapore under our Licensing Terms and Conditions for Private Clinics.
Whatever the reasons for their choice, the reality is elective egg-freezing overseas is a medical option open to Singaporean women. Often, these women choose this rather difficult option as they wish to have a child but have not found the right partner. If she does marry later, she and her husband then have the option to conceive a healthy baby using the frozen eggs. If she does not marry, she may still choose to have a child perhaps with the help of an anonymous sperm donor. The Bill, however, presumes either a \"de factor partner\" or a husband, but not an anonymous sperm donor.
Contingency number two: how about in the case where the embryos are derived from a married couple where the husband unfortunately passes away during the process? Can such embryos which are in storage in Singapore be used?
The third contingency is the use of a surrogate abroad. The growing trend of Singaporean couples resorting to surrogacy abroad. It would be ideal for the wife to be the gestational carrier of a child she wishes to have, but this may not always be the case. If a woman is not medically able to carry a pregnancy, the couple may choose to have a gestational surrogate overseas as surrogacy is not allowed here. The Bill in its current form leaves unclear the status of this child in relation to the Singaporean couple using a gestational carrier abroad. The outcome could be harsh for the couple if the child is, in fact, genetically the child of the Singaporean couple. So far, there has been no reported challenges regarding the status of such children, but if there were to be one, these children could be at risk of being the subject of a protracted legal battle.
Point three. My final point is about elective egg-freezing, which is not allowed in Singapore. In fact, we use the term \"social\" egg-freezing here instead, which may wrongly imply that this is not a medical term. In other jurisdictions, age-related fertility decline is deemed to be a medical condition and, hence, elective egg-freezing is seen as \"preventive medicine\". It allows women to
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extend and protect their fertility.
This is not allowed in Singapore unless the woman is already married, under 45 years old, or undergoing serious treatment like chemotherapy. In contrast, this procedure is available in neighbouring countries like Thailand and Malaysia. These differences in governance could lead to regional arbitrage as our citizens will be forced to go to more permissive environments to receive these medical treatments, leading to what is now termed \"reproductive tourism\". Our current laws are not yet adequately built to address these trends.
In closing, I just want to say, I believe in the importance of a traditional family unit. I am well aware that the Government has to do a delicate balancing act in recognising and valuing the views of social conservatives alongside the reality of what is happening in society due to the advancement of medical science. This balance is not easy. Yet, often, progress means the reinvention of concepts and changing trends may mean a new understanding of what constitutes the meaning of what is a \"traditional\" family unit.
This Bill may be a late start, Sir, but it is an important start in how we recognise our changing demographic trends and how we address the prickly parenthood issues that may arise from the increasing use of ART. Whatever this Bill tries to achieve, let us not forget the most important thing here is that a child is being born and this life is sacrosanct. Whatever the Bill tries to achieve, we should do our best to safeguard the well-being of this child. Allowing this child to grow up in a safe and healthy environment is key. Let this be the bedrock and foundation behind every decision we need to take going forward.
Ms Ellen Lee (Sembawang) (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Deputy Speaker, with regard to this Bill, I support it and I have the following comments.
According to MOH figures, the number of children born through Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) rose significantly from 2006 to 2010. Our laws do not have specific stipulations on the legitimacy of parenthood. For example, if a woman gives birth to a child conceived from a sperm donated by a man other than her lawful husband, or if there is a mistake in the insemination process, then it will become difficult to determine who the legitimate father of the child is. Undoubtedly, this is a legal loophole that must be plugged. That is
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why this Bill is of utmost significance to children born through ART.
From the perspective of the unborn child, I agree that the laws must specify who the parents of the child are so that the unborn child can also enjoy the same legal rights of receiving care and protection from his parents.
This Bill is a reminder that even as we use technology to solve problems of mankind, we must also spare a thought for the repercussions that technology may bring as well as the implications for our future generations. Our country is built on the premise of fairness and equality and therefore we must use our laws to ensure that children born through ART will also have the equal right of receiving care and love from his parents, just as we do for all citizens.
Clearly, this Bill's objective is not to allow any young life, in the absence of his or her voice, to become an option for adults to decide whether they want to fulfil their legal responsibilities or not. Once we pass this Bill, the legitimate husband of the wife, as long as he has consented to his wife undergoing ART, even if she were to accept the sperm from another male donor; or if he accepts that the child is his, then he will be specified as the legitimate father of the child. And that means he will have to discharge the legal responsibilities as a father.
Singapore is a relatively conservative Asian society. Such a peculiar father-child relationship is something that is quite alien to us. How do the children, when they grow up, understand that there are differences vis-a-vis other children and how will his parents explain their actions for using ART? And if the child wants to know who his father is, will his parents be mentally prepared to answer that question?
The Government, in January this year, announced higher subsidies for those who are unable to conceive so that they can make use of ART to fulfil their dream of having children. Personally, I suggest that the Government give further subsidies for these couples to undergo training in child psychology so that they will understand the kind of issues that their children will face in the future. They should also understand the kind of academic pressure that their children will face so that even if they want the best for their children, they should not spend so much time on getting various tuition teachers, piano teachers or swimming coaches for the children.
According to media reports, there are some Singaporeans who have gone overseas for ART and they stated that they wanted a son. That is because Singapore does not allow couples to do gender selection. This demonstrates
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that the conservative mindsets in Singapore are still deep seated. The older the parents are, the higher their expectations of the child. I think many parents are emphasising too much on academic results and this has caused a lot of stress for the children. Meanwhile, they have neglected the holistic character development of their children. Hence, we need to put more emphasis on how to raise our children correctly.
My last point is regarding feedback that I have received from my residents. In Woodlands, there is a resident who noted that in January 2013, we announced higher subsidies for procreation and now we are discussing the ART Bill. People get the impression that the Government is focusing too much on procreation measures. He thinks that there is a need to discuss in the community the real reason behind low birth rate – the reason is that young couples in the more fertile age are too focused on their career success, and they do not want to consider marriage, family, children and things that are closely associated with their own happiness. That is why many people are marrying late in life. Late marriages have caused some couples to be unable to conceive; they subsequently pin their hopes on ART. This resident thinks that higher medical subsidies will encourage more young people to marry late.
We also have to take note of the possible social problems that ART may bring in the future, and the issues that we discuss in this House may also become more complicated. I agree with that view and I hope that the different Ministries will conduct seminars in the community and focus on the issues that ART may lead to. We should encourage young people to focus on families and children and not just on their career success.
Sir, I repeat my support for this Bill.
Mr Desmond Lee (Jurong): Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for letting me speak on the Bill. I just have five brief points for the Minister to consider.
First is on clause 9 of the Bill which deals with IVF mix-up situations. I compared it against the four other alternative options put forward in the Ministry of Law's 2012 Public Consultation Paper, and in my view, the current option put forward in this Bill strikes as good a balance as possible between securing certainty on the one hand, both for the parents and the child and, on the other hand, retaining flexibility in the form of the court's discretion to
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achieve an outcome in the best interests of the child.
It also sits more comfortably with the general nature of our social fabric: we are still largely an Asian, traditional society. Alternative option 4, for instance, which could result in a child having as many as four legal parents because of an IVF mix-up would, in my view, fit rather poorly in our context.
Sir, my second point is about the two-year limitation period for making applications to court to determine or challenge the parenthood of the child, set out in clauses 9(4) and 15(3). This two-year period is determined from the time that the IVF mix-up is discovered. Sir, this could happen anytime and when the child is at any age. I would imagine this could suddenly create a lot of uncertainty and anguish for the people affected, including many adults, who were conceived out of IVF, since IVF has been around for over two decades.
Would it not be better to let this two-year period run, but with a cut-off for all interested persons when the child at the centre of the mix-up reaches a certain age, say, 21 years of age? And after that age, only the child alone can make such an application. This will provide greater certainty on issues such as parental obligations and maintenance, inheritance and succession, and so on. I hope the Ministry can consider this.
The third point is directly about IVF mix-ups. It happened in Singapore in 2010, in the Netherlands in 1993, in the UK in 2002 and so on. Each time such cases get publicly reported, they generate tremendous public and media interest, but these are really incidents of immense personal anguish and embarrassment for the families concerned. So, while it is important to ensure that we have the legal framework, as we do now, to handle such cases if they ever do recur, it is far more important to ensure that there are stringent regulations and rigorous safeguards upstream in our ART centres to try to prevent such occurrences in the first instance.
The fourth point is a point of clarification on the interpretation of clause 3(1)(b)(v) of the Bill, which says that the Bill will apply if \"the person who consented to the fertilisation procedure\" is domiciled in Singapore on the date of the birth of the child. For the purposes of clauses 7 and 8, both the husband as well as the \"de facto partner\" are already covered under (b)(ii) and (iii), so I am not quite clear which group (b)(v) would cover. And in the interest of ensuring clarity of the law, could I invite the Minister to shed light on this, please?
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My fifth and final point is about clause 16, which makes a related amendment to section 114 of the Evidence Act, and clause 17, which makes a related amendment to section 3 of the Legitimacy Act.
On the amendment to the Evidence Act, I think no one would disagree that the significant developments in technology, the irrebuttable presumption in that Evidence Act section was rendered meaningless many years ago and it is correct to fix this piece of legislation now.
On the amendment to the Legitimacy Act, this is, in my view, a progressive amendment. As it currently stands, section 3 of that Act allows an illegitimate child to be legitimised by the marriage of his parents only if his father is domiciled in Singapore at the time of marriage. This amendment now permits legitimisation by marriage if the mother is domiciled in Singapore at the time of marriage. While we recognise that elsewhere, traditional common law choice of law rules may still reflect a historical bias for the father's domicile, this amendment now permits legitimisation by marriage if the mother is domiciled in Singapore at the time of marriage, which is, ultimately, better for the child.
Sir, in closing, I would like to commend and continue to encourage the important task of law reform work, where officers of the Ministry of Law's Legal Policy Division work closely with the Legislation Division officers in the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Law Reform Committee of the Law Society as well as with academics and practitioners to continually comb through our corpus of laws to identify, to refresh and fix outdated or outmoded legislations. This is an important task. Their continued hard work will ensure that Singapore's laws remain relevant and up-to-date. Sir, with that, I support the Bill.
Mr K Shanmugam: Thank you, Sir. I thank the Members for their suggestions and comments.
First, let me turn to the genesis of the Bill and IVF mix-ups. Ms Tan Su Shan made a few comments on the Bill being finally here and the reasons for that. The main reason for the Bill being introduced is the growing number of children conceived as a result of ART. Possible reform in this area was studied since early 2010, before the Thomson Medical Centre's IVF mix-up. In the course of the last two and a half years or so, we had also considered the Law Reform
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Committee's 1997 Report extensively.
As regards the ART processes, we accept Mr Desmond Lee's comment that we need stringent regulations and rigorous safeguards. It is important to uphold the integrity of the ART process.
The existing safeguards are in the licensing terms and conditions (LTCs) which MOH issues under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act. The LTCs set out the requirements on laboratory procedures to ensure identification of patients and specimens at every critical step of the ART procedure. All ART centres must comply with these standards. MOH regularly conducts audits to ensure compliance.
Turning now to parenthood, Ms Tan Su Shan advocated intention-based parenthood. While she did not specifically say as such, I think in essence, this would lead to an argument for surrogacy, because the natural conclusion of her suggestion is that an ART child would be regarded as the child of the commissioning couple if all the parties involved so intended.
As I have said in my Second Reading speech, this Bill is a technical one dealing with the parenthood of children born through the ART process. It is not intended through this Bill to address the larger question of surrogacy. That is an issue within the purview of MOH. It has also been raised with them before.
As Assoc Prof Eugene Tan pointed out, the real point of this Bill is to make sure that children who are conceived through the ART process are not left in a legal limbo. The gestational mother would be treated in law as the legal mother. The husband or \"de facto partner\" may be treated as the father if the conditions that are set out in the Bill are satisfied. It is also open to the couple to adopt the children.
Ms Tan Su Shan gave examples of possible areas where the Bill may have gaps. She spoke about egg-freezing by women who may wish to have the option to conceive later. She also asked if stored embryos from married couples, where the husband unfortunately passes away, may be used in Singapore. This Bill does not seek to deal with the rights over stored embryos. It is not within this framework. Medical related matters, including procedures and practices provided by AR centres, are also under MOH's purview.
MOH has certain licensing terms and conditions. AR centres are required to obtain written instructions from married couples on the use of unused embryos
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in the event of death of a spouse. There is no legislation on the legal status of embryos.
As regards to the use of eggs which were frozen overseas for later use, on the assumption that the subsequent embryo is subsequently implanted into the woman herself, the woman is the legal mother, as she is the gestational mother. If she had a husband or \"de factor partner\" at the time of the fertilisation procedure, he can be the legal father if the conditions stated in the Bill are satisfied. If the husband or \"de facto partner\" became so only after the time of fertilisation, he will not be entitled to be the legal father. Such a gentleman will be in the same position as a man who marries a woman with naturally conceived children from previous relationships. So, he will be the step-father.
We need to be clear as to what the Bill seeks to cover. The Bill does not seek to address the legality of egg-freezing. Members, including Ms Tan, may have broader issues but those have to be conveyed to MOH.
As regards Ms Tan's comment on \"reproductive tourism\", again, insofar as it touches on surrogacy and its legality, you have my answers. We recognise that the Bill has got to be forward-looking. The Bill is technology neutral. It focuses on key principles rather than technical definitions and recognises that as social consensus changes, the laws have to change and adapt, insofar as it is within my Ministry's purview.
Assoc Prof Eugene Tan questioned whether consent can be withdrawn after the fertilisation procedure and before the child was born. Consent cannot be withdrawn. If you look at clauses 7 and 8 of the Bill, consent must be given \"at the time the fertilisation procedure was carried out\".
Mr Hri Kumar Nair asked what conduct or actions constitute acceptance. The lawyer's answer is that acceptance has to be inferred through a \"course of conduct\". Now, Mr Nair knows that \"course of conduct\" has come up before the Courts on several occasions. It is neither useful nor right for me to try and define what amounts to a \"course of conduct\", for instance, whether it is a single act, or multiple acts, or a series of acts. We ought to leave this determination to the Court, because the primary factor is the welfare and best interests of the child. However, acceptance by the father or intended father must be with the knowledge that the child is not genetically his.
I prefer not to limit the Court's discretion by laying down fairly prescriptive rules as to what course of conduct will or will not amount to acceptance. An
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example of acceptance will include the man taking care of the child, paying for maintenance, upbringing and so on.
Turning to applications for Court declarations of parenthood, Mr Hri Kumar Nair's point was that the scope for making an application for a Court declaration of parenthood under clause 10(3) of the Bill is wider than the scope for contesting the application under clause 10(6) of the Bill. Someone with an interest in the well-being of the child, but who is not seeking to be treated as a parent, for example, an older sibling or a grandparent, will not be able to contest an application because that is limited to those who can be parents.
Clause 10(3) is intended to cover situations where potential candidates for parents cannot or do not wish to apply for a Court declaration of parenthood. In such cases, third parties are given the standing to apply to Court to determine the parenthood of the child as it is in the best interests of the child that parenthood is determined. For example, if all the potential candidates for parents have passed away, and there is an estate and you need to determine whether the child is a beneficiary, you might allow someone else like a trustee to apply to Court in order to determine the parenthood so that you know what the child is or is not entitled to.
A different situation applies when there is already an application for declaration of parenthood under clause 10(6). The views of other persons who have an interest in the well-being of the child can still be heard, but not as parties or contestants to the application.
Clause 10(7) provides that the welfare and best interests of the child is the first and paramount consideration of the Court in its determination of parenthood. And under clause 10(7), the Court can consider \"any other relevant matter\". This can include the views of other persons.
Mr Dhinakaran called for \"good-will by non-biological parent\" to be included as a factor. The list of factors under clause 10 is not exhaustive. \"Goodwill by non-biological parent\" can be considered under the existing clause 10 factors. Now, the factors that can be considered are, namely, the bond which has developed between the child and non-biological parent; the ability of the non-biological parent to provide for the child's needs; and as an additional factor the Court deems relevant. So, the list of factors is broad enough.
Mr Desmond Lee suggested that in ART mix-ups, we should introduce a \"cut-off\" time for all interested persons seeking to make an application for a
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Court declaration of parenthood when the child at the centre of the mix-up reaches a certain age, for example, 21 years. And after that age, only the child may make an application. Again, the approach we have taken is that the welfare and the best interests of the child is the paramount consideration. While that is so, the Bill is also about the rights and obligations of potential parents. It is in the interest of greater certainty vis-a-vis parental obligations and maintenance, inheritance and succession rights to allow applications and contests of parenthood after the child becomes an adult. Also, the age of the child and the fact that the child may be an adult are relevant factors that the Court can consider when hearing an application in an ART mix-up situation. That is the approach we have taken.
Mr Dhinakaran suggested refining the definition of \"de facto partner\" to include a condition of parties being in a \"live-in relationship\" at the time of the fertilisation procedure. The Bill requires the \"de facto partner\" to be \"living in a relationship [with the gestational mother] as if he were her spouse\". So, really, it is a quasi-spousal relationship that entails living together. Again, we prefer not to be prescriptive about this. We take a broader approach in terms of timing. A sperm donor who becomes a \"de facto partner\" subsequent to the fertilisation procedure could also apply to be declared father of the child.
Assoc Prof Eugene Tan commented that the Bill has limited scope. I said so in my Second Reading speech. The Bill focuses on a narrow and technical area. Its approach is to give more certainty on how the parenthood is to be determined.
On the issue of extraterritoriality, both Assoc Prof Eugene Tan and Mr Hri Kumar Nair are concerned about the applicability of the Bill where \"foreign\" elements were involved in the ART process. The Bill applies where the fertilisation procedure is carried out overseas but the child is born in Singapore. Under clause 3, the fertilisation procedure need not be carried out in Singapore. I have outlined the situations where the Bill will apply in my earlier speech. Even if those conditions are satisfied, under common law, a Singapore Court may refuse to hear a case if it is more appropriate for the case to be heard elsewhere. Every court has to determine which is the most appropriate forum and applicable law under common law principles. It is no different here.
Choice of law issues is a feature of legislation in other jurisdictions which deal with the status of ART children. For example, Queensland's Status of Children Act takes an even broader approach. This Act applies to all persons whether or not born in Queensland; and whether or not a person's father or mother has ever been domiciled in Queensland. In contrast, the Bill here applies
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where there is a substantial nexus between the parties and Singapore. That ensures that the right persons are protected whilst precluding application of the Bill to persons with no connection to Singapore.
Mr Desmond Lee queried what group of persons clause 3(1)(b)(v) of the Bill is intended to encompass, since clause 3(1)(b)(ii) and (iii) provide for husbands and \"de facto partners\" respectively. Clause 3(1)(b)(v) is meant to address situations where there is an ART mix-up involving a person domiciled in Singapore, who does not fall within the other limbs under clause 3(1)(b). For example, there is a Singapore-domiciled husband and his foreign wife, Mr and Mrs A, and the fertilisation procedure is in Singapore. An ART mix-up occurs and Mrs A's eggs are wrongly implanted in a foreign woman, Mrs B, who is undergoing fertility treatment with her foreign husband, Mr B, in Singapore. Under such a situation, clause 3(1)(b)(i) to (iii) will not apply because the gestational mother and her husband, that is, Mr and Mrs B, are not domiciled in Singapore. Clause 3(1)(b)(iv) will also not apply because Mrs A is not domiciled in Singapore. However, clause 3(1)(b)(v) will extend the application of the Bill to Mr and Mrs A. So, we try to think of different situations.
Ms Ellen Lee's suggestions on increasing public education for ART and child-rearing, in general, we welcome that. We will inform MOH of her suggestions.
I thank Mr Desmond Lee for his comments on the amendments which the Bill makes to the Evidence Act and Legitimacy Act.
Sir, I would conclude by thanking the hon Members who have spoken in support of the Bill. Once again, thank you.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Are there any clarifications for the Minister for Law? None.
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr K Shanmugam]. (proc text)]
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[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Adjournment ","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"[(proc text) Resolved, \"That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed.\" – [Dr Ng Eng Hen]. (proc text)]
Adjourned accordingly at 6.15 pm
to a date to be fixed.
\tPage: 102
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Jobs for Singaporeans","subTitle":"Managing dependency ratio ceilings and hiring and appraisal practices","sectionType":"WANA","content":"17 Ms Mary Liew asked Acting Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider extending the dependency ratio ceilings that are applied across sectors for S Pass and Work Permit holders to include foreign professionals and executives on Employment Passes.
18 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) if he will provide an update on the review of the Employment Pass framework to ensure that firms give fair consideration to Singaporeans in their hiring practices; and (b) whether the Ministry will conduct a study on the need for anti-discrimination labour laws in Singapore.
19 Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Acting Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry can provide an update on the introduction of labour market testing to give fair consideration to Singaporeans in Singapore.
20 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) how does the number of complaints received about Singaporeans being bypassed by foreigners for jobs or promotions in the last 12 months compare with the number received three and five years ago; (b) what are the main reasons cited for the lack of fair consideration given to Singaporean candidates in job opportunities; and (c) what further actions can the Ministry take to ensure that Singaporeans are given fair consideration for job opportunities and career progression at work.
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: At the Committee of Supply this year, I mentioned that developing the Singaporean Core in the workforce is at the heart of our manpower policies. One important aspect of this is to shape current hiring norms by reinforcing responsible behaviour and addressing poor practices before they become entrenched. I need to provide a framework that helps to shape the correct behaviour and assure our own Singaporeans for fair consideration. I also need to make sure that it is a framework that makes sense
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to the majority of employers who do look to the local talent pool to fill job vacancies.
Getting the balance right is critical. Why? We want to shape an economic environment that will generate good jobs and opportunities for our people. Part of that effort lies with a dynamic labour market. If we make things too onerous and rigid, or as some have argued, over-protecting our citizens, we can affect our competitiveness and attractiveness, impact businesses and may end up inadvertently hurting the job prospects of Singaporeans. Having said that, I also want to ensure that we are not too laissez-faire with our framework because we do not want to see poor hiring practices that are based on nationality or social ties. That cannot be acceptable.
To better understand what might be the right balance, my Ministry has done three things. First, we visited the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany and held candid discussions with government officials, businesses and labour unions to better understand the challenges of designing and implementing a fair consideration framework. Representatives from the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) also participated in these trips with us. One salient theme that emerged consistently across the various countries was that an overly onerous system could lead to unnecessary bureaucracy that affects competitiveness.
Second, we have been gathering views from the public over the many months. We also conducted MOM's Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) on Jobs earlier in June. The OSC discussions were well-attended by both concerned members of the public and employers. I heard many ideas and a diverse range of views, but there was a recurring tension which was particularly pertinent. Employers reflected that they had difficulty finding suitably qualified Singaporeans to work for them. Some employees, on the other hand, said that they were either overlooked for job opportunities or unfairly displaced due to non-meritocratic hiring practices. Therefore, it was clear that we needed to establish some norms where employers consider Singaporeans fairly for job and advancement opportunities.
Third, we have also conducted a series of focus group discussions with stakeholders from various industries as well as HR practitioners and received email feedback from them. During these discussions, participants frequently pointed out that Singapore is the regional or global hub for many companies which create good jobs and careers for Singaporeans. However, they also need
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to deploy their people from other parts of the world here because they bring with them their relevant exposure and experience of other markets. There will also be those who need to better understand the Singapore and regional market. An inability to freely move their teams in and out of Singapore would certainly affect their decisions to remain or expand here. While that may well be a consideration, I do know that many companies also choose to locate in Singapore because of our systems advantages as a good place to do business. It is not any single attribute, but a combination of a stable political environment, rule of law, safe streets, good education and healthcare for families of their international staff, good infrastructure, low overall tax burden and so on. It is only fair and reasonable to expect Singaporeans to have equal and fair consideration on the job front.
Any framework or measures that we roll out should be aimed at putting in place a system which would leverage on our systems advantages to help build a Singaporean Core in our workforce. We want companies to improve their HR practices to ensure fair consideration for Singaporeans. However, the framework will not be a magic bullet that ensures Singaporeans are hired first for every job; it is about making sure that the playing field is level and maintaining meritocracy as a cornerstone of our society. This will send a clear signal that the Government expects firms to recruit and develop their staff on merit, and not on the basis of nationality and social ties.
I should also stress that our local workers must continue their upgrading efforts so that they are in better stead to clinch the jobs they aspire to. Many of our Singaporean workers are already very capable, hardworking and have the sort of soft skills like leadership and initiative that employers are looking for. But we need even more Singaporeans to have such all-rounded skillsets, such as the ability to create, innovate and solve complex problems, communicate compellingly, while continuing to be efficient and reliable.
To conclude, let me emphasise that we are aiming for a system that will make things better for Singaporeans. This has to be done by balancing the need to help businesses improve their HR practices to consider Singaporeans more consciously, and the need to maintain our openness to investment and foreigners, which ultimately builds strong companies, and generate better jobs and higher wages for our people.
We are in the midst of finalising some of the possibilities and should be able to provide more details in the coming months.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of Malaysia's Temporary Ban on Fish Exports to Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"21 Ms Faizah Jamal asked the Minister for National Development in view of Malaysia's sudden ban on certain kinds of fish for two months, what plans are in place to ensure that our food security and supply are not threatened in the event of more similar situations occurring.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The two-month export ban of five species of fish by Malaysia has not threatened our food security. It has minimal impact on our fish supply. Imports of these species constitute less than 4% of the total amount of imported fish in 2012. Our fish importers have been able to increase imports of these species from other countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam, to meet our consumers’ demand.
This episode highlights Singapore's food supply resilience through a robust source diversification strategy. For instance, Singapore imports over 100 species of fish from more than 60 countries. This ensures that we are better buffered against potential food shortages and price volatility.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Advance Preparations to Counter Future Dengue Outbreaks","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"22 Mr Alex Yam Ziming asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources with the dengue epidemic that started in May 2013 (a) what plans does the Ministry have in place to deal with any potential repeat of the epidemic on an annual basis; (b) what are some of the new vector control methods that have been introduced in 2013; (c) how many households and corporations have been issued summonses for breeding despite earlier warnings since May 2013; and (d) whether more proactive measures will be taken to engage and prepare the community in advance for future threats.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Dengue is a recurrent and ongoing threat to public health in Singapore. An effective vaccine is not yet available. Consequently, our strategy is to minimise the epidemic potential of dengue through preventive surveillance, elimination of mosquito breeding areas, exterminating adult mosquitoes, public education, community involvement and
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local enforcement. This is supplemented by local research on biological and medical aspects of the disease and evaluation of new modalities for disease control.
For example, an Intensive Source Reduction Exercise (ISRE) targeting potentially large breeding habitats, such as construction sites, water tanks and drains, is carried out annually. Home owners and premise managers are reminded to step up surveillance of their respective premises and areas of activity before the start of the dengue peak season, usually from June to October. In addition, NEA officers begin to step up indoor inspections within high-risk areas in the lead-up to the usual peak dengue season. In areas of ongoing dengue transmission, indoor spraying of insecticide is carried out to eliminate adult mosquitoes. If a high Aedes population is detected outdoors, thermal fogging may be conducted.
Besides anti-dengue operations, NEA also conducts practical research on disease control. The gravitraps that were designed by NEA have been utilised in dengue clusters since 2012, to monitor the adult mosquito population and assess the effectiveness of vector control efforts. Earlier this year, NEA also co-designed with an insecticide company an aerosol spray called the \"Mozzie Zap\". NEA officers are equipped with the \"Mozzie Zap\" for application to the dark or shady corners of homes where mosquitoes are likely to rest. This supplements the Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) misting and enhances the effectiveness of the anti-mosquito efforts.
To help residents protect themselves from mosquito bites and thereby break the chain of transmission, NEA has started distributing insect repellents to all households and schools in the dengue clusters.
To control dengue, everyone has to play his or her part to prevent mosquito breeding. NEA steps up its public outreach efforts prior to the onset of the dengue season, using both mainstream and social media platforms to heighten awareness and urge everyone to take immediate action on potential breeding habitats. NEA also mobilises its network of over 2,000 dengue prevention volunteers to remind local residents to remove stagnant water in their homes and so on. We hope that the provision of timely accurate local data would encourage residents to take the necessary precautions to protect their own families and neighbourhood.
Enforcement remains a necessary component of our overall approach. Since the launch of NEA's \"Do The Mozzie Wipe-out\" campaign on 28 April 2013,
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the number of summonses issued to households in cluster areas has decreased slightly from 181 in April to 175 in June. The number of repeat offenders has also decreased from 10 in April to four in June. We are pleased that NEA has observed a substantial decrease in breeding habitats in homes from about 1,200 in April to about 700 in June.1 These results are preliminary but are encouraging. Better community awareness and preparation should drive down the number of breeding habitats further. The peak dengue season is not over yet and everyone should do whatever he can to protect himself and his loved ones against dengue.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : The difference in the number of summonses issued and number of breeding habitats detected is because (a) summonses are issued only in cluster areas while advisories are issued to residences in the non-cluster areas in lieu of enforcement actions to adopt a more educational approach; and (b) a household can be issued a summons for multiple breeding habitats."],"footNoteQuestions":["22"],"questionNo":"22"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Take-up Rate for Early Morning Free Peak Hour Travel on MRT","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"23 Mr R Dhinakaran asked the Minister for Transport (a) what has been the take-up rate on the early morning free peak hour travel on the MRT; and (b) what has been its impact in spreading the early morning peak hour demand.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: The one-year free travel trial was launched on 24 June 2013 to alleviate congestion on the rail network by offering commuters free travel for the rail leg of their journey if they exit any of 16 city area stations before 7.45 am, and up to 50 cents discount for exits between 7.45 am and 8.00 am.
So far, the trial has resulted in about 7% decrease in exits for the peak period of 8.00 am to 9.00 am, and about 19% increase in exits for the pre-peak period of between 7.00 am and 8.00 am. Another way of looking at the effectiveness of the trial in smoothening the morning peak period travel is to compare the ratio of exits for the peak period hour between 8.00 am and 9.00 am, with that for the pre-peak hour between 7.00 am and 8.00 am. For the 16 city MRT stations, encouragingly, this ratio has gone down to 2.1 after the
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implementation of the free travel trial, compared to 2.7 before the trial.
It is still early days yet for us to draw conclusions about what the sustainable changes will be. We will continue to monitor the trial and will provide a more detailed assessment in due course.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Quarterly Services Index","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"28 Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider instituting a quarterly index of services exports to complement the monthly manufacturing export figures currently released by IE Singapore in order to assist in measuring and calibrating in a timely fashion our services export performance in fields, such as transport, travel, financial, business management and other services.
Mr Lim Hng Kiang: The Department of Statistics compiles and disseminates quarterly estimates on the exports of services in Singapore's balance of payments accounts. These estimates are compiled according to international statistical standards set out by the International Monetary Fund and are published in MTI's Quarterly and Annual Economic Surveys. Services exports in the balance of payments are classified into major services categories, such as transport, travel, financial and other business services, which include business management services.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of Slowdown in China's Growth on Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"29 Ms Tan Su Shan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how will the current slowdown in China's growth affect our economic growth particularly our export and tourism industries; and (b) how can Singapore adapt to the structural changes in China's growth strategy in order to remain relevant in the international economy.
Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Growth in the Chinese economy slowed from 9.3% in 2011 to 7.8% in 2012, and further to 7.6% in the first half of 2013. Thus far, the slowdown in the Chinese economy has had a limited impact on Singapore's
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exports to and tourist arrivals from China. Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) to China have continued to increase, while tourist arrivals have remained resilient.
While the Chinese economy has slowed, most analysts do not expect it to have a \"hard landing\". For 2013, the International Monetary Fund expects growth in the Chinese economy to be around 7.8%, similar to the pace of growth in 2012, while the July Consensus Forecast has China's growth coming in slightly lower at 7.5%. If the Chinese economy slows down gradually as expected, the impact on our exports and tourist arrivals should remain limited. Moreover, as our export and tourist source markets are fairly diversified, a gradual pick-up in the growth of other markets, such as the United States, would help to cushion the impact of a gradual slowdown of the Chinese economy on the Singapore economy.
However, should the Chinese economy slow down sharply, the impact on Singapore's growth is likely to be more significant. First, a sharp contraction in China's demand is less likely to be offset by a pick-up in demand from other markets in the short term. Second, to the extent that other regional economies will be adversely affected by a sharp slowdown in China, our exports to these economies may also be affected. At this juncture, a China \"hard landing\" is not our central scenario. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully.
China is re-balancing its economy from an export-led and investment-oriented growth model to one that is driven by consumption. There is potential for the services sector to further drive growth in China. Under China's 12th Five-Year Plan, China's GDP share of the services sector is poised to increase from 43% in 2010 to 47% by 2015.
We see three broad trends supporting this growth and how Singapore’s services sector can ride on it. First, Chinese government is widely expected to pump in more resources in urbanisation. There will be greater demand for Singapore companies' expertise in housing, transport, water and waste management solutions. Second, the fast growing affluent and middle-class Chinese population will spur demand for consumption of goods and services. According to a report by McKinsey2, China will become the second largest consumer market in the world by 2020. This will provide a large consumer base for Singapore players in Food & Beverage, retail, logistics, healthcare and education services. Third, more Chinese companies may use Singapore as a springboard to Southeast Asia, as they seek new markets to expand their operations. Many Chinese companies have already set up their regional
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headquarters, R&D and manufacturing operations in Singapore. To date, more than 4,500 Chinese companies, such as Sinopec and Baidu, operate in Singapore. Professional services companies in legal, tax advisory and financial and banking can tap on this wave to expand its clientele base.
The Government will continue to do its part to help Singapore industries benefit from China's growth. We will do this through regular reviews of FTAs involving China, such as our bilateral China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) to help improve market access. We will also work closely with the business community and trade associations to profile Singapore's products and services at trade fairs in China. Our agencies, IE Singapore, EDB and STB will continue to assist Singapore-based companies to internationalise in China and anchor Singapore's position as a gateway for Chinese companies and tourists.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["2 : McKinsey, 2011 Annual Chinese Consumer Study."],"footNoteQuestions":["29"],"questionNo":"29"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Installation of Police CCTV Cameras at HDB Void Decks","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"31 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the progress of the Police's installation of CCTV cameras at every HDB void deck; (b) as of July 2013, what is the number of Police CCTV cameras that are installed at public areas; and (c) as of July 2013, what is the number of CCTV cameras that are installed by various Government agencies and private entities that the Police has access to.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: Since 2004, Police has been deploying CCTV cameras in public places. These cameras not only deter crime, but also provide useful investigative leads to solve crimes. They are deployed at locations such as Boat Quay, Little India and Geylang.
More recently, since May last year, Police started installing CCTV cameras at HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks (MSCPs) as part of the Community Policing System (COPS). A total of 350 HDB blocks, including 28 MSCPs, have been fitted with cameras since the programme began.
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Currently, there are a total of 3,700 CCTV cameras installed by Police at public places, HDB blocks and MSCPs.
By the end of the year, Police Cameras will be installed at another 650 HDB blocks and MSCPs across all Town Councils in Singapore. The Police Camera project will be progressively rolled out and will reach all HDB blocks and MSCPs by 2016.
In addition, for the purpose of investigations, Police is empowered under the Criminal Procedure Code to access footage from all CCTV cameras installed by Government agencies and private entities. These include CCTVs installed by Government agencies, such as LTA's network of 1,000 cameras, and the many others installed by private entities, such as banks, shopping malls and office complexes.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Preventing High-rise Littering","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"32 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) whether he can provide an update on the review of the installation of high-rise littering surveillance cameras; (b) whether the trend of high-rise littering has fallen or remained status quo; (c) what does the Ministry plan to do with blocks observed to experience high incidence of high-rise littering; and (d) whether the Ministry will consider penalising owners of flats where the littering originates without having to identify the culprits on camera for action to be taken.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: High-rise littering is an anti-social and dangerous act. Since the rollout of surveillance cameras in September 2012, NEA has received about 700 to 800 complaints every month.3 In July 2013, NEA successfully prosecuted three high-rise litterbugs who were caught on its surveillance cameras; each litterbug was fined $600 by the court.
Surveillance cameras are usually installed at HDB blocks where persistent high-rise littering incidents have been reported. To achieve a greater deterrence effect, NEA will no longer inform the residents of when surveillance cameras will be installed at their block, and when it will be removed. This means that there will no longer be advance warning for recalcitrant litterbugs.
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I thank Ms Tin for her suggestion to allow NEA to take action against owners of flats where the littering originates, even if we cannot identify the exact culprit on camera. MEWR and NEA will study the feasibility of this seriously.
Even though NEA has surveillance camera capability, cameras should only be used as a last resort. As I have mentioned before, our primary line of defence must still be the cultivation of social graciousness and a sense of collective responsibility for the safety of our neighbourhoods.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["3 : Up to and including July 2013."],"footNoteQuestions":["32"],"questionNo":"32"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Regulation of Noise Pollution","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"33 Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) why is NEA outsourcing the function of reviewing noise levels generated by entertainment and food outlets by calling a tender for a consultancy study; and (b) how does the Ministry intend to maintain in-house expertise on noise pollution.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources): I believe hon Member Mr Baey is referring to the interagency noise consultancy study tendered in June 2013.4 This study aims to provide a better understanding of the noise profile of commercial and residential activity zones through the provision of 3-D noise contours that will show the propagation of noise in the vicinity and the impact of noise on different groups of people, for example, nearby residents, patrons of nearby premises. It will also recommend engineering measures to mitigate noise at existing and upcoming food and entertainment outlets. The external consultants involved will augment NEA's current range of expertise and complement it with skills, such as complex modeling methods, that are not used routinely in the course of NEA's work. Furthermore, the consultants will also bring with them their experience and insights from conducting other similar studies.
NEA has the necessary in-house expertise to effectively carry out its role in regulating and managing noise levels. We will ensure that the officers involved
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have the relevant technical and engineering competencies to enable them to carry out their jobs effectively. They also undergo regular training and take part in local and international seminars and exchanges to keep themselves updated on the leading-edge thinking and technologies in the field.
From time to time, however, it will be necessary for NEA to engage consultants that either complement or augment their expertise for certain work and this depends on the nature and scale of what needs to be done.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["4 : This study is jointly commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore Police Force (SPF), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Housing Development Board (HDB)."],"footNoteQuestions":["33"],"questionNo":"33"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Prevalence of Accidents at Lentor Avenue-Yio Chu Kang Junction","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"34 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport (a) how many fatal accidents have occurred at the traffic light junction at Lentor Avenue and Yio Chu Kang Road so far this year; (b) what actions have been taken against motorists who cause death in fatal cases; and (c) whether any action will be taken by the Ministry to improve safety at this junction.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: There was one fatal accident at the traffic light junction of Lentor Avenue, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and Yio Chu Kang Road in the first half of this year, on 25 January. Prior to this, there had been no major traffic accident at this junction for the last three years. Nonetheless, as MOT had shared in a response to the Member in April, we had asked LTA to take a closer look at the safety of the junction. Following the review, LTA will implement full traffic light control for right-turn movements for motorists approaching that junction along Lentor Avenue and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 by the end of this year. Motorists will have to wait for the traffic light to show the green arrow before making a right turn, even when there is a gap in the oncoming traffic.
Motorists who cause death due to reckless or dangerous driving, or rash or negligent acts, face a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment as well as a fine and a driving ban upon conviction. These penalties are aligned with other
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criminal acts under the Penal Code where a death is unintentionally caused.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Commissioning Local and Regional Artists to Create Art Works","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"35 Ms Janice Koh asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether the Ministry will consider setting up a special fund to annually commission new public art and sculptures by local and regional artists for Singaporeans to enjoy in public buildings, parks and neighbourhoods and, if so, whether the first commissions can be done in time to celebrate Singapore's 50th birthday in 2015.
Mr Lawrence Wong: We recognise the importance of public art in Singapore's streetscape, be it in our commercial districts or our residential heartlands.
For these reasons, the National Arts Council (NAC) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) offer several schemes to bring art by local and regional artists to more public spaces. The NAC supports public art projects through grants, and commissions new art pieces through platforms like the Singapore Biennale. The NHB's Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme allows individuals and organisations to get a double tax deduction if they commission or donate public art.
My Ministry is now in the process of reviewing how we can further encourage more art in our public spaces. This is not just a matter of public funding. More importantly, we will need the support of all stakeholders, including commercial entities and building owners to develop our public art environment. Through this review, we aim to have more quality artworks in our public spaces for all Singaporeans to enjoy.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Plans for Tampines Bike Park","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"36 Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Tampines Bike Park will be closed; (b) if
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so, when will it be closed; and (c) what are the plans to provide replacement sites for the mountain bike trail and the world-class BMX track.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Tampines Bike Park is scheduled to be closed as its site is required for residential use. The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) will continue to operate the Bike Park for as long as possible until the site is required by HDB, tentatively around the middle of 2014.
We recognise that there has been sustained interest in the Tampines Bike Park since the site was developed for the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. SSC will seek to continue to cater to the needs of its users after the closure.
For mountain biking, there are alternative sites such as the Bukit Timah mountain bike (MTB) trail, the Kent Ridge MTB Trail and the Ketam MTB Trail in Pulau Ubin. These provide sufficient capacity and varying difficulty levels to cater to a wide range of mountain bike trail users.
As for the BMX track, SSC is in discussion with the land planning authorities, namely, URA, HDB and NParks, for potential replacement sites.
SSC will provide an update on the study before the closure of the Tampines Bike Park, and aims to provide a replacement by the end of 2014.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Making Every School a Good School","subTitle":"Update on progress of programme","sectionType":"WANA","content":"40 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Education in its programme to make every school a good school, what has the Ministry achieved and done so far.
Mr Heng Swee Keat: A good school is one that understands the needs of its students well and is able to meet those needs effectively through suitable programmes and dedicated staff. MOE helps every school to become a good school by strengthening its capacity to provide quality education and
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supporting it to develop distinctive strengths.
In terms of manpower capacity, MOE has ensured a good distribution of experienced principals and skilful teachers across schools. We have raised the number and quality of our teaching professionals. We now employ 30% more teachers than a decade ago. We are also investing more in the professional development of teachers and the sharing of good practices across schools. The setting up of the Academy of Singapore Teachers and other academies such as the Singapore Teachers' Academy for the Arts (STAR), PE and Sports Teachers' Academy (PESTA) and English Language Institute of Singapore (ELIS), as well as the appointment of Master Teachers and Principal Master Teachers, has enabled dedicated resources and efforts to be deployed for the levelling up of quality teaching practices across all the schools.
Schools are also supported by MOE to develop their own distinctive strengths. They receive additional funding every year to provide development opportunities for all students in specific niche areas. Examples of niche areas established by schools are Design Thinking, Outdoor Education, Applied Learning and Aesthetics. Students are given rich learning experiences beyond the usual curriculum and classroom experiences. Currently, 73% of Secondary schools and 66% of Primary schools have already established a niche. MOE is working with the remaining schools to help them identify and develop their niche areas and programmes.
We are making steady progress on this journey of helping every school to be a good school so that all students will be provided with a quality education.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Dependency Ratio Ceilings for New Growth Industries","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"43 Ms Mary Liew asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether concessions on the dependency ratio ceilings are offered to foreign investments and companies in new growth industries that are setting up in Singapore; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider introducing policies on knowledge transfer that compel training and transfer of expertise to Singaporeans whilst reducing our reliance on foreign talents.
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Our aim is to create good jobs for Singaporeans. To achieve this, we have been proactively attracting good investments and giving
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Singaporeans a leg-up through capability and development training. In the process, we may provide some short-term flexibility on our foreign worker rules – either to cope with temporary skills and capability gaps in the initial start-up period until trained local manpower is ready, or to deal with temporary surges in manpower demand. But this flexibility is only granted on an exceptional basis, for projects that generate high productivity levels in terms of value add per worker.
In terms of skills and knowledge transfer to Singaporeans, there are many schemes that have yielded positive results. One example is the Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS), which aims to prepare Singaporeans to take on leadership positions across various sectors. In 2012, 90 Singaporeans have been awarded undergraduate scholarships from 28 enterprises.
Specifically for the Biomedical Sciences and Process industries, the Development and Apprenticeship Programme (DNA) also seeks to encourage companies to localise their talent pool by providing industry endorsed training and career development pathways for new local hires. Since the programme was launched in 2012, it has attracted 24 companies committing to hire and train 335 locals.
MOM has taken deliberate and progressive steps on reducing reliance on foreign talents, by tightening the qualifying criteria for both Employment Pass and S Pass applications. Our Employment Pass numbers fell in 2012, the first time since 2003. One important area which we are looking to address is to ensure that Singaporeans are being fairly considered for job and development opportunities, which will encourage companies to groom Singaporeans for more senior roles. I will provide an update on our plans on this issue later this year, once they are finalised.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"US' Requests for Singapore's Assistance on Counter-Terrorism Intelligence","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"46 Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past two years, how many times has the US asked for assistance from Singapore on counter-terrorism intelligence and law enforcement cooperation; (b) whether Singapore has been able to assist fully with the requests; and (c) whether there are requests that Singapore is not able
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to support the US on.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: There are long-standing counter-terrorism related interactions between our security agencies and their US counterparts which are marked by regular and frequent exchanges. The past two years have been no different. For operational security reasons I am not able to reveal the exact number of requests we have received from our American counterparts. I can inform Members that as always, our agencies have offered their full assistance and acted expeditiously to the extent possible, on any requests for assistance from their US counterparts. They have also communicated their findings or information on actions or investigations conducted promptly.
On the minority of occasions where we were not able to meet or fully meet their requests for assistance, it was because the information provided in the request was insufficient or not specific enough, or there were legal constraints which we had to observe. These outcomes have also been promptly communicated to their US counterparts. There have also been instances where our US counterparts were not able to assist us based on their own constraints. This is to be expected in any relationship of this nature. Our US counterparts have not raised any specific concern over any particular cases with our agencies.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Disciplinary Procedures for Law Enforcement Officers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"47 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) for the last five years, what was the shortest and longest period for the processing of disciplinary cases of law enforcement officers from the time of complaint or discovery to their conclusion; and (b) under what circumstances have armed officers been relieved of their firearms while disciplinary proceedings were pending.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: Officers alleged to have committed acts of misconduct or neglect of duty are dealt with in accordance with the Civil Service's disciplinary framework. Due process is accorded to the officer facing disciplinary proceedings and the officer will have an opportunity to be heard.
There are two disciplinary regimes. Police officers below the rank of Inspector are disciplined under the provisions of the Police Force Act. Senior Police officers of the rank of Inspector and above and other law enforcement
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officers are disciplined under the Public Service Commission's Regulations and Directions.
In disciplinary cases involving a Police officer below the rank of Inspector, a disciplinary hearing before the Police Disciplinary Board will commence within six months from the date of the offence. Some cases are concluded within a month and the majority within seven months. In cases where there are serious and complex issues, or a large number of witnesses have to be examined, proceedings may take between eight months and two years.
For law enforcement officers disciplined under the Public Service Commission's Regulations or Directions, the majority of cases in the past five years were concluded in about two years. Where the cases involve criminal charges, the civil service disciplinary process has to be suspended while criminal investigations and criminal proceedings are on-going. It can only resume after the completion of criminal proceedings.
If an armed officer is under investigation for a criminal offence, the officer will be barred from carrying firearms immediately. For armed officers who are undergoing disciplinary action, their supervisors and Commanders/Directors will monitor them closely. If it is assessed that the officer may pose a risk to himself or others, the officer will be barred from carrying firearms and redeployed to non-operational roles.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Curbing Rental Rises at HDB Coffee Shops","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"48 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for National Development what safeguards are the Government putting in place to moderate potential rental increases for HDB coffee shop tenants in light of escalating transacted prices for HDB coffee shops.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: There are 714 eating houses in HDB estates, of which 429 are sold and 285 are on rental.
Whether sold or rental eating houses, the rents of individual stalls are negotiated between the eating house operators and the stallholders. The operator has to set the stall rental price carefully to ensure good take-up rates whereas the stallholders have to ensure the rents are not too high as to render
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their businesses not viable. These are business decisions in which HDB does not intervene.
Although the transacted prices of eating houses have gone up, the average number of transactions is 33 cases per year for the past three years. They form less than 8% of the total number of sold eating houses. With HDB constructing about 30 new eating houses currently and NEA building 10 new hawker centres, the upcoming supply of new cooked food stalls should help to keep overall stall rentals in check.
We will, nevertheless, closely monitor the commercial properties market. If necessary, we will intervene to prevent speculation and excessive price increases in this market.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Indonesia's Agreement to Share Concession Maps to Tackle Occurrence of Haze","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"49 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) to what extent will Indonesia's agreement to share digitised concession maps of its forests on only a case-by-case and government-to-government basis help with the identification of errant companies engaging in slash-and-burn practices; (b) what are the situations in which Indonesia has agreed, or not agreed, to share their concession maps; and (c) whether any date has been set for the launch of the ASEAN Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System (HMS) platform.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Haze is caused by the burning of forests because this is the cheapest way to clear land. The Ministers of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Transboundary Haze Pollution agreed to explore sharing concession maps and the use of satellite and mapping technologies to monitor hotspots and identify errant companies. Singapore was at the forefront of this effort by developing the technology platform to enable this – the ASEAN Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System (HMS). The overlay of Indonesia’s concession maps on the hotspot data will help to pinpoint which plantation companies are responsible for illegal slash-and-burn practices.
Unfortunately, the agreement that was reached among the Ministers at the 15th MSC meeting held on 17 July 2013 fell short of Singapore's
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recommendation a fully functioning system populated with comprehensive accurate concession maps overlaid with hotspot locations accessible to the general public. Unfortunately, Indonesia claimed there were legal impediments to greater transparency. Consequently, we could only get a consensus to adopt the joint haze monitoring system with data shared at the government-to-government level, subject to the ASEAN Leaders' approval at the ASEAN Leaders' Summit in October 2013.
Nevertheless, even if the maps can only be shared on a government-to-government basis, the HMS should enable governments to identify errant companies and take appropriate enforcement action against them. We, therefore, hope that ASEAN will launch the HMS with the relevant country concession maps promptly in October 2013. We also hope Indonesia will ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution as soon as possible.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"MRT Service Disruptions on Newer Lines","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"50 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for Transport if he will explain why almost 50% of the 32 major service disruptions on MRT lines from 2010 to June 2013 happen on the newer lines and almost 30% of the breakdowns are attributed to the Circle Line.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: The Circle Line was opened in stages from 2009. There were three service disruptions of more than 30 minutes each year from 2010 to 2012. In 2013, there have been none so far. Most of these disruptions were due to teething issues with its power system, it being a new line with new technologies. LTA and SMRT are now in the process of replacing the power cables. This should be completed this year. The cable replacement programme, as well as more frequent maintenance checks on the cables, will hopefully reduce the number of service disruptions on the Circle Line.
For the North East Line, we have seen more instances of disruptions beyond 30 minutes recently, mostly due to faults caused by stress corrosion cracking of components that secure its overhead power system, particularly in the tunnels between HarbourFront and Outram Park stations. This is due to unique and unexpected climatic conditions in these tunnels which are not observed in the tunnels of other lines, or even in the other parts of the North East Line further away from this particular stretch. These occurrences of stress
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corrosion cracking took place over time and did not show up in the initial years of operation. SBST has already replaced the affected components in this stretch of the tunnels and has stepped up the frequency of checks. LTA and SBST are also assessing the suitability of using more corrosive-resistant materials in the longer term. The service reliability of the North East Line should improve as these measures are put in place.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Naming Rights of Sports Hub","subTitle":"Obtaining value from sale of naming rights","sectionType":"WANA","content":"51 Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) why the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding between OCBC Bank and the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium for naming rights to the Sports Hub was not approved by the Government; (b) whether the Ministry and the Singapore Sports Council could have better managed the process with clearer guidelines on the naming rights to the Sports Hub facilities; (c) if he will provide an update and details on the naming of the individual Sports Hub facilities, including the naming rights sale and revenue generated thus far; and (d) how does the Ministry ensure that fair value has been obtained in any naming rights sale.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Sports Hub is developed under a 25-year public-private-partnership (PPP) agreement, where Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL) undertakes to design, build, finance and operate the entire project. As part of the contract, SHPL solicits and manages commercial opportunities for the Sports Hub. SHPL has commercial relationships with many partners and it does not require the Government's approval to enter into any such commercial agreements.
What SHPL needs to do is to seek the SSC's approval for the naming of Sports Hub facilities. The PPP agreement provides for the sale of such naming rights for individual facilities within the Sports Hub, but it was silent on whether naming rights could be sold for the entire Sports Hub. Nevertheless, in seeking to secure the best sponsorship deal for the Sports Hub, SHPL had identified a potential sponsor which was prepared to pay for such a naming right, and it
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made a formal proposal to the SSC.
My Ministry and the SSC studied this proposal carefully. It was an attractive proposal, which would have provided significant sponsorship monies for the Sports Hub. But we decided that it was important to retain the over-riding principle of preserving the Sports Hub and the National Stadium as national icons free from commercial naming rights. SSC has since clarified this point with SHPL. They have accepted our position, and are now looking at sponsorship deals confined to individual facilities within the Sports Hub.
In assessing any proposal for the sale of naming rights, SSC will look at fair value considerations. This is done through an independent valuation of the commercial value of the property. At this juncture, the details of the naming rights deal for individual Sports Hub facilities are still being worked out.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Facilitating NSmen's Pursuit of Undergraduate Studies","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"52 Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for Defence (a) what is the average time interval between graduation from Junior College and Polytechnic to enlistment into National Service; (b) what measures has the Ministry taken to minimise the time interval between completion of National Service and enrolment for undergraduate studies; and (c) for the past three years, how many NSmen were not granted disruption for them to pursue their undergraduate studies at the local Universities and what were the reasons for not granting the disruption.
Dr Ng Eng Hen: National Service (NS) enlistment is carried out over four quarterly intakes starting in December, March, June and September. In general, Junior College (JC) students enlist in the December and March intakes and wait about a few weeks to three months after their JC studies. Polytechnic students who complete their studies in March are enlisted in the June and September intakes, and wait about three to six months. More than half (about 55%) of JC and Polytechnic students are enlisted in the earlier intake. A small number of National Servicemen are enlisted later than their educational peers as further investigations for medical conditions are required to determine their physical employment status.
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Disruption from full-time NS is granted to enable those who are enlisted in the later intake to enter University at the same time as their school cohort who were enlisted earlier, to maintain cohort equity. Based on this criteria, over the past three years, we have granted disruption to an average of 600 full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) each year for local and overseas studies. Those who did not satisfy the criteria of cohort equity were not granted disruption. MINDEF does not track the number of such cases.
MINDEF regularly reviews measures to reduce the time interval between completion of full-time NS and local University studies. However, some factors are beyond MINDEF's control, such as the start date of universities and the place of study which the NSmen choose. Generally, Australian universities begin term in February, while US and UK universities begin term in September and October respectively. Because of this wide variability, it may not always be possible for SAF to align its full-time NS period to suit the needs of all National Servicemen, as SAF must first ensure that its operational readiness is not compromised.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ensuring Places at Tertiary Institutes for Singaporeans","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"54 Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked the Minister for Education (a) how his Ministry ensures that all Singaporeans who qualify can afford to study in a public University or Polytechnic; and (b) whether the Ministry will increase fee subsidies and provide more scholarships and bursaries to local students.
Mr Heng Swee Keat: Education is a key enabler for Singaporeans to progress, and the Government has been and remains committed to maximising opportunities for Singaporeans through education. It is an important tenet of this Government's approach that no student who qualifies for admission to our local Autonomous Universities (AUs) and Polytechnics will be prevented from pursuing his studies because he cannot afford it. The Government assists all Singaporeans who qualify for such tertiary education in the following ways:
(a) by subsidising a substantial portion of the tuition fee by way of a tuition grant. This is given to all Singaporeans who study in our publicly-funded Institutes of Higher Learning;
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(b) by providing a variety of financial assistance schemes to assist those who are unable to afford the remaining amount payable by the student after the provision of the tuition grant. This is given depending on need and individual circumstances.
All Singaporeans who are admitted to the AUs and Polytechnics receive a tuition grant that covers about 75% and 85% respectively of their tuition fees.
To ensure that no deserving student is denied a place in the Universities or Polytechnics due to financial difficulties, there is a range of financial assistance schemes – bursaries, loans and scholarships – to cover not only the remaining tuition fees payable but also to help students defray their costs of living.
These include the CDC/CCC5 Bursary, MOE Bursary, Tuition Fee Loan Scheme and Study Loan Scheme offered by the Government. In addition, there are other scholarship and bursary schemes offered by the Universities, community organisations and Government agencies, as well as private and professional organisations. The Universities' admission offices and Polytechnic student services centres help their students in accessing these schemes.
The Ministry has, since 2011, increased the bursary quanta and also broadened the coverage of the CDC/CCC Bursary and the MOE Bursary to benefit Singapore Citizens up to the 66th percentile of household incomes.
The Government has also partnered industries to offer Singaporeans more scholarships. The Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS), for instance, was launched in 2012. This is a Government-supported, multi-industry initiative to identify and develop a strong Singapore Core across key economic and people sectors. Last year, 90 Singaporean students from diverse backgrounds received the scholarship.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["5 : CDC/CCC refers to Community Development Council/ Citizens' Consultative Committee."],"footNoteQuestions":["54"],"questionNo":"54"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"More Covered under MediShield","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"56 Ms Mary Liew asked the Minister for Health (a) since the implementation of the enhanced MediShield, whether there has been an increase in the number of persons covered as compared to previous years; (b) what is the current number of Singaporeans that are still not covered under the MediShield and what are the reasons for not being covered; (c) whether the Ministry will consider reviewing MediShield to convert it to a comprehensive scheme that will cover Singaporeans with pre-existing illnesses.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: As at end 2012, 92% of the resident population, or 3.5 million members, were covered under MediShield, compared to 78% as at end 2007. The significant increase is due to several factors, including the introduction of more auto-cover points, including at birth. The recent enhancements to cover congenital and neonatal conditions from birth and to extend the maximum coverage age from 85 to 90 will improve the population coverage further.
For the remaining 8% who are not covered under MediShield, most opted out, lapsed in their coverage, or never applied for coverage for those who were not auto-covered. Less than 0.5% of the population was unable to obtain MediShield coverage when they applied, due to serious pre-existing illnesses. Those with pre-existing conditions but who are otherwise in good health can be covered for medical treatment not related to their conditions.
We have received feedback about extending MediShield coverage to Singaporeans with pre-existing illnesses from the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, and Singaporeans whom we engaged during the Our Singapore Conversation. MOH will take into account such feedback in our review of healthcare financing.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Policyholders Who Exceed MediSave Withdrawal Limits","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"57 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Health whether there are MediShield policyholders who exceed the current MediSave withdrawal limits for their basic MediShield premiums and, if so, how many of such policyholders
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are there.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: MediShield is a basic health insurance scheme designed to help Singaporeans with the costs of subsidised Class B2/C bills at public hospitals. MediShield premiums can be paid through MediSave. The current MediSave withdrawal limits can fully cover basic MediShield premiums for policyholders across all age groups. MOH will continue to regularly review the MediShield and MediSave schemes, to ensure that healthcare remains affordable for Singaporeans.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Appeals by Families against Court Sentences for Road Accidents","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"58 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Law in cases where motorists are killed by other motorists in road accidents, whether the current laws allow for the victims' families to pursue further proceedings and appeal against a sentence imposed by the Court on the perpetrator.
Mr K Shanmugam: Fatal road accidents can give rise to both criminal and civil liability.
Criminal prosecutions are under the purview of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC). Where police investigations reveal that a traffic fatality resulted from criminal conduct, the AGC may prosecute the errant driver. Such charges are usually brought either under section 66 of the Road Traffic Act for dangerous driving causing death or section 304A of the Penal Code for causing death by a rash or a negligent act. The maximum penalties for these offences are a fine, or an imprisonment term of up to five years, or both. Disqualification orders prohibiting the offender from holding or obtaining a driving licence may also be imposed.
The Member's question refers to a situation when criminal proceedings have been brought by the state and a sentence has been imposed by the Court. The question posed is whether in this situation, the law allows families of fatal road accident victims to pursue further proceedings and appeal against the sentence imposed by the Court.
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With regard to criminal proceedings, as the prosecution is by the state, the decision as to whether or not to pursue the matter further or to appeal lies with the state. Where the sentence is manifestly inadequate, the prosecution will appeal against it. The Public Prosecutor's decision is made objectively, taking into account the severity of the offence and the consequences, the impact on the victim, as well as the broader public interest. The victim's family would not be in a position to appeal against the sentence in such criminal proceedings. However, if the family has concerns, the family may raise them to AGC, which will consider all relevant factors in deciding whether to appeal.
Civil proceedings can be brought by any person in charge of managing the deceased's estate against the errant driver for compensation.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Repayment of CPF Funds when Co-owners Withdraw from Co-Ownership","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"59 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Acting Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the current CPF policy of requiring parents to repay the CPF funds that have been used to service the HDB housing loan of their children who are co-owners of their existing flat when the children withdraw from co-ownership to purchase another HDB flat with their spouse or fiancé/fiancée.
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: The primary purpose of the CPF is to provide for Singaporeans' retirement. To support home ownership for Singaporeans, members can use CPF savings to finance their home purchase. To ensure that the monies return to the member's CPF account, there is a CPF charge on the property. This will ensure that when a member sells his property, the proceeds from the sale are used to refund the principal amount of CPF monies withdrawn to finance the purchase, as well as any interest that would have accrued had this amount not been withdrawn.
The requirement to refund CPF savings used for home purchases also applies to any other scenario where the child wishes to lift the charge on the property that he had purchased with his parents earlier. The refund can be made by transferring the parents' CPF monies that are available for use for housing to the child's CPF account, by cash, or by taking up a loan with HDB or the banks if eligible. If the child is not able to refund the CPF monies, we are unable to lift
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the charge on the property that he had purchased with his parents. This will ensure that when that property is eventually sold, the proceeds will be refunded to CPF thus ensuring that his retirement adequacy is not compromised.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Building Up Singaporean Management Team for Fifth Schedule Companies","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"60 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in strengthening our Singaporean Core, what plans does the Government have in building up a management team who are of Singapore citizenship for companies listed under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of Singapore.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Mr Lim Biow Chuan was concerned about building up management teams that are comprised of Singapore Citizens for companies listed under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of Singapore. He may have been referring to GIC and Temasek, rather than the Statutory Boards under the Fifth Schedule.
The Government is not a disinterested observer in key management appointments at GIC and Temasek. As shareholder, the Government has a clear interest in the companies continuing to have strong leadership teams. However, the Government does not intervene directly in the management appointments of GIC or Temasek and it will be ill-advised to do so.
The decisions on key management appointments must remain the responsibility of the respective Boards of GIC and Temasek. They must decide based on the merits and suitability of any candidate. The Government's role, instead, is to ensure that capable and trustworthy individuals are appointed to the Boards of GIC and Temasek, with the concurrence of the President.
Both GIC and Temasek have strong and robust processes to track and evaluate potential candidates for key management positions. In both cases, candidates are assessed based on their professional expertise and knowledge of markets, leadership skills and alignment with the organisation's core values.
As shareholder, it is also in the Government's interest to see GIC and Temasek appoint the best persons based on these criteria, so that the
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organisations can deliver good returns over the long term. At the same time, everything else being equal, when you look at two candidates who are equally suitable, we should prefer to have a Singaporean. The Boards know that these are our broad preferences.
As GIC and Temasek have to manage investment portfolios that are spread worldwide and need a diverse range of knowledge and expertise, it is inevitable and necessary that they would have some non-Singaporeans amongst management. However, a substantial majority of Temasek and GIC's senior management teams remains Singaporean.
Nurturing a Singaporean Core is important not just for GIC and Temasek, but for our enterprises and financial institutions based here. Deliberate efforts have to be put in succession planning and talent development to give Singaporeans opportunities and exposure to nurture their skills, build up experience locally and beyond, so that they can take on larger responsibilities in time to come.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Comparison of Premier League Charges in Singapore and Other Countries","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"61 Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked the Minister for Communications and Information in view of the recent ruling against SingTel's appeal on sharing of Barclays Premier League (BPL) content (a) how does the local subscription cost for paid BPL channels compare with charges by other TV operators in major markets; and (b) whether MDA foresees other impact or inconvenience to consumers, such as procedures, processes or hidden costs, due to the cross-carriage measure.
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: I would like to emphasise upfront that it is not the intent of the cross-carriage measure to lower the cost of pay TV subscriptions. In any competitive market, prices will be determined by market forces. On this, I would like to share two points on the pricing and packaging of premium sports content in the pay TV market.
First, globally, the cost of acquiring premium sports content, and BPL content in particular, is on an upward trend. In the UK, BT and BSkyB jointly paid about £3 billion for the BPL rights – a 70% increase from the last round in
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2009. Closer to home, it was reported that there has been an increase in BPL content acquisition cost of more than 450% and 300% for the Thai and Vietnam pay TV markets respectively. Such a trend was also mentioned in a recent The Business Times article on 31 July 2013. In fact, and I quote, \"so dear were these rights that Abu Dhabi Media dropped out of the EPL race in the Middle East, citing the 'commercial infeasibility of the deal'\".
Hence, it would be unrealistic to expect the cost of premium sports content to remain unchanged when they continue to grow in appeal. Our pay TV retailers would have their own commercial considerations when determining the packaging and pricing of their offerings, including what they think would be acceptable to customers.
Second, premier sports content, such as the BPL, is more often than not offered on a bundled basis with other content. This practice is seen in numerous countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia and UK, and is an established pay TV norm, which allows for premium content costs to be monetised over a larger subscriber base. Ala carte channels, where available, are usually more expensive than bundled pricing.
MDA has looked at the prices of the comparative bundles in several countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia and also, the home country of the BPL, UK. As BPL is not offered on an ala carte basis in these countries, MDA compared Singapore's BPL ala carte offering to the cheapest packs in these countries. While our pricing in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms is more expensive than that in Malaysia and Australia, it is less expensive than in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Thailand. Members can refer to the table below.
We also note that following the announcement by SingNet on the pricing for the ala-carte BPL, both SingNet and StarHub have come up with competitive triple-play bundles and promotional rebates or discounts for subscribers who sign up or recontract for these bundles and the BPL content. In fact, StarHub’s latest announcement on 8 August 2013 essentially means that customers can potentially watch BPL content for less than the original $34.90, after the full rebate. This also results in the lowest price option available among the countries in the table below.
Further moderation in sports content prices in Singapore will come about once pay TV providers and sports content owners realise that beyond a certain price level, they stand to lose more consumers, as consumers switch to
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alternative sports franchises or access platforms.
On the implementation of the cross-carriage measure, I understand that MDA has been closely monitoring the implementation process and has, in fact, facilitated a number of implementation meetings with both SingNet and StarHub. The Media Market Conduct Code (MMCC), also imposed obligations on both pay TV operators with regard to ensuring the smooth implementation of the cross-carriage of the BPL channels in time for the season's kick off on 17 August 2013, and that there is no discrimination in the customer service arrangements and viewing experience for subscribers on either platform. MDA takes a serious view of any breach of obligations by either pay TV operator and will not hesitate to take firm action against providers that breach their obligations.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Revising Income Ceiling for Purchase of HDB Flats","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"62 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the income ceiling of $10,000 for the purchase of HDB flats for married couples with children, from gross income to a per capita income limit, as married couples with children will tend to have higher expenses than those without children.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: HDB is committed to helping Singaporeans, particularly first-timers and low-income families, own a home. The income ceiling ensures that the Government's limited housing subsidies are prioritised for those who need them most.
At $10,000, the current income ceiling covers eight in 10 households. Nonetheless, for households who exceed the income ceiling but face difficulties, such as heavy financial commitments to support family members' medical and household expenses, we are prepared to review their case.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Chronic Long-stayers in Restructured Hospitals","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"65 Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the current number of chronic long-stayers in the restructured hospitals; (b) what has been their average duration of stay; and (c) what is the progress in trying to get them placed in intermediate to long-term care facilities.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: As of 19 July 2013, there are 645 patients in the restructured hospitals who have stayed for more than 21 days. These patients currently occupy approximately 10% of the beds in service in the hospitals.
Of these 645 patients, 364 (or 56%) are not yet fit for discharge and still need to receive medical care in the acute hospitals. Of the remaining 281 patients, about two out of three are awaiting placement or transfer to nursing homes or community hospitals for further care, and the rest would include patients who are awaiting care-giver arrangement and training before their discharge.
MOH works closely with the hospitals to provide the necessary support, so that patients can be discharged and recuperate in the comfort of their own
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homes. For example, we have recently introduced a pilot interim caregiver service by the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society for patients of Changi General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital earlier this year. This service provides temporary help of two weeks for patients who are fit to go home but whose discharge may be delayed while they work out their long-term caregiving arrangements, for example, waiting for the foreign domestic worker to arrive. In addition, there are also Aged Care TransitION (ACTION) care coordinators in each hospital to help newly discharged patients and families who may need help adjusting to the new care needs of the patients.
Changi General Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital have also started a transitional care service where doctors and nurses visit the patients at their home in the immediate post-discharge period for those who may need medical follow-up.
For stable patients who are unable to be cared for in the home setting, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) works closely with our hospitals to facilitate their transfer to step-down care facilities, such as nursing homes. As a result of the collective efforts by the hospitals, AIC, MOH and nursing home providers, the number of patients who have been successfully matched to a nursing home has nearly doubled from 1,185 in 2010 to 2,100 in 2012.
MOH is building more nursing homes and community hospitals to meet the increase in demand. By the end of this year, 700 more nursing home beds will come on-stream, with another about 3,000 nursing home beds being added by 2016. By 2020, the number of community hospital beds will increase by 1,900 beds, more than tripling the 800 community hospital beds today.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Trade and Economic Relations with Myanmar","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"66 Mr R Dhinakaran asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the specific steps that the Government is taking to establish trade and economic relations with Myanmar and how can our SMEs benefit from this.
67 Mr R Dhinakaran asked the Minister for Trade and Industry with the EU lifting its sanctions on Myanmar, how does this impact Singapore companies looking to go into that market.
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Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Myanmar has embarked on a series of economic reforms in recent years, including implementing a new Foreign Investment Law and unifying its exchange rate system. These measures have helped to boost trade and investment activities in Myanmar. To signal their support for Myanmar's reform process, members of the international community, including the European Union (EU) and the US, have lifted economic sanctions on Myanmar.
These developments will help businesses interested to set up operations in Myanmar, including Singapore companies. For example, the EU decision on 22 April 2013 to lift economic sanctions and to reinstate the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) to Myanmar will grant duty-free and quota-free access to the European market for most products6. Singapore companies seeking to base their manufacturing operations in Myanmar can then enjoy greater market access and decreased tariffs for exports destined for the European market.
Over the long term, Myanmar has considerable growth potential, given its strategic location between India and China, 60-million strong domestic consumer market and an abundant young workforce. Singapore is a significant investor in Myanmar, with investments amounting to S$4.4 billion as at the end of 20117.
To facilitate Singapore companies in exploring business opportunities in Myanmar, IE Singapore has organised investment seminars and also recently established an Overseas Centre in Yangon. The business community has also developed business-to-business (B-to-B) relationships with their Myanmar counterparts. For instance, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) has tied up with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) to facilitate collaborations between companies, especially SMEs, from both sides. Since the start of 2012, our economic agencies and trade associations have organised 16 business missions to Myanmar. As Myanmar continues to reform and open up its economy, the Government will continue to help businesses to deepen our economic and trade relationship.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["6 : With the exception of arms and ammunitions.","7 : Latest Figures. Source: Department of Statistics, Singapore."],"footNoteQuestions":["66","67"],"questionNo":"66-67"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Export and Import (EXIM) Bank for Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"68 Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Government will revisit its decision not to adopt the recommendation made by the Economic Strategies Committee in 2010 to establish an EXIM Bank for Singapore to plug gaps that Singapore SMEs face in cross-border trade finance and internationalisation finance; and (b) if not, whether the Government has any evidence or indicators to the effect that the structural impediments to Singapore SMEs' access to cross-border trade finance and internationalisation finance have been overcome by existing schemes, such as the Internationalisation Finance Scheme.
Mr Lim Hng Kiang: The Government had studied various options to meet the gaps in trade and project financing identified by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC). One of the options studied was the establishment of an EXIM bank. The study had concluded that the gaps in trade financing could be addressed by expanding the suite of trade and internationalisation finance schemes under IE Singapore, without the attendant financial and implementation risks that setting up an EXIM bank would entail.
In October 2012, IE launched the Political Risk Insurance Scheme (PRIS) to enable companies to take up Political Risk Insurance for their overseas investments and projects. With this cover, banks are more willing to extend financing to companies undertaking projects in emerging markets.
In addition, as announced at Budget 2013, IE Singapore is working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and private insurers to expand the ADB's Trade Finance Programme for Singapore-based companies. Many companies already benefit from the programme, which currently supports over US$1 billion of trade capacity. This credit enhancement tool will further encourage financial institutions to support Singapore companies that trade in less familiar markets. We expect to launch this by the end of 2013.
These new schemes go above and beyond IE's existing schemes, such as the Loan Insurance Scheme (LIS/LIS+), the Internationalisation Finance (IF) Scheme and the Trade Credit Insurance Scheme (TCIS). Under these schemes, the Government takes on the major share of the risk of up to 75%, with the banks taking up the remainder. This ensures that companies at the margins are more effectively supported.
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These schemes have benefited many SMEs. In 2012, we supported over 1,800 companies covering S$670 million in loans and about $1.2 billion in insured turnover. The Government will continue to monitor and review the effectiveness of these schemes in addressing the trade and internationalisation needs of our companies.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Public Sector Employees Offered Re-employment","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"69 Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Prime Minister (a) what percentage of employees in the public sector reaching employment age are offered re-employment in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively; (b) in each of those years, how many employees in the public sector are re-employed at their last-drawn salaries while doing the same jobs; (c) of those re-employed employees who have their salaries reduced, what is the average percentage of reduction; and (d) whether the recent findings by the National Trades Union Congress on re-employment practices in the public and private sectors provide sufficient basis for the Government to revise its re-employment practices.
Mr Teo Chee Hean (for the Prime Minister): The percentage of public sector employees offered re-employment has increased from 76% in 2010 to 89% for the one-and-a-half-year period following the implementation of the Public Service re-employment guidelines on 1 July 2011.
Some officers preferred not to continue working. The percentage of officers who were successfully re-employed also increased from 64% to 83% of the retiring cohort across the same period.
Amongst the re-employed officers, 82% continued on the same substantive grade, with 11% of those at the same grade re-employed at their last drawn salaries. The majority had their salaries adjusted to the mid-point of their salary range, which is aligned to the Tripartite Guidelines on Re-employment of Older Employees, released on 11 January 2011. The average salary adjustment was about 13%.
I told the House in this year's Committee of Supply that PSD would review our re-employment guidelines. We have since announced on 29 July 2013, the changes that have taken effect from 1 August 2013. With the revised guidelines, all Division III and IV officers offered re-employment will be re-employed at the same substantive grade with their last drawn salaries. For Division I and II officers, more officers who are re-employed at the
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same substantive grade will continue with their last drawn salaries, and for those whose salaries are to be adjusted, the adjustment is capped at 15%. The Public Service will continue to offer fair re-employment terms to our officers that are reflective of market practice.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Help for PMEs Who were Unfairly Dismissed","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"73 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Acting Minister for Manpower what support can the Government offer to PMEs who are unfairly dismissed but have no financial means to initiate a civil lawsuit against their errant employers.
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: PMEs who do not have the financial means to initiate a civil lawsuit against their employers for alleged unfair dismissal can approach the Legal Aid Bureau to apply for legal assistance. A Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident who satisfies a Means Test which looks at his total disposable capital and annual income will be eligible for legal aid at the Legal Aid Bureau8.
Additionally, PMEs who are union members working in unionised companies and are eligible for representation by unions under the Industrial Relations Act, can currently seek redress and appeal to the Minister for Manpower for reinstatement to their former employment, if they feel that they had been unfairly dismissed.
In view of the changing composition of the workforce, we also intend to extend general protection under the Employment Act to PMEs earning up to $4,500. My Ministry will be tabling the Employment Amendment Bill later this year. This means that when the amendments come into effect, these PMEs will be protected against unfair dismissal.
To give employers some flexibility, we will set a qualifying service period of one year for these PMEs before they are eligible to seek redress. This is a reasonable period for employers to assess the suitability of PMEs.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["8 : Foreigners residing in Singapore can approach the Law Society's Pro Bono Services Office."],"footNoteQuestions":["73"],"questionNo":"73"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Surveillance for Places with Frequent Youth Gang Fights","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"75 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs what more can be done to ensure safety in places where youths frequent and where youth gang fights have occurred that resulted in casualties or fatalities.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: Youths frequent various public, social and recreational areas, including heartland malls, the vicinity of their schools and entertainment outlets, such as bars, karaoke, cinemas and shopping complexes.
Public Entertainment outlets, such as billiard saloons and amusement centres, are subject to licensing conditions which require the licensee to report unlawful activities to the Police. In other youth congregation areas, Police conducts visible patrols and enforcement checks to maintain public safety. Police also delivers crime prevention advice to youths in vulnerable circumstances, and works with premise owners and other stakeholders to enhance security measures, such as the deployment of security officers and surveillance cameras, to detect crime and violence.
Police takes youth gang incidents very seriously and has further increased patrols, enforcement checks and security measures to ensure the safety of the public following recent incidents. For example, Police has conducted intensive checks at Cineleisure and the neighbouring *Scape Park, while working with the management to consider longer-term measures, such as improving and expanding the CCTV systems, to detect and deter crime.
In addition, the Government has recently reviewed and refined our strategies and measures to deal with youth crime and youth violence. Last month, in response to another Member's question, the Ministry updated this House on the implementation of recommendations from the Inter-Ministry Working Group on Youth Gangs. They include enhanced coordination and collaboration between agencies, improved upstream measures for youths who are at the early stages of gang association, enhancements in family involvement in the youths rehabilitation and diversionary programmes, and the strengthening of anti-gang legislation which will tighten the regulation of youth
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congregation areas.
Although the youth crime and youth gang situation in Singapore remains under control, we will continue with our efforts to help youths stay crime-free, while taking action against those who present a threat to public safety. I would also like to encourage parents and the community to play their part in helping youths stay crime-free and to keep our neighbourhoods and public areas safe.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Employment Conditions for Additional CPF Housing Grant","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"76 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for National Development whether the period of National Service can be considered as meeting the 12-month continuous employment requirement under the Eligibility Conditions for the Additional CPF Housing Grant so that an NSman can get additional assistance in buying his first subsidised BTO flat if he decides to settle down within a year of his Operationally Ready Date.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) Scheme is meant to help lower- and middle-income families to buy their first subsidised home. As a home purchase is a long-term financial commitment, a 12-month continuous employment is required for at least one flat applicant. This serves as a check that the household is able to service their housing loan through steady employment.
Full-time National Service (NS) is a duty to the country performed by all male Singaporeans. It is not a salaried job and, therefore, does not fulfill the employment requirements of the AHG Scheme. MINDEF is, currently, examining ways to further recognise the contributions of National Servicemen.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Review of Priority Scheme in Primary 1 School Registration Exercise","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"81 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the priority scheme for Primary 1 school registration to set a limit on the number of places available under Phases 1 and
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2A so that there are sufficient places available under Phases 2B and 2C.
Mr Heng Swee Keat: The current Primary 1 (P1) Registration Framework sets out the order of priority in which P1 places are allocated. This takes into account several considerations, including siblings already studying in the school, parental or clan ties to the school, parent volunteer work, community involvement and proximity to the school.
MOE reviews the P1 Registration Framework regularly, and has refined the system over the years after taking into account feedback. For example, starting from the 2010 P1 Registration Exercise, Singapore Citizens were given two ballot slips per child, while Singapore Permanent Residents continued to get one ballot slip whenever balloting is conducted by any school during the P1 Registration Exercise. To further recognise citizenship privileges, starting from the 2012 P1 Registration Exercise, MOE gave Singapore Citizens absolute priority for admission over Singapore Permanent Residents whenever balloting is required in a specific phase.
Given that the demand for places in some schools exceeds the number of available places, the issue of P1 Registration continues to be topical. Indeed, this issue was discussed extensively in the education-related Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) discussions. This is not a simple issue, as shown by the range of feedback and suggestions from the different stakeholder groups, which is diverse and, at times, conflicting. Let me share some examples so that Members can appreciate some of the complexities and challenges in any review of the P1 registration framework.
One good example is distance. Those who live close to their choice schools prefer a strict distance-based criterion. However, others feel that this unfairly favours affluent families who can afford to live in properties near their school of choice. Some prefer random balloting so that all children, regardless of where they stay, will have an opportunity to be admitted into their school of choice.
For the various priority groups, there are similar complexities. Many schools count alumni support as a key strength. Many alumni parents want their children to experience the same ethos, values and school culture that they had as students and they feel strongly that alumni priority should remain. On the other hand, parents who are not alumni but who are keen to get their children into those schools argue that there should be more diversity within each school and, to realise this, we should give less priority or allocate fewer places to
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children of alumni. Similar arguments would be made in respect of other priority groups.
We recognise that the current P1 registration framework has resulted in some popular schools having very few places left after the initial phases of registration. Parents, who wish to enrol their children in these schools but do not meet any of the priority criteria, feel that there are insufficient places for them in such schools. As such, reviewing the P1 Registration system is a complex exercise, given the competing and conflicting interests. MOE is currently giving this matter serious consideration to see what further refinements can be made.
What is more important, however, is that every pupil receives a good quality and holistic education, regardless of the school which he or she attends. Many more parents are now investing time to learn more about the various programmes offered by Primary schools and how they can partner the schools in bringing out the best in their children. We will concentrate our efforts on making every school a good school. To achieve this goal, MOE has been resourcing all our schools with well-trained teachers, investing in suitable education facilities and ensuring adequate financial support for good school programmes.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Applications for Citizenship by Stateless Persons","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"82 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs how many stateless people in Singapore have appealed for citizenship annually and, of these, how many are approved.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: Over the last 10 years from 2003 and 2012, about 500 to 600 stateless persons in Singapore submitted applications for Singapore Citizenship annually. An average of 91% of these citizenship applications were approved annually.
Data on the number of appeals for citizenship from stateless persons is not available.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Demand for Heavy Vehicle Parking Space","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"84 Mr David Ong Kim Huat asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current monthly number of applications received for season parking at heavy vehicle car parks; (b) whether there are sufficient heavy vehicle car parks to accommodate the demand; and (c) if not, what plans does the Ministry have to meet the demand for such car parks.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Every month, on average, URA and HDB receive about 430 requests for season parking at their heavy vehicle car parks. LTA will only register a heavy vehicle if the owner has access to a licensed parking lot. This ensures adequacy of supply. Across the island, there are about 40,650 licensed heavy vehicle parking lots to cater to the parking needs of about 33,800 registered heavy vehicles. We expect heavy vehicles to park in industrial areas. That is why the majority of these parking lots are privately operated. For the convenience of some drivers, URA and HDB operate 10,200 heavy vehicle parking lots near some housing estates. Inevitably, the take-up rate for such parking lots is high.
Agencies are exploring new ways to provide heavy vehicle parks where demand is high and where location is suitable. For instance, URA recently sold an industrial site in Woodlands, near Woodlands housing estate, where the developer is required to provide at least 80 additional heavy vehicle lots beyond the usual number required by LTA.
Nevertheless, there are practical difficulties in locating heavy vehicle parks in residential estates, due to potential noise and safety concerns. Sites in residential estates are limited as such land is needed for housing and other community uses. Business owners should ensure that they have parking solutions for their vehicles and not leave the decision to the drivers. They should, for example, have effective transportation arrangements for their drivers between the designated parking lots and the drivers' homes.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Extension of Public Rental Scheme to 3-Room Flats","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"85 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB will review the Public Rental Scheme to allow the rental of 3-room flats to larger families; (b) what are the current plans for the existing stock of 3-room rental flats; and (c) whether there are plans by HDB to provide affordable HDB rental flats for citizens who are not eligible under the Public Rental Scheme.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: We stopped letting out 3-room public rental flats more than 30 years ago. This is to encourage home ownership for the vast majority of Singaporeans, while we focus on helping the lower income group who cannot yet afford a sold flat, to rent 1- or 2-room rental flats. The highly subsidised rental rates for these 1- and 2-room rental flats keep the rent burden low for tenants. This helps them, especially larger families with higher expenses, build up their savings and progress to home ownership when they are ready.
Currently, there are still about 600 public rental households in 3-room rental flats. HDB continues to help these tenants upgrade to home ownership or move on to a smaller rental flat to save on rental expenses. The vacant 3-room flats are then put to alternative use, or conversion to smaller rental flats.
We have a set of eligibility criteria to safeguard rental flats for the truly needy. However, where there are genuine hardship cases, HDB does exercise flexibility, even if they do not fulfill the eligibility criteria.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Applications and Cancellations under HDB's Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"86 Mr Alex Yam Ziming asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many applications for flats have been made under the Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme in 2012; (b) over the last five years, whether there has been a rise in the number of such applications that are subsequently cancelled due to a breakdown in the relationship between the applicants; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider helping in such situations, especially with regard to appeals for partial refund of deposits.
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Mr Khaw Boon Wan: In 2012, HDB received 19,600 applications to buy a new HDB flat under the Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme.
Two percent of Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme applicants cancel their bookings before key collection each year due to a breakdown in the relationship between the applicants. This cancellation rate has remained unchanged over the last five years.
Such couples who cancel their flat booking will forfeit their Option Fee, or 5% of the purchase price of their flat if they have already signed the Agreement for Lease. This is substantially lower than the usual 20% forfeiture fee imposed by the private developers. The forfeiture fees are necessary to ensure that applicants are serious about buying a flat, and are not depriving others with more urgent housing needs. Nonetheless, we do consider appeals for waiver of the forfeiture fees on a case-by-case basis.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Repair of Ceiling Leaks in HDB Flats","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"87 Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for National Development (a) in each of the years from 2008 to 2012, how many upper-floor owners of HDB flats have been uncooperative in fixing the ceiling leaks of their lower-floor units, causing a delay in repairs of beyond four months; (b) whether HDB will consider a policy of making upper-floor owners fully responsible for the cost of fixing such ceiling leaks; and (c) if not, whether HDB can consider (i) setting deadlines for upper-floor owners to investigate the cause of the leaks and carry out repairs or (ii) reducing the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme subsidy for upper-floor owners who delay repairs, according to the period of the delay in repairs.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Under the HDB Lease, the repair of ceiling leaks due to wear and tear is the joint responsibility of both upper- and lower-floor flat owners. Both parties would have to rectify the leak and share the repair cost. Notwithstanding the above, HDB provides assistance through the Goodwill Repair Assistance (GRA) Scheme, where HDB arranges for the repair works and co-pays 50% of the cost. The balance 50% is shared equally by the upper- and lower-floor flat owners.
Ninety-nine percent of upper-floor owners cooperate with HDB and allow the repairs to be carried out to rectify the ceiling leakage. Where necessary, HDB
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will engage them to carry out the repairs without delay. The grassroots leaders may also step in to persuade them to cooperate. Failing which, as a last resort, HDB will initiate legal action against the upper-floor flat owners who continue to be uncooperative. Over the last five years, HDB has initiated legal action on an average of 100 upper-floor flat owners, ranging from 68 to 146 flats each year. This is approximately 1% of the total ceiling leak repair cases under the GRA scheme.
HDB reviews its policies regularly to ensure that its policies remain relevant and meet the needs of residents and will take the Member's suggestions into consideration in its review.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Encroachment of Public Walkways by Restaurants and Coffee Shops","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"88 Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for National Development whether there is an action plan to handle the encroachment of tables and chairs along public walkways by restaurants and coffee shops throughout Singapore.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The question pertains to Outdoor Refreshment Areas (ORAs). These are ancillary dining areas of a restaurant or coffee shop in public walkways and spaces. Depending on where they are located and how they are managed, ORAs can enhance or compromise the character of an area and the experience of stakeholders, including operators, patrons and residents, if any, living nearby. Hence, we have to take a differentiated approach in dealing with ORAs.
In commercial areas, such as Orchard Road and Singapore River, URA has guidelines to encourage ORAs which enhance the identity and experiences of these places. These guidelines are reviewed regularly to ensure that they remain relevant.
In areas which are located at or near residential neighbourhoods, we only allow small-scale ORAs if they do not obstruct pedestrian movement or disturb the residents living nearby. Operators planning to establish ORAs should consult URA and meet other regulatory requirements, such as on fire safety.
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URA will assess each proposal on a case-by-case basis.
Where the encroachment of these ORAs into public walkways causes severe obstruction and disturbance, we will investigate such encroachments. We will take enforcement action if necessary.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Singapore's Private Banking Sector","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"1 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Prime Minister (a) what is the current number of financial institutions offering private banking services; (b) whether Singapore's plan to grow the private banking sector is successful and, if so, what are the reasons for its success; and (c) what is the total number of jobs created for Singaporeans in the private banking sector.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): There are about 40 financial institutions in Singapore offering private banking services.
Singapore is one of the leading international centres for private banking. Bankers cite our reputation for sound financial regulation, strong rule of law, and political and economic stability as the fundamentals underpinning our success as a wealth management centre. In addition, Singapore has built up a strong eco-system of capabilities to support the growth of private banking. This includes skills and expertise in asset management, particularly with regard to Asian investments, and in foreign exchange and derivatives trading. The availability of a diverse pool of local and international talent, and our relatively developed capital markets, are also important to this eco-system. Our location in Asia is also a key advantage, in view of both the wealth being generated in Asia and the opportunities to invest clients' monies in the region. These are the main reasons why we have seen financial institutions expanding their private banking business here.
Many good quality jobs have been created for Singaporeans in the private banking sector in recent years. The sector employs about 9,000 individuals, of whom over two-thirds are Singapore Citizens. These jobs include roles in management, client relationship management, risk management, legal and compliance, as well as back office functions. The financial institutions are aware of the need to develop a strong Singapore Core in private banking as the basis
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for sustainable growth over the long term. MAS is working with the industry to create opportunities for Singaporeans to build up the skills, experience in overseas markets and management capabilities required to excel.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Stress Tests for Banks in Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"2 Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Prime Minister (a) when is the most recent MAS stress test conducted for banks in Singapore; (b) whether such stress tests are conducted for foreign banks holding banking licences in Singapore; and (c) whether the results of such stress tests can be released in whole or in part, on an industry-wide or other bases, to boost public and investor confidence in light of the revision in Moody's outlook on local banks.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): MAS conducts regular stress tests on all the local and major foreign banks in Singapore. These stress tests are carried out annually, but more frequent stress tests may be conducted when necessary, for example, during the 2008/2009 financial crisis.
The aim of the stress tests is to assess the banks' ability to withstand adverse financial and economic shocks, and to evaluate the potential impact on Singapore's financial stability. MAS uses stress tests as a pre-emptive supervisory tool to encourage financial institutions to build adequate buffers and put in place risk mitigation plans across a range of adverse conditions.
Earlier this year, MAS completed a stress test exercise based on end-2012 data. The results showed that the banking system, as a whole, remained sound and able to withstand adverse scenarios. The local banks, in particular, would be able to maintain adequate financial buffers above MAS' regulatory requirements under the prescribed stress scenarios.
Moody’s and Standard & Poor's (S&P) reached similar conclusions. Moody's found that the three local banks have enough capital to withstand even the severe stress test scenarios the agency considered. Moody's continues to assign the local banks the highest average credit ratings (Aa1) amongst banking systems globally, but has placed this rating on a \"Negative\" outlook, that is, to indicate the possibility of a downgrade, especially if loan defaults were to rise when interest rates go up. S&P recently affirmed the local banks' strong AA-
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ratings and a \"Stable\" outlook, based on their strong financial profiles and prudent management strategies.
MAS does not publish stress test results. There are a few reasons for this. First, MAS has an obligation to keep confidential the information provided by financial institutions in conducting the tests. Second, releasing the results could encourage financial institutions to focus on achieving the right grade for the test and, in the process, take a narrow view of identifying risks and appropriate mitigating measures. Regulators in certain jurisdictions facing severe financial stresses have felt it necessary to disclose stress test results for individual banks in order to calm volatile markets and restore public confidence in their banking systems. Singapore, like jurisdictions whose banking systems have remained sound and stable, has not seen the need to do so.
There are, however, several readily available sources of information which the public can use to assess the risks carried by banks. These include publications by MAS, such as the Financial Stability Review, as well as the banks' annual reports and financial statements.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Family Members of Singapore Citizens Granted Permanent Residency","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"3 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) in each of the last three years, what is the number of spouses, children and immediate family members (grandparents, parents and siblings) of Singapore Citizens who have been granted permanent residency; and (b) what is the current number of Permanent Residents who are spouses, children, grandparents, parents and siblings of Singapore Citizens.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: Between 2010 and 2012, an average of about 3,800 spouses, and 340 children and parents of Singapore Citizens (SCs) were granted dependant PRs under the Family Ties Scheme annually.
As at 31 December 2012, there were 58,600 spouses, and 9,800 children and parents of SCs who were dependant PRs under the Family Ties Scheme.
Grandparents and siblings of SCs are not eligible to be considered for PRs under the Family Ties Scheme. However, they can apply for PR on their own
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merits.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Installation of CCTVs in HDB Blocks and Multi-storey Car Parks","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"4 Mr Alex Yam Ziming asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks have been installed with CCTVs since May 2012; (b) how effective are these CCTVs in serving their stated purpose; and (c) when can blocks in Yew Tee expect to be installed with CCTVs.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: As part of the implementation of the Community Policing System (COPS), Police will install Police Cameras at all HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks (MSCPs) by 2016.
Since the programme began in May 2012, Police Cameras have been installed at 350 HDB blocks, including 28 MSCPs. By the end of this year, Police Cameras will be installed at another 650 HDB blocks and MSCPs across all Town Councils in Singapore. These include 10 HDB blocks and 1 MSCP in Yew Tee.
The Police Camera programme aims to strengthen SPF's crime fighting capabilities and enhance the public's sense of safety and security. The Police Cameras are installed at the key ingress and egress locations of the HDB blocks and MSCPs, such as ground-floor staircase landings and lift lobbies. We have seen some early positive signs. Police have used footage retrieved from the Police Cameras to solve 18 crime cases. Investigative leads have been obtained in another 109 cases. Residents have also welcomed the Police Cameras and reported an improved sense of safety and security. We will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of the Police Camera programme as we roll this out to more HDB blocks.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Police Officers Accused of Committing Criminal Offences and Breaching Disciplinary Guidelines","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"5 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs in the last five years, what is the number of regular Police officers and National Service Police officers who are accused of (a) committing criminal
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offences; and (b) breaching disciplinary guidelines under various codes of conduct.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: Over the last five years from 2008 to 2012, the number of regular Police officers and National Service Police officers charged in Court each year for criminal offences averaged 17 and 23 officers respectively. As for those subject to disciplinary proceedings during the same period, they averaged 66 regular officers and 62 National Service officers annually.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Subsidiaries of Statutory Boards Appointed as Vendors for Government Contracts","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"6 Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the current number of subsidiaries set up by all Statutory Boards; (b) how many such subsidiaries have been appointed as vendors for Government contracts in the past five years; (c) how many of these contracts are for the Statutory Boards that own the subsidiaries; and (d) what are the steps taken to ensure that contracts awarded to such subsidiaries are fair and unbiased.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: There are currently 105 subsidiaries set up by our Statutory Boards and Ministries. The majority of these subsidiaries are set up to perform functions to safeguard vital security interests or serve other needs, such as in education, healthcare, R&D and the arts, that are not adequately provided by the private sector. Some examples of these subsidiaries include Government restructured hospitals and research institutions under A*STAR, DSO National Laboratories, The National Art Gallery Singapore and The Esplanade Company Ltd. Several subsidiaries, like the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), were former Statutory Boards which were corporatised to give them greater operational autonomy and are now corporatised entities under MOE.
The Government is fully aware that even where it needs to be involved in business, it should not hinder the growth of the domestic private sector or create market inefficiencies. In general, these subsidiaries are expected to be divested once they no longer meet the objectives for which they were set up.
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Our procurement regime requires all Government agencies to adhere to procurement rules and processes, which include ensuring a level playing field for all companies bidding for Government tenders, regardless of their ownership status. All tenders have to be evaluated and awarded on the basis of the best Value-For-Money offer. Any non-compliance with these requirements or unfair treatment would be improper, as in the cases highlighted by the Auditor-General in his report this year.
In the last five years, 0.8% of public sector tenders have been awarded to these subsidiaries. Of this 0.8%, less than one-fifth of the contracts were awarded to subsidiaries by their parent Statutory Board or Ministry. A substantial majority of the contracts awarded were for research and development services and prototype studies provided by the Universities or research institutes.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures to Prevent Recurrence of Lapses Cited in Auditor-General's Report","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"7 Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in view of the findings of recurrent lapses contained in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2012/2013, what measures are being taken to (a) prevent yet more recurrence of lapses similar to those already cited for the same entity in previous AGO reports, such as overpayment to contractors in connection with the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital development project; and (b) prevent yet more recurrence of lapses similar to those already reported for other entities in previous AGO reports, such as lapses in the management of computer access controls.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: This question covers areas addressed in the combined oral reply to Question Nos 5 to 11 on the Order Paper for today. The oral reply is reproduced below.
This question also refers to two specific issues:
(a) The Auditor-General's audit of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital project examined transactions that were carried out before 2010. This was a continuation of AGO's audit of the project, from the previous year's audit, and
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did not concern fresh recurrences since the last audit.
Since the audit observations made in last year's Auditor-General's Report, MOH had appointed external auditors to check for similar cases elsewhere and advise on improvements to their payment processes.
(b) On the recurrence of lapses in computer access controls, the Government agencies cited have taken steps to improve their internal systems to prevent future occurrence. MCI and IDA are working with all agencies to enhance and strengthen the management of ICT system access controls. MCI and IDA have also stepped up the number of independent audits to help ensure that the agencies comply with the ICT policies.
[Below is Deputy Prime Minister Tharman's reply to the Parliamentary Questions on Government procurement on 12 August 2013]
Members are rightly concerned about the lapses highlighted in this year's Report of the Auditor-General (or the AGO Report). As Deputy Prime Minister Teo, as Minister in Charge of the Civil Service, has just stated, the Government is determined to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in the Public Service. This resolve certainly applies to the question of public sector procurements.
Before I get into the specific improvements being made, I want to emphasise that the system of checks and balances in procurement operates as a whole. It is not just about rules to ensure fair competition and value for money in public tenders, but also regular audits to detect lapses and, where appropriate, disciplinary actions against those responsible, including supervisors. And where there is any suggestion of corruption or fraud, it is investigated promptly and thoroughly, and the officer faces the full measure of the law, regardless of who he is.
So, it is a whole system, and it is working, which is why Singapore is widely recognised internationally as having one of the cleanest and most efficient systems of government anywhere. Nevertheless, we take each finding of a procurement lapse seriously, and take action to minimise recurrence.
Our rules and procedures for procurement are comparable with those in most other reputable jurisdictions, and in line with World Trade Organization
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standards on open and fair competition.
We review the rules regularly, and especially when we observe weaknesses. Members may recall that in 2010 and 2011, we took major steps to reduce opportunities for procurement fraud. In 2012, we introduced further checks to ensure that single bids received offered competitive terms. We also extended the minimum opening period for suppliers to submit bids for quotations from four to seven working days.
This year, the AGO Report highlighted that a Statutory Board had procured a service from a related party in a manner that did not comply with our rules. The procurement rules require that any bid by a related party be treated on a strictly arms-length basis, and that a successful bid has to comply with the tender specifications, regardless of ownership. The rules are clear. We are, nevertheless, reviewing if there is a need to further tighten approval processes for transactions involving related parties.
The procurement lapses cited in this year's AGO Report are, in fact, all due to non-compliance with established rules, rather than gaps in the rules. It should also be noted that the majority of the findings concern lapses committed before 2012. This partly reflects AGO’s recent focus on Government procurement in its audits, which have included looking at procurements in previous years. Government agencies have since last year made special efforts to improve procurement processes. MOF has also strengthened training programmes for procurement, and developed and disseminated checklists to guide supervisors and officers on what to look out for at the various stages of the procurement process.
We are doing more to build up capabilities, to help officers and supervisors implement the rules well. That includes having the skills and knowledge to seek value for money, and not just accept the cheapest tender bid. As Minister of State Teo mentioned during this year's Committee of Supply debate, we are developing a Procurement Specialist Track to build up a strong pool of officers with the skills needed, and with good career progression pathways. The new specialist track will be launched next year. Details will be announced in March.
However, in a system with 80,000 procurements each year, we cannot realistically expect to eliminate all lapses or human error. To seek to do so would be too costly and time-consuming, not just to Government but also to businesses and the public. Our approach, therefore, is to make every reasonable effort to minimise lapses, while undertaking regular audits to check for any that
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do occur and keeping open channels for suspected irregularities to be reported. Where any lapse is detected, we take actions to minimise recurrence.
MOF has required all Government agencies to ensure that they have an effective system of internal audit and control.
It is crucial that the top management sets the right tone. MOF has reminded the Permanent Secretaries and other Heads of Government Agencies to maintain active oversight of Internal Audit. They will also henceforth be required to report to MOF with an assessment of findings on procurement audits and follow-up actions in their agencies each year, as well as pre-emptive plans to avoid future weaknesses. This would include follow-up on audit observations by both their internal auditors and the Auditor-General.
We will also keep up with the latest knowledge and techniques in supervision and audit of procurement, including good practices developed in the private sector. MOF will be making available additional analytical tools to help both auditors and senior management of the various agencies review procurement activities more effectively.
Let me turn next to the external audit of our agencies by the AGO. AGO conducts annual checks of Ministries with regard to financial statements, as well as internal controls and processes that directly impact on the financial statements. On a less regular basis, AGO also selectively audits other aspects of internal controls in the Ministries, either based on its assessment of risks or arising from public feedback. The Statutory Boards are audited annually by private external auditors. In addition, AGO conducts audits of internal controls of nearly all Statutory Boards at least once every five years.
AGO's resources have been significantly enhanced – its manpower has grown by over 50% over the last five years. AGO has also focused particularly on procurement issues in recent years. Every finding by the Auditor-General of a procurement lapse is taken very seriously within the Government. It leads to improvements in procurement processes, and an awareness not just in the agency concerned but other agencies of the need to avoid recurrence of the same problems.
AGO's audits are, for practical reasons, conducted on a test-check basis. AGO cannot realistically cover all aspects of procurement in all agencies. However, from time to time, the Government does conduct thorough, one-off reviews of specific aspects of procurement across the public sector. For
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example, before we tightened our procedures in 2012 for handling single bids, we reviewed the procurement transaction data for the entire public sector.
Let me go on to disciplinary actions, which some Members asked about. The cases highlighted in the FY2012/2013 AGO report were administrative or procedural lapses. There was no evidence of fraud or corrupt intent. That is, in fact, the case with most procurement-related lapses – they are either due to a lack of knowledge, carelessness or poor supervision. But that does not mean that officers are not responsible for the lapses. Agencies will still assess their officers' roles in each of the lapses and take follow-up actions.
In the last two years, 60 officers and supervisors have been counselled, reprimanded or issued warning letters, depending on the severity of the lapse. Where warranted, officers were penalised in their performance bonuses or increments.
There have been cases in previous years where AGO has basis to suspect corrupt or fraudulent intent. It refers all such cases to the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) or the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) for further investigation.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Teo Siong Seng have asked about the impact of our tightening measures in recent years on procurement efficiency and vendors.
Our main aim is to improve compliance, build capabilities and strengthen audit. These do not impact vendors directly. A number of the rules that were refined can, in fact, improve procurement efficiency and benefit vendors. For example, since we introduced new rules last year on single bids, and extended the minimum quotation period from four working days to seven, the percentage of quotations receiving single bids has decreased to about 4% in 2013 from 15% in 2012.
Mr Zaqy and Mr Teo's questions, however, relate to a broader point. We should not overburden Government procurement with ever-increasing rules and procedures. Doing so would slow down the Government's functions and its responses to needs, and often impose higher costs. It can also deter some businesses from participating in Government tenders.
We should keep instead to a sensible balance of rules, audit and enforcement actions, so as to minimise risk of wrong-doing without hindering the vast majority of legitimate procurements, or causing civil servants to
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become risk-averse and bureaucratic in handling procurements.
We have been taking steps in recent years to strengthen the procurement system. However, the public sector's procurement needs will grow and become more diverse in the years to come. We are placing greater emphasis, therefore, on supervision and top-level oversight, by requiring the Heads of Government agencies to assess and report to MOF on follow-up actions where problems are found, and on their pre-emptive plans. MOF itself will monitor the timeliness and effectiveness of these actions, and review further practical ways in which we can preserve the well-functioning of Government procurement.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of New Investments in Aerospace Industry","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"8 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the total number of new investments attracted in the aerospace industry so far; and (b) what is the total number of jobs created and to be created by these new investments.
Mr Lim Hng Kiang: The aerospace industry in Singapore has been performing well and provides many good jobs for Singaporeans. In 2012, the industry had a record high output of S$8.7 billion and employed 19,900 people. Four out of five people employed within the industry are locals and 90% of the jobs are skilled jobs9.
Since the start of 2012, aerospace MNCs have begun operations at eight new facilities and are building another six facilities. These MNCs include leading brands, such as Bell Helicopter & Cessna Aircraft, Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. At steady state, these 14 investments will create over 1,500 new jobs in Singapore.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["9 : Skilled jobs refer to managers, professionals, associate professionals and technicians and skilled production craftsmen."],"footNoteQuestions":["8"],"questionNo":"8"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Foreign Educational Institutions Receiving Financial Incentives from EDB","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"9 Ms Mary Liew asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how many foreign educational institutions have received financial incentives from EDB to establish their presence in Singapore; (b) what is the total amount of financial incentives offered to these foreign educational institutions to date; and (c) whether there has been any recourse to recover the monies from failed ventures.
Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Since 1999, EDB has disbursed $73 million in grants and $172 million in loans to 11 foreign educational institutions to establish and expand their presence in Singapore. The level of support provided is calibrated to be commensurate with the benefits which they are expected to bring to Singapore.
EDB closely monitors the progress of the foreign educational institutions it supports through regular reviews of incentive milestones progress and annual audited financial statements of the institutions. Should an institution decide to terminate its operations in Singapore, EDB will assess the institution's progress towards meeting its pre-agreed deliverables and its past economic contributions to Singapore, before deciding on the amount of grant monies that should be returned to EDB. EDB also requires all loans to be repaid, regardless of whether an institution decides to remain in or leave Singapore.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of HDB Flats Owned and Sold by Permanent Residents","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"10 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current number of HDB flats that are fully owned by Permanent Residents (PRs); and (b) what is the current number of HDB flats owned by PRs that are sold within (i) three years, (ii) four years and (iii) five years of the purchase date respectively.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: As at 30 June 2013, 51,000 (or 6%) of HDB sold flats are fully owned by Singapore Permanent Residents (SPRs).
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All HDB flat owners are only allowed to sell their flats after completing their Minimum Occupation Period (MOP). The MOP for unsubsidised resale flats, which SPR families are eligible to purchase, was increased from one to three years in March 2010, and from three to five years in August 2010. In 2013, 130, 320 and 490 flats owned by SPRs were sold within three years, four years and five years of the purchase date respectively.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Regular Trimming and Pruning Schedule for Roadside Trees and Plants","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"11 Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for National Development whether NParks has a regular trimming and pruning schedule for roadside trees and plants throughout Singapore.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: NParks manages about 1.4 million trees, 57 hectares of flower beds along roadside verges and more than 500 kilometres of guard-rail plants island-wide.
For its scheduled tree inspections, NParks inspects trees along major and minor roads once every 12 and 24 months respectively. Quarterly, NParks also conducts routine maintenance checks on trees along roads and residential estates to assess the need for pruning. If any tree has dead or overgrown branches, pruning will be carried out.
NParks maintains the flower beds once every three months. The operations include weeding, pruning, fertilising and mulching10. The guard-rail plants are pruned every two or three months to prevent overgrowing.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["10 : Mulching refers to the horticulture operation of placing a layer of coarse wood chips over the planting areas. This layer of wood chips helps to suppress weeds, retain soil moisture and, when it breaks down, provide organic material and nutrients for the plants."],"footNoteQuestions":["11"],"questionNo":"11"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Implementation of Capital Gains Tax for Foreigners Purchasing Private Housing in Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"12 Ms Mary Liew asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider the implementation of a capital gains tax for foreigners purchasing private housing in Singapore as a further measure to control the escalating prices of private housing.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Price growth in the private housing market has moderated significantly after several rounds of cooling measures. It slowed from 6.0% in 2011 to 2.8% in 2012. Over the first six months of this year, price growth further slowed to 1.6%.
Foreign buying has declined considerably since the introduction of additional buyers’ stamp duty (ABSD) in December 2011 and, more recently, higher ABSD rates in January 2013. The proportion of all purchases by foreigners fell from 18% in 2011 to 8% in the second quarter of this year. In absolute terms, the number of units purchased by foreigners fell from 2011's quarterly average of 1,400 units to 550 units.
The Government has no plans to introduce a capital gains tax. But we will continue to monitor the market and act, if necessary, to ensure that housing remains affordable to Singapore Citizens.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Safety Issues Posed by Shotcreting Technique Used in Construction Works","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"13 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for National Development whether shotcreting in construction works poses safety issues, such as exacerbating the possibility of landslides, and whether local construction works employ such a technique.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Shotcreting, or sprayed concrete, is a process in placing concrete through a hose nozzle onto a surface. It is used locally and overseas for tunnel and retaining wall construction and for enhancing the stability of earth slopes. It is a safe and tested process as it provides a quick
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stabilising and supporting system which prevents erosion.
Examples of local projects which used shotcreting include Fort Canning Road Tunnel, Jurong Rock Caverns, Downtown Line 2 MRT Tunnel at Little India station and earth slopes at Jalan Dermawan and Parbury Avenue.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on AVA's Study of Population of Mynahs","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"14 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for National Development if he will provide an update on AVA's study to determine the population of mynahs, the distribution of their roosts and the comprehensive plan to tackle the mynah nuisance in light of the study's scheduled completion in May 2013.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity at NUS has completed the study on the ecology and population management of mynahs.
AVA is reviewing the study findings and recommendations, in consultation with NEA and NParks. However, one key study finding is that the main causes of mynah presence are (a) irresponsible feeding of birds and cats; (b) uncovered rubbish dumps; (c) improper waste food disposal in coffee shops and public areas; and (d) littering. All these causes relate to social behaviour which can be adjusted with cooperative action by all relevant parties on the ground. This study finding confirms the need for full cooperation of all the stakeholders, including the residents and the Town Councils, to collectively tackle the mynah nuisance problem.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Investigations into Death of Dr Shane Todd","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"15 Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how did the Singapore Police Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation cooperate in the investigations into the death of Dr Shane Todd; (b) how does the Government ensure that investigations will not be influenced by external pressure and international media publicity; (c) whether, at the meeting with the Foreign Minister on 12 March 2013, US Senator Max Baucus had indicated that he and Senator Jon Tester will move legislation to block
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funding to the Institute of Microelectronics (IME); (d) what is the amount of funding that IME has obtained from the US Government and other US sources over the last five years; and (e) whether the findings of the process audit of IME by US officials into allegations of illegal transfer of technology, when completed, will be made public.
Mr K Shanmugam: A public Coroner's Inquiry was held, as required by law, in May, June and July this year. A total of 74 witnesses gave evidence. The Coroner found that there was no foul play involved in Dr Todd's death and that he had committed suicide by hanging.
Our Police and the FBI have a longstanding, open and cooperative relationship. This extended to the investigation into Dr Todd's death. Both sides engaged constructively in this matter, and were committed to ensuring that the investigation was thorough and all relevant evidence was made available during the Coroner's Inquiry. The Police shared their investigation findings with the FBI, and sought their assistance in respect of some matters falling within the jurisdiction of the United States. They worked with the FBI to obtain the Todd family's cooperation and assistance in the investigations.
One example of how the FBI assisted was with regard to the hard-disk drive which Mr and Mrs Todd claimed to have found in Dr Todd's apartment. This was a central claim in their homicide theory. Mr and Mrs Todd claimed that they found the hard-disk drive in Dr Todd's apartment, and that it had been accessed by an unknown third party who had deleted a particular file. This was not true. The Singapore Police Investigation Officer found the hard-disk drive. He gave it to Mrs Todd after checking its contents. The Investigation Officer had accessed the hard-disk drive and not some unknown third party. The FBI gave a report which confirmed what the Singapore Police said.
The discussions between the Police and the FBI were acknowledged as being \"productive and forthright\" by the US Embassy in its press statement on 21 March 2013. We were always clear, however, that the FBI had no power to intervene in the investigations, which were strictly under the purview of the Singapore Police Force. US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Attorney-General Eric Holder both understood that the FBI had no jurisdiction over investigations in Singapore. They, therefore, appreciated the extra steps that our Police had taken to share the evidence and their investigative findings with the FBI.
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One of the features of this case was that there was intense media speculation even before the inquiry had begun. On 15 February 2013, an article was published in the London edition of the Financial Times entitled \"Death in Singapore\", written by Raymond Bonner and Christine Spolar. In that article, the authors made wide-ranging claims against Dr Todd's employer, the Institute of Microelectronics (IME). These claims were based on unsubstantiated speculation and impugned the integrity and efficacy of the Singapore Police Force. Our authorities chose not to respond to the various allegations made prior to the Inquiry, as they recognised that the truth could only be arrived at through a careful examination of the evidence, and not through speculation and sensationalist reporting. Dr Todd's family participated in the inquiry and had the opportunity to raise their concerns. However, as Members know, they walked out of the inquiry after their key witness Dr Edward Adelstein changed his original testimony and confirmed that Dr Todd was not killed by garrotting. Even though the family walked out of the inquiry, their written statements were presented to court in their absence and the issues they raised were comprehensively dealt with by the Coroner in his written findings. Members may wish to know that Mr Bonner also left the inquiry prematurely, soon after the parents had walked out.
Given the serious allegations about illegal transfers of US technology to the Chinese company Huawei, we also made the offer to host a US team to conduct a process audit at IME for the US to satisfy itself that we take the protection of intellectual property rights very seriously. The audit has been conducted. We have not received any follow-up questions from the US so far.
I had met with the Montana Senator Max Baucus during my visit to Washington DC and conveyed the same assurances and offers as I did to Secretary Kerry and US Attorney-General Holder. I informed Senator Baucus that the Todd family would be invited to attend the Coroner's Inquiry during which they could question the witnesses as well as the investigative findings and forensic reports. I also pointed out that Dr Todd was involved in only one minor project with Huawei which did not involve Gallium Nitride – the substance which has fuelled the wild media speculation on the nature of IME's work with Huawei. The value of the nine-month project was less than S$15,000, and Dr Todd's actual involvement in this project was only over a few days. While IME did discuss a possible project with Huawei involving Gallium Nitride, this project never materialised.
Senator Baucus did not inform me during the meeting of his intention, together with Senator Jon Tester, to table the Amendment to the Continuing Resolution which will block US funding to IME. In view of the assurance I had
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already given, and Singapore's long track record of taking our public commitments seriously, we were, of course, deeply disappointed when we learnt of it. We gave our response on 17 March 2013. However, we must understand that the US has its own unique political culture which imposes its own demands on its legislators. The US Senate has since passed the Continuing Resolution without the Senators' amendment. Members will draw their own conclusions from this.
With regard to the Member's question on US funding received by IME, IME is a national research institute funded by and under the purview of A*STAR. It receives about S$53 million of research funding annually from A*STAR. In addition, the institute receives another S$10 million annually in funding through joint project collaborations with industry and other research organisations. Over the last five years, IME received a total of just under S$875,000 of research funding from US government sources. The funding IME received from the US entities was for research collaborations conducted with them.
In summary, the Singapore Government made every effort to be open and cooperative, which the US Administration appreciates. Following the delivery of the Coroner's findings, the US Embassy released a statement on 8 July 2013 describing the Coroner's Inquiry as \"comprehensive, fair and transparent\". We have to understand that the American political system is such that its Congressmen often have to take steps like those taken in this matter. We are, however, not a country that bows to external pressure or media reports as our long track record has shown. The US Administration knows well that Singapore has a longstanding, open and strong relationship with the US based on shared interests and mutually beneficial cooperation in many areas, including economic, defence and security. We do not believe that the US Administration would jeopardise this strong relationship on the basis of inaccurate allegations.
What was expected by the US Administration, and which is also our own expectation, is that this matter be dealt with transparently and in accordance with the rule of law, and that we do everything to get to the truth. This has been done and, as such, we do not expect that this incident should have any bearing on our good relations with the US. Prime Minister Lee had a good visit to the US in April, where he had useful discussions with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other leaders within the US Administration on bilateral cooperation and developments in the region. We were also pleased to welcome Vice President Biden to Singapore last month, where he had good meetings with the President, Prime Minister and former Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew. This exchange of visits at the highest level is a strong reflection of the
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state of our bilateral relationship with the US.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Use of MediSave for Parents' Medical Bills","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"16 Mr David Ong asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the current number of requests received from individuals who are 60 years old or above for use of their MediSave to pay for their parents' medical bills; and (b) whether the Ministry can review such requests to promote shared responsibility in the care of one's parents.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: In 2012, about 4,600 CPF members aged 60 years old and above withdrew an average of $2,000 from their MediSave accounts to pay for their parents' treatment. This represents about 2% of the total number of members in this age group who withdrew from their MediSave accounts.
The use of MediSave for family members' healthcare expenses enables children to better care for their parents in old age, including financially. However, we are mindful to calibrate this to ensure that they have sufficient savings for their own healthcare needs. Thus, the Government has provided MediSave top-ups for the elderly under the GST Voucher scheme, to help relieve the burden on their children. Those from low-income families with insufficient MediSave balances can also apply for financial assistance, including MediFund.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Installation of Noise Barriers along Stretches of Central Expressway","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"17 Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider installing noise barriers along stretches of the Central Expressway that have residential homes facing the expressway as a pilot trial to minimise the elevated noise level arising from the expanded road lanes and passing vehicles.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: LTA is starting a trial to install road noise barriers at three locations to study their technical feasibility and effectiveness. The overall
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study will take about three years to complete and LTA will consider the feasibility of implementing such noise barriers at other locations after the trial. Meanwhile, for the Central Expressway (CTE), noise mitigation measures were implemented during the widening. These included planting more trees along stretches facing residences, and using a more porous road pavement mix that helps to lower traffic noise. LTA will continue to explore with the relevant agencies additional measures to lower noise levels for the CTE.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Companies Participating in Travel Smart Scheme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"18 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport (a) how his Ministry plans to increase the number of companies participating in the Travel Smart scheme from the current 12; (b) what is the Ministry's target number of participating companies; and (c) what tangible incentives does the Government plan to give companies to implement flexi-work options so as to spread out peak-hour commuter load on public buses and the MRT.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: The Travel Smart project is a pilot study to help understand the impact of various organisational practices and interventions in shaping the travel patterns of employees. The 12 participating organisations, with a total of 25,000 employees, will develop and implement Travel Smart Action Plans, which include initiatives like flexi-work measures, and installation of shower and locker facilities and cycling facilities, amongst others. Each of the 12 organisations can claim up to $20,000 from LTA's Travel Smart Reimbursement Grant to subsidise their costs. We will also be looking into customising travel incentive programmes, together with the Travel Smart organisations, to further encourage their employees to shift their travel times outside of the morning peak period.
Preliminary feedback has been encouraging. We will review the results in early 2014 before deciding how best to expand the programme.
Aside from Travel Smart, MOM and WDA had launched a one-stop programme called \"WorkPro\" on 1 April this year to build progressive workplaces for their employees. WorkPro includes a Work-Life Grant that provides funding support of up to $160,000 to help employers implement and sustain the use of flexi-work arrangements, such as flexi-time, to improve work-life harmony.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Malaysian-registered Motor Vehicles Entering Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"19 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport (a) in each of the last six months, how many Malaysian-registered motor vehicles entered Singapore, with a breakdown by (i) nationality of the vehicle registrant, (ii) vehicle type and (iii) duration of stay in Singapore; and (b) what are the allowable reasons for Singaporeans residing in Malaysia to enter Singapore with Malaysian-registered vehicles.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: In the last six months, foreign-registered vehicles made about 9 million trips into Singapore, or about 1.5 million trips per month. About 67% are made by motorcycles, 24% by cars and the remainder by goods vehicles, buses and taxis. More than 90% of these trips are of two days' duration or less, with about 80% of one-day duration only. We do not have statistics on the nationality of the vehicle owners.
Under the Road Traffic Act, Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are not allowed to drive or use foreign-registered vehicles in Singapore, unless they meet certain conditions. They must prove that they work and reside in West Malaysia, and have paid the relevant Singapore registration fees and taxes for these vehicles as if they were registered in Singapore. Furthermore, they are allowed to drive their Malaysian-registered vehicles into Singapore only for up to 28 weekdays a year, in addition to weekends and Singapore public holidays. Similar to foreigners driving foreign-registered vehicles into Singapore, they must pay the applicable Vehicle Entry Permit fee, which is $20 per day for cars, when they enter Singapore, and the vehicles must not stay in Singapore for more than 14 days per visit.
LTA takes strong enforcement action against individuals who drive or use a foreign-registered vehicle illegally. The maximum penalty is a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to six months.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Parking Facilities for Commercial Tour Buses","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"20 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Transport (a) how many complaints has LTA received over the last five years regarding the shortage of parking facilities for commercial tour buses at
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designated places of interest in Singapore; (b) what are the efforts made to ensure that there are sufficient parking facilities for commercial tour buses at these designated places of interests; and (c) whether the cases of Malaysian buses flouting regulations by entering Singapore to ferry tourists to Malaysia have been increasing.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew: From time to time, agencies, such as LTA, STB and URA, do receive feedback about shortage of coach parking spaces in areas of tourism interest, such as the Kampong Glam Conservation Area, the Chinatown Conservation Area and the Merlion Park. For such places, where it is feasible and there is available state land, the Government has implemented temporary roadside and surface coach parks.
However, it is not always possible to have such coach parking facilities in the immediate vicinity of the attraction. To further assist travel agencies, tourist guides and their coach drivers, STB has issued an advisory to inform them of all the coach parking locations and drop-off/pick-up points for popular tourist spots and retailers in central Singapore.
For new tourist attractions, LTA has been working closely with the developers to ensure that sufficient coach parking lots are provided within their premises.
There has been only one case of a Malaysia-registered bus caught entering Singapore to ferry tourists to Malaysia in 2013, and none in the prior two years.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Regulatory Framework for Private Education Institutions (PEIs)","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"21 Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the current regulatory framework for private education institutions (PEIs) is adequate in addressing students' exposure to risks, such as the recent industrial action over pay and workload taken by university staff in Australia; and (b) whether a more holistic regulatory framework for the licensing of PEIs will be developed to include fair employment practices that will enhance the quality standing of our PEIs.
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Mr Heng Swee Keat: The Council for Private Education (CPE) has jurisdiction over private education conducted in Singapore, but not developments in foreign jurisdictions involving the external partners of Singapore-based private education institutions (PEIs). In seeking external partners, PEIs should take into account the quality and reputation of the foreign institution. They are also expected to manage such partnerships to safeguard students' interests as far as possible. Nonetheless, there will be events that are beyond the control of PEIs and the CPE, such as the recent industrial action involving universities in Australia. For this case, the CPE has been closely monitoring the situation, to ensure that PEIs that collaborate with the affected universities do their best to assist affected students, while awaiting resolution of the issues in Australia.
PEIs, as employers, are also expected to abide by the relevant employment laws and practices, including fair employment practices.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Abandonment of Elderly Parents","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"22 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Acting Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what was the number of cases of elderly parents being abandoned over the past three years; (b) how were these cases resolved; (c) whether the Ministry will review the current law to impose harsher penalties on those who abandon their elderly parents; and (d) what were the reasons given by the children who abandoned their elderly parents.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The number of abandonment cases referred to my Ministry has remained low over the past three years, totalling fewer than five. Figures of abandonment cases obtained from social service agencies and hospitals are also low, averaging less than 10 cases annually over the past three years.
According to social workers who handle such cases, most of these children end up neglecting, abusing or abandoning their elderly parents due to reasons, such as caregiver burnout and poor family relationship. In managing such cases, the caseworker will counsel the family and link them to support services like home help or day care. In a minority of cases, the elderly may be placed in an alternative living arrangement. If the elderly was abandoned overseas, my Ministry works closely with MFA to bring them back and will work with the
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families to re-establish their care arrangements.
For the most vulnerable elderly, laws are in place to protect their well-being. The Mental Capacity Act criminalises ill-treatment and abandonment of a mentally incapacitated person by his caregiver or nominated or Court-appointed decision-maker. Under the Maintenance of Parents Act, the elderly can also apply to the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents to obtain financial support from their children.
There are also measures in place to support caregivers of elderly parents. Caregivers can approach the Agency for Integrated Care for information and referral on a range of community- and home-based support services for the elderly. To alleviate the cost of caring for the elderly at home, the Government also introduced measures, such as the Foreign Domestic Worker Grant last year.
The Government will continue to review our policies and programmes to promote strong family ties and support families in caring for our elderly members.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Establishment of Fund for Childcare Operators","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"23 Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Acting Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider setting up a fund similar to Australia's $300 million \"Early Years Quality Fund\" for childcare operators to tap on to pay higher wages and retain a stable, qualified and professional pool of educators.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is looking into different areas to enhance attraction, development and retention of early childhood educators. This will build on existing efforts. We provided more support for professional development and talent attraction by introducing new professional pathways and entry routes for Educarers in 2011. In 2012, we enhanced scholarships and teaching awards for diploma and degree courses in early childhood care and education. We also introduced a framework for continuing professional development and conduct ongoing training to help centre leaders use the framework to plan for the training needs of their staff.
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In the area of wages, ECDA is currently conducting a job evaluation and compensation study to better understand the HR and pay practices in the sector. This will help it determine what more should be done and how best to go about doing it.
Other aspects are also being worked on. For example, we will further enhance scholarships and training awards for pre-service and in-service trainees, as well as mid-career entrants, so as to encourage more to join the sector. For better professional development and retention, ECDA will introduce initiatives to better support educators. This may include structured induction, mentoring and continuing professional development programmes.
ECDA will continue to work with employers and unions, as they, too, have an important role to play. For example, we help pre-schools embrace good HR practices by providing them with a Good Employers Toolkit, which was developed together with employers and unions. This will help contribute towards better attraction and retention of educators.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Enhancement of Barrier-free Facilities on Roads and in Estates","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"24 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Acting Minister for Social and Family Development with Singapore's ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD) which comes into effect on 18 August 2013, whether the Ministry will engage LTA and HDB to further enhance the barrier-free facilities on the roads and in the estates.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Government is committed to the progressive realisation of many obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. This includes creating an accessible and friendly-built environment. It is a priority under the Enabling Masterplan, which is a public-private-people sector effort that includes all relevant agencies.
Accessibility for persons with disabilities has improved over the years. Ongoing efforts include the following:
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(a) providing ramps and decision tactile for the visually impaired, and removal of obstacles along walkways, with shelters along certain stretches;
(b) facilitating road crossings, with lifts at identified pedestrian overhead bridges, having street level crossings where traffic conditions permit, and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings that provide more green-man crossing time;
(c) upgrading our public transport system. The MRT system is barrier-free, and the bus system will be progressively so, with all buses wheelchair-accessible by 2020 and bus stops being upgraded;
(d) incorporating Universal Design (UD) features to enhance user-friendliness amongst new HDB flats since July 2006;
(e) implementing the $40-million Accessibility Fund to encourage upgrading of existing private buildings with basic accessibility features; and
(f) reviewing the Accessibility Code to benefit more Singaporeans, such as the disabled, families and the elderly.
We recognise that more can be done. MSF will continue to work with other Government agencies, businesses, voluntary welfare organisations, the disability community, as well as the public, to address the needs of persons with disabilities.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Continuing Education and Training (CET) Programme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"25 Mr David Ong asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of Singaporeans who have benefited from the national Continuing Education and Training (CET) programme; (b) whether there is any finite number of training places in a year; and (c) how does the Ministry ensure that Singaporean workers are given the priority to take advantage of CET.
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: The provision of sufficient, relevant and quality training opportunities for our workforce is a guiding principle for the development of our CET system. Currently, there are over 8,000 certifiable
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courses funded by WDA and MOE. In 2012, WDA and MOE supported close to 300,000 individuals in their CET courses.
Demand for CET programmes is dependent on many factors, such as the economic and labour market climate, employers' willingness to send workers for training and individuals' commitment to undertake training. In planning for CET capacity, MOM/WDA and MOE consider these factors and consult various stakeholders, for example, the economic agencies, industry players, employers and training providers. Information on CET take-up trends, industry skills needs, skills gaps and job opportunities also feed into the planning process. There are sufficient training places to cater to the general workforce. We will continue to work with relevant training providers to scale up or down the training capacity, where necessary.
Developing and nurturing our people have always been one of the Government's core areas of focus. Our CET focus is extensive in scope and breadth. It complements our education system. In the past few years, besides ensuring that CET remains affordable and accessible to locals, we have launched dedicated CET programmes for Singaporeans to meet their training needs and career development. For example, under the Skills Training for Excellence Programme (STEP) which was introduced to better support the CET needs of Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs), several scholarships are set aside for Singaporeans. To uplift our Singaporean lower-wage workers, there is also the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme to provide them with the highest level of course fee funding at 95%. The CET Qualification Award (CQA) is also awarded to only Singaporeans to encourage them to attain their first full qualification11.
While we are heartened to see many Singaporeans taking up CET, we recognise that our CET system cannot stay still. Our CET system must continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of industries and the changing preferences and aspirations of the workforce.
My Ministry recently held Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) engagement sessions with members of the public on the topic of Lifelong Learning – CET. During those discussions, we received useful feedback from Singaporeans on how we could further improve the CET system to better meet their needs. We will give careful consideration to the feedback as we constantly review our policies and look for ways to enhance our CET system to better meet the needs of both the current and the future workforce.
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","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["11 : The first full qualification can be via the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) training, part-time NITEC/ Higher NITEC courses by the Institute of Technical Education, and part-time Diploma courses by the Polytechnics."],"footNoteQuestions":["25"],"questionNo":"25"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Provision of Localised Platform for Arts and Cultural Interest Groups to Partner Training Institutes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"26 Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether the Ministry will consider providing a localised platform for arts and cultural interest groups to partner training institutes, such as the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts, to initiate ground-up initiatives by (i) designating Short Street or Waterloo Street closed to motorised traffic once a month for arts and cultural initiatives and (ii) setting up an advisory committee to guide volunteers on organising suitable events.
Mr Lawrence Wong: MCCY and our agencies are committed to enlarging the space for ground-up arts and heritage initiatives. This year's PAssionArts Month is a case in point. Many Community Arts and Culture Clubs (CACCs), which comprise residents spearheading arts and heritage initiatives in their communities, have partnered national arts institutions, such as the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), LASALLE College of the Arts and the Nanyang Polytechnic School of Interactive & Digital Media, to organise arts and culture activities throughout Singapore. These include exhibitions, talks, workshops and other community art projects.
The National Heritage Board (NHB) has also been working with partners, such as the School of the Arts (SOTA) and Singapore Management University (SMU), to present exhibitions, performances and other collaborations in the arts and heritage district of Bras Basah-Bugis.
Currently, we already work with the local community and other stakeholders to close certain roads for arts and heritage events. For instance, at this year's Night Festival in August and September, Armenian Street will be closed for a variety of programmes. We will look into the Member's suggestion of closing Waterloo Street or Short Street, and will do so in consultation with the various stakeholders involved, including the tenants and residents in the area. In fact, for the area around Waterloo Street, which is flanked by museums and arts facilities, we are also looking at ways to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, and to provide more space to stage arts and cultural
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initiatives.
Mr Ang also asked about assistance for volunteers in organising events. Our agencies already do so through various toolkits, advisory panels, workshops and other training programmes. For example, NAC works closely with volunteers to develop and present a sustained level of arts programmes in the community. In the process, volunteers also gain knowledge and practical experience in developing arts content, and working with artists and other partners.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Estimated Budget for Hosting the 28th Southeast Asian Games in June 2015","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"27 Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what is the estimated budget for Singapore's hosting of the 28th Southeast Asian Games in June 2015 and what measures are in place to ensure that there will not be budget overruns.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) is still in the process of finalising the budget as several aspects of the plan for 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held in Singapore, including the line-up of sports and events, will only be finalised with the SEA Games Federation after the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar. Therefore, it is premature to give an estimation of the budget for the SEA Games. I shall inform this House when the budget is finalised.
Based on past experiences and looking at other Major Games, the usual causes for budget overruns are changes in specifications between the initial budgeting phase and the actual implementation phase, as well as unforeseen requirements in major areas, such as venue construction and upgrading, organisation of the competitions themselves, and information technology. I have asked SINGSOC to keep a tight watch on these areas, and to work closely with the Singapore National Olympic Council and SEA Games Federation to define the appropriate service levels, so as to keep the costs of organising the Games under control. As much as possible, SINGSOC will plan ahead and bring forward the procurements in these areas. It will leverage on SSC's existing sports facilities and services. It will also actively seek corporate sponsorship to defray the costs, while working closely with stakeholders to ensure the success of the Games.
\tPage: 176
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