The following question stood in the name of Mr Liang Eng Hwa –
1 To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the basis for the upward revision of 2021's GDP growth forecast to 6% to 7%; (b) what are the key drivers; and (c) what is the growth outlook for 2022.
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\tMs Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson): Question No 1.
\tThe Minister for Transport (Mr S Iswaran) (for the Minister for Trade and Industry): Mr Speaker, on behalf of Minister Gan Kim Yong. In August, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) projected that the Singapore economy would expand by 6% to 7% in 2021, taking into account several developments.
One, the global economic recovery has remained largely on track, notwithstanding the risks posed by the pandemic. High vaccination rates in key advanced economies such as the United States and Eurozone have allowed them to press on with reopening even amidst a rise in infections. While regional economies have had to reimpose tight restrictions to curb a resurgence in cases, they are also ramping up vaccination efforts, which should facilitate the resumption of economic activities in the coming quarters.
Two, Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first half of the year came in at a better-than-expected 7.7% on a year-on-year basis. In particular, the outward-oriented sectors continued to grow strongly, with the manufacturing and finance and insurance sectors achieving growth of 14.5% and 7.4% respectively during this period. At the same time, our vaccination programme has made good progress, which will allow for the progressive easing of domestic and border restrictions over the course of the year.
Barring a major setback in the global economy, the growth of outward-oriented sectors will remain healthy in the second half of the year. The progressive easing of domestic and border restrictions will also help to support the recovery of consumer-facing sectors such as food and beverage services, and alleviate labour shortages in sectors that are reliant on migrant workers such as construction. On the other hand, the tourism- and aviation-related sectors are likely to see a slow recovery due to ongoing global travel restrictions and weak travel demand.
Looking ahead to 2022, MTI expects the Singapore economy to continue to recover as global growth is projected to remain positive. MTI will announce Singapore's 2022 GDP growth forecast in November 2021.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact on Singapore Due To Change in Government in Malaysia","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"2 Mr Vikram Nair asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the current political situation in Malaysia has any implications for Singapore.
3 Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of Malaysia’s recent change of government (a) whether he can provide an update on our bilateral ties with Malaysia; and (b) how the Government will move forward on the many bilateral partnerships with Malaysia such as the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link and COVID-19 border control measures.
\tThe Minister for Foreign Affairs (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 2 and 3 together?
\tMr Speaker: Please do.
\tDr Vivian Balakrishnan: Mr Speaker, Malaysia will always be our closest neighbour. This is a geographical fact. Our long-term relationship will always be bound by the ties of kinship, culture, history and economic interdependence. A stable and prosperous Malaysia is good for Singapore and indeed, good for our region. Naturally, the Singapore Government watches developments in Malaysia very closely.
As Members of the House would be aware, there has been a change in leadership in Malaysia. Its new Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was sworn in on 21 August 2021. Prime Minister Lee spoke with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri the very next morning. Many Singapore Ministers have also established or renewed contact with their Malaysian counterparts. Singapore’s consistent position is to work with the government of the day.
Mr Speaker, we have enjoyed good relations with successive Malaysian governments and leaders, and we have cooperated well with them across a wide range of areas. For example, we cooperated closely with the previous government led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, including contributing medical supplies and test kits. We acted quickly in the early days of the pandemic to set up the Singapore-Malaysia Special Working Committee on COVID-19, which was co-chaired by Senior Minister and the Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean and then-Senior Minister and Minister of Defence of Malaysia Ismail Sabri, in order to coordinate both countries’ measures to respond to COVID-19, and minimise disruptions to our companies, workers and citizens. We also launched several travel arrangements, such as the safe movement of cargo trucks, the Periodic Commuting Arrangement for workers and a framework for Death and Critically Ill Emergency Visits. These travel arrangements will continue.
Our leaders are familiar with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and his Cabinet members. We have worked with them on many bilateral and regional issues. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and I have known each other from the days when we were both the Ministers for Youth and Sports. That was some time ago. We also met during my more recent visit to Malaysia in March earlier this year, when we discussed COVID-19 safeguards and cross-border travel arrangements. My counterpart – Minister of Foreign Affairs Saifuddin Abdullah – is also a familiar face. We worked closely together when he held the Foreign Affairs portfolio between 2018 and 2020. Besides the political leadership, our respective civil service maintains good relations and communications with each other and officials on both sides are in regular contact.
Singapore remains committed to maintaining a constructive and positive relationship with the current Malaysian government. We will also follow through with our commitments on bilateral projects and our partnerships on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link Project and COVID-19 border control measures. On the RTS Link Project, Singapore and Malaysia reached an agreement to resume the project in July last year. Construction has in fact commenced on both sides and there has been good progress. The RTS Link will be a game changer when it commences service at the end of 2026. We look forward to it significantly improving connectivity between Singapore and Johor Bahru, and easing congestion on the Causeway.
We are continuing discussions with the Malaysian government on the safe and gradual resumption of cross-border movement of people as we enter the endemic phase. This will require mutually agreed public health protocols to preserve the public health and safety of residents on both sides, whilst taking into account the medical resources available. For example, both sides are currently working towards recognising each other’s vaccine certificates. These discussions have been fruitful and we hope that this can map our path forward for a safe and gradual reopening of our borders when the situation permits it.
Singapore and Malaysia will always be closely intertwined and interdependent. We are committed to engaging and cooperating with the new Malaysian government to seek win-win outcomes. This is especially important in order for both our countries to recover and emerge stronger together from the COVID-19 pandemic situation. And I am confident that our bilateral cooperation will continue to expand for the mutual benefit of citizens on both sides.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Government's Actions Following Auditor-General's Findings of Document Alterations and Irregularities for FY2020/2021","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"4 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Finance (a) what action does the Government intend to take with respect to irregularities found in audited documents reported in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2020/2021 where documents were altered, backdated, artificially created and falsified by officers across three Ministries and two Statutory Boards; (b) how many investigations have been undertaken arising from these irregularities; (c) how many individuals are involved for each Ministry and Statutory Board; and (d) what specific action has been taken against officers in cases where investigations have concluded.
5 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Finance (a) in the past five years, what are the types of recurring themes for issues flagged out by the AGO; (b) which are the Ministries and agencies that are repeatedly flagged out by the AGO; (c) why do these lapses and violations keep recurring; and (d) what action is taken to prevent their recurrence.
\tThe Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Speaker, Sir, Question Nos 4 to 11 are Parliamentary Questions (PQs) pertaining to the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) report. May I ask for your permission to have those PQs taken as a bloc? The PQs will be answered by the Ministers from the relevant Ministry and thereafter, for supplementary PQs to be asked.
\tMr Speaker: Okay, you may. Please proceed.
\tMs Indranee Rajah: And with your permission, may I take Question Nos 4 and 5 together now?
\tMr Speaker: Carry on.
\tMs Indranee Rajah: Members have asked questions about various lapses and irregularities highlighted in the AGO report. Let me first provide an overview, before I address the specific questions by Mr Singh and Mr Yip.
The Government’s approach to governance is one of responsibility, transparency and accountability. To that end, we have put in place governance structures at the whole-of-Government (WOG) and agency levels to ensure proper accountability for the use of public funds.
At the WOG level, we have rules and guidelines on financial controls for public agencies carrying out finance functions. Central agencies such as the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) and Grants Governance Office in the Ministry of Finance (MOF) oversee common functional areas and work with agencies to ensure robust internal controls. MOF has recently set up the Government Procurement Function Office. There are also ongoing efforts to review policies and processes and strengthen capabilities, particularly for more complex areas such as IT and construction.
At the agency level, enterprise risk management and system controls are in place. Regular internal audits are conducted. The management of development projects and facility management are specialised areas requiring deeper technical expertise and experience. In addition to raising the capabilities of our officers, agencies are enhancing supervision of contractors and managing agents.
The AGO is an important part of our system of checks to uncover weaknesses and shortcomings. AGO adopts a risk-based approach in determining which areas to cover in an audit. AGO takes into consideration factors such as materiality and potential impact. Areas selected for audit could include areas with higher value expenditure, higher volume of transactions and key IT systems that deal with financial transactions. For example, as part of AGO’s annual audit of the Government Financial Statements, it examines the controls in place for payments to government suppliers and also audits the key IT systems used to process financial transactions, including those administered by MOF.
Given the scale and complexity of Government operations it would be unrealistic to expect zero lapses. With 150,000 officers in the Public Service handling hundreds of thousands of transactions each year and more than 2,000 Government IT systems built over the years by different vendors and using different technologies, human errors and process gaps will occur from time to time.
Given this, what is important, therefore, is that we must have the means to pick up such lapses and address them in an upfront and transparent manner. The annual AGO report and other elements of our governance system outlined earlier function as regular “health checks” for the Public Service and allows it to take corrective and preventive actions as may be necessary.
Mr Yip asked about the types of recurring lapses. These have typically been in the areas of procurement and contracts management, IT controls and grants management, which share common factors like the scale and complexity of operations, a constantly changing operating environment, high volume of transactions and multiple touchpoints.
In the past five years, six agencies have been mentioned in the Auditor-General’s reports for recurring lapses, mainly in the areas of procurement and contract management, and IT controls. These are the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education (MOE), MOF, the Ministry of Health and the People’s Association (PA). The lapses arose from gaps in agency processes and human factors. Let me share the actions we are taking to improve our processes and our officers’ capabilities.
First, on process improvements. To mitigate the risks associated with IT and our digitalisation efforts, we are deploying more central IT infrastructure and common services, which facilitate regular reviews at the WOG level. SNDGG is implementing central tools to automate agencies’ review of privileged users’ activities and management of user accounts. The former will be implemented for about 800 high priority systems by December 2022 and all applicable systems by December 2023, while the latter will be implemented for all applicable systems by December 2023.
Agencies regularly review and strengthen their own processes and systems to mitigate agency-level risks. For example, the Accountant-General's Department has taken steps to enhance IT security and will be adopting the central tools to automate the review of privileged users' activities.
Second, we are strengthening our officers' capabilities. For example, MOF has established the Finance and Procurement Academy, in partnership with the Civil Service College, to better equip public officers with relevant competencies. Officers involved in finance, procurement and contract management receive refreshers and updates on policies and practices. We will step up our efforts as the recent audit findings pertain to more complex types of procurement and contract management, particularly in the areas of IT and development projects.
Officers involved in IT roles are actively engaged on audit findings as well as learning points and ways to prevent lapses. Agencies have also stepped up the training of these officers to strengthen IT governance and security processes.
Mr Singh asked what actions are being taken in respect of the irregularities in the records furnished for audit. The Government takes a serious view of such irregularities. Every case is thoroughly investigated. Public officers found guilty of misconduct face disciplinary actions, depending on the nature, extent and circumstances of the breaches.
Five agencies were highlighted by AGO for possible irregularities in records furnished for audit. Public officers from two agencies, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and PA, were investigated for the fabrication of records. MCCY's internal investigation has concluded. Two MCCY officers admitted to fabricating claims records for services rendered by external parties as the officers could not locate the records when requested by AGO. However, the investigation verified that the claims were valid and the services were in fact rendered. So, while the claims were real, the conduct of the officers in fabricating the claims records was wrong. The officers were issued official warnings and their performance assessments were affected.
In the PA case, investigations are ongoing. The officers involved have been suspended from duties pending the outcome of the investigations.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had three cases of possible irregularities in records furnished by contractors. In two cases, Police reports were lodged and the investigations have been completed. One contractor was charged in Court and the other was given a 12-month conditional warning. In the third case, action has been taken against the contractor for non-compliance of contractual requirements. There was no fabrication of records by public officers in any of these three cases. However, two officers are undergoing internal investigations for the lack of due diligence.
For the remaining two agencies, MOE and the Housing and Development Board, investigations are ongoing. Appropriate action will be taken depending on the outcome of the investigations.
Integrity is a core value of the Public Service. We will continue to uphold strict standards in ensuring accountability in the use of public funds.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Contract and Payment Lapses Found in Auditor-General's Audits of People's Association for FY2020/2021","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"6 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth with respect to the Report of the Auditor-General for FY 2020/2021 (a) why did the People's Association (PA) not adopt the Government's instruction to adopt full price fluctuation in construction contracts; (b) how long has the PA practised this incorrect methodology; and (c) what is the total value of the contracts that invoked this incorrect methodology over the last seven years.
7 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth with respect to the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2020/2021 (a) whether PA will undertake an extensive review, investigation or audit to ascertain the true extent of lapses in approvals found in more than 50% of PA's contract variations on a test-check basis; and (b) what is the facility referred to and who is the managing agent identified in paragraph 56 of the Report where out of 36 supporting documents for the project, 34 were suspected to have been falsified amongst other irregularities.
8 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what lessons are learnt from payment irregularities uncovered by the Auditor General's Office amounting to $1.17 million made by PA to two contractors; and (b) what control measures have been instituted to ensure such irregularities do not recur.
9 Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether, arising from the sampling of 36 payments conducted by the AGO, PA will conduct a thorough investigation into all payments made in relation to the management of its facility maintenance contracts; (b) what is the total estimate of all such payments; and (c) whether and what steps PA intends to take to recover these irregular payments made.
10 Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether PA’s internal audits have picked up on any of the lapses that have been raised by AGO; (b) if not, what are the reasons for the failure to do so; and (c) what is the scope and ambit of the external consultant in its review of PA's governance system and oversight functions in relation to contract management of all development projects.
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\tThe Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Sir, with your permission, may I take Question Nos 6 to 10 together?
\tMr Speaker: Yes.
\tMr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, for the Financial Year (FY) 2020/2021, the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) audited two development projects which are under the charge of the People’s Association (PA), namely, Our Tampines Hub (OTH) and Heartbeat @ Bedok (HBB). The findings by AGO relate to these two projects.
I will address the questions from several Members of the House relating to three key findings by AGO. But before I go into the specific findings, let me provide some context and background to these projects.
Sir, PA's mission is to foster social cohesion. It does this through a wide range of programmes that cater to residents of different profiles and interests. Community facilities play an important part in terms of providing the infrastructure that supports us in bringing people together.
During times of crisis, in particular, these community nodes become critical points of support for our residents. For instance, in our fight against COVID-19, PA transformed its community clubs (CCs) and residents' committee (RC) centres into distribution networks. We were able to quickly give our residents much-needed masks, sanitisers, TraceTogether tokens, Antigen Rapid Test (ART) test kits and so on. Almost overnight, many CCs were also turned into Vaccination Centres, to support our nation-wide vaccination efforts.
Today, PA manages a total of 788 community facilities which vary in size and offerings. These range from the CCs and RC centres to specialist CCs such as PAssion WaVe and imPAct @ Hong Lim Green.
PA also regularly upgrades its community facilities. At any given point in time, about 50 of its facilities would be undergoing development or redevelopments. These include construction of new facilities, upgrading works, cyclical maintenance or minor building works.
In 2010, the Government embarked on plans to build integrated community hubs. The intention was to bring together Government services with community programming and other related businesses under one roof, to better and more conveniently serve residents.
For each of our integrated community hubs, PA took on the responsibility as the lead agency to undertake its development, working closely with various Government agencies, industry stakeholders and also, professionals.
In each of these two cases, external consultants such as quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, project managers and managing agents (MA) were engaged, to help advise on and manage the construction phase of the development and subsequently, upon its completion, the management and maintenance of the facility.
In 2017, OTH and HBB were completed. These two developments added to the stable of PA's facilities, which were useful to meet growing and varied community demands.
OTH is Singapore's largest integrated community and lifestyle hub. It offers more than 30 sporting, lifestyle, community, performing arts facilities and also, it is Singapore's first Integrated Public Service Centre. Residents have one-stop access to more than 450 Government services by 18 Government agencies.
HBB is Singapore's second community hub, located at Bedok Town Centre. Like OTH, HBB houses multiple agencies and facilities, including a polyclinic, senior care centre, ActiveSG sport centre, public library as well as food and beverage (F&B) and other retail outlets.
Sir, AGO's observations in FY2020/2021 are related to the construction and maintenance phases of OTH and HBB. Several Members have raised questions on the AGO findings and they relate to three broad buckets of issues as follows: first, the failure to adopt full price fluctuation adjustments, in the case of OTH's main construction contract; second, management and oversight of contract variations during the construction phase of OTH and HBB; and third, irregularities which arose during the operations and facilities maintenance phase at OTH. I will deal with all three.
Mr Pritam Singh asked about the adoption of full price fluctuation in relation to OTH's main construction contracts.
For all public construction developments with a contract value of more than $5 million, the Government requires agencies to adopt full price fluctuation adjustment for key construction materials, specifically, concrete and steel reinforcement. This is to encourage companies, the bidders, to put in a more realistic bid for public sector projects.
AGO observed that the full price fluctuation was not adopted in the case of OTH's main construction contract. Instead of a full price fluctuation adjustment, the parties in that case adopted a 70% price fluctuation adjustment for OTH’s main construction contract.
When PA did its investigations, it found that this had been discussed and proposed by PA's appointed team of external consultants and was then accepted by PA. However, this was a mistake as PA should have adopted full price fluctuation instead, in accordance with the Government’s instruction.
Following this finding, PA undertook a review of the 31 relevant public construction developments over the last seven years. It found that, in this period, two other construction projects had also erroneously adopted a 70% price fluctuation adjustment, instead of a full price fluctuation.
On these two construction projects, the preliminary calculation is that if a full price fluctuation had been adopted instead, this would have resulted in a price adjustment differential of about $60,000 in favour of PA.
PA has since ensured that the provision in all such similar standard construction contracts is clear and is fixed, to ensure greater clarity and compliance on how price fluctuation adjustments should be made, as per the requirement for all Government projects. It has also been reiterated to relevant officers who oversee such projects to ensure compliance.
Next, Sir, let me address AGO's findings on the management and oversight of contract variations. This applies for the main construction contracts during the development phase of both OTH and HBB.
In its audit, the AGO had test-checked 465 contract variations from both developments and found lapses in the approvals for 252 variations. The lapses relate to improper approval processes for variation works that had been conducted. The AGO found that there was a lack of evidence of approvals and in some cases, approvals which were given after the works had commenced or were already completed. And in some other cases, approvals for the increase in variation costs were not documented.
AGO opined that these lapses indicated weaknesses in the monitoring of contract variations and inadequate oversight of the consultants by PA.
Subsequent to AGO's findings, PA undertook a thorough check on all 252 cases flagged by AGO. The check showed that whilst there were inadequate or missing documentations in respect of those variation works identified by AGO, these variation works were in fact requested for and approved.
PA was able to independently verify, including through contemporaneous materials, that the variation works were carried out following discussions and decisions taken at project site meetings between PA and its consultants, and following the issuance of work orders. However, the project staff and consultants at that time, did not maintain proper documentation of these decisions, resulting in AGO’s observations. This is a lapse which has to be addressed.
In addition, PA is now undertaking a full review of the remaining contract variations, beyond those sampled by AGO, for the main construction contracts for these two developments.
Whilst these were not part of AGO’s test check requirements, PA is doing so, to ensure that the contract variations were carried out with the appropriate approvals and proper documentation, and if not, then to take the appropriate remedial actions.
To further improve the future management of contract variations, PA has since also implemented the following: one, required the reporting and monitoring of contract variations in project progress meetings as a standard form; two, published a manual on contract variation process and procedures to further guide PA staff and its external consultants in the management of contract variations; and three, established an e-filing system for documenting variation approvals to enhance oversight and tracking.
Sir, the third observation by AGO is in relation to the possible irregularities in documents relating to payments and lapses in the management of facility maintenance contracts at OTH. Mr Pritam Singh, Ms Foo Mee Har and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin have raised questions with regard to this observation.
AGO's findings under this heading relate to transactions carried out in conjunction with minor building works at the facility, undertaken by external contractors during the maintenance phase of OTH. In respect to these works, PA had engaged an external managing agent to support the onsite facilities management team and also, supervise the works by the contractors.
In reviewing the payments made to the contractors, AGO had sampled 36 payments, totalling $1.27 million and found that there were possible irregularities in the supporting documents. These irregularities include the possible falsification of quotations, alteration of hard copy payments, payment supporting documents and also the creation and backdating of documents to give the false impression that proper processes had been followed.
\tWhen PA was notified by AGO on the irregularities observed, an internal investigation panel was immediately convened to look into these transactions. This panel was led by senior officers from PA and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to conduct a thorough review of the related processes.
The investigations confirmed AGO's observations. PA took a very serious view of these irregularities. In addition, as the findings relate to claims involving possible falsification of documents, including in relation to claims by external parties, PA lodged a Police report after the conclusion of this investigation.
In addition, the staff who were directly involved have also been suspended pending the outcome of these investigations. PA is presently reviewing each of these transactions to ascertain if any losses have been occasioned by these irregularities and if so, to take the appropriate recovery action.
In the meantime, to ensure that the operations and maintenance of facilities at OTH carries on without disruption, PA has set up a task force to review and take steps to strengthen existing processes in procurement, contract and facility management, all of which, carry on at OTH. Second, to also improve staffing resources, including the appropriate oversight of contractors and managing agents.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin has asked if PA will conduct a thorough investigation into all payments made in relation to OTH's facility maintenance contracts. I would like to assure Members of this House that PA has done so. The internal audit team has since undertaken a sample review of all the other facility maintenance contracts entered into by OTH and did not find any irregularities similar in nature as those flagged by AGO.
Mr Sitoh also asked whether PA's internal audit team had picked up any of these lapses raised by AGO. The internal audit team identifies key compliance risk areas and conducts sample checks to detect lapses or non-compliance.
In addition to compliance and operational audits, PA also engages an external auditor to conduct annual audits on its financial information. The integrated community hubs that I have mentioned, are audited regularly on a cyclical basis. PA last audited OTH and HBB in 2018 and 2019 respectively. At that time, these developments had just started their operations and the audits then were focused on procurement, revenue and tenancy management. PA's internal audit did not uncover any significant discrepancies, nor did AGO highlight any issues with respect to these three areas.
In February 2020, PA's internal audit had included in their FY2021 workplan to conduct checks on OTH and HBB. The checks were to be focused on the facilities' development and maintenance relating to progress claims, documentation and term contracts. These plans were, however, put on hold when AGO began its audit of OTH and HBB in July 2020. The planned areas of audit for OTH in FY2021 were eventually covered under AGO's audit that was conducted in FY2020.
Sir, PA accepts AGO's findings and will take steps to thoroughly review its governance and compliance systems. Ms Foo, in particular, asked about the control measures. Besides the above, PA has since appointed an external consultant from a leading accounting firm to examine its governance system and oversight functions in relation to contract management and the operations of all its development projects.
The external consultant will conduct an audit and Business Process Review on the contract management of development and facility management projects of PA in recent years; review the governance structure for similar integrated community complexes; and also provide recommendations to strengthen systems and also processes in relation to the oversight functions of all development projects.
The external consultant will have a broad mandate to review. They will make practical recommendations to rectify control weakness or lapses noted as well as identify areas of improvement in terms of efficiency, economy and effectiveness. PA will take in the recommendations, improve processes where needed and implement better oversight.
Sir, as a steward of public funds, we know that there must be public confidence in the integrity of governance systems. And PA takes the findings of AGO very seriously. This is underscored by how immediate steps were taken to review the observations, going beyond AGO's findings and subsequently, the remedial steps that I outlined earlier.
PA is committed to resolving and improving its governance and oversight processes and will take all the appropriate steps to learn from and improve on the AGO audit findings.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Erroneous Payments of CPF Housing Grants as Highlighted in Auditor-General's Report for FY2020/2021","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"11 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) what caused HDB to make erroneous payments of CPF housing grants to ineligible applicants as highlighted in the Annual Report of the Auditor-General’s Office for FY2020/2021; and (b) in what manner will HDB be improving its controls over the processing and assessment of CPF housing grants.
\tThe Minister for National Development (Mr Desmond Lee): Sir, applicants for Central Provident Fund (CPF) housing grants must declare all relevant information about themselves and the proposed occupiers of their Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, as well as submit documentary proof of income, employment and details of their ownership of private property, if any.
HDB assesses each application by manually verifying, amongst other things, the declared incomes against the documents submitted by the applicants and their occupiers, such as pay slips, employers’ letters, commission statements, CPF contribution histories and Notices of Income Tax Assessment. For ownership of private property, HDB will verify documents such as the Notice of Transfer, Transfer Instrument, and Sale and Purchase Agreement. The verification process is often complex, especially when flat buyers and their occupiers have multiple sources of income and/or property ownership, both local and overseas.
The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) checked a total of 22,627 resale applications with the Family or Singles Grant approved by HDB between 1 April 2018 and 30 September 2020. These applications involved a total of 47,808 applicants and occupiers. AGO found that HDB had disbursed grants to 13 applicants who did not meet the eligibility criteria. Of the 13 applicants, HDB has since verified that one applicant had in fact been correctly assessed for the grant disbursement. Further investigations revealed that the grants were wrongly disbursed for the remaining 12 applicants because the applicants had failed to declare material information such as their actual income and private property ownership to HDB. This omission was not detected in the verification checks.
HDB has taken immediate action to recover the grants that were disbursed to ineligible applicants and is working to verify the eligibility status of the remaining 1,055 applicants flagged by AGO. HDB is also implementing process improvements and automating eligibility check processes. This will allow HDB to more efficiently and accurately assess the eligibility of the very many grant applicants, even if they fail to declare any material information to HDB.
Mr Speaker: Mr Pritam Singh.
\tMr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Thank you, Mr Speaker. And thank you to Minister Indranee and Minister Edwin Tong for replying my Parliamentary Questions. I have supplementary questions for Question Nos 4 and 7.
For Question No 4 to Minister Indranee, this year's AGO report was unusual in that there were a number of Ministries and Statutory Boards observed to have documents altered, backdated, artificially created or falsified. Hence, my Parliamentary Question was to inquire into the number of investigations and individuals involved, to get a better extent of the size of these infractions and the number of people involved. In view of information that the Minister has just shared and her reply that efforts will be stepped up to resolve some of these issues, can the Minister share what is the nature of these efforts, do they include more frequent internal audits, for example, or intensive contract management and procurement-related training programmes for the relevant personnel?
To Minister Edwin Tong, two questions. I understand that PA's internal investigation went beyond the test checks that were done for the contract variations with regard to the two development projects. Can I confirm that PA also will be making an announcement on the results of these findings when the investigations are complete, in view of the statement that was released on 22 July 2021.
The second supplementary question for Minister Tong is: is there a process or procedure in place to bar companies including managing agents for all Government-related tenders that are found to have been flagged out by AGO for significant irregularities, for example, like the managing agent identified at paragraph 56 of the AGO report which found irregularities in more than 90% of payments that were test checked?
\tThe Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his supplementary questions. He had asked what efforts are being taken to address this because there were a number of infractions across various Ministries and agencies.
I think we can break it down to two responses that would be appropriate. As you can see from the lapses, one is a process problem. For the process problem, the key is to be able to pick this up as quickly and as efficiently as possible. And the key to that is lies in having more automated processes.
As I had indicated in my earlier answer, what we are doing is to have more process improvements and to deploy more central IT infrastructure and common services to facilitate regular reviews. That way, hopefully, you minimise human error and you are able to flag up the inconsistencies or the red flags as and when they occur.
The second and the more important one is really the people part. Partly, it is building capability, but the other part is impressing upon public officers the importance of doing this well and carrying out these functions well, so that in fact, they internalise it. The Public Service has in place platforms such as sharing sessions and training programmes to educate and engage the officers on the importance of maintaining the high standards of personal conduct and upholding the integrity of the Public Service. And the leaders in the Public Service will continue to emphasise to their officers that misconduct is viewed seriously and will not be condoned; and will also remind them that there are internal avenues to report wrongdoing and fraudulent acts, if these occur and if the reporting is made in good faith.
In addition, Heads of Agencies will prioritise and intensify our internal audits to look out for any such wrongdoing. And when such issues are detected, we will deal with them decisively.
So, our public officers, do recognise that public accountability remains a top priority for the Government and they are committed to addressing the lapses identified and resolving the problem at the root and this includes strengthening organisational, capabilities, systems and processes to prevent future recurrence.
\tThe Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Mr Speaker, on Mr Singh's two questions, the first is yes. When we have completed the review and made the resolutions on the remaining contract variation issues that we will look at for the remaining contracts, we will make the appropriate disclosures.
Second, in relation to the second question on whether we will take into account findings, all of such findings will be appropriately addressed. There is a framework to consider, to assess when tenderers come in to make bids. All of these, including the antecedent behaviour of a particular individual or contractor, will be taken into account when assessing and judging on these bids.
Mr Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.
\tMr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is for the Second Minister for Finance. Would the Minister require all the remedial and recovery action that is to be reported to AGO be presented to Parliament when completed, to give public closure to these lapses and violations?
Ms Indranee Rajah: Mr Speaker, there is already a framework in place to address the issue that Mr Yip had raised. Essentially, what happens is that we have the Public Accounts Committee which is a committee of Parliament. The Public Accounts Committee can enquire from the Ministry what the updates are. The Ministry will reply and the reply is effectively to a committee of Parliament, so it is as if it is to Parliament. And the Public Accounts Committee will then issue a public report. So, there is a mechanism in place. The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is Ms Foo Mee Har.
\tMr Speaker: Ms Foo Mee Har.
\tMs Foo Mee Har (West Coast): Thank you, Speaker. The significant observations arising from AGO's audit of the two development projects under the People's Association (PA) are disturbing. So, I would like to ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth to clarify the following. One, whether the lapses uncovered in contract management are systemic across the development projects. It is surprising to hear that PA actually manages 788 projects at any one time. Second, whether the root causes of irregularities have been identified and isolated, and if new projects that are now ongoing need to be suspended, pending the consultants' study of the issues that have been uncovered.
\tMr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: I thank Ms Foo Mee Har for raising the point. The lapses, as far as we can tell, were not systemic. But at the same time, as I have mentioned earlier, we have already immediately implemented some changes to improve the system and oversight governance functions. We will also subject our oversight and governance of such matters to a professional external review, as I have mentioned. And I have mentioned that an external consultant has been appointed, being given a broad mandate to look at these governance systems and oversight functions.
The lessons that we have learnt, the immediate steps that we have taken on board will, of course, be shared with any new projects that will come on board. And thereafter, after we have done a full review, we will strengthen and continue to strengthen these processes.
Let me also add, Mr Speaker, that there will be the occasional lapse or oversight in the way in which contracts are managed. As I have mentioned, PA oversees a wide range of development and redevelopment projects for more than 780 such facilities.
We cannot always prevent fraud. It may happen from time to time. But what is important is to be able to detect it, to pick it up and then act firmly against it. So, it is important to have a strong audit system, both internal and also external. And on top of that, regular AGO audits which go deeper into specific matters. We take each case of lapse very seriously. And in this case, as Members know, once PA became aware of these findings, an internal investigation was carried out immediately. This led to staff being suspended and a Police report was filed; all of these even before AGO disclosed its findings. As I have mentioned earlier, we also are investigating transactions beyond the scope of AGO's sampling.
In many ways, Sir, we are tougher on ourselves when lapses are discovered. We must continue to do so and build a strong culture of zero tolerance, particularly when it comes to questions of integrity and probity of transactions.
\tMr Speaker: Ms Sylvia Lim.
\tMs Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Thank you, Speaker. I have two supplementary questions for the Minister for National Development. The first is, besides clawing back the grants that were wrongly paid, HDB has stated that it would also take enforcement action against those who have suppressed material information. So, I would like the Minister to confirm whether HDB, by saying this, accepts that there could be some cases where the applicant did not act deliberately but there could have been some genuine misunderstanding about the eligibility criteria or the information that needed to be provided. That is the first question.
My second question: HDB has stated that AGO has asked HDB to report back on the remaining 1,055 cases which were picked up by data analysis which could have involved wrongful payment of grants. Could the Minister tell the House how long does HDB expect to take to finish these investigations and confirm that the Ministry will make the findings public as well?
Mr Desmond Lee: Sir, in response to Ms Sylvia Lim's first question, we will look at the facts and circumstances behind each case. Some of the instances of suppression of material information may have been deliberate; some of it may have been a misunderstanding. We will have to look at it case by case.
On the second query, of the 1,055 cases, we think we should be able to complete it by or before the year-end. And as to whether we will report back, the answer is yes.
\tMs Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): I have two supplementary questions for Minister Edwin Tong. PA has identified and appointed the external consultant. Can Minister share with us the identity of this external consultant? And if it has started work, it will be helpful to share with us the findings progressively. And I would like to know what kind of timeline we are looking at in sharing the findings with us.
\tMr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Sir, the accounting firm that has been appointed is Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four accounting firms in Singapore. To Ms Joan Pereira's second question, we expect to do it in as expeditious a manner as possible. But without having come into the details, I do not want to constrain the professionals from Ernst & Young as well.
As to sharing the findings progressively, we will certainly do so internally as and when lessons learnt or options become available to improve processes. At some stage after we have completed the review itself, we will then share that with the public as well.
\tMr Speaker: Miss Cheng Li Hui.
\tMiss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Thank you, Mr Speaker. My supplementary question is for the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. Our Tampines Hub (OTH) is very popular with residents. So, I would like to know if the operations, events and services at OTH have been affected by observations highlighted in the AGO report.
\tMr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: I thank Miss Cheng for the question. Yes, the staff obviously have been affected in that they have been cooperating with AGO. So, they have had to put aside time to deal with that and also with the internal investigations that we continued with, over and above what AGO has done to ensure that we look at all the remaining contracts that OTH had entered into.
At the same time, it is also important to keep the functions and facilities of OTH running, making sure that residents' and businesses' interests are not compromised, ensuring that the tenants that remain at OTH will also be looked after. So, there is a wide range of other responsibilities that the staff are looking into. And it is important to ensure that there is enough resourcing and staffing to see to this. I would like to assure Miss Cheng that there is a task force that has been put in place to shore up the staff necessary for OTH, including to replace the personnel who had been suspended, to ensure that the functions and performance levels of OTH do not drop.
\tMr Speaker: Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin. Let us move on.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Reasons for Merger and Alignment Plans for Yale-NUS College and other NUS Schools, and Impact on Students' Educational Experience","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OA","content":"12 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Education in light of the forthcoming merger of the Yale-NUS College and NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) (a) how will the establishment of the New College enhance the educational experience of future students as compared to the current programmes at Yale-NUS College and USP; and (b) how will the decision affect the (i) innovative and open liberal arts curriculum (ii) international make-up of the students and the faculty of the New College and (iii) higher education offerings in Singapore.
13 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Education whether support can be provided to students who have accepted an offer for the cohort starting 2022-2023 in NUS' Yale-NUS College, Faculty of Engineering or School of Design and Environment but who wish to change University or school given the recent merger announcements.
14 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the considerations behind the closure of Yale-NUS College and its planned merger with the University Scholars Programme (USP) into the New College; (b) how the various key stakeholders were consulted; and (c) how much public monies through the Ministry's subsidies, grants and funding have been spent on Yale-NUS College since its inception.
15 Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the considerations for the forthcoming merger of the Yale-NUS College and the University Scholars Programme; (b) what measures will be taken by the Ministry to safeguard the interests of the existing students; and (c) what are the plans for the future college.
16 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Education in light of the closure of Yale-NUS College (a) how will this impact the quality of education for the students; and (b) what will be done to address potential concerns about credibility of the degree and post-graduate opportunities.
17 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education in light of the announcement that Yale-NUS College will cease operations by 2025 (a) how will NUS ensure that students enrolled over the course of the next four years will be able to enjoy an uncompromised educational experience; (b) whether there will be any reduction of fees or option for transfers in the event that there is a compromised experience; and (c) how will NUS ensure that the Yale-NUS degree retains its value in the future, in particular for graduates of the programme.
18 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education regarding the decision to merge Yale-NUS College and NUS' University Scholars Programme (a) what are the motivations behind the decision; (b) whether financial factors feature in the decision; (c) whether Yale University provided any indication of willingness to continue the partnership beyond 2025; (d) why was the decision not conveyed to the student body in advance, closer to the announcement of the new College of Humanities and Sciences; and (e) whether the faculty and student body of Yale-NUS College were consulted before the decision and if not, why not.
19 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Education in light of the announced merger of Yale-NUS College and NUS' University Scholars Programme to create the \"New College\" (a) what have been the other alternatives considered and why are these options not taken; (b) when was the decision for merger made; and (c) what is the assessment on the impact on NUS' and Singapore’s international academic standing from this decision.
20 Mr Raj Joshua Thomas asked the Minister for Education (a) whether he can shed light on (i) the decision-making process behind the merger of Yale-NUS College and NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) and (ii) the potential implications on collaboration between NUS and other foreign universities; and (b) whether NUS will provide refunds to Yale-NUS College and USP students who prefer to withdraw.
21 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Education (a) whether there are any key performance indicators for the Yale-NUS College and what was the assessed performance on those metrics; (b) what has been the past impact of the Yale-NUS College on admissions into NUS; (c) whether there are future plans for a dedicated liberal arts college; (d) what are the plans to preserve Singapore’s reputation for quality tertiary education partnerships; and (e) whether student activism at the Yale-NUS College played any part in the closure.
\tThe Minister for Education (Mr Chan Chun Sing): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to answer all the Parliamentary Questions (PQs) related to the merger of Yale-NUS College (YNC) with NUS' University Scholars Programme (USP) to form the New College together; and these will include:
(a) the initial batch of Oral PQs that Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Ms Foo Mee Har and Mr Shawn Huang first filed on 27 to 30 August for the Sitting of 13 September;
(b) Oral PQs from Miss Cheryl Chan, Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim, Ms He Ting Ru, Mr Raj Joshua Thomas and Mr Leon Perera filed on 31 August and 1 September for the Sitting of 13 September; and
(c) Oral PQs from Mr Gan Thiam Poh1, Ms Mariam Jaafar2,3 and Mr Patrick Tay4 filed on 31 August for the Sitting of 14 September; and
(d) an Oral PQ by Ms Poh Li San5 filed on 1 September for the Sitting of 15 September.
\tMr Speaker: Carry on, please.
\tMr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Speaker, Sir, I invite Members to ask their supplementary questions together after this; and if Members are satisfied with the answers, Members may wish to withdraw their Oral and Written PQs slated for 14 September or after.
Mr Speaker, Sir, the Members’ questions broadly fall into three areas: first, the reasons why the National University of Singapore (NUS) decided on the merger; second, the decision-making process; and third, support for students, faculty and staff in the transition.
Let me start with the first, the reasons for the merger. Mr Speaker, Sir, 21 years ago, NUS established the USP. USP started as one of NUS’ early ventures in offering a broad-based, interdisciplinary education to students. Today, it is a very successful residential living and learning model that admits around 220 students each year and has produced about 2,500 alumni to date.
Ten years ago, NUS and Yale University established YNC. The aim was to establish a new unique education model that draws on the best traditions of both the East and the West, with a multidisciplinary curriculum. YNC has an intake of about 250 students each year. More than 800 students have graduated from YNC thus far. It is autonomous within NUS, but as part of the wider NUS family, it taps on the resources and facilities of NUS. The YNC degree is awarded by NUS. This decade-long partnership with Yale University has given NUS valuable insights into interdisciplinary liberal arts education and its defining features such as the integration of residential living and learning.
Over these years, the rest of NUS too has continued to evolve and innovate to remain relevant to the needs of our students and country. Today, NUS is one of the leading universities in Asia and the world. And in one international ranking, the QS World University Rankings, NUS is ranked 11th in the world. However, NUS, like all our other universities, cannot remain static in the face of a changing and in many ways, more challenging world; NUS will have to continue to evolve. So, in our quest for excellence, it means that we must continue to learn from the best internationally, while charting our own path forward with confidence. This is what brought us thus far; and this is how we will go forward.
In a more complex, uncertain and even fragmenting world, our universities must enable our students:
(a) to be more global in orientation and exposure, able to connect the East and West; North and South;
(b) to be more able to solve complex issues with greater interdisciplinarity and versatility, connecting various disciplines, from STEM to the Arts; and
(c) to be more confident of our own value in creating new ideas in context, for Singapore and the world beyond.
Against this backdrop, NUS has charted a bold roadmap of educational innovations since 2018, geared towards delivering a common curriculum with more flexible pathways and more interdisciplinary learning, to develop in students greater intellectual versatility.
Part of this roadmap includes the establishment of the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) in December 2020, which brought together two of NUS’ largest faculties to offer students multiple pathways across the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
This will be followed by the establishment of the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) which will similarly transform the experience of our engineering, architecture and design students.
The New College is a third important step in this roadmap. It was motivated by NUS’ vision of further developing an immersive living and learning community, where students majoring in over 50 different disciplines can come together to inquire, interact and learn from one another.
YNC and USP share many common features, including smaller group teaching, a common curriculum and residential living and learning. Both YNC and USP graduates go on to enjoy similarly excellent employment outcomes, contributing in different sectors. The New College will bring together the best educational features of both YNC and USP. With the New College more fully integrated with the rest of the University ecosystem, its students will benefit from greater exposure to a wider range of disciplines compared to just YNC alone.
\tMr Speaker, Sir, when we first decided to set up YNC, we knew that it would cost more. The cost of education of a YNC student today is more than double that of a Humanities or Science student in NUS. Likewise, both tuition fees and Government funding are more than double. But we accepted this because we saw value in having a liberal arts college in our tertiary education system. YNC had hoped to raise over S$300 million to reach an endowment fund size of around S$1 billion, with Government matching and investment returns. This would then have reduced the burden on the annual operating income of fees and Government subsidies.
YNC has done its utmost in raising funds, but through no fault of its own, has not reached its target. Transitioning to the New College will give us economies of scale and reduce costs to some extent. This will be an important consideration but not the main motivation for the change.
NUS has learnt much from its partnership with Yale and in operating YNC, and it has affirmed the value of a liberal arts educational approach. NUS has decided that it is time to build on the best features of YNC and USP, and to take a step forward to expand access and enhance the scope of its educational offerings, by merging YNC with the USP.
Let me now touch on the second issue of the decision-making process and the stakeholders' concerns.
The launch of the New College is an important move. It has also implications for many stakeholders, not least for the YNC community of students, parents, faculty and staff. I understand the sadness and sense of loss and uncertainty they may feel, especially for those who have played a part in building up YNC over the past decade.
Allow me to address the decision-making process and how students and all the affected stakeholders will be supported.
First, the decision-making process and the timing of the announcement. In early-July 2021, NUS initiated discussions with Yale University. Yale acknowledged NUS’ vision to bring together both YNC and USP into a New College that would not bear Yale’s name. The YNC leadership was informed in the same month. The NUS Board of Trustees endorsed the decision in early-August 2021 and the YNC Governing Board endorsed the transition plans in late-August.
In July, the issue of timing was also discussed with Yale and jointly determined. While the partnership would only end in 2025, both parties felt that the responsible thing to do was to announce it early rather than to hold back. It would have been bad faith to delay the announcement and continue to admit students who would not be able to complete their education in YNC, or to continue to hire faculty, beyond this juncture.
The announcement was thus planned for August, after the YNC Governing Board considered and endorsed the broad transition approach. This allowed faculty and staff the maximum time – between now and 2025 – to work through the details of the transition. This also means that YNC’s 2021 intake would be its final cohort. The Class of 2025 cohort would have the full four years to complete their undergraduate studies at YNC.
Some have also asked why was there no consultation with the current student body and staff. NUS did not do so because the decision involved discussions between the senior leadership of two Universities and with their respective Boards, on sensitive issues of strategy and finance. Instead, NUS, once having settled the broad parameters, wanted to give maximum time for the transition to occur and for the stakeholders to be involved in working through the transition issues.
Second, students, parents and alumni have asked how the move affects the stature of the YNC degree. Today, YNC graduates graduate with a YNC degree that is awarded by NUS itself. NUS and YNC have assured all current students that they will graduate with the same degree as their predecessors.
NUS and Yale are both globally renowned universities which are well-recognised by employers, including the public sector and postgraduate institutions. I am confident that the YNC degree will continue to be highly valued and its past and future graduating cohorts will remain in good standing, even beyond 2025.
Beyond 2025, NUS will continue to provide supporting documentation to explain the context of YNC and what a YNC degree conveys, and provide letters of recommendation or referees if alumni need them.
Third, concerns around how the merger will affect current students, faculty and staff. Students in YNC will continue to have access to the full range of majors and minors currently offered by YNC until 2025.
I know that many YNC students are actively involved in student organisations and look forward to a fulfilling campus life during their time at the College. The establishment of the New College will open new possibilities for students of YNC, USP and the New College to interact and collectively participate in active and inclusive student life in the next few years.
For faculty and staff, no one will be made redundant as a result of this merger. YNC is an autonomous institution under NUS; YNC faculty and staff have been and remain part of the NUS family. NUS has committed to honouring all existing employment contracts. YNC leadership have been engaging faculty members to hear their concerns and discuss possible options for faculty members after the merger takes full effect in 2025, four years ahead of time.
The YNC Governing Board, comprising NUS and Yale University leadership, will continue to steward the College until its transition in 2025.
I know some students and parents may, nevertheless, have lingering concerns and we respect the preferences of those who may wish to consider other options. NUS and YNC will engage them and provide assistance where they can.
Mr Speaker, Sir, Ms Nadia Samdin and Mr Leon Perera asked about the future of liberal arts education in Singapore. NUS is, in fact, building on the foundations of YNC and USP, as well as the lessons gleaned from the collaboration with Yale University. It wants to make the distinctive feature of education in YNC and USP more inclusive and more accessible. The New College will maintain the spirit of independent inquiry and inclusivity that characterise YNC, USP and NUS.
Some have asked about the impact of the merger on academic freedom in Singapore. On this topic, I would like to make two points.
First, there had been similar concerns about a perceived lack of academic freedom when YNC was established. They proved unfounded. In fact, few believed then that YNC would live up to its ambition. Even fewer would own it. It is, perhaps, ironic and a testimony to NUS and YNC’s efforts all these years, that YNC is now seen as a paragon of academic freedom in Singapore.
Second, YNC's current policies on academic freedom were, in fact, framed by taking reference from NUS' practices relating to academic freedom and these practices have remained unchanged since. The Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences in NUS and other Autonomous Universities also have had a long history of teaching and research, including on potentially sensitive and difficult topics, long before the establishment of YNC. They are highly ranked globally and attract distinguished scholars. It would be grossly unfair to faculty members in NUS and other Autonomous Universities to suggest that their teaching or research is in any way less rigorous, of lower quality or less free than that of the YNC faculty.
Mr Speaker, Sir, our universities must continue to adopt a globally oriented and inclusive posture to stay relevant in the world and keep striving to improve. Many of our newer institutions were started in partnership with leading global universities, so that we can learn from the best globally. These partnerships have generally progressed, evolved and matured as intended. In some cases, they come to a natural end at the checkpoints designed into the initial partnership agreements.
Meanwhile, our universities continue to seek out new partnerships where we can benefit from the experiences of others and where we can value-add to the relationships meaningfully. We have much more to learn from others, not just from universities in the United States, but equally from Europe, Asia and elsewhere. But to be an attractive partner for others, we too must find our own unique value propositions. We cannot and should not be a cloned version of others, no matter how successful they may be.
Yale has been a longstanding friend of NUS and a visionary partner in the YNC College. We are glad that Yale has agreed to play an advisory role in the New College as a pioneering member of the College’s international advisory panel. We are also open to exploring other collaboration opportunities with Yale University in the future.
Mr Speaker, Sir, this brings me to the questions on the New College and what it will look like. Members of Parliament have asked how it will improve the overall student experience compared to today and what resources will be invested.
The New College will retain the best elements of both institutions, including a residential component, YNC’s practice of small-group teaching, a common curriculum and an overall immersive experience. I expect the New College to also have a global orientation and welcome a diversity of international students to forge a vibrant student body.
In setting up the New College, NUS is not starting from scratch. It will tap on the experiences of the faculty and students of both YNC and USP, and build on their strong foundations and rich traditions. Students and faculty from YNC and USP have been invited to be part of the New College planning committee. I am sure they will have much to contribute to make the New College a success.
With the benefits of scale, education in the New College can be much more inclusive, affordable and flexible. It would offer a wider choice of majors and minors, particularly in STEM disciplines, compared to YNC, and a student experience that seeks to combine the best features of both YNC and USP. With closer integration with the wider NUS ecosystem, all NUS students will also be able to benefit from and access the New College’s facilities, resources and community.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is committed to supporting the New College. We expect that the tuition fees and costs per student will be lower than that at YNC, in keeping with the vision for the New College to be a more inclusive, affordable and accessible model of education.
Some have asked whether NUS can deliver this enhanced ambition and whether there will be an impact on its overall standing. There is no reason to believe why a University like NUS, which has grown in strength and reputation over the years, cannot continue to achieve great things.
In closing, Mr Speaker, Sir, the establishment of the New College marks a new chapter in inquiry-driven, interdisciplinary education for NUS and for Singapore. The NUS and YNC leadership are committed to supporting the YNC and USP communities through the transition and to making the New College a success.
This move brings exciting new opportunities, so my hope is that we look ahead and move forward together.
Last week, I had the chance to speak with student leaders from YNC and USP. I listened to their hopes and concerns, and encouraged them to work together on the journey ahead. I have every confidence that we will take forward the legacy, spirit and communities of YNC and USP together.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Patrick Tay.
\tMr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer): I have two supplementary questions for the Minister. Firstly, what is the extent of integration between YNC and NUS today, and how would this change with the merger? Second, the Minister mentioned that costs were a relevant consideration but not the main motivation for the merger. Can the Minister elaborate on how the financial sustainability was factored into this consideration and how the New College would be made more financially sustainable?
\tMr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Speaker, Sir, as an Autonomous College within NUS, YNC has its own governing board and it has autonomy to make decisions relating to student admission, curriculum and non-curricular matters such as student development, faculty and staff matters, as well as resourcing expenditure, hiring and other administrative matters.
YNC takes in about 250 students a year compared to NUS' intake of about 7,000 students a year.
\t
As YNC is a four-year residential programme, students live in and are part of the residential colleges that are exclusively for YNC students.
YNC students primarily take modules that are offered by YNC but they may opt to take modules that are offered by other NUS faculties.
YNC's facilities, such as the multi-purpose hall, fitness centre, computer laboratory, study areas and lounges are dedicated to YNC students' use and therefore, only accessible by them.
The New College will be more integrated with NUS compared to YNC. It will not have a separate governing board but will instead have an international advisory panel. This will become clearer as the Planning Committee engages stakeholders and formulates its vision and plans for the New College in due course.
For now, NUS expects the New College to be more inclusive and accessible to students in four ways.
First, fees will be lower than YNC fees, making it a more affordable and more attractive option for more students.
Second, the New College can attract students from across a wider range of discipline. Today, YNC students who want to benefit from the immersive residential and interdisciplinary experience in YNC can only choose their majors from 14 options. In future, students from the New College will be able to enjoy immersive residential and interdisciplinary experience and access a whole range of about 50 possible majors across NUS, enabling them to interact with a greater diversity of students.
Third, compared to the USP experience today, the New College students will potentially have a richer residential life component.
And fourth, the New College facilities and resources will be accessible to all NUS students.
The Planning Committee is now engaging the various stakeholders and I look forward to their report.
On the second supplementary question by Mr Patrick Tay about the cost issue, let me first reiterate that the overriding reason for this move, as NUS has shared, is the vital role of a broad-based interdisciplinary education and our job to reimagine the higher education and how it will fit into our country's plans going forward so that we can develop a new generation of students that are much more global in their perspective, much more able to connect the East and the West, the North and the South. So, that is our higher goal.
When YNC was first established, the Government recognised that education in YNC will cost more because of its smaller size and unique education model. But we were prepared to invest in building the new facilities for YNC and we accepted this because we saw value in having a liberal arts college in our tertiary education system.
On the specific numbers, on a recurrent basis, YNC is more costly. In 2020, MOE provided around $48 million to YNC in operating grants per year for about 1,000 students in YNC. On a per student basis, this was more than double that of a Humanities and Science student in NUS on average, reflective of the higher cost in education. Beyond the operating grant, MOE has also provided capital funding for YNC's infrastructure and matched donations to YNC's endowment fund.
When NUS consulted MOE on its plan to merge the YNC and USP programmes together to form the New College, we were supportive of this for two reasons.
First, because this is in line with our broader push for Institutes of Higher Learning to expand their interdisciplinary approach to education. Second, because it will make education much more affordable to many more NUS students in keeping with NUS' ethos and mission as a public university. Prof Tan Eng Chye, President of NUS has articulated the reasons for the merger in his recent op-ed over the weekend. I think it makes sense for him to have the interests of the wider NUS student population and the whole NUS at the forefront of what he is doing with his leadership team in NUS.
Merging YNC and USP to form the New College therefore allows NUS to combine the best elements of both sides and to achieve economies of scale to allow us to scale this experience to many more students in part or in full across NUS.
\tMr Speaker: Ms Nadia Samdin.
\tMs Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, and I thank the Minister for his responses. I have two supplementary questions.
The first is given that the intention is to make the liberal arts education more accessible, how much larger does MOE expect the cohorts to be, given that it is to be noted that the current projected 500-student cohort for the New College is not actually that much bigger than the current combined cohorts of USP and YNC, as well as to what extent will the composition be made up of Singaporeans as well as foreign students?
Second, given that potential students will be applying for the next admission cycle in the coming months, will MOE guide or require the New College to set out its admission policy and confirmed majors to be offered, for example, so that potential students and parents can make considered decisions, given that this is a fairly short amount of time?
And Minister, if I could just go back to the Question No 13, my original PQ: if MOE will consider facilitating any assistance to those who had to forego other universities in order to take up this offer?
\tMr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Speaker, Sir, let me deal with the supplementary questions in order.
First, the scaling up of the education. The more interdisciplinary approach to the education system will not be just confined to the 500 students in the New College. Some of the best elements that we have been able to learn from these two traditions is that we will be able to scale this even to students beyond those that are going to be at the New College. So, yes, for a start, I think the Planning Committee is looking at 500 or a bit more for the New College, but there are elements of this that will actually percolate to the rest of the NUS ecosystem. That is the first one.
Second, today, YNC takes in about 40% of its cohort from the international student community; NUS takes in about 10%. Going forward, for the initial planning parameters of the 500, what is the balance between the international and the local students will still have to be decided by the Planning Committee. I would look forward to NUS coming back to us on this.
On the third issue about the admission policies for the next batch, yes, indeed, NUS is now making clear the offerings for the subsequent batch as early as possible so that they have the maximum time before they sign up for the different courses – for the next batch which will matriculate next year.
On the fourth question, yes, NUS will definitely provide assistance to staff and faculty, as I have mentioned, for those who want to make alternative plans.
\tMr Speaker: Can Members keep to two supplementary questions, maximum, please? Thank you. Ms He Ting Ru.
\tMs He Ting Ru (Sengkang): I thank the Minister. I have two supplementary questions.
The first is, as part of my original Parliamentary Question, what other options and alternatives were considered and why were they not taken?
Secondly, what do you feel is the impact on the future possible tie-ups and also, some of our existing tie-ups, for example, Duke-NUS? There is a certain impression given that maybe, even though we might approach other external parties for similar collaborations in the future, will we then suddenly decide that actually, we have had enough, we have benefited enough, we are going to forge ahead. So, I think that really ties into our academic standing and our reputation.
\tMr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Ms He for her two supplementary questions.
First question: what other options have we considered? In fact, the President of NUS, Prof Tan Eng Chye had laid it out in his op-ed. There are various options to consider but the most important thing is to remember what are the guiding considerations in deciding on any option.
There are two guiding considerations. One, to make sure that we develop a generation of students that are much more global in their perspective, much more able to apply interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving. Second is to make sure that the whole experience in our Universities is much more inclusive, much more affordable, much more accessible to a wider number of students.
It is based on these that we decided that amongst the various options, whether to continue the current model, to merge the USP with YNC or to even develop a separate model as someone who would have said, that amongst all these different models, NUS has decided that the best way to achieve both objectives that I have just illustrated is to combine the USP and the YNC programme together to make it much more affordable and accessible to many more students.
On the Member's second supplementary question about our posture towards the international partnerships with other foreign universities, indeed, as we speak today, we are in the process of building up new partnerships with other universities across the world. And why are we doing so? For two reasons.
First, we must make sure that we continue to learn from the best. I am personally not very taken by ranking per se, because even if a university is ranked high or low, there are elements in the university that we can learn from. It does not mean that a highly ranked university is good for everything and another university that is not so highly ranked, there is nothing that we can learn.
So, I think we must take a very open approach to considering partnerships with others to make sure that we continue to learn from them and to take the best aspects from these partnerships.
On the other hand, as I have mentioned, when we go into a partnership with any foreign universities, we must also bring value to other people and we cannot just copy on the basis that they are better for us. Even if we try to learn from others, we must be prepared and be confident to chart out our own way to have our own unique value propositions. And that is how we will continue to go forward.
At this point in time, I do not think this partnership coming to its natural checkpoint, will have any implications for any of the other partnerships that we are in or exploring with others.
As I have mentioned in my Parliamentary Question reply, actually for every partnership, we have milestones to check to make sure that both parties find it mutually beneficial for both of us to continue that relationship. And at times, when it comes to a natural conclusion, we must be prepared to chart our own way forward, develop our own unique value proposition so that we can even be more attractive to other partners who would want to work with us and that we must continue to work together.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Raj Thomas.
\tMr Raj Joshua Thomas (Nominated Member): Thank you, Sir. Sir, I have one supplementary question for the Minister and that is coming back to my original Question No 20: whether NUS will be prepared to provide refunds to newly matriculated students of Yale-NUS College and for existing students, whether they will be allowed to look at alternatives, like transfers to other courses or to other programmes.
\tMr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer is yes. NUS is in contact with the students who may want to consider other options and to see how we can best render help to them.
\tMr Speaker: Mr Shawn Huang.
\tMr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong (Jurong): NUS is taking a bold step today for the future. Can I ask the Minister what would the Minister define as success for NUS and the students, given its vision for its interdisciplinary education?
\tMr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Speaker, Sir, this question will take me quite some time to answer but I try to cut to the crux. I usually try not to have more than three key performance indicators (KPIs) for the organisations that I work with.
But it is a serious question. What is my definition of success for NUS and what is my definition of success for NUS students? I would say three for NUS and three for the NUS students.
First, to me, in time to come, I will consider it a success if NUS produces quality graduates that are much more global in their perspective, able to connect the East and the West, the North and the South; that these students will be able to provide unique solutions in context to the challenges that Singapore faces and if possible, to make a contribution to the rest of the world. So, first is the quality of our students in being able to be an integrative force for the world.
Second, NUS will continue to be successful if NUS continues to remain humble and learn from the best in the world, while at the same time, being confident to chart out its own way forward, so that NUS is not just copying from the best in the world but instead, in the process, create something new, create something better that in and of itself becomes a valued partner to the rest of the world.
Third, that NUS, as a University, will help to reinforce Singapore's standing in the world because we stand for openness, integration, inclusivity. That we provide solutions in context for the world just as we provide for ourselves. So, these are my three KPIs for NUS.
How do I consider whether NUS students are successful? First, let me declare this. I do not measure NUS students' success just by how well they do for themselves in the type of income that they earn or the type of jobs that they get. And that is because simply, NUS takes in the best from every cohort. And as a society, as a country, we expect them to perform well, perform way above the average. That is to be expected. But in my own sense, I would like to see the success of NUS students defined in three ways.
Number one, they define success beyond themselves for the country. Number two, they define success beyond themselves for our people. Number three, they define success beyond themselves for our future. And let me explain why.
For NUS students to be individually successful, that is to be expected because they are the cream of the crop from every cohort in Singapore. But we want them to have a sense whereby their definition of success is not just about they, themselves, but how they can help Singapore defy the odds of history and continue to be a shining beacon, not just in Southeast Asia, but across the world and in history.
Number two, we want NUS students not to only define their success of again how well they do for themselves, but how well they enable the rest who are less privileged, perhaps less talented than them, to come along so that we can forge one people together, we can forge a nation together, we can forge that solidarity together, notwithstanding the forces that threaten to pull us apart.
Last but not least, we hope that the NUS students' success will be defined by not just how successful they are in this generation but by how successful they enable the next generation to be, perhaps to be even more successful than this generation.
If the NUS students can embody this spirit of being successful beyond themselves for the country, for our people and for our future, I think NUS and NUS students would have done Singapore a great service for many generations to come. [Applause.]
Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. Introduction of Government Bills. Minister for Home Affairs.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos 33-34, 36-44, 49-51, 53, 56, 63, 66, 69, 71-74, 78-82, 85-86, 88-90, 92-95, 98-107, 109-115, 117-118, 120-124, 126, 128, 130-133, 135-144 and 146-148 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix. Question Nos 22-32, 35, 45-48, 52, 54-55, 57-62, 64-65, 67-68, 70, 75-77, 83-84, 87,91, 96-97, 108, 116, 119, 125, 127, 129, 134 and 145 have been postponed to the sitting of Parliament on 14 September 2021.]
\t
\t
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the considerations for the forthcoming merger of the Yale-NUS College and the University Scholars Programme and; (b) how much subsidies have been received by Yale-NUS College from the Government for the past 10 years for the college’s operational and capital expenditure.","2 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Education in light of the recent announcement of the merger of Yale-NUS College and NUS’ University Scholars Programme, what form of college guidance counselling is being provided to affected students as they consider their options following the announced merger.","3 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Education with respect to the timing of the announcement of the closure of Yale-NUS College, why was the announcement made only after the first semester's fees have been paid.","4 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the rationale and reasons for the closure of the Yale-NUS College; and (b) how will the affected alumni, teaching and non-teaching staff be impacted, assisted, supported and managed.","5 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry was involved in the decision-making process of the merger of Yale-NUS College and NUS’ University Scholars Programme; (b) if so, how was it involved up till the point when the merger was publicly announced; and (c) what implications will the pulling out of this partnership with Yale University have on future tie-ups with overseas educational institutions."],"footNoteQuestions":["12","13","14","15","16","17","18","19","20","21"],"questionNo":"12-21"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Private Security Industry (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend the Private Security Industry Act and to make a related amendment to the Protection from Harassment Act\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Minister of State for Home Affairs (Mr Desmond Tan) on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs; read the First time; to be read a Second time at the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Sedition (Repeal) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to repeal the Sedition Act and to make consequential amendments to certain other Acts\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs; read the First time; to be read a Second time at the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to counteract foreign interference in the public interest, to repeal the Political Donations Act (Chapter 236 of the 2001 Revised Edition) and to make consequential and related amendments to certain other Acts\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs; read the First time; to be read a Second time at the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Amendment No 4) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) First Reading. (proc text)]
The Second Minister for Law (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Mr Speaker, I have a Certificate of Urgency signed by the President in respect of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Amendment No 4) Bill, to be laid upon the Table.
[(proc text) Certificate of Urgency signed by the President in respect of the Bill, laid upon the Table by the Second Minister for Law. (proc text)]
Mr Speaker: The Certificate is in order. Minister, please proceed.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, I beg to introduce a Bill intituled \"An Act to amend the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020.”
[(proc text) Bill read the First time. (proc text)]
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, copies of the Bill have been provided to the Clerk, who will distribute it to Members now. [Handouts were distributed to hon Members.]
Mr Speaker: Minister, Second Reading when?
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Tomorrow, Sir.
Mr Speaker: So be it.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Coroners (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend the Coroners Act and to make a related amendment to the Infectious Diseases Act\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) presented by the Second Minister for Law (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai) read the First time; to be read a Second time at the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Income Tax (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BI","content":"[(proc text) \"to amend the Income Tax Act and to make related amendments to certain other Acts\", (proc text)]
[(proc text) recommendation of President signified; presented by the Minister for Finance (Mr Lawrence Wong); read the First time; to be read a Second time at the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Simultaneous Debate on Motions","subTitle":"Business Motion","sectionType":"OS","content":"Mr Speaker: Leader.
The Leader of the House (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Speaker, I beg to move, \"That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the Motions on Securing Singaporeans' Jobs and Livelihoods and Foreign Talent Policy be taken together, and the debate on these Motions and on any amendment proposed thereto be proceeded with simultaneously as though the debate were on a single Motion\".
Mr Speaker, as Members are aware, the Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong, and the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament, Mr Leong Mun Wai, have each filed separate Motions, the titles of which I have just read out. Both Members have given notice of their intention to move their Motions tomorrow, that is to say, on 14 September 2021.
For benefit of the Members, let me read out the terms of the Motions as they are not on today's Order Paper, since they will be on tomorrow's Order Paper.
The Motion standing in the name of Mr Leong Mun Wai: \"Foreign Talent Policy: That this Parliament calls upon the Government to take urgent and concrete action to address the widespread anxiety among Singaporeans on jobs and livelihood caused by the Foreign Talent Policy and the 'movement of natural persons' provisions in some free trade agreements like CECA.\"
The Motion standing in the name of the Minister for Finance: \"Securing Singaporeans' Jobs and Livelihoods: That this House:
(a) Acknowledges Singaporeans' anxieties about jobs and competition in a globalised and fast-changing economy;
(b) Affirms Singapore's need to stay open and connected to the world in order to grow and prosper;
(c) Supports Government actions to manage the population of foreign manpower, ensure fair treatment by employers, and invest in education and upskilling, to create more good jobs for Singaporeans;
(d) Calls on the Government to continue to update and improve its policies to secure the well-being and livelihoods of Singaporeans in an uncertain post-pandemic world; and
(e) Deplores attempts to spread misinformation about free trade agreements like the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), stir up racism and xenophobia, and cause fear and anxiety amongst Singaporeans.\"
Given the subject matter of the two Motions, I am, in today’s business Motion, moving that the two Motions be considered together and debated concurrently. This is because the two Motions cover common topics and related issues, albeit from different perspectives.
A concurrent or simultaneous debate will allow Members to address both Motions in a single speech and enable the issues raised in the two Motions to be considered holistically. It will also allow for more efficient conduct of parliamentary business.
Minister Lawrence Wong and Mr Leong Mun Wai as the movers of their respective Motions will each, as is usual, have the right to speak to move their Motions and to reply at the end of the debate to close their Motions.
To be clear and for avoidance of doubt, it is only the debate that is to be concurrent. The Motions remain as two separate Motions and at the end of the debate, the votes on the two Motions will be taken separately. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
Mr Speaker: The Question is as moved by Leader of the House. Any comments or queries, anyone?
[(proc text) Question, as put, agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Resolved, \"That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the Motions on Securing Singaporeans' Jobs and Livelihoods and Foreign Talent Policy be taken together, and the debate on these Motions and on any amendment proposed thereto be proceeded with simultaneously as though the debate were on a single Motion\". (proc text)]
Mr Speaker: The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the day.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BP","content":"[(proc text) Order for Second Reading read. (proc text)]
The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr K Shanmugam): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, that the Bill be now read a Second time.
We last undertook an extensive review of the Penal Code in 2018 and 2019, and amendments were made in 2019.
That included amendments to strengthen the protection for minors and other vulnerable victims; deal with new crime trends; better deal with sexual offences; expand and clarify the scope of certain offences and defences; and modernise the language of certain provisions.
I will speak on some of the amendments relating to sexual offences. My colleague, Minister of State Desmond Tan, will take the House through the amendments in greater detail.
As this House is aware, we have made significant changes in legislation over the years, to deal with sexual crimes and strengthen the protection for women, children and vulnerable persons. These are set out in the Annex to my speech. And Sir, with your permission, can I ask the Clerk to distribute the Annex to Members.
Mr Speaker: Please do. [A handout was distributed to hon Members. Please refer to Annex 1.]
Mr K Shanmugam: Thank you. Members can also access this information, this material through the Singapore Parliament Members of Parliament mobile app.
In particular, we made several key changes to the Penal Code in 2019. I will highlight a few as relevant background for this Bill before I deal with this Bill.
First, in 2019, we had provided for enhanced punishments of up to twice the maximum prescribed penalties for some offences committed against vulnerable victims and persons in intimate or close relationship with the offender.
Second, to better protect minors under 16, we increased the penalties for the offences of rape, sexual assault involving penetration and sexual penetration of minors where the offender was in an exploitative relationship with the minor.
Third, we extended protection to minors between 16 and 18 years of age. Sexual activity with this category of minors was criminalised where the relationship was exploitative. These minors above the age of 16 are slightly above the age of consent for sexual activity. They can consent but in reality, they are susceptible to exploitation by those who are in a relationship of trust with them. In such cases, the minor's consent is compromised and we dealt with that.
Fourth, we introduced for the offence of procuring sexual activity by deception or false representation to deal with cases where the victim's consent was compromised due to the offender misleading them on the use of, for example, sexually protective measures or the absence of a sexually transmitted disease. This sought to protect victims from violations to their sexual autonomy and the serious risks that arise from that.
Fifth, we specifically made voyeurism an offence to address technology-facilitated offences. Previously, such offences would be dealt with under the rubric of insulting the modesty of a woman. The new offence of voyeurism doubled the maximum imprisonment term from one to two years and provided for the possibility of caning as well.
In the Bill before the House today, we also deal with sexual offences, amongst other matters.
As I stated in my Ministerial Statement in March, the maximum penalties are in our view properly calibrated for most of the offences. There are, however, three sexual offences for which we intend to increase the maximum punishments.
First, on outrage of modesty (OM) under section 354(1) of the Penal Code. We have seen an increased in the number of OM cases from 2016 to 2020. We had an average of 1,190 cases reported each year. This was a 24% increase from the previous five-year period from 2011 to 2015.
We have proposed to increase the maximum imprisonment term for OM under section 354(1) of the Penal Code from two years to three years. This will enhance deterrence and ensure that egregious cases are punished more severely.
This maximum imprisonment term of three years is only for the primary offence of OM under section 354(1). There are other aggravated variants of the offence such as OM against minors under 14 or where hurt is caused to the victim in order to commit OM, which already attract higher penalties.
Second, we will raise the penalties for sexual offences against minors for two sexual offences.
First, the offence under section 376ED(3)(b) of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a minor between 14 and 16 years of age or causing a minor between 14 and 16 years of age to view a sexual image;
Second, the offence under section 376EE(3), which prohibits the same conduct against a minor between 16 and 18 years of age where the offender is in an exploitative relationship with the minor. An exploitative relationship may be found, for example, between a parent or a step-parent, teacher, sports coach, musical instructor of the minor and so on.
Currently, the maximum imprisonment term for these two offences is one year. We will increase that to two years. This will bring the punishment in line with similar offences involving sexual communications with minors.
Apart from increasing the penalties for these three offences, the Bill also makes amendments to other sexual offences such as sexual assault involving penetration, procuring sexual activity by deception or false representation, sexual penetration of a corpse, offences relating to voyeurism and intimate images, and offences relating to child abuse material.
These amendments will clarify the scope of the offences and finetune them further. Minister of State Desmond Tan will take the House through other amendments in his speech.
Sir, in conclusion, the amendments will strengthen our laws against sexual offences, signal the importance of building a society that embodies the fundamental values of equality and respect. I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Mr Desmond Tan): Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak.
Minister Shanmugam has spoken on the amendments relating to the increased penalties for three sexual offences. In my speech, I will explain how this Bill expands and clarifies the scope of certain offences and defences, and modernises the language of certain provisions.
First, one gap that the Bill is meant to address is the giving of false information to public servants in the course of their duties.
The need to review this arises from a recent decision of the High Court, Public Prosecutor v Chua Wen Hao. In that case, the Police were looking for a suspect who had committed an offence at a hotel. At the hotel, the Police asked the accused person whether he knew the suspect. The accused person told the Police that he did not and that he had not allowed such a person to enter his hotel room.
Police investigations subsequently revealed that this was not true. In fact, not only was the accused person a friend of the suspect, they had gone out for drinks together and had planned to meet at the hotel. The suspect arrived at the hotel slightly after the accused person and joined him in his hotel room. As a result of the false information, Police officers wasted additional effort and time to uncover the identity of the suspect.
The accused person was charged under section 182 of the Penal Code, which provides for the offence of giving false information to a public servant with the intent of causing or knowing that it will likely cause a public servant to use his lawful power to the injury or annoyance of another person or to do or omit anything which the public servant ought not to do or omit if he had known the truth.
The High Court held that section 182 did not apply as the offence is concerned with situations where the offender intends to cause or knows that he will likely cause a public servant to abuse, misuse or improperly withhold the use of his or her lawful powers as a result of the false information.
The High Court held that the offence does not cover cases where a person gives false information with the intent of causing or knowing that it will likely cause the public servant to be ineffective and inefficient in exercising his lawful powers.
Giving false information to a public servant who is carrying out his or her duties is a very serious matter. There can be very serious consequences, for example, when the Police are hunting for a suspect in a murder or sexual assault case or when SCDF officers are responding to an emergency. The delay in identifying the offender could be a matter of life and death.
Clause 12 therefore amends section 182 to cover cases where the offender gives false information intending or knowing it is likely that the false information would cause the public servant to do anything which he or she would not otherwise do. This would cover cases where the false information results in the inefficient exercise of the public servant's lawful powers.
In addition, clause 13 amends section 186 of the Penal Code, which criminalises the voluntary obstruction of a public servant in the discharge of his or her public functions. The amendment makes clear that the act of giving of false information to a public servant can amount to obstruction, even if there was no physical obstruction or the use of threats. Whether the false information does in fact amount to obstruction is a question of fact for the Court to determine in each case.
In addition, the maximum imprisonment term under section 186 will be increased from three to six months. These amendments will strengthen our levers to deal with offenders who deceive public servants and in so doing, harm public interests.
Turning to the other offences, first, clause 23 amends section 376 of the Penal Code, which provides for the offence of sexual assault involving penetration. Subsection (1) of section 376 makes it an offence for a male offender to cause a male victim to penetrate the offender's anus or mouth with the victim's penis without the victim's consent or where the victim is below 14 years of age. This subsection will be deleted as the conduct is already covered under the broader subsection (2)(b).
Today, the offence of sexual assault involving penetration is gender-neutral. It can be committed by males or females. Therefore, we will also amend the defence under section 376(6) so that both male and female offenders may rely on it.
Next, clause 28 amends section 376H of the Penal Code, which makes it an offence for a person to procure consent to sexual activity by deception or false representation.
Clause 28 widens the offence to cover deception pertaining to the risk of the victim contracting a sexually transmitted disease, for example, a lie that the disease is not transmissible by sexual intercourse. The offence will also be widened to cover cases where the offender deceives the victim into consenting to being touched by a third person or into touching the bodily fluids of the offender or another person.
Clause 29 amends the offence of sexual penetration of a corpse. The offence currently prohibits a man from penetrating a corpse's vagina, anus or mouth with his penis. It also prohibits any person from causing a man to do so without the man's consent. The proposed amendments will (a) criminalise other forms of sexual penetration involving corpses; and (b) make the offender gender-neutral.
Clause 30 broadens the scope of the offence of voyeurism under section 377BB by replacing the term \"genitals\" with \"genital region\". This will ensure that the offence is wide enough to cover cases where the offender manages to capture an image of the victim's genital region but not the genitals themselves.
Clauses 31 and 34 deal with the definitions of \"child abuse material\" and \"abusive material\" under section 377C and section 377BL.
Currently, \"child abuse material\" and \"abusive material\" include material that depicts an image of a minor's breasts or genital or anal region in circumstances which reasonable persons would regard as being offensive. We will amend this definition to cover images of a minor's genital region, buttocks or breasts, whether exposed or covered.
This will enhance protections for minors by ensuring that the relevant offences apply to sexual images of scantily-clad children or close-up images of the child's genitals, buttocks or breasts – even if covered by clothing – in circumstances which reasonable persons would regard as offensive.
In addition, the Bill clarifies that the depictions must be sexual in nature. This will make clear that the intent is not to cover non-sexual depictions of minors, such as diaper advertisements.
Finally, clause 10 rationalises the punishments for abetting and attempting to commit serious offences that are punishable with death or life imprisonment but where the offence was eventually not committed.
Currently, under section 512 of the Penal Code, a person who attempts to commit an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment will face a maximum imprisonment term of 20 years.
However, where a person abets the commission of an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment but that offence is ultimately not committed, section 115 only provides a maximum imprisonment term of 15 years. This is even though an abettor under section 115 may be equally culpable as or even more culpable than a person who attempts to commit such an offence. For example, a person who conspires with another to murder a victim where the murder was not carried out could, depending on the facts, be just as culpable as a person who attempts but fails to commit the murder itself.
We will therefore increase the maximum imprisonment under section 115 from 15 years to 20 years, for parity with section 512.
I now turn to the amendments relating to the operation of certain defences.
Clauses 5, 6 and 7 amend the provisions relating to mistake or ignorance of fact, mistake or ignorance of law and accident. These clauses are intended to provide greater clarity on the way these provisions operate. They do not change the general common law principles on burden of proof, namely, that the prosecution must prove the elements of the offence and that the accused person must prove a defence.
Next, clauses 8, 9 and 17 amend the defence of unsoundness of mind, the defence of intoxication and the partial defence of diminished responsibility. The amendments clarify that where an accused person claims that he was incapable of knowing that what he was doing wrong, by reason of unsoundness of mind, the accused person must prove that he was incapable of knowing that what he was doing was both wrong by the ordinary standards of reasonable and honest persons, and wrong as contrary to law.
In other words, the two limbs are to be read conjunctively. This was in fact the position taken when the Penal Code was last amended in 2019, where we inserted the illustration to section 84. The present amendments only serve to make this clearer and do not change the state of the current law.
Finally, clause 20 amends section 352, which provides for the offence of using criminal force otherwise than on grave and sudden provocation. If criminal force was used on grave and sudden provocation, a less serious offence under section 358 will apply instead.
Currently, the explanation under section 352 provides that the partial defence of grave and sudden provocation does not apply if, among other things, the provocation was given by anything done in obedience to the law or by a public servant in the lawful exercise of the public servant's power. This means that an accused person cannot rely on the partial defence in this scenario, even if the accused person did not know and had no reason to believe that the provocation was given by anything done in obedience to the law or by a public servant in the lawful exercise of the public servant's power.
The amendment will broaden the scope of this partial defence so that an accused person can rely on the partial defence if he did not know and had no reason to believe that the provocation was given by anything done in obedience to the law or by a public servant in the lawful exercise of the public servant's power.
This aligns the partial defence of grave and sudden provocation under section 352 with the partial defence of grave and sudden provocation for more serious offences such as murder, voluntarily causing grievous hurt and voluntarily causing hurt. Similar amendments will be made to the partial defence of provocation where it appears in other Penal Code provisions.
Lastly, this Bill seeks to modernise the language of certain provisions under the Penal Code. As part of our continuing efforts to ensure that the law is more easily understood by present-day readers, clauses 11, 14, 15, 16, 32, 33 and 39 replace certain archaic terms, such as \"wantonly\", \"maliciously\", \"malice\" and \"malignantly\", with modern terms that are more easily understood and already defined in the Penal Code, such as \"rashly\" and \"intentionally\".
In conclusion, these amendments strengthen our laws and clarify their application.
Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Mr Speaker, Sir, I agree with the broad aims of the Bill, as articulated by the hon Minister and the hon Minister of State. I wish to touch on two areas in my speech.
First, noting that it is intended to narrow the applicability of the defence of unsoundness of mind, I would argue that public interest may be better served to go to the other direction – to broaden the grounds for raising the defence of unsoundness of mind. Second, in keeping with the raison d'etre of this Bill, which is to protect women, children and vulnerable persons from sexual predators, there should not be an age limit to caning as punishment. Instead, we should look to whether the person is medically fit to be caned. If it is found to be so, age should be no impediment.
On the first point, I note that it is proposed that before an accused may rely on the defence of unsoundness of mind under section 84 of the Penal Code, he needs to prove that he is both incapable of knowing that what he did was wrong by the ordinary standards of reasonable and honest persons; and wrong as contrary to law. In other words, he did not know what he did was both morally and legally wrong.
I further note that the amendments do not seek to widen the ambit of section 84, which covers only cognitive disorders, to include conative or volitional disorders; meaning to include situations where the accused simply cannot control his actions because of a mental disorder.
I am concerned that, because of the two observations that I made, the ambit of the proposed section 84 is too narrow and this may not be in public interest.
Let me explain. Any lawyer who has raised the defence of unsoundness of mind in Court, and I have done so, would know that an acquittal represents somewhat a Pyrrhic victory. This is because when an accused is held to have done the offending act but acquitted on the grounds of unsoundness of mind, will be ordered by the Minister to be kept in safe custody, usually, in a psychiatric institution \"during the President’s pleasure\".
In other words, he will be incarcerated at the institution indefinitely. Whilst there, he would receive treatment and would be monitored every six months. The Minister who gets the six-monthly reports on the accused, may order him to be discharged, if it is determined that the accused would not be a danger to himself and to others.
Instead of narrowing the ambit of section 84 of the Penal Code, it is my respectful view that public interest may be better served with a broader section 84, so that in an appropriate case, the Court is able to invoke the provisions to ensure that a person who is suffering from a serious mental illness, gets inpatient psychiatric treatment for as long as he would be a danger to himself and the public.
As it stands today, he may be punished and sentenced in the usual way. If he were to be sentenced to imprisonment, the public will then have to run the risk that the person may reoffend after serving the sentence, causing harm to himself or others, because of his continuing mental illness.
Let me illustrate this through a case – the 2001 High Court decision of PP and Dolah bin Omar. In that case, the accused, aged 55, murdered his own uncle by bludgeoning him to death with a stool. He then cut off his uncle's genitals. The trial judge described the killing as \"utterly gruesome\". The accused, however, was suffering from chronic schizophrenia which brought about a persecutory delusion. Through his counsel, he pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on the basis of diminished responsibility. The accused however did not raise the defence of unsoundness of mind.
The Court was faced with a dilemma. It recognised that it is arguable that the accused should deserve compassion and leniency since what he did was because of his mental illness. Ordinarily, this would have meant that he should be sentenced to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.
That in turn, would have meant he would have been back in circulation in about seven years' time after taking into account remission. Given his mental illness, this may cause further danger to himself and others. Naturally, the Court felt that such an eventuality was not desirable. It rued over the fact that the defence of unsoundness of mind was not invoked because that would allow the accused to be kept in custody in a psychiatric institution for so long as necessary. In the end, the Court, after expressing a lot of difficulty, decided to impose a life imprisonment sentence purely on a utilitarian basis, that is, of course, not doctrinally ideal.
I would also add that since then, we have passed in this House, provisions that would allow for the imposition of Mandatory Treatment Orders (MTOs) on persons who, as a result of their psychiatric conditions, committed minor offences.
Some years back, I argued in this House for a widening of the ambit of offences for which MTOs may be imposed. This led to the issuance of the Criminal Procedure Code (Prescribed Offences for Mandatory Treatment Orders) Regulations 2018 which prescribed a wider list of more serious offences for which MTOs can be imposed. So, the trend where persons with mental illnesses are concerned, is where possible, to impose sentences which will allow them to get treatment which will, hopefully, allow them not to continue with their harmful behaviour.
In 2018, the Penal Code Review Committee (PCRC), in its seminal report issued in August 2018 that precipitated the amendments to the Penal Code in 2019, also advocated a broadening of section 84 of the Penal Code that would allow accused persons with serious mental illnesses to receive clinical intervention instead of being punished.
It made two points: that section 84 should be broadened to include volitional acts because \"there is no good reason why the criminal law should not account for the fundamental principle that a person should not be held criminally responsible for his involuntary conduct\".
The majority of the Committee also felt it would be sufficient for an accused to be entitled to the defence of unsoundness of mind even if he knew what he did was legally wrong, so long as he did not know what he did was morally wrong, by reference to an objective standard. Against this backdrop, amendments were made in this House to the text of section 84 of the Penal Code in 2019.
I had occasion to review the speeches made by the hon Senior Parliamentary Secretary then, who moved several Penal Code amendments, which included section 84 of the Penal Code in 2019. With respect, it was a missed opportunity for the Government to explain why it was taking a different tack from the PCRC which advocated a broadening of the unsound mind defence.
In fairness, as the hon Minister of State said, I noted the illustration too, that was introduced through the amendment of section 84 of the Penal Code which, on its own, seems to manifest an intention that a conjunctive interpretation should be adopted for the amended section 84 of the Penal Code. I am however not surprised that the current amendments are still being sought to amend the wording of section 84.
This is because it is specifically provided under section 7A of the Interpretation Act, where an illustration is inconsistent with the provision, the provision prevails. In other words, parliamentary intention could not have been sufficiently manifested by mere reference to the illustration. As a result of these developments, even though this provision is being amended for the second time in two years, this is probably the first time that we will be able to hear why is it that it is being proposed to narrow the ambit of section 84 of the Penal Code.
I would invite the hon Minister of State to please explain why it is felt that the conjunctive interpretation is to be preferred over the disjunctive interpretation of section 84 of the Penal Code; and why is that section 84 is still not broadened to include volitional acts?
I now turn to the primary intention of this Bill which is to enhance penalties for some sexual offences such as outrage of modesty, sexual activity in presence of a minor and so on. Having regard to the crime trend that is being highlighted, I support the amendments to the sentencing provisions that will enable more deterrent sentences to be imposed in egregious cases. This includes not just imprisonment but caning too.
What I would like to focus on in my speech is whether the provisions providing for the sentence of caning that may be imposed by the Court on male offenders for committing serious sexual offences are fit for purpose. As is well known, sentences of caning prescribed in the Penal Code provisions dealing with serious sexual offences are subject to a requirement in the Criminal Procedure Code that a male offender of or above the age of 50 cannot be caned.
This has been interpreted by the Court of Appeal in 2015 decision of Yong Vui Kong v PP, to mean that Parliament intended to use the age of 50 as \"a convenient proxy to screen out those who are likely to be unfit for caning\", given that there is \"an inverse relationship between one's age and one's physical condition\".
In March 2020, I highlighted in this House, that the cut-off age of 50 was first introduced in 1900. I also highlighted that the life expectancy at birth for males in Britain, from which the Criminal Procedure Code was enacted in Singapore through Imperial legislation, was 47. The cut-off age more or less coincided with the life expectancy of males at that time. More than 120 years later, the life expectancy at birth for males in Singapore is slightly more than 80 years.
I further pointed out that in Malaysia, whilst the age of 50 has still been retained as a cut-off point for caning, when it comes to serious sexual offences, there is no cut-off age for a male convicted for a serious sexual offence. So long as he is assessed to be medically fit, he can be caned.
I asked if the provision limiting caning for serious sexual offenders to males below 50 is fit for purpose. In reply, the hon Minister of State informed this House then, that her Ministry will look into it and take steps as necessary. More than a year later, I remain concerned whether the provision is still fit for purpose.
I also wish to highlight an unintended consequence of maintaining the age of 50 as a cut-off age. A repeat offender over 50 may potentially get a less deterrent sentence even after taking into account that he may get an additional term of imprisonment of up to 12 months in lieu of caning.
Just a few days ago on 31 August 2021, The Straits Times published an article of a case of a man who was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to 19 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane for rape and other sexual offences committed against his then-stepdaughter. After coming out of prison in 2013, the man, after less than three years, sexually abused his two grand-nieces aged nine and 11 respectively. He pleaded guilty to these offences. The irony is that even though he is a repeat offender, he will be getting a sentence without caning because he crossed the age of 50.
This state of affairs, with respect, is not desirable. I do not see why Parliament should presume in his favour, in favour of a repeat sex offender, that he is not fit to be caned when he is clearly fit to commit those heinous acts. I also think it is not a coincidence that such middle-aged offenders tend to target younger victims. We need to ensure that such like-minded offenders will be strongly deterred from harming them.
In my respectful view, it is for this House to ensure that the caning provisions being passed as punishment for serious sexual offences continue to be fit for purpose. That is, whether a person can be caned or not should be determined by medical fitness, and not age. It is this House’s duty to deal with the unintended consequence of maintaining 50 as the cut-off age for such sexual offenders.
I welcome the hon Minister of State’s response to the points I make about caning. With that, I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Ms Sylvia Lim.
Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Mr Speaker, I declare that I am a lawyer in the criminal law practice. Sir, the rationale for some of the key amendments was previously discussed in the House in March, during the Ministerial Statement on the Review of the Sentencing Framework for Sexual and Hurt Offences. Earlier, in his Second Reading speech, the Minister reiterated the Government's position as well.
Today, I wish to instead raise some reservations about another aspect of the Bill: the changes to the offences involving giving false information to public servants or obstructing them in their duty. Overall, it appears to me that the changes in the Bill will result in a blurring of the distinctions between different offences and I am not clear as to why this is necessary or desirable.
Let me explain. Under clause 12, the scope of the offence under section 182 of the Penal Code will be expanded. Section 182 deals with the offence of giving false information, with intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person. According to the Explanatory Note to the Bill and confirmed by the Minister of State earlier as well, section 182 is being amended in light of the High Court decision this year in Public Prosecutor v Chua Wen Hao.
Sir, in that case, the offender falsely told Police that he did not know the identity of the person who had set fire to certain property belonging to a hotel. This denial led the Police to spend nearly 22 man-hours on investigations to establish the identity of the culprit. In giving his judgment in the case, as noted by the Minister of State earlier, the Chief Justice ruled that section 182 did not cover a situation where the false information simply led to a public servant being inefficient in exercising his lawful powers to investigate the case. He ruled that section 182 was meant to cover situations where the offender intended or knew that the false information would likely lead the public servant to abuse or misuse his powers, or to improperly omit to use lawful powers. Such scenarios would include false statements that lead to a wrongful arrest, or which subject innocent persons to annoyance. The Chief Justice made clear that false information leading to a public servant simply being inefficient in carrying out his lawful duties did not come under section 182.
Sir, while clause 12 of this Bill is clearly intended to plug that gap, what is notable about Chua's case is that the offender was not let off scot-free, but was convicted of a simpler offence of furnishing false information to a public servant, under section 177 of the Penal Code. That being the case, I wonder why it is necessary to amend section 182 and, in particular, to add another illustration (d) to capture the situation where false information simply leads to an inefficient use of Police resources. Such conduct is already caught by section 177. In addition, the sub-heading or marginal note to section 182 is not being amended, so it will still read \"False information, with intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person\". This could result in some misunderstanding by the public as to the scope of the section.
It, therefore, seems to me that there will now be a blurring of the lines between sections 177 and 182, and the rationale for this change is not compelling.
Yet another blurring may be caused by clause 13, which amends section 186 of the Penal Code. Section 186 deals with \"Obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions\". Under clause 13, a new subsubsection (2) will be added, to state that obstructing a public servant may be caused other than by use of physical means or threatening language. A new illustration is introduced, where a group of SCDF paramedics is attending to a case of heart attack in a high-rise block, intending to use the lift to the 30th floor; the paramedics are then told by the offender that the lift is out of order, which is not true, causing them to take the stairs. This new illustration confirms that section 186 too will be expanded to cover the giving of false information.
There now appears to be yet another overlap between offences, in that giving false information could come within section 177 and also within section 186. How will the Police decide which section to charge a person under?
Sir, in studying this matter, I note that under section 177, the offender must have been under a legal duty to give information, whereas under section 186, the offender need not have been under such a duty. Giving false information to a public servant when one is under a legal duty to give information is arguably more serious than when one is not under such a duty. This raises the additional question of why the maximum jail term under section 186 is now being brought to the same level as section 177, being raised from three months to six months, when there is a difference in culpability.
Sir, to that end, the Ministry's clarifications on the changes being made by clauses 12 and 13 would be useful for future cases.
Mr Speaker: Raj Joshua Thomas.
Mr Raj Joshua Thomas (Nominated Member): Thank you, Sir. Sir, this Bill introduces increased penalties for outrage of modesty and offences in which minors are involved, as well as expanding the scope of certain offences and defences.
I support these increases in penalties to act as a greater deterrent against such offending behaviour and to allow the Courts to mete out harsher sentences for perpetrators of these offences. Separately, we also need to look at how to ensure that victims have avenues to seek support and assistance to make Police reports if crimes are committed against them.
This is particularly so for minors who are victims of such offences. In this regard, I am heartened by the various efforts made by the Government to make it easier and less straining on minor victims to describe what they had gone through. For example, the multi-disciplinary interview model for children who have been sexually abused by their family members consolidates interviews from various parties into just one interview, so that child victims do not need to repeat accounts of traumatic experiences multiple times. I note also that the National Institute of Early Childhood includes in its curriculum for teachers, concepts of body safety, such as identifying good or bad touches and how to teach children protective skills to prevent sexual abuse. Separately, I look forward to the findings of the review on whether screening should be implemented for persons who work with children.
I turn now to seek clarification on specific clauses in the Bill. Before I go on, I declare my interest, Sir, as a practising lawyer.
First, clauses 30, 31 and 34 seek to replace the term “genitals” with “genital region”. My humble submission is that this does not provide sufficient clarity as what exactly is included in this new term “genital region” which could extend to the upper thigh, pelvis, pubis or lower stomach. In this regard, I would urge that the Minister consider including a definition or illustrations to make clear what “genital region” refers to.
Second, I refer to clause 12 which seeks to amend the current section 182 of the Penal Code. Clause 12 adds the words \"or would not\" after the words \"ought not to\".
Sir, the Minister of State expounded earlier on the recently decided case of Public Prosecutor v Chua Wen Hao and another appeal in the High Court, where Chief Justice Menon drew a distinction between an offence under section 182 of the Penal Code and section 177 of the Penal Code. CJ Menon observed in that case that there was a distinction that had to be drawn between a \"misuse\" of Police powers, where an officer ought not to have done something, which is the wording of section 182 in the current Penal Code and an \"inefficient\" use of Police powers, that is, something the officer would not or might not have done.
This same clause and section was raised just before me by Ms Sylvia Lim. My question, Sir, is whether section 182 is now being expanded by clause 12 to cover the same ground as section 177, seeing as section 177 remains untouched. Would it also mean that an accused person may end up being charged for a more serious offence under section 182 instead of a lesser offence with lower penalties under section 177?
Separately, Sir, I would like to seek updates on two matters related to today’s Bill and the wider criminal law framework. The first is with regard to the Sentencing Advisory Panel that the Minister for Law announced in March 2021 and whether the Ministry has any updates on the timeline for the setting up of the panel, the terms of reference and the composition of the panel.
Second, I would like to urge the Government to commence a study of whether the identities of persons accused of sexual crimes should be published until they have been convicted and exhausted all avenues of appeal. The recent case of Dr Yeo Sow Nam who obtained a discharge amounting to acquittal illustrates how an innocent person can have his name sullied and suffer public and long-term stigma, which affects not only his professional life, but also his personal life. To quote Dr Yeo: \"It was humiliating, a lot of ignominy, public shame, a feeling of persecution by the country I love when I have not done anything wrong\".
Sir, I ask for this review to be done, in particular, for persons accused of sexual crimes because this category of crimes leaves a particular stain on how a person is viewed by the public, even if that person is ultimately found not guilty or discharged. Furthermore, such crimes, because they often occur in private, tend to have a \"he-said-she-said\" character. The Courts themselves have acknowledged this in how they assess the evidence adduced, in requiring that testimony be \"unusually convincing\" for a conviction. I also urge that the study consider whether such protection should be provided until all avenues of appeal are exhausted. This follows from the case of Ong Ming Wee, who was convicted for rape in the first instance, but acquitted on appeal.
The Minister for Law has addressed this matter in extent in May, in response to a Parliamentary Question by my fellow Nominated Member of Parliament colleague Dr Tan Yia Swam, in which he said that the Ministry will keep, and I quote, \"under review\" its current position where the accused is named at the onset of proceedings. I hope the Minister will consider a formal review and a formal consideration of the pros and cons of introducing protections for persons accused of sexual crimes and under what circumstances.
Notwithstanding these clarifications and suggestions, Sir, I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Mr Sharael Taha.
Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir. The amendments made in the Criminal Law Bill are in light of the current trends in our legal landscape. I am in support of these amendments. However, I would like to raise three clarifications.
Firstly, as we increase the sentence for engaging in sexual activity before a minor or causing a minor to observe a sexual image, does it also include sending hyperlinks or deceptively embedding hyperlinks to sexual images, content and websites to minors? Secondly, beyond harsher sentences, how can we better protect the vulnerable. Finally, while we support harsher sentences, we must also protect the wrongly accused.
Let me touch on the first clarification. We must recognise that sexual offences are not only physically damaging but it scars the victims emotionally and psychologically. There has been an alarming increase of outrage of modesty cases. As mentioned by Minister Shanmugam, which was reported in The Straits Times on 5 March 2021, the number of outrage of modesty cases between 2016 and 2020 was 24% higher than from 2011 to 2015. Given the rise in cases, the harsher sentences will act as a strong deterrence for would-be offenders.
The increased use of the digital space amongst our youth, unfortunately, also increases the chance of them being exposed to sexual grooming, sometimes even on seemingly innocent online platforms. Beyond just sending inappropriate pictures and content to the vulnerable, I would like to clarify if this also includes sending hyperlinks of sexual images or hyperlinks to sexual content and websites through platforms, such as Instagram Chat, WhatsApp chat, Tik Tok comments, or chat on games platforms like Minecraft or Roblox. Sometimes, these hyperlinks are also deceptively embedded in an online chat and take the form of what is known as \"clickbait\". An innocent child may inadvertently be routed to inappropriate content and this is, indeed, something that is increasingly worrying. In addition, what legal action can be taken by the Ministry if the perpetrators are not in Singapore as it is more than conceivable that online sexual grooming can occur across state borders? Will the Ministry consider setting up a platform where parents, adults and minors can easily report such perpetrators?
Is there a register of sexual offenders in Singapore? Do we have the capability and resource to track such offenders if there is, indeed, one? And how do we prevent such sexual offenders from taking on roles which may put others at risk? For example, will they be barred from becoming teachers or private tutors and coaches? And what happens when a person on such an offenders’ list is successfully rehabilitated and fully repentant?
The change to gender-neutral language also reflects the unfortunate realities of such heinous acts. Any vulnerable person can be a victim and to characterise a person as a potential offender through a checklist, is creating caricatures. As such, it is of utmost importance that parents and guardians be mindful about who is trustworthy, exercise vigilance and educate the young to spot and report what is not appropriate. In addition, the community has a responsibility to create safe spaces for the vulnerable to report such acts without shame, guilt or fear.
While harsher sentences do act as a deterrence, how can we further protect the vulnerable against convicted offenders? Can the Ministry consider some form of registry or self-declaration such that convicted offenders of sexual offences will not be able to work in situations where they will be exposed to the vulnerable? How do we enhance the protection to our children and allow parents to make an informed decision? Many of our children are taking private tuition, coaching lessons, or extracurricular activities, such as piano lessons. It can even extend to school bus drivers and their attendants, and vendors for after-school programmes. It is of paramount importance that we do not make our children more vulnerable than they already are.
For convicted offenders of sexual offences who prey on victims online, can the Ministry consider monitoring their online activities during their rehabilitation period after they have served their sentences? Only after they have been suitably assessed as having been fully rehabilitated would they then be allowed to exercise the liberties of regular citizens.
These two methods may prove to be more of a deterrent to potential offenders than simply increasing the maximum sentence of the offences. However, while we support harsher sentences, we must also protect the wrongly accused. The nature of sexual offences is such that it takes a lot courage for a victim to proceed in making a report. Self-doubt, embarrassment and even a sense of self-blame plague many victims. It is because of this mental anguish, on top of any physical harm and abuse that have already occurred, that perpetrators must be brought to justice. However, it should not be abused by the very few who, out of spite or mischief, decide to lodge such reports. Mr Speaker, Sir, in Malay, please.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] There has been an alarming increase of outrage of modesty cases. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of outrage of modesty cases reported was 24% higher than the number of cases from 2011 to 2015. Given the rise in cases, the harsher sentences will act as a strong deterrence for would-be offenders.
The increasingly widespread use of digital space amongst our youths, unfortunately, also increases the chances of them being exposed to sexual grooming, sometimes even on seemingly innocent online platforms. Parents play a role in educating the young and those who are more vulnerable by monitoring their online activities so that they do not fall prey to such acts. I suggest that parents and guardians be mindful about who is trustworthy and can be trusted and exercise vigilance and educate the young to spot and report inappropriate activities.
Our society has a responsibility to create safe spaces for the vulnerable and to report such acts without hesitation.
While harsher sentences do act as a deterrence, we can enhance protection for the vulnerable against convicted offenders by establishing an offender registry. We can deter or at least be aware of such offenders when they are employed in situations where they may be exposed to the vulnerable. Such jobs may include teachers, tutors and school bus drivers.
Certainly, it is not easy for victims of sexual offences to lodge a report. They need to be strong and to summon their courage to make the report. Self-doubt, shame and even a sense of self-blame plague many victims. It is because of this mental anguish on top of the physical harm that they suffer that perpetrators must be brought to justice. Therefore, our justice system must not be so onerous for victims to pursue justice. However, it should not also be abused by the very few who lodge such reports in bad faith.
(In English): Mr Speaker, Sir, allow me to conclude in English. The amendments made in the Criminal Law Bill are in light of the current trends in our legal landscape. Notwithstanding the clarifications above, I support the Bill.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, this Bill follows MHA and MinLaw’s review of the sentencing framework for sexual and hurt offences. The amendments in this Bill have been raised through a considered process and take into account public moral norms as seen through reactions to high-profile sentencing decisions in sexual and hurt offences. I have three points to make.
First, I would like to seek clarification on the measures to ensure that adult offenders who commit sexual and hurt offences no longer pose a threat to public safety once they have served their sentences. This Bill will raise the maximum penalties for outrage of modesty, engaging in sexual activities in the presence of a minor and causing a minor to view sexual images.
This is consistent with Minister Shanmugam’s Ministerial Statement last month, when Minister stated that the sentences for sexual and hurt offences must reflect that such acts are deeply offensive to society’s fundamental values. Also in line with this is the announcement that AGC will, generally, object to rehabilitative sentences, such as probation and community-based sentences, where the offenders are adults who commit certain types of hurt or sexual offences.
I agree with the strong signal sent by focusing on the punitive purpose of sentencing for adult offenders of hurt and sexual offences. However, even with a harsh sentence, there remains a need to ensure that such offenders receive appropriate counselling and treatment. Can the Minister share what kinds of counselling and treatment are provided to offenders of hurt and sexual offences? Will they receive such treatment only during their sentence? Is there scope to consider mandating post-release treatment for such offenders, where medical and psychiatric professionals deem necessary?
My second point is on the changes of the fault element for certain offences from “malice” to “intent to cause injury” for certain offences. The purpose of this is to clarify the fault element of the offence.
Injury is defined under the Penal Code as “any harm whatever illegally caused to any person, in body, mind, reputation or property”. Can the Minister confirm that an “intent to cause injury” does not succeed in causing the specific type of injury intended, or the offender does not succeed in injuring the intended victim? Can the Minister also clarify whether emotional injury, such as feelings of harassment or distress, not amounting to psychiatric or mental injury, constitutes injury?
My final point is on compensation orders for victims. Under section 359 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the Court is required, after the conviction of an accused, to consider whether or not to make an order for the accused to pay compensation to the person injured. This gives due regard to the harm suffered by the victim of a crime who is an equal participant in the criminal justice system and not simply a means to an end of convicting the accused.
This is also an important mechanism to provide some measure of compensation for the victim of a crime, without requiring the victim to commence lengthy and costly civil proceedings separately after criminal proceedings conclude. Minister Shanmugam announced in his Ministerial Statement that the Ministry will be setting up a Sentencing Advisory Panel to issue non-binding sentencing guidelines. Will the Minister also consider including in the Panel’s scope of work a review and publication of guidelines on compensation quantum under section 359 of the Criminal Procedure Code? Sir, notwithstanding these points, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill. I welcome these amendments to provide greater protection to the most vulnerable groups of our society – children and foreign domestic workers, or FDWs, included. At the same time, these amendments also enhance the punishment for sexual offences and violence against such groups. I agree with the strong signal that abuse of vulnerable persons, children and FDWs cannot be condoned.
The current amendments also expand the jurisdiction of the District Court and Magistrates' Court to hear and mete out enhanced punishments for racially or religiously aggravated offences. This is a welcomed move, especially given the recent discussions on race and racism issues. I hope that these amendments, together with the introduction of the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act in the future, shall help promote and preserve our racial and religious harmony which is precious to all of us. I do have three clarifications.
Firstly, with regard to the amendments to the Penal Code relating to the mistake of law or fact under sections 79, 79A and 80: with the burden of proof on the Prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt, the fault element of the offence, what are the safeguards to prevent abuse of such defences of mistake, especially when someone claims mistake without needing to provide the reasonableness of the same?
Secondly, in relation to the offences of obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his public functions, while I agree with the enhanced punishment to six months’ imprisonment, I would like to ask whether there would be a harsher sentence when aggravating factors are present, for example, if the said obstruction has caused damage to public property or loss of life, compromised the safety of the officers, or even jeopardised the operational effectiveness of the mission success or exercise. Perhaps a harsher sentence or appropriate restitution or compensation order should be made in that respect.
Thirdly, I welcome the enhanced penalties under the amendment to section 354(1) of the Penal Code, which increases the penalty for the outrage of modesty cases. Anyone who assaults or uses criminal force with intent to outrage modesty would be attracting an enhanced punishment from two years to three years. This sends a strong signal that such sexual violence cannot be condoned.
However, under section 354(2), where the offence is perpetrated upon children under the age of 14, the penalty has not been increased. What is the rationale for not increasing the penalty under section 354(2), if I may ask? Previously, the offence, if committed against children, attracts more than double the punishment, if not committed against children.
Separately, what is the rationale to limit section 354(2) to victims under 14 years of age and children as defined under the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA)? Why not cover all minors under 16 years old? This will be consistent with the offences of sexual grooming or exploitation in sections 376A to 376EE.
In summary, Mr Speaker, Sir, I welcome the amendments to enhance the punishment for sexual offences and violence. I think there needs to be greater protection for not only children under 14 years of age but all minors under 16 years old.
Mr Speaker, Sir, notwithstanding the clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Minister K Shanmugam.
Mr K Shanmugam: Thank you, Sir. I thank the Members who spoke in support of the Bill. I will deal with the questions and suggestions raised by Members in turn.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim suggested that we should raise the penalty for section 354(2). We had considered this and reviewed it. We felt that it was not necessary at this stage. The penalty is severe enough. It has got to take reference from other penalties across different sections.
Mr Murali Pillai asked whether the age limit for caning remains fit for our purpose today. Again, our assessment is that there is no reason to raise the age limit. The number of men over the age of 50 arrested for serious offences that attract caning is significantly lower, compared to men under the age of 50. Where an offender is not eligible for caning, as Mr Murali Pillai and Members of this House will know, the Court can still impose an additional imprisonment term of up to 12 months, in lieu of caning, if it assesses that there is a need to do so.
The Member raised the concern of offenders who are near the age of 50 delaying the proceedings to escape caning. Raising the age limit, by itself, may not stop the problem because, when you shift the line, the problem may also shift. But I accept that, in logical terms, by reference to life expectancy, Mr Murali Pillai's case is a cogent one. My response to him is that we have been quite cautious about extending the categories of people who are caned.
A clarification. In the example cited by Mr Murali Pillai of the accused person who tried to delay proceedings, caning was not carried out in that case because the accused was found medically unfit for caning, not because he had crossed the age of 50. The Court then imposed an additional imprisonment term of 12 months, on top of the initial imprisonment sentence.
Mr Raj Joshua Thomas asked for an update on the setting up of the Sentencing Advisory Panel with regard to the terms of reference and its composition. We will provide, on the formation of the Sentencing Advisory Panel, the terms of reference and its composition in due course, after the details are firmed up.
Mr Louis Ng asked about the Sentencing Advisory Panel as well and whether it could review and publish guidelines on victim compensation under section 359 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). Compensation orders under the CPC are meant for cases where the fact and the extent of damage are either agreed or readily and easily ascertainable on the evidence.
Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Raj Joshua Thomas sought clarification on the rationale for amending section 182. Ms Sylvia Lim made the point as to whether the amendment is necessary, considering that giving false information to a public servant is already dealt with by section 177. As Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Raj Joshua Thomas pointed out, section 177 applies if the person giving false information was legally bound to provide the information to a public servant. In Chua Wen Hao's case, again, as both Members of Parliament pointed out, the Court said that section 182 is not designed to protect a public servant from the inefficient exercise of lawful powers.
Now, I should make clear that inefficient exercise in that case arose from false information being given. Because false information was given, the Police had to spend extra time running around, doing the investigations.
The Court held that an offence under section 182 was not made out although Police took more time to investigate the identity of one of the persons of interest because the Police would have had to investigate this case anyway, regardless of the false information.
We are amending section 182 in a very simple way to deal with this lacuna. Section 182 applies even when you give false information even though you are not under an obligation to do so. Section 177 applies when the person is under a legal obligation to give information.
I note Ms Sylvia Lim's point on the marginal note. We did not amend the marginal note of the provision because the main thrust of the offence has not changed. The intent and the scope of the amendment, of course, is made clear through the wording of the provision, the illustration that has been added, the Explanatory Statement and the discussion in the House today.
Let me now move to section 186.
Ms Sylvia Lim highlighted the overlaps between sections 177 and 186, and sought clarification on the rationale for raising the maximum imprisonment term for section 186, even though providing false information to a public servant when one is under a legal duty to do so, which is section 177, is arguably more serious than when one is not under such a duty. On section 186, I think Ms Sylvia Lim is right if both cases involve giving of false information. Sections 177 and 186, however, can cover different types of criminal conduct.
Section 177, as we have just seen earlier, applies when one is under a legal duty to give information to a public servant. The provision of the false information is the central element of the offence.
In contrast, section 186 deals with obstruction of public servants in the discharge of their public functions. It can be through the provision of false information but it can also be through other means and one can imagine easily very egregious circumstances – deliberate physical obstruction of public servants when they are doing something extremely important and urgent, for example, in the saving of lives.
Quite apart from giving of false information, the crux of the offence under section 186, therefore, is, in some way, interfering or obstructing the performance of a public servant's duties.
The new illustration being added will help to explain this. So, the illustration: a person plays a prank on, say, SCDF paramedics who are responding to an emergency and he gives false information to the paramedics with an intention of causing a delay in the paramedics' provision of medical assistance. Even though the person may not be legally bound to provide information, his act of giving false information, intentionally wasting SCDF's time and resources in the midst of an emergency, could lead to very serious, possibly even fatal consequences.
So, the proposed amendments clarify that section 186 is not limited to physical acts of obstruction. They could also include the provision of false information, depending on the facts of each case.
There is some overlap. I accept that. But the essence of the offences is distinct and primarily addresses different types of conduct.
The proposed raising of the maximum imprisonment term for section 186 to six months is to align the penalties with that of section 177(1) so that they can potentially cover conduct of similar blameworthiness. The actual penalty imposed will, of course, depend on the facts.
Mr Raj Joshua Thomas also highlighted the overlaps between section 177 and the amended section 182 and asked if accused persons will be charged under section 182 instead of the less serious section 177. It is up to the prosecution to assess, exercising their prosecutorial discretion, as to which offence has been established, which charge should be preferred, depending on the facts of each case.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim suggested that persons who obstruct public servants in the discharge of their public functions under section 186 should face a jail term of up to two years, compared to the six months proposed in this Bill. He has said that obstruction could lead to grave consequences. I agree that it could lead to grave consequences, but, at present, having reviewed it, we do not see a need to increase the maximum sentence, based on the cases that have arisen. Some of the more egregious instances raised by the Member will likely be caught by more serious offences, such as section 353 on using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty.
The third area is the protection of minors from sexual offences.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked why aggravated penalties for outrage of modesty under section 354(2) only apply when the minor is under 14 years old. He suggested aggravated penalty should also apply when a minor is under 16, consistent with the offences of sexual grooming and exploitation.
This question was considered by the Penal Code Review Committee (PCRC). They submitted their recommendations in 2018. Both sets of offences – whether the victim is below 16 or below 14 – are treated seriously. An offence of sexual penetration under section 376A of the Penal Code is now punishable with up to 10 years of imprisonment and/or a fine if committed against a victim between the ages of 14 and 16. So, it is pretty serious, the penalties.
However, if the victim is below the age of 14, the offence is punishable with up to 20 years of imprisonment instead and there is also a possibility of caning. The criterion of 14 years of age under section 354(2) is consistent with this approach.
Mr Sharael Taha expressed concern about sexual grooming in the digital space. He asked three questions: first, whether the offence of sexual grooming will cover persons who send links to sexual images or content through various online platforms; second, whether the Government could consider setting up a platform for members of the public to report such perpetrators; and third, how will the Government act on information if the perpetrators are not within Singapore?
In 2019, we amended the Penal Code to introduce specific offences relating to technology-facilitated sexual offending. These offences include sexual communications with minors, sexual activity or image in the presence of a minor and depending on the facts of the case, the act of sending links to sexual images or content to a minor under the age of 16 will be covered by this rubric of offences.
A similar situation will apply if the minor is aged between 16 and 18, and the perpetrator is in an exploitative relationship with the minor. The offences will be committed even if the communication originated from outside of Singapore or the perpetrator is outside Singapore. But bringing him into Singapore and making him face justice is, of course, a separate question. The offences will also apply, regardless of the online platform through which the sexual content was communicated. So, this will cover links sent via Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, games platforms and so on.
Parents and other persons who wish to report such incidents can lodge a Police report online or in person. In investigating these crimes, the Police will identify the available evidence, including digital evidence.
Police will also work with external stakeholders by requesting information from online platforms, including message applications, or from telecommunication companies to try and identify the perpetrator. Where the perpetrator is not in Singapore, the Police work with foreign law enforcement agencies to investigate such cases within the ambit of existing international agreements.
The fourth area relates to the Government's measures to rehabilitate the offender and protect the public, especially vulnerable members of the public.
Mr Louis Ng sought clarification on the counselling and treatment provided to persons who committed hurt and sexual offences and whether we can consider mandating post-release treatment for these offenders.
Mr Sharael Taha asked if the Government could consider a registry to prevent convicted sexual offenders from working with vulnerable individuals, such as children. He also asked about digital deterrence and whether the Government could monitor the online activities of sexual offenders who had preyed on victims online after they had served their sentences.
Inmates undergo various rehabilitative programmes while in prison and also post-release, if needed. During incarceration, inmates will be placed on programmes which are calibrated based on their general risks of reoffending and rehabilitation needs. These programmes include psychology-based correctional programmes, family programmes, employability skills training and religious programmes.
Selected inmates who had committed sexual offences are given evidence-based psychological interventions to mitigate their risks of sexual reoffending. If assessed suitable, eligible inmates may be emplaced on community-based programmes towards the tail-end of their incarceration to continue their rehabilitation in the community under supervision.
Inmates who had committed sexual offences may be referred to community partners before their release if they are assessed to require longer-term support for their successful rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.
Offenders who committed offences on or after 1 July 2014 are subjected to the Conditional Remission System, or CRS, upon their release. The CRS seeks to deter ex-offenders from reoffending by subjecting them to conditions upon their release.
If an ex-offender breaches the basic condition of not committing another offence under the CRS and is sentenced to imprisonment, the Court may impose an enhanced sentence as a penalty.
Ex-offenders who are at a higher risk of reoffending, or who require more support in their reintegration, may also be emplaced on the Mandatory Aftercare Scheme, or MAS. This includes ex-offenders who had committed certain sexual offences, such as rape and sexual penetration of a minor.
Under the MAS, released offenders undergo close supervision under the Singapore Prson Service (SPS) and have to comply with the mandatory aftercare conditions imposed by the Commissioner of Prisons. Such conditions may include attending counselling or therapy, regular reporting and wearing of electronic monitoring devices. If the supervisee breaches his supervision conditions, he will be dealt with. If he commits new criminal offences, he may be charged.
Supervisees also undergo counselling and case management for up to two years, to help them in their rehabilitation and reintegration. Supervisees who had committed sexual offences will continue to receive counselling support from SPS's Correctional Rehabilitation Specialists, if required.
On the suggestion to monitor the online activities of sexual offenders after their release, there are practical limitations on how this can be done. Some overseas jurisdictions which implemented such restrictions faced manpower challenges to track online activities for an extended period of time.
Additionally, as Members will appreciate, measures to control such activities can easily be bypassed.
As for preventing convicted sex offenders from working with vulnerable people like children by setting up a sex offenders' registry, I mentioned this to the House in April this year. The Police already maintains a non-public record of persons convicted of serious offences, including sexual offences. Agencies like MOE and MSF work closely with the Police to screen prospective employees applying for jobs working with children, such as those in licensed preschools and schools.
We are considering whether to make it mandatory that all persons employed in similar sectors working with children, be screened. There are some practical difficulties with this approach, which we are carefully considering.
The fifth area is the protection for persons accused of crimes, especially those accused of sexual offences.
Mr Raj Joshua Thomas asked about protecting the identity of persons accused of sexual crimes before conviction and he referred to what I said in May this year. There are pros and cons for both approaches. Our current approach is towards open Court proceedings and I had said that it is not set in stone and we will keep the position under review. But as of today, as of now, the current position is open Court proceedings. And while you can cite individual cases, overall, the question is: what helps in advancing, in maintaining rule of law and the justice system.
Mr Sharael Taha commented that the criminal justice system should not be abused by persons who lodge false reports out of spite or mischief. We agree and it is an offence to make false allegations in Court, or lodge false Police reports. Persons who are convicted of making false reports could face severe penalties.
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked if our amendments to the provisions on Mistake or Ignorance of Fact under section 79, or Mistake or Ignorance of Law under section 79A and Accident in the doing of a Lawful Act under section 80, operate to shift the burden of proof and whether there are safeguards to prevent the accused from abusing these provisions.
These amendments are not meant to change the general principles on burden of proof. Let me illustrate with an example.
Suppose the accused is charged with theft of a watch, the offence of theft has the fault element of dishonesty, which the Prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt and I do not think there is any question on that. Suppose the accused claims a mistake of fact that he mistakenly believed that the watch was his, he needs to show that to the Court.
But the burden remains on the Prosecution. Overall, after taking into account the different facts and different parties in a case may have the burden of proving specific facts, the Prosecution has to show to the Court that the accused had acted dishonestly.
Mr Murali Pillai spoke on the defence of unsoundness of mind under section 84 and suggested for the defence to be broadened in two ways.
One, to cover volitional disorders. But this was covered in the 2019 Penal Code amendments. Under section 84(c), nothing is an offence which is done by a person who, at the time of doing it, by reason of unsoundness of mind, is completely deprived of any power to control his actions.
We are quite cautious about further expanding the defence to cover persons whose mental disorder impaired their control over their actions, but who retained some control over their actions despite their mental disorder. In principle, a person who retains some power to control his actions, but does not do so, remains blameworthy and should face the appropriate legal consequences as opposed to a full acquittal.
Mr Pillai also suggested that section 84(b) be amended to apply disjunctively, instead of conjunctively. In other words, to be acquitted under this defence, the accused person needs only to show either that he was incapable of knowing that what he was doing was wrong by the ordinary standards of reasonable and honest persons, or that he was incapable of knowing that it was wrong as contrary to the law.
We considered this issue during the last review of the Penal Code in 2019. Our policy position was that the requirements should be conjunctive. Just because a person was incapable of knowing that his action was contrary to law does not mean that we should avail the defence to them.
Mr Pillai said that an acquittal due to the defence of unsoundness of mind would be a Pyrrhic victory, as the accused will be ordered by the Minister to be kept in safe custody, which usually means a psychiatric institution \"during the President's pleasure\".
The reasons why that is done is that if he is released out, the person may go out and do more harm. And there is also a significance to a conviction. It is a finding that a person is guilty and should be appropriately punished. We are not narrowing the ambit of the defence.
Prior to the 2019 amendments, the legal position on whether a conjunctive or disjunctive reading should be applied was unclear. This ambiguity was acknowledged by the PCRC. We sought to clarify this in 2019 in favour of a conjunctive reading and are making it even clearer now.
Even if an accused person does not meet the threshold of unsoundness of mind under section 84, the Court will still consider the evidence on the person's mental condition in determining what the appropriate sentence should be.
Finally, Mr Pillai made the point that section 84 should be broadened in the way that he suggested, so that a person can continue to be detained and treated for as long as he remains a danger to himself and the public, instead of having to release him into the community after completing his imprisonment term.
During imprisonment, prisoners with serious mental disorders receive treatment by professionals from both the Prisons and the Institute of Mental Health, or IMH. When prisoners are due to be released, those whose conditions remain severe enough to warrant immediate follow-up are assessed directly by IMH. IMH may decide to detain the individuals further at IMH under the provisions of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.
IMH can act in those ways and the Act allows for the detention of a person at IMH for treatment if he is suffering from a mental disorder which warrants his detention at IMH for treatment; and it is in the interests of the health or safety of the person or for the protection of other persons, that he should be detained. In less severe cases, Prisons may make referrals to IMH or polyclinics for follow-up care, after the offender's release from prison.
But ultimately, this relates to public safety and protection, which is a separate issue from that of criminal responsibility, which is what section 84 is basically concerned with.
Mr Pillai cited the case of Public Prosecutor v Dolah Bin Omar, to suggest that the defence of unsoundness of mind should be broadened. In that case, the unsoundness of mind defence was not pleaded. The lawyer for the accused and the Judge both accepted that on the evidence, the accused's mental condition did not come within the rubric of unsoundness of mind defence. There is nothing to indicate that the accused would have qualified for the defence, regardless of whether a disjunctive or conjunctive reading is to be applied.
Mr Thomas suggested including a definition or illustrations to make clear what \"genital region\" refers to. The term \"genital region\" is currently used in existing provisions to define child abuse material and there have not been concerns raised over the interpretation of this term so far. So, there is a fair degree of clarity on it and we do not expect that there will be difficulty in interpreting the term in the context of the offence of voyeurism. But if such difficulties arise, we will relook at this.
Mr Louis Ng sought clarifications on our proposals to update older terms in the Penal Code, say, replacing the word \"malice\" with the phrase with \"intent to cause injury\".
To clarify, the phrase \"intent to cause injury\" relates or refers to the offender's mental state. Therefore, an offender may be found to have intended to cause injury, even if he had not succeeded in causing the specific type of injury intended or injuring the intended victim.
As stated in the definition of \"injury\", any harm that is illegally caused to the victim, in the mind, will amount to an injury. It is not necessary for the harm to take the form of a psychiatric or mental disorder, for there to be an injury.
The Courts will have to decide in each case, based on the circumstances, whether there is harm that is illegally caused to the victim's mind. Feelings of harassment or distress may, depending on the circumstances, satisfy this test.
Mr Zhulkarnain sought clarification on who section 304C targets. Section 304 sets out the offence of causing or allowing the death of a child below 14 years of age, or a domestic worker, or a vulnerable person in the same household. And Members will realise, a child under 14 years old as well as a domestic worker can broadly be classified as vulnerable persons as well. I spoke about this earlier in the House, I think, in March or perhaps earlier.
This offence deals with situations where two or more persons were in a position to cause the death of the victim, but both deny that they were the ones who caused the death. Frequently, we have come across cases, child, five years old or six years old, scalded, beaten up, bones broken, brought to the hospital, dead and some story is given. And both parents, and sometimes, it is the step parent that denies responsibility. This provision will cover such situations because if they did not do it, nevertheless, they knew it was happening and they had a duty to protect the child.
Sometimes, it is very difficult to prove in Court who committed the abuse and who permitted the abuse. With such ambiguity, a perverse result that both get acquitted on the basis that the case against neither can be proven beyond reasonable doubt, that is a travesty of justice.
So, we introduced section 304C in 2019 to allow us to deal with persons and not just persons who abused a victim and caused his/her death, but also persons who stood by and allowed the abuse.
Sir, I believe I have responded to the issues raised by Members. I thank Members for their support of the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Clarifications? Mr Murali Pillai.
Mr Murali Pillai: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon Minister for his comprehensive answer to the points I made in my speech. I would like to make a point of clarification.
In my delivered speech, I did not make reference to a case of a 49-year-old malingering to get over the age of 50 so as to avoid the sentence of caning. Notwithstanding that, I appreciate the point he makes that any cut-off age that we would have, would not completely resolved the issue.
Mr Speaker: Any other clarifications?
[(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)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
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The Second Minister for Law (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, that the Bill be now read a Second time.
Sir, when the Copyright Act was first introduced in 1987, we recognised that copyright law could benefit society by encouraging the production of creative works like books, news articles, software, music, art and films by ensuring that the flow of such knowledge, ideas and information will not be unduly stifled.
To do so, copyright law needs to strike a fair balance between, on the one hand, \"rights owners\", who are the owners of copyright or rights of protected performances and users on the other hand.
This balance is achieved by giving rights owners the right, for a limited duration, to prevent or restrict others from using their works or protected performances while also providing limitations and exceptions to those rights to allow the public to use those works or protected performances without encumbrance.
Over the years, technological advancements and market and societal changes have significantly affected how works and performances are created, distributed and consumed.
So, for example, new and more accessible technologies have democratised content creation. Now, anyone can be a photographer or even produce a short video or film. New platforms enable these new creators to reach their audiences directly. Faster Internet speeds have shifted consumption from physical media and downloads to streaming and the ubiquity of smartphones has led to consumption on the go. All of these changes impact the creation and the use of copyright.
We embarked on a comprehensive review of the Copyright Act to ensure that the balance between rights owners and users continues to be a fair and balanced one even with these changes afoot.
The review included a series of public consultations in 2016, 2017 and most recently, in 2020. And a public consultation on the draft Bill was held in early 2021. We received over 500 responses from both individuals and organisations alike. We heard from various stakeholders in our copyright ecosystem who shared with us their views, perspectives and also their interests. These are the rights owners, the consumers, from the industry, academics and also legal practitioners.
This Bill, which is the culmination of the review, responds to these changes and prepares us for what lies ahead. The Bill, if passed, will repeal and re-enact the existing Copyright Act. To aid in understanding which provisions in the Bill relate to the provisions in the current Copyright Act, with your permission, Mr Speaker, may I ask the Clerks to distribute an annexure to the Members?
Mr Speaker: Please do. [A handout was distributed to hon Members. Please refer to Annex 2.]
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Members can also access these materials through the SG PARL MP mobile app.
Members will see that this annexure cross-references each provision in the Bill to its corresponding provision in the current Copyright Act. As you can see, the organisational changes are quite extensive. Members may also notice that quite a few provisions in the Bill in the annexure that you now have before you do not have a corresponding provision in the current Act. These are the new provisions.
Sir, I shall highlight some of these new changes, which fall into three broad buckets: first, changes that benefit creators and rights owners; second, changes that benefit users and society generally; and third, broader changes that strengthen the entire copyright ecosystem.
The first category of changes will benefit creators and rights owners to reward them for their creations and also enable them to create new works.
Divisions 1 and 2 of Part 7 of the Bill create a new right for authors and performers to be identified in order to accord them due recognition for their creative works.
Anyone who uses authorial works or protected performances in public must identify the author or performer. The specific circumstances in which identification must be given depends on the work or performance in question. For example, a person must identify the author of an artistic work like a photograph whenever the person publishes it, such as in a book or perhaps in corporate materials, or communicates a visual image of it, such as sharing it online or on a social media platform.
The Bill also provides for exceptions where identification is not needed, including if the identity of the author or performer is not reasonably ascertainable by the user, in computer programs or when the work is an artistic work situated in a public place.
Parties can continue to use contractual arrangements to manage their obligations to identify the author or performer. So, where the author or performer waives his or her rights in writing, then he or she does not need to be referred to or identified.
The attribution rights as a creator are personal to the author or performer and cannot be assigned to a third party.
As this new right is separate from the economic rights relating to copyright, users must still identify the author or performer even if they have a licence to do the relevant acts comprised in copyright, such as a licence to publish the work. So, in cases where the author or performer and the rights owner are not the same person, it will be necessary to obtain permission from both parties.
This right to be identified is only enforceable by civil means via injunctions and damages. Clause 385(2) provides that the Court must consider all relevant matters in deciding on the appropriate remedy, including the defendant's awareness of the author or performer's right to be identified or anything done by the defendant to mitigate the effects of the infringement.
Sir, this new right will help authors and performers gain recognition and build their reputation, particularly in the current online environment where works or performances may be very easily misattributed or, in some cases, not attributed at all.
Another change, Sir, can be found in clause 133 of the Bill, which provides that creators will generally be the default copyright owners, subject to contract.
Today, creators of commissioned works like illustrations or text for corporate collaterals have default ownership of their works. However, creators of other commissioned works, in particular, photographs, portraits, engravings, sound recordings and films, do not have default ownership. In those cases, it is the commissioning party that owns the copyright by default.
This change therefore aligns the default position so that there will be no difference amongst the different types of commissioned works. For example, a photographer hired to take photos at an event would by default own the copyright to those photos he or she took.
While parties can continue to use contractual arrangements to adjust copyright ownership, this puts our creators in a better position before negotiations with the commissioning party commences.
Next, for copyright owners of audio-visual content like films and cable programmes, clauses 150 and 445(b) of the Bill impose civil and criminal liability on commercial dealers in hardware devices, software applications and services that facilitate access to unauthorised content.
Sir, during our public consultations, content owners had highlighted that devices which facilitate access to unauthorised versions of films and cable programmes were becoming more pervasive. They also had difficulty in utilising the existing provisions in the Copyright Act to enforce against the sellers of such devices.
We reviewed the situation and concluded that new liability provisions tailor-made for these situations and, taking into account future use cases, would be useful and would also provide clarity for the industry.
Thus, while the predominant issue today is with devices which facilitate access to films and cable programmes, the new provisions will also be broad enough to cover other types of content like books and songs and other methods such as offering of services to install apps on existing hardware.
The change targets people who commercially profit off hardware, software and services which have only a limited commercially significant purpose or use and other than to facilitate access to copyright works communicated to the public without the authority of the copyright owners.
Acts of a commercial nature, such as commercial dealings by way of sale, offering for sale, distribution for the purposes of trade, will fall within the scope of the new provisions.
The new provisions are technologically neutral: it applies equally to acts in a brick-and-mortar setting as they do to acts on the online platform. For example, a liability is imposed on a retailer, whether in a physical shop or online, who knowingly sells a set-top box or other devices containing pre-loaded applications that provide access to streaming sites housing pirated content.
The new provisions do not impose liability on consumers and users of the hardware devices, software applications or services.
These new provisions provide copyright owners with specific remedies. They should utilise these provisions when enforcing their rights against commercial dealings in these devices, apps or services instead of other liability provisions in the Bill that copyright owners may have previously sought to rely on in the past, in the absence of these specific remedies.
In tandem with the introduction of these specific remedies, we continue to encourage content owners to provide a broad selection of affordable, high-quality content to consumers to attract them onto such platforms with legitimate content.
We also want to urge consumers to respect intellectual property (IP) and consume legal offerings so that we can incentivise creators to produce more quality content.
The second category of changes will increase the scope of permitted use of works and protected performances to benefit society at large and I will turn to this now.
First, let me highlight the change which helps in the use of works and recordings of protected performances for education.
The use of Internet materials for educational activities has increased in importance over the years and now, even more so, particularly in the context of the pandemic, with home-based learning and other online activities.
Clause 204 of the Bill creates a new permitted use of Internet materials for educational activities, including home-based teaching and learning conducted by non-profit educational institutions.
It is limited to Internet materials that are generally accessible to the public for free. For example, a teacher can include news articles or blog posts that are freely accessible on the Internet in lesson plans or homework assignments. The student, in turn, can use these materials for their projects or their assignments in school.
One condition is that the teacher or student must not knowingly use Internet materials which infringe copyright. If they unknowingly do so and subsequently receive a notification from the rights owner, then, they must stop using the material. If the material has been communicated to the public, they must take reasonable steps to prevent further access to the material. Any further use of that material would not be allowed under this permitted use.
The limitation of this permitted use of free Internet materials allows our teachers and students to source from many different up-to-date sources without adversely affecting the incomes of the educational publishers who can continue to charge for their offerings.
Another set of beneficiaries are the print-disabled, for example, the visually impaired, or those who cannot manipulate physical hardcopy books.
In 2014, we passed certain provisions relating to the Marrakesh Treaty, a treaty concluded under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organization or WIPO, which seeks to facilitate access to copyright works for persons with print disabilities. We have since received feedback from the users of these provisions.
In particular, the requirement to pay fees to rights owners when organisations help people with print disabilities convert works and protected performances into accessible formats was seen as making the conversion process even more expensive and time-consuming. It also effectively charged persons with print disabilities twice, since they would have already purchased a copy of the work or the recording of the performance for the organisation to make the conversion.
Consequently, Division 4 of Part 5 of the Bill, modifies the permitted uses relating to persons with print disabilities to remove the obligation to pay fees to the rights owner when conversions are made and distributed.
The change supports the needs of the print-disabled community and Singapore's commitment to building a more inclusive society. This also continues to be in line with Singapore's international obligations under the Marrakesh Treaty.
Another change, Sir, is found in clause 244 of the Bill, which allows the use of works and recordings of protected performances for computational data analysis. To give Members an example, this permitted use can be relied on when training an Artificial Intelligence programme or using computers to analyse large databases of materials, without needing to seek permission from each rights owner.\tIt will apply in both commercial and non-commercial contexts.
However, the user must have lawfully accessed the relevant materials, for example, he or she should not have accessed the materials by circumventing a paywall. This supports our Smart Nation initiatives, our push towards data-driven innovation and Singapore's efforts to grow our Artificial Intelligence and technology sectors.
At this juncture, Sir, let me highlight that I would also be moving two amendments to the Bill at its Committee stage, to correct a drafting omission in clauses 247 and 248. These clauses allow the use of sound recordings and recordings of performances under specified circumstances, subject to payment of equitable remuneration to the copyright owner. The amendments, Sir, replace the term \"copyright owner\" with the term, \"rights owner\" in both clauses. The latter is a broader term and also includes persons who are entitled to bring an action for infringing uses of a performance. As the scope of the exception covers performances, the amendments ensure that there is a corresponding obligation to pay the rights owner of the performance.
Sir, the third category of changes strengthens the overall copyright ecosystem and I will touch on this now. Divisions 1 and 2 of Part 9 create a new class licensing scheme that sets minimum standards for how Collective Management Organisations, or CMOs, operate. CMOs are private organisations that represent groups of rights owners to grant licences to users. This is an efficient way for users to get licences from a large group of rights owners. For example, users often get licences from CMOs to play songs in public. The alternative would be for users to have to seek permission directly from the composer and the lyricist of each song.
Historically, CMOs have not been regulated. Over the years, we have had feedback from both rights owners and users regarding the behaviour of certain CMOs who, for example, refuse to give information on their repertoire or how they distribute royalties among their members.
In response, an arrangement was reached in 2012 for CMOs to self-regulate through a voluntary code of conduct. However, since then, for a variety of different reasons, the CMOs have ceased to apply this code of conduct. Our public consultation in 2017 garnered feedback that the earlier concerns still remain relevant. Thus, the need for some oversight of CMOs.
In this Bill, the new CMO regulatory framework will be administered by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and will address issues of transparency, governance, accountability and efficiency. It will not control the prices that the CMOs charge. In this regard, the Copyright Tribunals will continue to hear any disputes over questions surrounding the reasonableness of licence fees.
IPOS, however, will be vested with powers to set licence conditions, investigate contraventions of licence conditions and also impose penalties for non-compliance. There are also safeguards to ensure the proper exercise of such powers, including the right of a CMO to appeal to the Minister in cases involving more severe penalties, such as where a CMO is ordered to cease its business.
Let me now touch on the rationalisation of the criminal offences in this Bill. This Bill will also rationalise and update the existing criminal offences relating to works and protected performances. Part 8 of the Bill provides for these offences.\tOffences are now categorised into those with commercial element, which share the same higher penalty and those without a commercial element, which attracts a lower range of penalties. The penalties reflect the severity of the different types of criminal activities and will more effectively deter future acts of infringement.
Finally, Sir, I want to speak briefly on the changes we have made to the structure of and the language used in the Bill. We had made three key changes in this respect.
First, the structure has been redesigned, overhauled, to improve the organisation of the legislation. Second, we have taken the opportunity to ensure that the Bill is written in plain English, for ease of reading and understanding. For existing provisions that have been rewritten in plain English, section 9B of the Interpretation Act helps to clarify that such changes in style do not affect the meaning just because different forms of words have been used to express the same idea. Third, we have included illustrations showing how certain provisions should be applied in common situations to help rights owners and users understand their rights and obligations more easily.
For example, clause 204, which permits the use of freely accessible Internet materials for educational purposes, contains illustrations that will help teachers understand the scope of such permitted use. Because copyright affects everyone, whether as a rights owner or user, these changes will make the Bill easier for all to understand.
Sir, we intend to implement the majority of the Bill, if passed, in November this year. The provisions on the licensing of CMOs, which Members will find in Division 2 of Part 9 and clause 507(4)(c) will be implemented later, after we further consult next year on the licence conditions for CMOs, which will be embodied in the subsidiary legislation.
Mr Speaker, let me now conclude. At slightly over 320 pages, the Bill is a significant undertaking. The responses we have received in our various public consultations, including the most recent one for the Bill itself, have been generally supportive. Respondents tell us that the Bill meets its goal of responding to the challenges and opportunities of the current digital environment and also being easier to understand. Importantly, this Bill will play its part in helping Singapore maintain our top-class intellectual property regime. With that, Mr Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Sir, I declare my interest as a practising lawyer. Although I studied the Copyright Act in 1987, I do not practise Intellectual Property in my practice.
In his textbook on The Law of Copyright in Singapore, the author, Prof George Wei explained that the justification for copyright protection was to \"protect the fruits of an intellectual's activity, labour and investment from unfair appropriation or unfair competition.\"
In an explanatory note about the Copyright Bill 2021, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) explained that the changes to be implemented by the Bill ensure that \"our copyright regime continues to provide an environment that benefits both creators and users. It introduces new rights and remedies to provide more recognition for creators to further incentivise the creation of works. It also creates new exceptions for users, allowing copyright works to remain reasonably available for the benefit of society.\"
Sir, I support the principles behind the Copyright Bill 2021. It is only fair that a creator of works who had put in great effort either to write a book, to write or record a song, to perform a dramatic or musical or literary work or to produce a computer game or software program, he should be able to benefit commercially for his or her intellectual efforts.
I recall many years ago that a person can easily buy pirated cassettes of songs sold at pasar malam at a fraction of the actual costs. You can find entire books being photocopied wholesale and students using these photocopied books in class. Even when I started working, there are computer sales staff who would offer to load pirated word processing software onto the desktop computer that I bought. Pirated computer games are often copied and sold openly in some shops.
Such breach of copyright is not correct because it takes away all the efforts of the authors who had written the books, the songs or the software. It discourages creative work of authors and unfairly allows those who infringe copyright to profit without putting in their effort.
The Copyright Bill 2021 is a comprehensive Bill of some 348 pages. I support the Bill but I wish to seek clarifications on some of the changes to the existing Act which MinLaw had highlighted.
First, it is about ownership of copyright. Sir, I am concerned about the changes brought about under clause 133 of the Bill. The clause provides that creators of certain type of works like photographs, portraits, engravings, sound recordings and films will by default be the first owner of the works, unless there is a contrary intention in a written agreement. This is a slightly different position from the current section 30(5) of the Copyright Act whereby the ownership of the copyright of the artistic works would belong to the person who engages or commissions the author for valuable consideration.
As an illustration, in a case where a consumer engages a photographer to take a video or photographs for a wedding or a birthday party or a family function, he may not be aware that the position has changed and that he need to expressly sign a written agreement to retain ownership of the copyright of his photos or the video. Without the written agreement, the photographer or the videographer may be able to retain these personal photographs of the consumer.
May I ask the Minister whether the Government can consider allowing agreements to be made orally and not just in writing so that a consumer would not inadvertently lose the copyright to his personal photos or video recording just because he forgot to sign a written contract. Would the Ministry also consider providing a standard template for a written agreement in the IPOS or in the Consumers' Association (CASE) website, so that consumers can easily reply on the template agreement to retain the copyright to their videos or photographs.
Sir, this will be a major change in the current position as to who owns the copyright of personal videos or photos. I urge the Government to embark on an education exercise to inform consumers as to the changes which may impact their lives. I believe many individuals may not be comfortable that the photographer, whom they engage to take photos for their wedding, birthday, or social function is entitled to keep these photos in his portfolio. If they are paying the photographer or the videographer, why are they not the owner of the copyright?
Next, Fair Use Exception. I support the strengthening of the Fair Use exceptions contained at clauses 190 to 194 of the Bill. Although the concept of copyright is to protect the intellectual outputs of the creator of the works, the Government needs to balance the rights of the IP owner versus the public interest involved or the needs of society to use the works for education or research or certain other purposes as described in those clauses. Ms Ng-Loy Wee Loon, the author of the textbook, Law of Intellectual Property of Singapore, quoted Sir Isaac Newton as saying, \"If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants\".
This is a reminder that every IP creator is building on works created by those who come before him. Thus, the law should allow for the use of certain types of copyright because it would advance the interest of the public. It is also clear that some creators of current copyright works today are only able to do so because there were other foundational creative works done by people before them.
Sir, I wish to seek clarification on clause 204 of the Bill. This clause allows schools and students of non-profit educational institutions to use certain works or recordings or performances available on the Internet. Sir, what if the works, recordings or performances are used by students from institutions which are for-profit private schools, but nevertheless, still for educational purposes? If these private schools have to pay for the royalties, it is likely that they will pass on the additional costs of copyright fees to their students who are also consumers.
I know of many Singaporeans who are mature students and pursuing their further education in commercial education institutions, which are for-profit. Has the Government assessed the financial impact of the increased costs of education to these students? In the larger picture, would it not be better for the Government to encourage education by making it less costly? I wish to ask the Government to consider extending the exception under clause 204 to all educational institutions.
May I also ask the Minister what if the copying is done by charitable organisations for educational or training purposes? Can the Minister clarify whether Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs), which have been set up as non-profit entities and exist for charitable purposes can be granted the same exemption under clause 204?
Next, I wish to talk about commercial dealing in set-top boxes. Clause 150 makes it an infringement of copyright if a person makes a device or provides a service and so on to access works communicated without authority.
I understand that this clause 150 refers to the sale of set-top boxes which allows the buyer of the set-top box to gain access to various online audio or visual content. I can appreciate how this clause is intended to stamp out the sale of set-top boxes in some shopping complexes. But the reality is that similar set-top boxes are also easily available in other countries and in particular, just across the Causeway. May I ask the Minister how does the Government intend to stop the consumer from buying such set-top boxes from overseas? Otherwise, it would be a loophole where consumers cannot buy infringing set-top boxes in Singapore but can do so easily overseas.
Finally, I support the setting up of a new class licensing regime to regulate Collective Management Organisations or CMOs for short.
Currently, CMOs are not regulated. For example, a consumer, who is a video producer, who wishes to use a song for his home-made video as background music, would need to find out which is the CMO which can issue him a licence for the use of the lyrics or the song in the video. He has to enquire whether the CMO is the only organisation allowed to collect the royalty. He then has to negotiate the fee collected by the organisation. As a consumer, he has limited negotiating powers to deal with such CMOs.
Hence, I think it is helpful to regulate such organisations that collect royalties or fees so that there is greater transparency as to the ownership of the copyright and the fees payable. Thus, individuals and commercial entities that play or broadcast music in their restaurants, hotels, malls, offices or shops would be able to deal with the correct CMO and negotiate for the payment of the royalty in a transparent manner.
May I ask the Minister whether there is intent to regulate the amount of royalties or the fees payable to such CMOs. What is the recourse of the individual or business or any entity if the fees charged by the CMOs are unreasonable or exorbitant?
Sir, I would welcome Minister's clarification and reiterate my support for this Bill.
Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): Mr Speaker, before I continue, I wish to declare that I am a research-oriented academic that both utilises as well as generates intellectual property, which admittedly I often proceed to sign away, and that my family had previously inherited a number of musical copyrights from my late father, which we have since allowed to lapse.
I will begin by stating my support for the Bill. However, I will point out a number of residual concerns that I have, notably, on the duration of copyrights, copyrights associated with sound recordings, default ownership of copyright works and fair use provisions. I will conclude by taking a step back and asking the broader question of whether intellectual property law has fulfilled its intended purposes.
Clauses 114, 122 and 125 introduced a number of revisions to copyright duration. To the good, it streamlines the expiry of copyrights to a common 70 years, starting either posthumously or from the date of creation or publication, depending on the nature of the work. Such harmonisation and simplification, in general, are certainly welcome in the areas of the law.
Inherent in this simplification, however, are a number of implicit choices that, to my mind, raise some questions. Limiting the duration of copyright for anonymous works to 70 years is certainly better than perpetuity, which was the case before. But setting aside minimum terms stipulated in international conventions, why would such a long duration of protection be necessary in the first place? With no identified author, who would be the beneficiaries of a 70-year copyright and more importantly, would conferring such protection generate net benefits for society rather than releasing its use to the public domain? I shall return to this more general point about the benefits and costs of granting intellectual monopolies at the end of my speech.
Similarly, it is worth observing that the decision to limit copyright protection to 70 years following the creator's passing as opposed to the date of publication, as was the case previously, amounts to an extension of the period of protection. Again, while I understand why such consistency between clauses may be attractive, we should be aware that this inhibits the free usage of such works for the purposes of teaching and research, which yield benefits of their own instead of extending additional rent to copyright beneficiaries.
Before I move on, I would just add that while the comparatively longer copyright duration of 70 years is certainly the norm in most high-income countries, this is by no means unanimous. Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand have also chosen the lower threshold of life, plus 50 years instead. And it is worth noting that the minimum term in the Universal Copyright Convention is a mere 25 years while Berne Convention's stipulations are either 25 or 50 years, depending on the nature of the work.
Would Ministry share how this 70-year duration then was chosen?
Clause 121(b) of the Bill provides for copyright and sound recordings and was included to respect Singapore's obligations under the EU-Singapore FTA. However, I should point out that there are consequences to both affording copyright for sound recordings as well as taking EU intellectual property standards as a benchmark.
One concern of sound recordings has to do with a practice that is a foundation of modern hip-hop music sampling. This applies especially to drum brakes and modify soundscapes. There is now a large body of precedent cases that have resolved on either side of infringement of fair use, but the point I wish to make here is more general. By admitting sound recordings into copyright protection, we run the risk of shutting down whole genres of emergent creative output.
The pertinent question then, is whether the fair use provisions outlined in Part 5 are sufficient to preclude such overzealous applications. Has the Ministry considered how such potential instances of abuse may in fact be managed? More of a strict adherence to EU standards for intellectual property may end up being a slippery slope.
Members of this House will be aware of the stringency of EU geographical indications and traditional specialties. It is the reason why we cannot, even if we had the skills, know-how and wherewithal to, produce Camembert or Scotch Whisky. Taken to the extreme, even suggestive terms such as \"Parmesan-style cheese\" would be prohibited.
While these protections almost always apply to agricultural products and hence are largely of academic interest in the Singapore context, we should not be so dismissive of unintended concessions. Singapore has recently embraced artisan beer and spirit manufacture. And there is a risk that stipulate designations such as whiskey with an \"e\", Ouzo or Grappa cannot be applied to the work of our own craft producers.
Division 8 strikes me as self-conflicted. On one hand, clause 135 grants certain authors automatic ownership of copyright over commission works thereby strengthening legal standing of creators over their intellectual property. But, on the other hand, clause 134 defaults ownership of copyright for sound recordings and films to employers, so long as the work was produced over the course of employment.
One could argue that clause 134 is simply an extension of the current position to cover other types of works and one could further contend that these are two distinct circumstances. In the former, the author is a contractor performing a one-off service and hence, would retain the rights to their creations; while in the latter, the employees engage in a regular employment contract and hence, is being fully compensated for the energies in producing works on behalf of the employer.
But, Mr Speaker, this is an artificial distinction. In both cases, there is payment for services rendered. An employment contract is simply a series of extended one-off commissions and payment for regular employment is paid in lump sum form during payday as opposed to the end of each commission. Hence, these are merely operational distinctions.
Whether the rights to a creation resides with the author or the employer should, therefore, be a matter of private negotiation between the two parties. There seems to me to be no reason why the law should necessarily confer copyright to one party versus the other. To see this, it is simply sufficient to observe, for example, that photographers routinely offer package deals where the client may either purchase all images and the associated rights or they may pay a nominal amount for a set of printed images, without the rights, to the images or their soft copies.
As a result, the two sets of clauses come across as self-contradictory, at least from a logical point of view.
In my view, it is better for the default to vest the rights to the creator and have any rights transfer to the employer along with associated compensation be explicitly drafted into the employment contract. This preserves the transparency of the process while ensuring that the weaker party in the employment relationship, typically the employee, holds the initial bargaining power for their intellectual creations.
As a routine consumer and producer of intellectual property (IP), I regard Part 5 governing fair use provisions as central to the business of ideas. This is truly where the rubber hits the road. Permitting usage of IP is crucial not just from an educational perspective, which is dear to my heart as a teacher, but as any researcher will tell you, an entire intellectual edifice stands on the shoulders of earlier discoveries and developments, as Member Lim Biow Chuan has pointed out before me.
Set against this is the need to avoid abuse. One only needs to be reminded of the American painter and photographer Richard Prince's notorious appropriation art and the risk that an excessively permissive regime may discourage innovation altogether. That said, the limitations defined in the Bill, as they stand, remain unclear.
Clause 194(1b) allows for a reasonable portion of the work to be copied which clause 197(2c), for instance, specifies as 5% or five pages, depending on the total length of a literary or dramatic work. But five pages may simultaneously be too much and yet too little. Five percent of a volume of collected works or five pages of an integrative scientific periodicals such as Science or Nature may well encompass entire articles, whereas five pages of an involved mathematical article may not even include all the pages of a single proof.
While I appreciate that many exemptions of the Bill are for learning purposes in educational institutions, the text is still unclear if this applies uniformly to research exercises as well and whether such use will remain acceptable in a non-educational, but knowledge-based non-profit such as a privately registered think-tank or research institute. Similarly, school-based plays often do charge to cover overheads and possibly raise funds, but are, nevertheless, non-profit in the sense that student actors and backstage crew are unpaid amateurs.
Fair use provisions also raise an important meta-question that has plagued academic publishing. Members in this House may be aware that a number of international academic publishing houses have been accused of exploiting free labour from civic-minded academics and subsequently turning around and burdening libraries with expensive subscriptions.
It took the University of California, the largest public university system in the world, two whole years of bruising contract negotiations to finally arrive at a deal that would allow its faculty and students open access to Elsevier journals. The European Union, in an effort to prevent paying double for publicly-funded knowledge – once to fund the research, another to access it behind a copyrighted paywall – has even gone as far as to mandate that the output of any project that benefits from public funding must remain freely accessible.
All these examples underscore the potential for copyright to be abused and circumvented, even when fair use provisions are carefully crafted. Such rent-seeking undermines the scholarly enterprise, which relies on the free exchange of information. In my view, it is generally better to err on the side of permissiveness, insofar as educational endeavours are concerned. Has the Government considered advancing similar legislation here?
Allow me to close with a somewhat more philosophical reflection on the entire presumption that intellectual property rights are a necessary extension of physical property rights. The conventional case claims that, since transmission of ideas is free, we must, therefore, confer on them protective rights, because the failure to do so would lead to a collapse in incentives necessary to support innovation and invention.
Mr Speaker, it is a fallacy that just because ideas are costless to transmit, they are consequently costless to replicate. Ideas are, ultimately, embedded in knowledge which, as anyone in this House who has slaved over textbooks will know, must be acquired at a cost. By the same token, the ability to develop and embed these self-same ideas into profitable goods and services – the \"development\" part of R&D – requires a non-trivial and certainly, non-free, amount of human capital to effect the required transformation and a similar costly process of embedding said knowledge into economically-valuable physical capital.
Put another way, just because the technical specifications for, say, the latest microchip, may be freely available, it does not mean that you or I will be able to launch the next Intel or Motorola. We still need to hire engineers who are, indisputably, not going to work for free, to be able to realise the final product. And there is no guarantee they will do a good job either.
Indeed, economic research has shown that innovation could still occur under competitive conditions, even in the absence of IP rights. This would occur if technological improvements enable the quick recovery of sunk costs from the market, for example, when digital-rights management tools can be applied to restrict unabashed replication of books and music, even without the threat of legal force, or when a growing economy reduces the need for intellectual property protection, because growth itself can generate sufficient short-term rents that more than compensate for the opportunity costs incurred in innovation.
The case does, admittedly, become more complicated when we extend our mental model to include not just a home country, but also a foreign one. For instance, protecting foreign IP may even turn out to encourage domestic innovation. However, when targeting IP at goods produced in poorer countries may well raise the innovation rate, the converse would result if IP were directed and targeted at rich-country goods.
Far be it that I should be perceived as suggesting that we should go ahead and eliminate intellectual property rights and withdraw from the World Intellectual Property Organization. Such a move would be, to say the least, extreme. The Workers' Party supports the recognition of intellectual property in the works of authors and performers. Rather, my contention is simply that as much as intellectual monopolies may provide incentives for innovation, they may also encourage socially-costly rent-seeking behaviour, and we should be aware of this inherent trade-off.
In this speech, I have provided a number of examples of potential abuse and overreach. In my view, the only way such overreach may be contained is to ensure that those called upon to resolve contending claims remain sensitive to these trade-offs. To this end, a deferral to the Courts, on a case-by-case basis, of what constitutes fair use may well represent a sound way forward; and this Bill does this.
However, I should point out that this is only the case if there are mechanisms in place to ensure that those adjudicating these cases possess the capacity to evaluate potentially highly technical presentations. The risk, so amply demonstrated in the United States' patenting system, is that highly paid attorneys and technical specialists run rings around time and knowledge-constrained public officers. To this end, how will the Ministry ensure that the technical capability to evaluate the merits of fair use provisions is available in cases of this nature?
In closing, Members of this House who listen to Taylor Swift’s music may be aware that she recently sought to re-record many of her earlier songs, initially released under the Big Machine Records label, which still holds the copyright to those original recordings. But the need for Tay Tay to re-record her own music was to recover control over what she believed to have been a blatant abuse by the record company of the extant IP regime. This episode is a reminder to us that, at some point, even the biggest megastars were once obscure and subject to exploitation by unscrupulous industry insiders. The onus is on us then, as legislators and policymakers, to try to get the balance between the two right.
Mr Speaker: Mr Patrick Tay.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of this Bill, which seeks to amend the Copyright Act. The amendments will cement and continue to strengthen Singapore’s world-class IP regime. At the same time, it will also provide enhanced protection to creators.
The rapid technological advancements accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic have altered the landscape for creatives. Today, almost anyone and everyone can be both a creator and/or a user of copyrighted materials. Accordingly, the amendments are a timely move to cater to this changing sphere.
In my work in NTUC and the Labour Movement, I have had the opportunity to interact closely with various associations, freelancers and creatives. In the past years including recently, NTUC has organised face-to-face sessions with them to better understand, empathise and assist with ground issues and concerns.
Apart from ground engagement with freelancers, we also hold regular legal primers under our LawWorks collaboration with the Law Society Pro Bono Services Office and have been doing so since eight years ago. These legal talks are aimed at distilling and providing solutions to legal issues faced by freelancers. Just two months ago, we conducted a legal primer titled \"Freelancing in the New Normal\" which addressed, amongst others, common IP questions they had. Recurrent questions include whether they own the rights to the virtual content produced, how contractual clauses may alter the position and how they may best protect their rights.
I recall vividly some seven years ago when NTUC arranged an engagement cum dialogue session between the Professional Photographers Association of Singapore and the Minister for Law at NTUC Centre. The freelance photographers raised PDPA issues and challenges with PDPC, and which were eventually resolved. The issue of creator’s rights also came up at that dialogue then, and the freelancers and us in the Labour Movement lobbied for a change in the Copyright Act to better protect creator’s IP.
With today's amendments, I would like to express my appreciation to the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and MinLaw for developing this set of legislative amendments. This is a product of countless consultation sessions over the past years between NTUC, the Government and our freelancers.
Like they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Having achieved some success in this lobbying front, we are spurred and encouraged to do more. We remain deeply committed towards improving the lives and livelihoods of our freelancers and freelance professionals.
Moving on to the details of the Bill, I will focus on two key changes. First, granting creators and performers the right to be attributed and identified whenever their works or performances are used in public; and second, granting creators default ownership of certain types of commissioned works.
I applaud the amendments, as they augur well for the creators.
With a plethora of content easily available and accessible to all, proper attribution of work will ensure creators are duly recognised for their creative work. Apart from spurring creativity within the community, creators would also be in a better position to commercialise their works for future assignments.
In addition, by granting creators default ownership of certain types of commissioned works, they would be in a better bargaining position before negotiations begin. This serves to level the playing field, in part, considering that service buyers, such as multinationals and companies, usually have an edge over individual freelancers. Should the service buyers wish to own the IP rights, they would have to negotiate with the creators for the same, which would typically involve a higher payment in exchange for the assignment of IP rights.
While the Bill is no doubt commendable, I would like to highlight the existing challenges that freelancers face in the realm of contract negotiations and IP rights.
First, the lack of bargaining power in negotiations with service buyers.
The changes will benefit creatives; there is no question about that. However, the reality remains that there exists a power asymmetry between the creators and freelancers as individuals and companies as service buyers. A common gripe amongst creators is that service buyers adopt a \"take it or leave it approach\". As a result, they are unable to meaningfully negotiate without being seen as difficult, for fear that the work will be awarded to someone who is more compliant. In other situations, service buyers may drive a hard bargain, forcing creators to accept lower fees for their services.
The power asymmetry between parties is particularly acute in Government contracts. Feedback from freelancers I met are that Government contracts contain overly onerous clauses, for which the Government is reluctant to compromise on.
I will share some of the clauses which freelancers are uncomfortable with, namely, the Government’s right to require freelancers to make an unlimited number of revisions or changes to the product(s); payment by the Government only upon completion and delivery of products and/or services; and complete assignment of all IP rights associated with the products to the Government.
Let me explain the practical implications of such clauses.
First, if the Government requires freelancers to make an unlimited number of revisions to the product, they will have less time and energy for other projects. Correspondingly, this would mean less income for them too.
Second, payment only upon completion and delivery of the products would mean living within tight financial constraints. This problem is exacerbated by freelancers bearing all upfront costs associated with procurement of all materials and expenses required for the project.
Third, I am told that once the IP rights of the materials or contents have been wholly assigned to the Government, upon expiry of the contract, the Government continues to re-use and replicate the same set of materials multiple times over the years, without engaging freelancers for their subsequent services over the years. Instead, Government employees are instructed to use such content or material prepared by the freelancers, for cost-saving purposes.
Quite apart from the onerous contractual obligations that freelancers must shoulder, a culture of fear is also perpetuated by various agencies. Freelancers are concerned that these onerous clauses are being replicated across multiple agencies and tenders. As these onerous terms are seen as the \"norm\" within many of these Government contracts, freelancers face significant resistance each time they attempt negotiations. If they broach this issue, there is a real fear that they will be \"blacklisted\" for future Government tenders.
Second, enforcement issues associated with the amendments. There may be practical difficulties associated with enforcing the right of attribution, especially if multiple parties refuse to attribute the creator. Some may be deterred from instituting proceedings for a breach, due to prohibitive legal costs and difficulties navigating the legal system. This problem may be further exacerbated in situations where users of the works are located outside of Singapore, which presents extra-territorial jurisdictional issues.
We need to ensure that any legal recourse available is accessible, affordable and expedient in rooting out such unwanted behaviour.
Service buyers re-use and/or republish the content/performance of creators on various digital platforms on multiple occasions, despite only paying for a single performance. Creativity is a bedrock of inventions and creators the builders of an innovative society. Prior to the pandemic, freelance performers were paid for each of their \"live\" performances. However, in today's context where most events are held digitally, service buyers have also resorted to publishing and/or screening these performances and recordings on multiple platforms, on various occasions to different audiences. This would mean that freelancers are only paid once for their recorded performances when they would have been paid multiple times for their performances in a pre-pandemic era.
Such practices would stifle innovation and creativity, to the detriment of our society. In this respect, what more can be done to protect the lives and livelihoods of our freelancers?
I have a couple of suggestions. And to that end, I would like to suggest some solutions for consideration. These solutions may be summarised using what I call the three \"Es\". First E, exemplification by the public sector; second E, educating the public, service buyers and freelancers; and the third E, enlightening the service buyers.
First, for the public sector to take the lead to roll out these amendments and observe the changes, in other words, to lead by example. While we understand that watertight contracts are needed to safeguard the Government's rights, we would humbly ask that the Government exercise flexibility and compassion towards the freelancers, especially in this COVID-19 season.
Where possible, to allow them to retain default ownership over the commissioned works and not have it varied by contract. Perhaps, a licence could be considered, with the scope of the licence to be negotiated between parties. Otherwise, the intended benefits of the amendments may be nullified.
Where reasonable, to accede to their requests for less onerous contractual terms. For instance, limiting the number of revisions to be made by the freelancer before the project is deemed as \"completed\" and/or implementing interim payment milestones to ease their financial constraints. And it is hoped that when the public sector leads by example, the private sector will follow suit too.
Educating the public. Second, we need to do more to educate the public. In one of my dialogues with a freelance professional, he explained that in the course of his work, he had to obtain various licences and permits from seven different publishing houses to use and perform a particular performance. He told me that it was an administrative hassle determining who he had to liaise with, especially since each publishing house owned different rights over that single performance. In his words, I quote, \"It is not that we do not want to comply, We want to comply, we really do, but we do not know how to! It is too confusing.\"
In this regard, it is humbly submitted that educating the public on easy and fuss-free methods of compliance with would help Singapore retain its position as an IP hub. A one-stop publishing house dealing with all the IP rights would also be useful.
Another aspect of education involves educating the service buyers. As highlighted earlier, some of these onerous clauses are terms \"copied-and-pasted\" across many contracts and thus regarded as the \"norm\". As some of the service buyers are not legally trained, they are therefore averse to any amendments. Accordingly, a basic course and guide on contract principles may be useful so that once service buyers are aware of their rights and implications, they would be less resistant towards contract negotiations. And where reasonable, they would be inclined to agree to it, which would expedite matters.
Finally, increased outreach efforts to create awareness of the amendments so that creatives and freelancers are aware of their rights. MinLaw and IPOS may consider producing quick reference guides, infographics and a list of FAQs and/or webinars for creators. Developing a set of precedent clauses for the creatives' use in their contracts with service buyers would certainly be helpful too.
On NTUC's Labour Movement's end, together with IPOS and Law Society Pro Bono Services (BPSO), we will be conducting a LawWorks legal primer covering this set of copyright amendments in October to educate freelancers on it and address any questions that they may have.
And finally, the third E relates to enlightening the service buyers. This is perhaps the most difficult of the three solutions, as it requires a fundamental paradigm shift on the service buyers' part.
Instead of viewing creatives as \"difficult\" to work with, why not view them as partners embarking on a joint project? Instead of gunning for the lowest price possible, why not consider the years of experience and expertise which justify their fees? Instead of imposing regimental requirements on them with no room for manoeuvring, why not consider flexible arrangements which are mutually beneficial?
Mr Speaker, Sir, this House would know the dire situation that our freelancers are in. With the circuit breaker measures that were implemented last year, together with the existing restrictions on social gatherings, the events and performing arts sector, including getai, has almost come to a standstill. Our freelancers have taken a great hit in this pandemic. All we are asking for is that the Government and other service buyers treat our freelancers fairly, to give them an opportunity at earning a decent keep because every worker matters.
While the amendments to the Copyright Act will improve the lives of freelancers, it is humbly submitted that more can and should be done for them. Let us continue to work together for a brighter future for our freelancers and a brighter future for Singapore.
Sir, clarifications notwithstanding, I stand in support of the Bill.
Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang): Mr Speaker, the Copyright Bill before us today was described by WIPO magazine as Singapore's biggest copyright reform in 30 years and is drawn from an extended period of public consultation which started in 2016.
The objectives of the Bill are laudable and include upholding Singapore's international obligations relating to intellectual property (IP), updating and rationalising various aspects of our existing laws on IP and improving accessibility to and ease of understanding these laws. Critically, it also confers upon authors and performers the moral right to be identified and includes provisions governing fair usage of IP matters. It is these final two elements of the Bill that I will concentrate my speech on.
First, on the granting of new rights for creators and performers. Divisions 1 and 2 of Part 7 automatically grant authors the right to be identified in relation to the works they produce and performers to be identified with their performances. This is a welcome step further than the current regime under which creators and performers only have a right to prevent the false attribution of another person as the author or performer.
We support the recognition of IP in the works of authors and performers, yet, I believe that there is room for us to expand such recognition.
In many other jurisdictions, for example, the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and various European countries, creators and performers earn residual payments, or royalties for the use of their works and performances. For example, writers and actors of television programmes broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) earn royalties. This is in contrast to the situation in Singapore where writers and actors on Mediacorp television programmes do not do so.
It is further notable that creators and performers have organised themselves into guilds and unions, such as the powerful British performers' union \"Equity\" and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, which have not only been crucial in fighting for better pay and working conditions for their members, but are also key in protecting such practitioners and their livelihoods in the wake of the devastation wrought by COVID-19, by negotiating with employers to improve working terms and conditions, improve and ensure diversity in their ranks. They also have a right to be consulted on various matters. The ability to have such representation and rights recognised was particularly important as the industry was wrecked by the lockdowns and restrictions brought on by the coronavirus and will be key in helping them to weather any future major disruptions. In contrast, the Screenwriters' Association (Singapore), while doing good work for the training and development of its members, does not have the power to negotiate minimum standards and protections for its members, and is limited to providing feedback to IMDA focus group meetings upon invitation.
The system in Singapore surrounding creative practitioners is therefore still very much tied with the involvement and endorsement of the Government. Therefore, the Workers' Party would support a move that goes even further than the current Bill in giving more rights, protections and rewards to creators and performers to be in line with those in developed countries. With this in mind, I would like to ask if the Government intends to go even further to recognise the rights of creators and performers by legislating for them to receive royalty payments. Is the change in copyright law, meant to be a step in that direction?
A further question arises about the presumptions that apply for authorial works that are first published in Singapore, as contained in clause 167. I note that these assert a territorially-premised copyright claim. However, it is less clear what the protections and provisions available for international and enforcement of such claims are. What cross-border legal resources are available and are these embedded within a new copyright protection regime? These are not abstract and theoretical questions, as recently seen in the case of a dispute that arose earlier this year over one of our beloved National Day songs.
Second, I wish to raise a number of considerations and clarifications relating to the exceptions introduced by the Bill, primarily the change from a \"fair dealing\" to a \"fair use\" exception, which form an extensive part of the Bill. Division 2 of the Bill replaces the fair dealings provision in sections 35, 36, 37, 109, 110 and 111 of the existing Act with the concept of fair use, which \"depend on the facts\", while still being subject to the considerations specified in clause 191. This shifts the treatment of alleged copyright infringements away from the fair dealings doctrine – the treatment under English law, where violations must fall into categories defined in the statue – toward a more open-ended fair use doctrine, the approach adopted in the US, where factors did not match any exhaustive list.
Importantly, the Bill's open-ended fair use exception now means that the Court need to determine whether the fair use exception applies. I note that this discretion opens up the possibility of significant ambiguity, particularly in the beginning without a body of case law to back it up. This is especially in the case of online content and for themes that are deliberately ambiguous, such as memes or parody.
Given that an increasing number of Singaporeans are creating online content, will the Minister provide any further clarification on what would constitute \"fair use\" or would this await the guidance of the Courts when the matter has been taken to litigation? This could be confusing for existing content creators who might only have guidance to what would constitute \"fair use\" of their works but undertaking costly and time-consuming litigation over the potential infringement of their ownership rights. Would IPOS provide specific illustrations of when a use connotes fair use versus when it would not? Such an approach would further the Government's purpose for introducing the fair use exception, in particular, to \"create an environment conducive to the development of creative works\".
One potential way forward would be for industry associations to take the lead and issue guidelines on what \"fair use\" would look like for that particular industry, an approach that MinLaw appears to have considered, as mentioned in 2019 MinLaw and IPOS Copyright Review report. Would the Ministry provide an update on whether industry efforts are currently underway to develop such guidelines?
Moving on to a new exception contained in Part 5, Division 8 which is for the reproduction of works for text and data mining. This applies to both commercial and non-commercial activities and would permit reproduction of works and recordings of performances for \"computational data analysis\", including the preparation of works for analysis. There are protective conditions in clause 244(2), which amongst others, specify that the user must have had lawful access to the work or recording.
While I do see that this is a helpful and necessary exception to have, particularly in the advent of more and more powerful AI capabilities and Singapore's drive to be a Smart Nation, it remains to be seen in the real world if the safeguards and conditions are sufficient to balance protecting the rights and commercial interests of copyright holders against allowing legitimate use of copyrighted material for text and data mining purposes.
Finally, I wish to turn to the impact on consumers. While many modern end-users, raised on the steady diet of electronic media, intuitively grasp instances of copyright violations, could the Minister clarify what efforts have been undertaken to educate the public at large on what constitutes a copyright violation, how to attribute copyright owners appropriately and how to avoid infringing copyright? After all, copyright provisions apply to all Singaporeans and it would be especially embarrassing and unfair for our citizens, in particular, that uncle who has just discovered the joys of the \"forward\" function on WhatsApp, to find themselves inadvertently running afoul of the copyright law as a result of sharing content.
Finally, I would like to turn to the introduction in clauses 141 and 142 of the Bill of civil and criminal penalties for engaging in commercial dealings due to infringing set-top boxes and services, which include computer programmes and apps.
I support, in principle, the control of set-top boxes and related services as this assists in the enforcement of the protection of IP rights. However, I believe that we still need to guard against a situation where IP protection results in access programming becoming prohibitively expensive and therefore, no longer accessible to all.
It will be unfortunate if the only way in which one could lawfully gain access to content, in particular, sporting events, would be to pay exorbitant amounts in order to do so. Key to this is knowing why else would many otherwise law-abiding citizens resort to using set-top boxes and services to access their desired content.
The recent Euro 2020 football tournament was available only to those who could pay the exorbitant fee of over $90 to have access to all matches. This is in addition to the special subscription rates that go over and beyond basic sports packages that avid followers of the English Premier League have to pay. Overshadowing all these is that Singaporeans pay significantly more for such content than those in most other countries, even those with higher costs of living.
I would not be the first to point out here that in years past, Singaporeans could watch live broadcasts of any sporting events and certainly, I am old enough to remember the thrill of being allowed to watch the epic Wimbledon Final between Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova in 1988, which was telecast on free-to-air TV. Nowadays, if I want to see if Roger Federer would ever win another Slam, I would need to pay around $49.90 a month or $449 a year for the Sports Plus package to watch it on TV after spending lots of time and effort navigating the confusing variety of different sports, the different channels and providers offer and deal with changes to availability due to exclusivity rights expiring. Mr Speaker, in Chinese.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Copyright Bill before us today was described by WIPO as Singapore’s biggest copyright reform in 30 years. I, like many Singaporeans, understand the importance of IP protection and would support the authentic versions unequivocally. However, we still need to guard against a bad situation where IP protection inadvertently results in access to media content becoming an expensive luxury.
For example, it would be unfortunate if the only way in which one could lawfully watch the English Premier League (EPL) is through paying for exorbitant packages. Otherwise, why would there be so many otherwise law-abiding citizens resorting to using set-top boxes or other relevant services to watch their favourite content? Take the Euro 2020 football tournament in June for example, to access to all matches, you must pay an exorbitant fee of $90. And let us not forget EPL fans who have to pay for an expensive sports package subscription fee each month. Bear in mind that Singaporeans pay more for similar content than those in most other countries, even those with higher cost of living.
Television used to be a great equaliser in Singapore, but it is ironic and saddening that the advent of paid TV in the wake of the duopoly between Singtel and StarHub – which was ostensibly to give the audience greater choice – has now opened up a divide between those who can afford to pay more to watch top sports competitions and those who cannot afford to do so.
Now that the Government is going to impose civil and criminal liability for commercial dealings in set-top boxes and related services, what steps will the Government take to widen access to broadcast of sporting events? Will certain popular sporting events be broadcast free-to-air or perhaps be shown at Community Clubs?
(In English): Mr Speaker, television used to be a great equaliser in Singapore but it is ironic that the advent of paid TV in the wake of the duopoly between Singtel and StarHub, which was, ostensibly, to give us greater choice, has now opened up a divide between those who can afford to pay the extra subscription charges to watch top sports competitions and those who cannot afford to do so.
Now that civil and criminal liability for commercial dealings in set-top boxes and related services is being imposed, what steps will the Government take to widen access to broadcast of sporting events? Will certain major sporting events be broadcast free-to-air or perhaps be shown at Community Clubs? This will go some way towards preserving access to sports, which has proven to be a great unifier in our otherwise multicultural and multi-ethnic nation. It could also bridge the digital divide for ordinary Singaporeans. It would definitely give us all something to talk about over our morning coffee at our neighbourhood coffee shops. Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Mr Raj Joshua Thomas.
Mr Raj Joshua Thomas (Nominated Member): Sir, copyright, as an intellectual property right, is, by definition, very wide because it includes all works that persons and entities create. In this regard, we are constantly generating new works and new copyrights at a rate that we may not even be aware of. Because of its wide-ranging application, it is timely that the Government is seeking to simplify and update the existing Copyright Act and to draft it in plain English to make it easier to understand for the laymen.
An important aspect of the Bill is the enhanced clarity on the permitted uses of copyright works. For example, the Bill makes it explicit that it is permitted to make copies and use copyright works for the purposes of computational data analysis, subject to certain conditions and safeguards. This will allow for aggregation and analysis of data for such purposes as sentiment analysis or machine learning. These, ultimately, have a public interest aspect to synthesise data for better understanding of, for example, social or economic trends. Importantly, this will support the development of technologies in machine learning and deep learning, which, by their very nature, require the input of a voracious volume of data. The permitted use will allow access to this data without having to seek approval or licensing from each copyright owner, which may be a significant obstacle.
The Bill also now makes clear that non-profit schools and their students may use digital resources that are freely available for educational uses without having to seek permission from each copyright owner as long as they are cited with the date of access of the said material. I highlight this, in particular, because digital material is now increasingly utilised in academic work and the existing Act does not adequately deal with what are the permitted or fair uses of such works. This update is important to keep our copyright regime current and relevant in light of the changing sources and mediums of works.
I am also particularly heartened by clause 214 of the Bill, which will allow for conversions of works into formats accessible by print-disabled users without having to pay licence fees to the copyright owner. I hope that this will encourage more conversions of works into formats accessible by print-disabled users. This provision is forward-looking and inclusive and I commend the Government for taking this very specific step in legislating support for the print-disabled members of our society.
Sir, I have three further points to make on particular provisions in the Bill.
First, the Copyright Bill will now standardise the position that the creators of works will be the default owners of the copyrights to these works. This default position is now extended to photographs, portraits, engravings, sound recordings and so on. Hence, where the contract commissioning the particular work is silent on copyright ownership, the creator will own the copyright by default.
Sir, I submit that there needs to be particular effort made in drawing public attention to this reversal in position. It is currently taken for granted when commissioning photographs or films, for example, that the commissioner of the works would own the copyright to the works. This change in position has a very real on-the-ground implication.
In an instance where a couple engages a photographer to take their wedding or pre-wedding photos or videos, they need to ensure that the engagement agreements specifically mention that the copyright would vest in them instead of the photographer or videographer if they wish to own the copyrights. Otherwise, they may be in for a rude surprise that they do not even own the rights to their own photographs and may have to pay further sums to have the rights transferred to them.
So, in this regard, I urge that efforts be made to educate the public of the change of position and what they should do if they wish to own the copyrights to works that they commission.
Second, the Bill will introduce a regulatory framework on collective management organisations (CMOs). In MinLaw's report on the public consultation on proposed licensing of CMOs, members of CMOs and users identified several concerns, including, inter alia, the lack of transparency on how CMOs determined the usage of licensed works to calculate the distribution of fees collected. This has engendered significant suspicion of CMOs by the industry.
In this regard, it is timely that the Ministry imposes a regulatory framework to enhance transparency, good governance and accountability in CMOs, which will go a long way in addressing members', users' and indeed, the public's apprehension of how CMOs operate.
However, with regulation, naturally comes increases in costs. I urge that the Government balances effective regulation with cost control such that increased cost of operation of the CMO is not passed on to creators, in that they receive less royalties for the use of their works. CMOs' transactions are voluminous. Hence, they may also need some time to implement internal standard operational procedures (SOPs) for both governance and reporting, given that they were hitherto unregulated.
In this regard, the Government may wish to consider a gradated approach where regulations kick in over some years so that CMOs are able to cope. Further, I would also urge that regulations are not so onerous as to be prohibitive for new entrants into the market and should not stifle new, different and potentially more efficient ways of operating a CMO.
Finally, Sir, looking ahead, the Bill does not directly address the copyright ownership of AI-generated works. While this is a fairly new area of technology and a complex category of intellectual property rights, the Government may wish to start considering legislation that can definitely fix the ownership of AI-generated works.
Sir, I am confident that the new Copyright Act will support our local creators, improve access to copyright works and create a fairer content management regime in Singapore. In this regard, notwithstanding my clarifications and suggestions, I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Ms Ng Ling Ling.
Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Speaker, Sir, technology has enabled the creation, delivery and consumption of content in ways we could never have imagined. The Copyright Bill is a timely update to ensure that we stay in step with changes in technology, meeting the needs of a growing creative economy and the increased use of data in the form of audio, video and text in all aspects of our lives.
The Copyright Bill seeks to establish a well-functioning copyright system that will help content to be created and attributed rightly, distributed efficiently and consumed fairly.
I hope to raise some suggestions to ensure that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) among us have equitable and fair access to consume and enjoy creative copyrighted content.
Many PWDs are artistically inclined and are very creative. The Copyright Bill, with provisions for default ownership as well as the right of attribution to be with the creator, will enable creators who are PWDs to have an income from their creation and that their rights are protected. Notwithstanding this, we need to also ensure that they are given the same level of access to creative works as the abled so that they can enjoy content and be inspired by it.
Firstly, PWDs should have fair and equitable access to copyrighted content in a format that they can consume, regardless of their disability. I am glad that the Copyright Bill contains exceptions intended to give persons who are print-disabled greater and more equal access to copyrighted works. These exceptions were introduced in 2015 to implement Singapore's commitments under the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Marrakesh Treaty. I am further heartened to know that the obligation for authorised entities to pay equitable remuneration for converting copyrighted works is removed, thus making access for the print-disabled easier.
However, I would like to clarify why this obligation remains for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, as stated in Division 5 of section 217(3). Intellectual and cognitive disabilities cover a wide range of disabilities that affect mental processes of a person. This includes disabilities, such as Down's syndrome, autism, learning disabilities like dyslexia, brain injuries from illness or trauma and dementia. They result in difficulty in processing complex information, requiring a transformation of the material into more easily understood forms. This transformation can include plain and simple language or high/low versions of written and audio works; changes in formatting, including pictorial illustrations and text-to-speech technology, which help people with dyslexia to access print content.
The same considerations that apply to Persons with Print Disabilities should also apply to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Converting content into a form accessible by Persons with Intellectual Disabilities would likewise be expensive, time-consuming and would add to the cost incurred by effectively paying twice to consume the work.
As such, I would like to propose to remove the obligation for authorised entities to pay equitable remuneration to copyright owners for making, distributing or making available copies of copyrighted works for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. This will bring the treatment of copyrighted works equal for persons with print or intellectual disabilities and likewise, ensure fair and equitable access for both.
Secondly, we should also consider persons with hearing disability are not excluded in the consumption of creative works unintendedly. Many of the copyright provisions are for the print-disabled, which include those with visual impairments, perceptual or reading disabilities or physical disabilities that impede the ability to manipulate a book.
However, technology has made creative content much more immersive, requiring both audio and visual senses to fully participate and enjoy. Content on the web is a rich visual and audio experience which can include audio-visual recordings, documentaries and video reports.
For the hearing impaired to consume such content, it will have to be transcribed into an accessible copy that includes subtitles or sign language. Although technology and artificial intelligence tools may be able to enable auto-transcription, but there are also limitations in the quality of transcriptions and hence, the need for manual transcription, which requires access to copyrighted materials.
Hence, I would like to ask whether the current provisions for print-disabled persons can also be extended to persons with hearing disability. This would ensure that PWDs with different or multiple disabilities will have fair access to content.
Lastly, as we seek to be a more inclusive and fair society, we must make every effort for PWDs to freely participate in the cultural life of the community to enjoy the arts and its benefits. It is important then that this access for PWDs to enjoy works, regardless of the contractual agreements in place between creators and users.
In this respect, I would like to propose for consideration that Division 4 and Division 5 of Part 5 to be included in the list of exceptions from being restricted by contracts so that the authorised entities would be able to provide accessible copies for PWDs, beyond those who are print-disabled, without having the heavy burden of verifying the contractual terms or the fear of a breach of contract. This will encourage greater participation and inclusion of PWDs in our growing arts and cultural works. Nonetheless, this should also be done and carefully applied such that it does not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the creators.
As a society, we have grown and matured in our expression and appreciation of arts, culture and creative content. Through the Copyright Bill, we are putting in place a framework to acknowledge the rights of creators and value their work, and updating the law for the digital age. We also need to recognise that PWDs can and should be able to access and participate in the cultural, arts and creative expressions like any of our fellow Singaporeans. I hope that MinLaw will consider my suggestions so that we can build a truly inclusive and fair society. Sir, notwithstanding my suggestions, I support the Copyright Bill.
Mr Speaker: Order. I propose to take a break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.45 pm.
Sitting accordingly suspended
at 4.21 pm until 4.45 pm.
Sitting resumed at 4.45 pm.
[Mr Speaker in the Chair]
[(proc text) Debate resumed. (proc text)]
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Government's move to strengthen copyright laws. I will touch on three points in my speech. My first point is on creating a culture that attributes creators. This is shown in the amendment which allows schools and students to use freely available resources from the Internet. These are for educational purposes, if they acknowledge the source and cite the access date.
During home-based learning, some teachers face challenges with producing compelling learning content for their students. As the Internet is a gold mine of educational content, it is sensible to tap on it. This should come without encumbering teachers with the onerous requirement of getting consent, as long as the content is readily available for use. Students will, in turn, be reminded to discern the legitimacy of online sources, as well as to reference them in their assignments, when they see their teachers properly quoting their sources.
The right to be identified and the mandatory acknowledgement of sources will help to cultivate a culture that recognises creators. Starting young also helps to inculcate the right habits of referencing and the value of honesty as they progress academically. Teachers can also inculcate the right referencing styles and the use of reference management programmes, especially as our youth become more tech-savvy. As assignments become more complex, students increasingly use online resources for their projects. Such skills will guard against plagiarism and ingrain the right values. Can the Government share on efforts to build up this culture in our schools?
Mr Speaker, Sir, while granting creatives the right to be identified is a positive step forward, my next point is that the Copyright Bill should grant creatives due recognition and protect their right to commercialise their work. With the challenging employment landscape, more young Singaporeans are turning to freelance content creation, with the hope of eventually turning it into a career. The proliferation of e-commerce has led to a surge in demand for digital marketing services and consequently, visual content. The gig economy has provided increased opportunities for graphic designers and content creators to work on projects and earn an income. This is not only within Singapore, but also from an international market.
But to do so reliably, they must be able to defend the intellectual rights to their concepts and creations, as well as to guard against unscrupulous people who may plagiarise their contents. Otherwise, how can they expect to be fairly renumerated, if their creations and ideas can be copied and used by others without repercussions? Without such safeguards, such gig economy content creators may no longer find it worthwhile to create unique content. Consequently, we may lose such local talent.
I know of a young designer who had once pitched a logo design to a company. Eventually, the company did not engage his services. But when the company revealed their logo design, he found that it bore great resemblance to the design that he had created. He was convinced they had misappropriated his design and merely altered it slightly. However, he thought it would be too troublesome and costly to take legal action. He also lacked confidence in achieving a successful outcome, as he did not copyright his design. His story is not unique. It is a perpetual challenge for young content creators, especially those who are just starting out, to protect their works from companies preying on their inexperience.
As such, there must be effective and affordable means of enforcement for such matters. Granting and recognising rights is one thing. But it is meaningless if creatives are unable to effectively enforce their rights in an affordable manner and to seek recourse. Mediation is probably one cost-effective way to deal with such matters. Having volunteered as a mediator in MinLaw's Community Mediation Centre, I am an advocate for mediation before litigation. I have witnessed many disputes due to a misunderstanding or a lack of awareness.
Many people are intimidated by the idea of Court proceedings. Hence, mediation is always a more approachable and affordable means for problem-solving. I note that the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) offers mediation as a formal route to settle copyright disputes. Even so, the costs can be hefty for a freelancer just starting out. The cheapest option appears to be an administrative fee of $50 per party and a mediator fee of $500 per party for a four-hour session. That, alone, may exceed the cost of a brand logo design. The victim may feel that the cost, time and effort to go through mediation are not worthwhile in pursuing the matter.
With the rise in independent content creation, it is timely to consider a separate mediation route that is more affordable and streamlined. The goal is to make mediation more accessible to independent gig economy workers. Furthermore, if any copyright infringement has been found, the guilty party should be made to bear the entire mediation costs.
Besides mediation, there should be other mechanisms, such as tribunals and so on, that could be set up to hear such disputes. My other concern is whether these laws would have any impact, if the copyright infringement is committed by individuals or organisations overseas. This is likely to be increasingly widespread due to the borderless nature of the Internet.
Mr Speaker, Sir, my last point is on the permitted sharing and copying of materials provided by the Public Service. This is for the purpose of facilitating public interest. Fake news moves very quickly these days. It is reassuring to know that we can simply forward an infographic from the Government's social media accounts to debunk myths, without fear of legal repercussions.
Many of my Yio Chu Kang residents, especially seniors, do not enjoy reading walls of texts. As such, simple-to-understand infographics and digital pamphlets from the various Government websites, are very much appreciated. The agencies' logos on the materials save us the trouble from having to determine the legitimacy of the source.
While the Bill states that the materials can be copied, I wish to clarify whether such materials can be incorporated into an existing publication, like a pamphlet that also contains other content. In essence, can contents from different sources be combined, without the need to seek permission? I recalled previously that a grassroots volunteer wanted to produce a community event flyer that would also contain information on social distancing and mask wearing. He was unsure whether it would be legal to copy the contents from the MOH website. In the end, he abandoned the idea. Can the Minister provide some clarification on this?
In conclusion, Mr Speaker, Sir, protecting intellectual property is critical for innovation, which, in turn, is critical for Singapore to thrive as a knowledge-based economy. Job losses as a result of the pandemic saw many more Singaporeans setting up their home businesses or freelancing.
Many would promote their creations and portfolios on social media, from music to visual content, source codes and so on. It is timely that we update the copyright laws accordingly. As mentioned in my speech, our copyright laws should not merely protect the rights of creatives to commercialise and prevent exploitation of their work. It should also respect the work of creatives. This will encourage more Singaporeans to share their creative works and inspire others, knowing that it is respected and protected by law. I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Ms Yeo Wan Ling.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mr Speaker, the landscape of innovation and creativity in any society has always been an intricate balancing act. On one hand, placing too many restrictions on the flow of ideas and creative work and society hinders the possibility of good ideas being built upon and turned into great ideas, disallowing society from standing to collectively gain from the brilliance of individuals. On the other hand, too few restrictions discourage these individuals' expressions of brilliance, believing they will not stand to gain from their creations, in turn, dealing a fatal blow to the generation of ideas from a society.
This is why I and the Labour Movement welcome the troubleshooting of the Copyright Act, as the Government endeavours to adapt to changing concerns and the evolving landscape of innovation and creativity. This is especially pertinent to a league of freelancers in our society: the Creatives. Creatives come in all forms, from the visual, to the literary, to the musical, even the culinary and the floral arts!
Mr Speaker, many of us would be familiar with the trope of a starving artist: dedicating their lives to their passionate pursuit of their craft, sometimes forgoing material comforts as they realise their work does not meet its proper valuation in the economic realities of the market. Most of us would be quick to diagnose that the depressed wages of creative freelancers to the harsh mechanics of the free market. However, I would like very much to raise the visible and sometimes unethical hand involved in contracting practices with our Creatives.
While we welcome efforts to give first ownership of copyrights to authors and makers in commissioned work, the reality of transactions between Creatives and their clients runs back much further. Even before contracting, Creatives often find themselves having to pitch their work to their clients, who will, in turn, choose who to commission for the job. Let us take designers, for example.
Many think that the process goes like this: the designer offers a great idea, the client likes it, they contract with the designer and the designer goes on to make their design a success for the client. However, how transactions often go is like this: the designer still offers great design ideas, the client still falls in love with that idea, but they contract with another designer who might be willing to take a smaller cut and this designer who is willing to do it for less is given the pitch from the other designer as a \"reference\", effectively clearing themselves of all hoops presented by our laws as they stand, as long as the \"reference\" is not plagiarised wholesale.
In the long run, Creatives are subject to a race to the bottom in terms of their compensation because it is not great ideas that are rewarded but, instead, their willingness to forsake a fair wage. Mr Speaker, we must take a full view of transactions within Creatives and their clients if we want to build a regulatory ecosystem that truly promotes innovations and their innovators. Strong and sensible contracting terms are welcomed, but an inquiry into pre-contractual interactions, such as pitching, must be also considered in this debate.
Creatives often want their work to entertain, inspire, relate, tell a story and there is, indeed, power in their creations. Yet, the power of the creative work is never far detached from the person behind the creative work. As one freelancer expressed, \"art is a reproduction of myself\". Any inquiry into the great creative works of yore never find themselves detached from their creators. Listen to the familiar tune of \"Für Elise\" and we remark, \"ah, Beethoven\". Marvel at the great paintings and we quickly call to mind \"Monet\" and \"Rembrandt\". This very intimacy between the Creative and their creation is what our copyright laws serve to protect.
While this sacred bond is well protected when it comes to most creative mediums, an often overlooked demographic of Creatives are those who happen to express their craft visually and through their likeness. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am referring to models in Singapore.
At this juncture, I would like to share a story of my resident, Miss Duan, who has recounted her experience to me as a model. To perfect their craft, Miss Duan tells me how Creatives do not just \"sit and look pretty\". They actually chisel out a whole entire lifestyle around their craft. The preparation for a shot is often extensive, requiring collaboration across photographers, stylists, dieticians and producers, as well as comprehensive planning, including location, dressing, equipment, amongst others. Modelling is hard work and the often-elegant final product betrays the amount of hard work that has been poured into the process.
You could imagine my resident's dismay, however, when it was revealed that an artist had illustrated her likeness from one of her test-shoot photos and went on to commercialise and profit off her piece of work. This, certainly, was not Miss Duan's first experience with her likeness being appropriated by others. But without the firm recognition of image or personality rights in Singapore, she was fully subject to the cooperation and compliance of the other party. Unfortunately, for my resident, on this occasion, the other party was unwilling to make recourse.
It is necessary that we have the regulatory environment shaped in such a way that our Creatives' \"rice bowls\" do not rest shakily on the goodwill of strangers. Instead, our laws must create meaningful forms of transactional safety nets among Creatives who wish to use one another's work.
To conclude, in order to safeguard the interests of Creatives in Singapore, we must make considerations that reflect the realities of transactions between freelancers and their clients, and amongst the Creatives themselves. Accommodations must also be considered for niche creative fields, such as modelling. These concerns notwithstanding, I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, there is now increasing diversity of how content is created, distributed and used in the digital sphere. This Bill to strengthen Singapore’s copyright regime is necessary and timely.
This Bill will be important in encouraging creativity and protecting creators and their works, carving out crucial fair use exceptions and strengthening the copyright ecosystem. That said, I have three points of clarification.
My first clarification is on the safeguards on the permitted use of materials for text and data mining for analytic purposes. Section 244 permits the copying of the works for the purposes of computational data analysis. Under section 187, creators are not allowed to restrict this by contract.
It is not clear why we have designed such a specific carve-out. Why should creators not have the power to protect their works specifically from being the input data for some machine-learning model? What is the principle behind this special condition?
We should note that the results of computational data analysis may be extremely profitable and it is not necessarily the case that the original creators may know or be comfortable about their work being used in this way.
Can the Ministry share how it intends to ensure a balance between allowing the use of works for computational data analysis and the interests of copyright holders?
My second point relates to enforcing the new right of attribution. Part 7 of the Bill provides a moral right for the author of a work to be identified if another person causes that work to be published.
I welcome this development as it gives creators recognition for their efforts and respects their work. However, in practice, independent or smaller creators with limited resources may not easily be able to monitor publications of their works and enforce their rights. Even if creators discover a breach of their rights, they have to bring an action in Court under section 383. In that scenario, the legal costs might be too high to make enforcement worth it. Further, the available remedies under section 385 include injunctions and damages. It may not be cost-effective for creators to seek injunctions and damages may be difficult to prove and quantify.
Can Minister share if additional measures will be taken to help these creators enforce their rights? For example, will the Ministry consider creating a special Court process or use the Copyright Tribunal for a cost-effective means of enforcement.
My third point of clarification relates to the expanded rights of creators. I support this new default position in the legislation.
Under the new Copyright Act, creators and performers have the right to be attributed when their work or performance is used. Also, creators of certain works including commissioned photographs, portraits and engravings will be granted default copyright ownership.
These new rights are supposed to give individual freelancers and creators from small- and medium-sized enterprises greater bargaining power to negotiate better terms with commissioning parties.
However, the contrary may also be true. These default positions can be restricted and excluded by contract. The safeguards are that the contract must be individually negotiated and the contract term purporting to restrict the exception must be deemed to be “fair and reasonable”.
There is often a power imbalance with creators on one end and publishers and producers on the other. Publishers and producers may use these same rights against creators. Publishers and producers are likely to favour contracting with creators willing to cede copyright ownership rights to them, rather than one who wishes to retain it or negotiate better terms.
I understand that the Ministry views legislative intervention a blunt tool in addressing these issues. I am also aware that the Ministry instead plans to collaborate with industry associations to develop sector-specific self-help resources. That said, can the Minister clarify if there are additional resources that will be put in place to level the playing field further?
As individual freelancers and small- and medium-sized businesses lack financial resources for litigation in the case contract terms are found unreasonable, what alternative avenues of recourse are available to this group?
Sir, notwithstanding these clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong (Jurong): Mr Speaker, I will highlight three key aspects of the Copyright Bill. First is the right to be identified; second, on computational analysis; and third, on CMOs.
I believe in the right for creators to be properly identified and take credit for work done. We must honour the creative work of our authors and performers. As this will be the foundation to build an ecosystem based on recognition, respect and reputation for our Singapore creatives.
It is an important step for creators of original content to build their personal reputation and incentivise the creation of new works with more equitable rights. In the digital era where such content may be rapidly replicated and distributed, can the Minister share how freelance creators with little resources can seek legal recourse without delay to better protect their reputation and commercial value of their work?
On the amendments for computational data analysis, I welcome the change as we step into the world of data analytics and AI. It is relevant in the information age to enable greater freedoms on the use of information for data analysis to spur a deeper understanding of our world and the domain, which would in turn build a more vibrant and responsible data-driven ecosystem. There is a more critical need for Singapore as we need to continue to be relevant as a global business hub and evolve together with emerging trends and challenges.
However, there are scenarios where the work of a creator or collective is pivotal to the outcome of the computational data analysis, for example, if 90% of the data was from an individual or a collective, without their significant contribution, this study would not have been possible. Does the Ministry have measures to protect the rights of these individuals, given their significant contribution, to ensure that there is proper attribution and protection of their reputation and commercial interest?
On CMOs, the aim is \"to build a fair, safe and transparent system where CMOs, rights owners and future generations can reap the rewards of an efficient copyright ecosystem\". These proposed changes would benefit all stakeholders. However, due to the transnational nature of the copyright ecosystem, can the Minister share how these new measures affect the relationship between CMOs and copyright owners based in Singapore and overseas, especially when the relationship is between a foreign-based distributor and local freelance creator?
Mr Speaker, I support the Copyright Bill.
Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the changes introduced in the Copyright Act, which ensures that the copyright continues to reward the creation of works and the works are available for the benefit of society at large; and as a result, the copyright ecosystem will be strengthened.
I have few clarification questions.
Besides pursuing artistic excellence, financial benefit is another factor that will motivate the copyright holder to produce more good work. Will MinLaw work with MAS and the accountancy sector to develop a valuation and financing framework so that the copyright can be valued, collateralised and be encashed?
The Copyright Bill provides that acts outside Singapore do not infringe the moral rights of creators or performers. Are there any other avenue which can allow a Singaporean copyright holder to sue a foreign infringer?
The Copyright Bill appears to support a measured balance between the public interest in permitting the use of computational data analysis and the legitimate interests of copyright owners. It remains uncertain how the safeguards for copyright owners will be interpreted in light of the growing use of artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms to perform autonomous data mining.
I applaud the idea of attributing the work to the creator. However, in reality, it may be challenging to identify the creator or performer of the performance.
If my interpretation is correct, commissioners of works are to ensure appropriate assignments are entered into with the creators. How about the contracts signed before November 2021? Are the commissioners going to incur legal costs to ratify these contracts? Can the new Act grandfather the contracts signed before November 2021?
Copyright holder needs to know that reworking of fair use into an open-ended exception is not a straightforward process as it will require determination by the Courts as to whether the potential infringer can avail itself of the new exception in any given situation on a case-by-case basis. Until the Courts have decided, infringers are likely to cite new open-ended fair use exception to defend against allegation. Do we have any mitigant here?
Paraphrasing commonly known legal concepts into layman's language can lead to misunderstanding on the part of the public as well. For example, the introduction of the term \"permitted use\" to describe not only legal exceptions to copyright but other \"permitted uses\". It may cause confusion for a common man. It is important for the public to understand that the copyright owner is not permitting the use; in fact, in the case of a legal exception or fair use, no concurrence is required. It may be better to be precise, emphasising that a fair use is a legal exception to a copyright holder’s monopoly right, not one that has been \"permitted\" as in the case of a licensed use.
The fifth factor to determine \"fair use\" has now been omitted from the Bill. I understand that it is subsumed in the fourth factor, in other words based on the effect of the use on the potential market. I feel that this is not as straightforward as the previous wording in providing guidance to the Courts. In Mandarin, Sir.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Copyright Bill provides people who are print-disabled such as the visually impaired greater access to copyrighted works. Under the Copyright Bill, such persons will no longer be required to pay remuneration in situations where a print copy needs to be converted into other formats to benefit those who are print-disabled. This amendment will further promote an inclusive society in Singapore.
When talking about an inclusive society, it is difficult to ignore the problem of illegal set-top boxes. Popular sports events such as the English Premier League, the World Cup and NBA can only be watched through paying expensive subscription fees. I would like urge MinLaw to discuss with MCCY and explore whether the Government can pay for the broadcast?
Mr Speaker: Minister Edwin Tong.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, I thank the various Members who have spoken for their support of the Bill. Their speeches illustrate some of the competing issues that we face when designing this Bill. Having more exceptions and making inroads to free use or widening fair use all mean less recognition for creators, less remuneration that they receive for their works. Conversely, too tight a framework on copyright with less exceptions, tighter fair use, might mean that public interests and access might then not be fulfilled.
So, in designing this Bill, we have had to tread a balanced path, look at all the competing interests and balance it one against the other and find a path that at once, allows public interests in content but at the same time, creates an environment where creators can be recognised and attributed for their works.
Sir, Members have raised various suggestions and questions on the Bill. Broadly, in four categories as follows: one, some of the difficulties that rights owners might face; second, clarifications on some of the changes; third, they have raised several suggestions for further changes to be considered; and finally, the communication of these changes to the public.
I will address Members' queries in these four baskets.
Mr Louis Ng, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Patrick Tay highlighted that the change in the default rules of ownership helps to put creators in a better negotiating position. But creators who are freelancers or small business owners might still face the imbalance of negotiating power that can negate the benefit of the change.
Sir, this Bill provides for a change the legal position for default ownership, in favour of creators. But we cannot, however, legislate for negotiating power. The Bill would not be able to take into account the relative considerations in every commercial negotiation.
For example, if we legislate that creators will always have ownership, regardless and do not allow contracts to change this position, this might not cater for situations where the creator wants to assign or sell his or her own copyright for good commercial reasons.
Creators should instead consider coming together, forming industry associations to develop industry best practices to represent them.
A good example is NTUC's Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit. They advocate for best practices. It seeded an industry association, the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association, or VICPA; worked with Law Society Pro Bono Services to develop and publish a handbook, \"Advocate for the Arts: A Legal Handbook for the Creative Industries\".
The UK Society of Authors and the Australian Society of Authors similarly support their members in the same fashion.
We will continue to work with Government agencies overseeing the development of the various industry sectors to encourage and to support the development of industry associations and industry best practices.
Encouraging organisations who commission works to act more reasonably is another factor that would help the current situation.
Mr Patrick Tay had a couple of good suggestions on how the public sector can lead by example and how service buyers can be educated on basic contract principles. We will continue with our education efforts within the public sector on these procurement issues and also work with Government agencies to explore how we can educate other service buyers.
On enforcement, Mr Louis Ng, Mr Yip Hon Weng, Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Shawn Huang highlighted that creators and performers may lack the financial resources to take enforcement action against infringers.
Mr Louis Ng, in particular, asked whether there could be a special court process created or whether the Copyright Tribunal could be a cost-effective means of enforcement. Mr Yip Hon Weng suggested that there could cheaper alternatives such as mediation for freelance creatives.
We have received much of this feedback and discussed it a lot with stakeholders during public consultations. A solution would have to stretch beyond the current legislative amendments. We will ensure that there are cost-effective enforcement options available and that creatives who are individuals or small business owners will be made aware of them.
First, IPOS runs the IP Legal Clinics. Its aim is to provide creators and performers a quick and easy way to assess their situation, to decide if they own the copyright, what is the level of infringement, what the next steps might be.
Typically, there is a 45-minute session with an IP specialist lawyer. Advice can be sought on any IP infringement issue, including enforcement options. The costs are fully reimbursable by IPOS.
In general, many clear situations can be resolved by a simple letter asserting rights, by telling the alleged infringer of the rights and asserting them, and asking that the user then stop their actions, pay the licence fee or, in the appropriate cases, give credit for the application.
Second, we are continuing to make Court processes more accessible to creators and performers. Members might recall that in 2019, I mentioned during the Second Reading of the Intellectual Property (Dispute Resolution) Bill that MinLaw and the Supreme Court were looking into the introduction of a specialised IP litigation \"track\" in the High Court with simplified processes and cost-saving features. That simplified process track is about to be introduced and more details will be announced in the coming months.
Finally, we appreciate the importance of efficient and cost-effective alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as – as Mr Yip Hon Weng has suggested – mediation.
I believe the fees mentioned by Mr Yip Hon Weng are for mediation of copyright disputes in Singapore under the auspices of WIPO's Arbitration and Mediation Centre, or WIPO AMC. These fees are in fact the result of IPOS' existing collaboration with WIPO AMC to reduce mediation costs for copyright disputes and are already highly subsidised.
That said, we are already exploring with other Government agencies on how to make mediation even more accessible. I am happy to hear that Mr Yip Hon Weng subscribes to this as well and we would be happy to take on board his suggestions.
Mr Yip Hon Weng and Mr Don Wee asked how creators and performers can enforce against people outside Singapore. I think Ms He Ting Ru also raised the same point.
A fundamental point is that copyright laws are territorial. They protect copyright within the territory, that is, Singapore. Our copyright regime allows rights owners to enforce against acts of infringement that occur in Singapore, regardless of whether they are by a local or a foreigner. But the key point is that these are infringements that take place within our jurisdiction.
Likewise, other countries have similar copyright regimes which allow rights owners in Singapore to take action against acts of infringement that might occur in their countries.
Several Members had questions on the details of the changes and I will now turn to a few of them.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked whether, instead of written agreements, oral agreements can be used to change the default position. Mr Don Wee asked how past contracts are treated with the change in the default ownership for commissioning situations.
Sir, oral agreements can and oftentimes will present evidential difficulties when there is a dispute. The intention here is not to add on a further overlay of disputes. Consumers typically are even more vulnerable between the two parties if oral agreements are allowed. It is often going to be one man's word against another. But having said that, we will consider Mr Lim Biow Chuan's suggestion, which is a good one, for a template for a written agreement of copyright ownership.
Clause 135 of the Bill clarifies that contracts entered into prior to the effective date of this Bill will not be affected by the changes I spoke about. This ensures that the existing contractual arrangements which have already been entered into will not be affected by this Bill.
Mr Don Wee had a question on the challenge for users to identify the creator or performer. I had mentioned it earlier but let me just reiterate. There will be appropriate exceptions where identification would not be needed. For example, when the identity of the creator or performer is not reasonably ascertainable.
Assoc Prof Jamus Lim asked about the duration for protection and whether these are based on our international obligations. He might know that we are bound by the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA) and the European Union-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA), which have a minimum duration of protection. That is what we have provided for in this Bill.
This is higher than what other countries are bound to and this stronger protection of IP is balanced in this case by the various permitted uses in the Act, which I had discussed earlier and which Members had spoken about.
Second, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim also asked about new provisions on sound recordings and whether they are EUSFTA obligations. They only add new rights related to public performance and broadcasting of sound recordings.
It should be noted that we already protect sound recording rights today, for example, to prevent copying. To our knowledge, based on the extensive feedback and the industry consultation, there is no evidence that this protection, which also exists in other countries, would inhibit creativity in new areas.
Third, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim also asked about the change of default ownership and I think he spoke about the employer-employee relationship. This is based on international industry and legislative norms, including what the UK does for their framework. This was also discussed with stakeholders during our consultations and public consultations. The point really is, the Bill sets up a default position from which parties can negotiate. And I think that is a point Assoc Prof Jamus Lim also raised.
The point is that the position in law, as set out in this Bill, is the starting point. Parties then negotiate away from that position. But there has to be a starting position, as a default.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked whether there would be a loophole that consumers can buy from other countries set-top boxes that stream unauthorised sources of content. The new provisions impose liability on those who deal commercially with such boxes, like sellers, but not the buyers of such boxes. This was done having regard to striking a right balance.
Prevalence of such devices and services is an issue around the world. Different countries are at different stages of dealing with this issue. Eventually, it is likely that these devices and services will also be banned or legislated against in other countries too.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan also asked whether the permitted use in relation to Internet materials for educational purposes for non-profit schools could be used by for-profit schools, charitable organisations or Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs), and if not, whether it could be extended to them. Again, the point I made at the outset is, we strike a balance. The more inroads you create in terms of exceptions or fair use, the less likely it is that creators and content owners will be appropriately remunerated for their content.
So, here is a balance and we believe that clause 83, which defines educational institutions that can benefit from this permitted use, strikes the right balance, requiring them to be non-profit, generally covering full-time education and also includes training for adults for their profession.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked about charitable organisations and IPCs. They can avail themselves of this permitted use if they fall within the criteria of clause 83.
As I mentioned, this is a balanced position. Copyright owners' interests also need to be considered when we legislate. Around the world, copyright permitted uses for educational purposes only cover non-profit schools in general.
Even if for-profit schools, charitable organisations or IPCs cannot avail themselves of this permitted use, there could be other permitted uses or exceptions which might apply, like fair use.
I believe Assoc Prof Jamus Lim mentioned what happens in a situation where you want to use the material for non-educational but knowledge-based think tanks, if I heard him correctly. In this situation, the fair use does not prescribe restrictions to the type of organisations which might avail themselves of the fair use.
On computational data analysis, several Members asked some questions.
Mr Don Wee asked about the safeguards for rights owners, particularly in light of the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Mr Shawn Huang asked whether the permitted use would treat rights owners whose work is instrumental to the outcome of the computational data analysis differently, such as requiring attribution or protecting their commercial interests. And Mr Louis Ng asked why it cannot be restricted by contract.
Let me first highlight to Mr Don Wee that the definition of computational data analysis is broad enough to include AI and machine learning. I think I mentioned that in my initial speech. The conditions of permitted uses were developed with that in mind.
To answer Mr Shawn Huang, let me explain the principle behind permitted use. Computational data analysis treats the works as data points and does not make use of the expressive nature of the works, which is what copyright fundamentally seeks to protect. In short, because computational data analysis does not itself make use of the expressive nature of the works, the rights owners' reputational and commercial interests are not adversely affected.
To Mr Louis Ng's question, many permitted uses can be modified or excluded via reasonable contract terms. However, some permitted uses are mandatory for public policy reasons because the benefit of that particular permitted use could be drastically reduced or even non-existent if we allow contracts to modify its application. So, we protect certain categories which are necessary for public policy reasons, and computational data analysis is one such category.
The benefit of data analysis improves as the set of underlying data used is as complete as possible. Having specific databases locked out of the analysis because of contractual restrictions would make the results less useful, or worse, create bias or inaccuracies.
Therefore, it is important not to allow private contractual provisions to override this permitted use. It supports the development of useful applications of data analysis, which is indispensable to the current digital economy.
In addition, this permitted use only covers materials to which a user must have had lawful access, such as by paying the subscription fee for the database. So, where the creators or publishers of the materials charge fees in order for users to access such works, that revenue would not be affected.
Mr Yip Hon Weng asked whether the new permitted use that allows for dissemination of materials by the Government would also allow such content to be incorporated or compiled into an existing publication.
The short answer is yes. Copying it, whether a part of it or the entirety of the materials is allowed if done for the permitted purposes and the permitted use does not prevent any parts that are copied from being combined along with other materials.
On fair use, Mr Don Wee, Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Ms He Ting Ru had some questions on the changes that we have made to fair use. Let me just explain the changes and then, take the Members of the House through how this is contemplated to work with the Courts.
The question that has been asked is whether fair use has been reworked into an open-ended exception that requires the Courts to make a determination on a case-by-case basis and whether, with the fifth factor removed, the point that Mr Wee specifically bought up, we are now providing less guidance to the Courts.
Let me assure both Mr Wee and Ms He that this provision has always been an open-ended one, requiring a case-by-case determination by the Courts, even on the existing regime in the present Copyright Act.
I would also add that despite dropping the fifth factor, the Courts can still consider that factor when relevant. We dropped the fifth factor because there was market feedback by stakeholders that it lent itself into confusion. Because of the language and because of the way in which it was framed, users had assumed, in many cases, wrongly, that they first had to procure a licence before they could get within the rubric of the fifth factor.
Members would also know that clause 191 requires the Court to consider \"all relevant matters\" in deciding whether a work or a performance is fairly used.
So, the removal of the fifth factor simply means that the Court only needs to consider that factor when it is of the view that that factor is relevant. So, it does not make it irrelevant. What the current Bill does is it provides for the four factors, the Court considers all four factors. But in the appropriate case or in such cases which are particularly fact-sensitive, the Courts can still consider this.
And in fact, this is what the Chief Justice said in a leading Court of Appeal decision in Global Yellow Pages. The Court of Appeal, without taking Members through the decision in detail, opined that looking at fair dealing as it currently is called, is overall highly fact-sensitive inquiry that has to have regard to all the circumstances. All the factors must be considered but the Court, of course, understands the facts, ascertains the context, looks at the parties' relative position and then, assigns the appropriate weight to each factor and makes an overall determination whether a dealing is fair or otherwise.
So, this approach will continue and the Court will have regard to each case, looking at the facts. And I think if you look at the construct of the fair use exceptions, this is precisely what it is intended to do – to allow the Courts, the adjudicators to look at the specific factual matrix behind each contention for exception or for use.
Next, let me touch on the CMOs which several Members spoke about.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked whether the Government would be regulating the amount of royalties to be paid to CMOs and what recourse users have if the amount is unreasonable. Mr Shawn Huang asked how the regulations could affect foreign CMOs. Mr Raj Joshua Thomas suggested that CMOs may need more time to adapt to the regulations and it should not be too onerous as to be prohibitive to new entrants.
As I mentioned briefly earlier, our regulations proposed in this Bill do not control the prices which CMOs charge. The Copyright Tribunal will continue to hear disputes over reasonableness of licence fees. That was the case and will still be the case.
Clause 459 of the Bill clarifies that the new regulations will apply to any CMO who offers licences to users in Singapore. However, foreign CMOs who represent local rights owners, but offer licences to users overseas, will not be subject to the new regulations.
I also mentioned the timeline for these regulations. The provisions for regulating the CMOs will only be implemented later after a further public consultation on licence conditions next year. This will give CMOs more time to make the necessary adjustments to regulation.
We are mindful that the CMOs might need the extra time and we are continuously engaging with them and have done so since our CMO public consultations started a few years ago. So, I can assure Mr Thomas that the scheme will be a light-touch class licensing regulatory framework. And we similarly want to encourage new entrants in this area with innovative solutions.
Regulations, as some Members have pointed out, will provide clarity to all, but at the same time, we do not intend to make it burdensome to CMOs who operate in a responsible and accountable manner.
To achieve the right balance in our regulations, we have considered the experience of other countries and international precedents in WIPO's Good Practice Toolkit for CMOs.
Finally, Mr Wee had some concerns that the use of the term \"permitted uses\" to describe exceptions may lead to confusion.
The term simply means that the user is permitted to do an act under the law. Clause 183 explains that an act that is a permitted use is not a rights infringement. This will help to prevent misunderstandings about the use of that term.
Let me now touch on some of the suggestions raised by Members.
Ms Ng Ling Ling suggested that persons with intellectual disabilities and audio disabilities could have similar levels of permitted uses as persons with print disabilities and also that permitted uses should all be made mandatory. Mr Patrick Tay asked whether there could be a one-stop publishing house dealing with all the IP rights. Ms Yeo Wan Ling spoke about models that need to have some form of protection as well. Assoc Prof Jamus Lim spoke about permitted use for publicly-funded research, which I believe I responded to earlier in the context of fair use. Mr Raj Joshua Thomas suggested that we consider legislation that can determine the ownership of AI-generated works. And Ms He Ting Ru had a suggestion on mandating royalties.
We will study these suggestions. These are all suggestions that are not covered in this Bill but we will study them and decide at the appropriate stage whether they can be implemented or they can be implemented with modifications.
I want to tell Members of this House that our review of the copyright regime does not stop with the passing of this Bill. We will continually review, particularly given that we are dealing with an industry sector that is very fast changing and fast moving, and will take on board suggestions as they come in for our continual review.
Mr Wee had a suggestion that went beyond this framework, on whether there could be a valuation and financing framework for collateralising copyright. I will just touch on this briefly.
I recently spoke at the launch of the Singapore IP Strategy 2030 during this year's IP Week @ SG event, outlining the efforts on valuation of IP. I believe this is an opportune suggestion. Singapore will be involved with an international valuation panel to develop valuation guidelines for intangible assets and IP. The guidelines will be based on internationally accepted standards that can be then widely adopted internationally and they will help rights owners commercialise and maximise the value of their IP, including through collateralisation.
Finally, Sir, Members have brought up some points in relation to how these changes could be communicated to the relevant stakeholders.
Mr Patrick Tay had various suggestions for freelancers and the general public. Mr Raj Joshua Thomas and Mr Lim Biow Chuan urged that there must be public education on the change in the default ownership rules for certain commissioned works. And I think Members were particularly taken with the point about photography and wedding photographs, in particular. It was an example that came up with more than once. We agree and we will do so.
Mr Yip asked what the Government would be doing to build up a culture of acknowledging sources and identifying creators in our schools, given the new permitted use of freely available materials from the Internet for educational purposes which requires acknowledgment of the source as a condition.
As I mentioned earlier, we will be reaching out to the various stakeholders to help them understand their new rights and will also be working with them to make sure that the broader public is kept informed. For example, we will work with the National Arts Council and NTUC to educate creators and performers. We will work closely with MOE to ensure that teachers and students are aware of the details of the new permitted use. For changes which affect a broad spectrum of stakeholders, like the changes in default ownership of commissioned works or the new right to be identified, we will reach out through various channels, infographics, social media and public talks, to make sure that information is disseminated.
I would like to also take the opportunity to ask my fellow Members here to help disseminate the information as well in your respective constituencies. IPOS has put up materials on their website, explaining the changes. Members can avail themselves of online resources and bring them to the attention of members in their constituencies.
Assoc Prof Jamus Lim asked what we do with Parmesan cheese and whiskey. Assoc Prof Lim might know that this is not within the purview of this Bill. That had been covered in the previous Geographical Indications Act, which we had passed earlier and amended last year. But I would like to assure the House that it does not stop local producers from producing. You just cannot call it a name that otherwise bears a reference to a location.
When Ms He Ting Ru closed her speech, she mentioned clauses 141 and 142 on penalties, but then quickly segued into talking about the cost of foreign sports programmes being broadcast on TV. I think Ms He knows that this is also not relevant to this Bill. This is the result of exclusivity of negotiated broadcast, licences and rights, and it is not an issue that this Bill can fix.
Indeed, the point here is you cannot remove copyright. You cannot take away the copyright because, quite frankly, if you do, then the content will simply not come into Singapore. So, it is quite a different debate altogether that Ms He has raised on this issue. It is not germane to this Bill and I would not say anything beyond this.
Mr Speaker, I would like to thank all the Members who have spoken. I think all of the Members who have spoken support the Bill. I would like to reiterate and underscore the point that this Bill seeks to navigate a fine balance between public interest access, having more access and ensuring that content creators are properly remunerated and their rights are protected. This Bill represents our commitment to ensure that balance between rights owners and the users. We continue to chart a path that is both fair and reasonable to both sides of the equation. We do this in the context of the technological and the market changes that are constantly occurring. Mr Speaker, with that, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee. (proc text)]
[Mr Speaker in the Chair]
[(proc text) Clauses 1 to 246 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)]
Clause 247 –
The Chairman: Clause 247, Minister for Law.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the amendment* standing in the name of the Minister for Law, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. I had addressed in my opening speech the reasons for making the amendments to clause 247.
[(proc text) *The amendment reads as follows: (proc text)]
[(proc text) In page 168, lines 9 and 23: to leave out \"copyright\", and insert \"rights\". (proc text)]
[(proc text) Amendment agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Clause 247, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)]
Clause 248 –
The Chairman: Clause 248, Minister for Law.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the amendment* standing in the name of the Minister for Law, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. I had also addressed the reasons for making this amendment in my opening speech.
[(proc text) *The amendment reads as follows: (proc text)]
[(proc text) In page 169, line 12: to leave out \"copyright\", and insert \"rights\". (proc text)]
[(proc text) Amendment agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Clause 248, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Clauses 249 to 541 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill reported with amendments; 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":"Environmental Protection and Management (Amendment) Bill","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"BP","content":"[(proc text) Order for Second Reading read. (proc text)]
The Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Mr Desmond Tan) (for the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment): Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, I beg to move, \"That the Bill be now read a Second time\".
There are two parts to the Bill. I will start with the first part on reducing the emissions of hydrofluorocarbon, or HFC, refrigerants from RAC equipment. RAC stands for refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment.
In recent months, the world witnessed the devastating impacts of climate change, from the unprecedented heatwaves in North America, to the terrifying floods in Europe and China.
[Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair]
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, in its latest report, warned of catastrophic impacts from climate change unless the world takes urgent action to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and I am heartened by the strong support given by this House earlier this year in acknowledging climate change as a global emergency and a threat to mankind.
Every tonne of GHG reduced can and will lead to tangible improvements to our environment. Singapore will play our part to meet ambitious GHG emissions reduction targets. These are set out under the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution and our Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy under the Paris Agreement. Earlier this year, we launched the Singapore Green Plan 2030, our national roadmap towards sustainable development. Our plans are not static. We will review our plans and continue to raise our climate ambitions as low-emission technologies become available to achieve net zero emissions as soon as viable.
One significant contributor to GHG emissions is the use of RAC equipment. Cooling is essential in our hot and humid climate but it is energy-intensive and generates carbon emissions. RAC equipment also use HFCs as refrigerants and emit HFCs into the atmosphere. These are potent GHGs which trap more heat than carbon dioxide.
This is why MSE announced a comprehensive package of measures at the Committee of Supply debates last year to reduce HFC emissions.
First, to shift the market towards climate-friendly RAC equipment. This addresses the root cause, by avoiding the use of certain classes of HFC refrigerants that have the most adverse impact on the climate.
Second, to raise the industry’s competency in handling HFC refrigerants during the installation, maintenance and decommissioning of the RAC equipment.
Third, to mandate the recovery of spent HFC refrigerants. HFCs from discarded RAC equipment will have to be collected and treated for reuse or destroyed, instead of being vented into the atmosphere.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I will now go through the new Part 10A of the Bill, which will give effect to the measures I have described.
First, we will phase out RAC equipment using refrigerants with high Global Warming Potential, or GWP in short, where climate-friendly alternatives are already available. GWP is a measure of the warming effect of a gas relative to carbon dioxide. For example, the typical refrigerant used in chillers, R134a, has a GWP of 1,300. In comparison, carbon dioxide has a GWP of one. The higher the GWP, the more heat the refrigerant will trap.
From 1 October next year, NEA will not allow the supply of RAC equipment with high GWP, starting with household air-conditioners that use refrigerants with GWP of more than 750; and household refrigerators and commercial water-cooled chillers that use refrigerants with GWP of more than 15.
Climate-friendly alternatives for such equipment are widely available. They are typically more energy-efficient and users can enjoy energy cost savings, too. For households, there is no cost difference in switching to climate-friendly refrigerators and air-conditioners. For commercial users, low-GWP water-cooled chillers cost 15% more on average, but as they are more energy-efficient, their life-cycle cost savings more than make up for the higher upfront cost.
In our industry consultations, most suppliers and importers of RAC equipment have affirmed that they are able to supply climate-friendly models. Countries in the EU, as well as the US and Japan, have implemented similar measures to curb HFC emissions. Major exporters of RAC equipment, such as the US and China, are also shifting towards more climate-friendly refrigerants.
These measures will be effected through sections 40B to 40D, which allow the Minister to prescribe the above RAC equipment as goods to be regulated and the requirements that they have to satisfy to be supplied in Singapore.
Sections 40E to 40G lay out the requirements for suppliers to register themselves and their RAC equipment with NEA. Suppliers will need to register themselves once, whereas the registration of the regulated RAC equipment will be valid for three years. This allows NEA to regularly review the standards of these RAC equipment and ensure that the equipment sold in Singapore is climate friendly.
Second, to raise the industry’s competency in handling refrigerants, we will regulate companies that carry out regulated GHG works. GHG works involve the use or handling of any GHG, such as the installation, maintenance and decommissioning of RAC equipment.
Companies that carry out any regulated GHG works will be required to establish and maintain policies, procedures and processes to carry out the regulated GHG works safely to minimise emissions. They must keep accurate records of those regulated GHG works and provide the records to NEA upon request. Regulated companies must provide their employees with adequate and properly maintained equipment to carry out the regulated GHG works and deploy at least one competent technician to supervise or carry out such works.
To be certified as competent, technicians must attend a training and certification programme that will equip them with the necessary skills to minimise HFC emissions when carrying out regulated GHG works. NEA has worked with Temasek Polytechnic to roll out a course on handling commercial water-cooled chillers this month. The training programmes will uplift the capabilities of technicians and harmonise HFC handling practices across the industry.
Competent technicians will need to comply with the policies, procedures and processes set out by their respective companies as well as prescribed statutory requirements.
For a start, these requirements will only apply to companies handling commercial water-cooled chillers, as these chillers have much larger refrigerant capacities than household air-conditioners. Companies handling household refrigerators and air-conditioners will not have these requirements imposed on them but are encouraged to certify their technicians.
Sections 40K to 40P will allow the Minister to prescribe the classes, descriptions or types of GHG works to be regulated and the requirements for companies carrying out such regulated GHG works, including registering themselves with NEA. The responsibilities of competent technicians are set out in section 40Q.
Third, we will introduce measures to minimise the venting of spent refrigerants into the atmosphere. The Bill will introduce a related amendment to the definition of \"industrial waste\" in section 2 of the Environmental Public Health Act to classify spent refrigerants as \"industrial waste\". With this change, spent refrigerants recovered during RAC equipment servicing and disposal must be sent for proper treatment by licensed toxic industrial waste collectors.
The Director-General will be empowered to administer and enforce the new Part 10A and to conduct the necessary inspections, tests and surveys to make sure that the requirements in the Part are complied with. These powers are set out in sections 40S to 40W.
The Director-General will also be given the power to grant waivers from specific requirements, as set out under section 40Y. These waivers will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The key offences set out in Part 10A include carrying out regulated activities without registering with NEA, supplying non-compliant GHG goods that are regulated goods, failing to meet stipulated requirements, failing to provide records relating to regulated goods or regulated GHG works and falsifying data. The penalties for these offences are pegged to similar offences under the Energy Conservation Act.
An appeal process, detailed in sections 40J and 40R, will also be put in place with regard to certain decisions of the Director-General concerning matters, such as registration. Reconsideration can be sought from the Director-General in the first instance. Thereafter, the person may appeal in writing to the Minister, whose decision will be final.
These three HFC mitigation measures are expected to reduce HFC emissions from the regulated equipment by around half by the year 2030. We can expect further abatement beyond 2030 when the current stock of less climate-friendly equipment is completely phased out.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I will now move on to the second part of the Bill which will introduce amendments to improve construction contractors’ compliance with the no-work rule on Sundays and public holidays.
Singapore is a dense, highly urbanised and vibrant city, and some amount of noise is normal and inevitable. This includes noise from construction projects which are needed to build our homes, MRT lines and our healthcare facilities.
Over the years, we have introduced a suite of measures to manage construction noise.
First, NEA stipulates maximum permissible noise limits for construction sites, taking reference from the World Health Organization’s guidelines. Construction sites within 150 metres from residential buildings and noise-sensitive premises, such as hospitals, are subject to more stringent noise limits. Contractors must install noise meters at the nearest affected premises and monitor the noise levels regularly.
Second, in 2011, we implemented the no-work rule to provide residents with greater quiet on Sundays and public holidays. No work is allowed on these days at construction sites located within 150 metres of any hospital, home for the aged sick or residential building, though NEA may grant permits for quieter forms of work.
Third, from April 2014 to March this year, NEA disbursed a total of $8.3 million in grants to incentivise contractors to adopt quieter construction equipment and methods. These include using quieter piling and hacking equipment, and installing noise barriers and enclosures.
While most contractors comply with noise management measures, there is a small group of contractors that has continued to violate the no-work rule. From 2016 to 2020, NEA prosecuted an average of 3% of construction sites, or around 150 sites, for first-time violation of the no-work rule each year. Twenty-two percent of this group would go on to repeat the offence.
When complaints on construction noise are received, NEA strives to respond swiftly to address the noise disturbance, especially on Sundays and public holidays. However, there are limitations to the current enforcement approach, as violations of the no-work rule can only be confirmed through physical site inspections by NEA officers. This is resource-intensive and not always effective, as the breach of the no-work rule could have stopped by the time NEA officers reach the construction site.
This is where technology can make a difference. From 1 October next year, we will impose electronic video surveillance on the small subset of offenders to deter further violations of the no-work rule and improve NEA’s operational effectiveness.
Mr Deputy Speaker, let me outline the key features of the new section 28A. It empowers the Director-General to require the owner or occupier of a construction site who has contravened the no-work rule to install, maintain and operate an electronic video surveillance system at their own cost. This includes visual monitoring devices, such as closed-circuit television cameras.
The notice issued to no-work rule offenders may specify the type of surveillance system required; the number of monitoring devices to be installed and where; the part of the construction site to be recorded; and the duration for which the surveillance system must be operational. The owner or occupier must store the recordings for the period specified in the notice and provide NEA with access to any stored recording so as to facilitate remote monitoring and enforcement.
The penalties for non-compliance are aligned with those for similar requirements in the Act, such as compliance with noise limits and installation of noise meters. Section 42 is amended to provide for appeals to the Minister against a notice issued by the Director-General under section 28A.
We recognise that the construction sector is facing significant challenges during this pandemic, such as a manpower crunch arising from border control measures and higher costs of construction materials. The new requirement will not affect the vast majority of compliant construction sites. It will only be imposed on the small number of construction sites that have violated the no-work rule and it is meant to deter further violations.
Mr Deputy Speaker, this Bill marks another milestone in our efforts to tackle climate change and maintain a quality living environment for Singaporeans. The first part of the Bill will ensure that we meet Singapore’s cooling needs in a responsible manner, by using climate-friendly RAC equipment and building up the industry’s competency in handling these equipment. The second part of the Bill will maintain a conducive living environment by strengthening enforcement on offenders of the no-work rule. We will continue to work with the industry and other key stakeholders to regularly review our approach of managing construction noise, taking into account public feedback, international best practices and our local context. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, this Bill tackles two distinct but important problems: noise and greenhouse gases. Residents will be happy to hear that the Bill empowers NEA to more effectively ensure that construction sites remain quiet on Sundays and public holidays. Singaporeans should also be happy that the Bill empowers the Government to better mitigate climate change, given that Singapore is getting warmer much more quickly than the rest of the world.
Sir, I have three clarifications about this Bill.
My first point relates to our efforts to reduce HFCs. Reducing HFC emissions, which make up about 7% of Singapore’s emissions, will contribute to our climate mitigation efforts and I wholeheartedly support this move. HFCs have nearly 12,000 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. And Singapore is emitting such gases more than ever before, a 30% increase from 2014 to 2016, based on the latest available data. Things might be getting worse, not better.
I am glad we are doing more, but my question is: why are household RACs and commercial water-cooled chillers the only equipment being regulated? I understand that these contribute to about half of the emissions and the question is: what about the other half? When can we expect to address emissions from the remaining types of equipment?
Beyond using the stick, can we offer more carrots, especially in terms of the remaining types of equipment that are currently not regulated? Can we increase grants for businesses to encourage adoption of cooling equipment with lower global warming potential? All these while we work on stricter regulations and an eventual ban on the remaining types of equipment which are currently not regulated.
My second clarification is about the requirements for becoming a competent person for carrying out greenhouse gas work. Training and certification are important to upskill our workforce, improve quality of services and reduce emissions by preventing leakage of greenhouse gases. However, training and tests are often conducted in English, which not all of our existing technicians may be fluent in, causing them to be disadvantaged. It is important that certification is accessible and fair so that we improve our workforce rather than cause some to be excluded. Can the Minister share the intended format of training and tests, whether they will be multilingual and what other measures will be implemented to support our existing technicians in getting certified?
My third and final clarification relates to the control of construction noise. In the post-COVID-19 world, more activities are taking place from the home, such as remote learning and working. Can the Minister provide an update on its review of construction noise limits and also consider whether we can have even stricter construction noise limits on Saturdays? This will give families more quiet time to rest and recover over the weekend. Can the Minister also share what other measures do agencies have in place to manage construction noise in residential areas? Sir, notwithstanding my clarifications, I stand in support of the Bill.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis (Sengkang): Mr Deputy Speaker, the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA), originally enacted in 1999, is one of a number of key pieces of environmental legislation in Singapore, with a noteworthy recent addition being the Carbon Pricing Act which was introduced in 2018 and came into operation in January 2019.
The EPMA is the primary regulation for the environmental control of pollution and waste, including for hazardous substances in Singapore. What I believe to be noteworthy in this amendment Bill is clause 3 of the Bill which inserts a new Part 10A, comprising new sections 40A to 40Y, relating to the control of greenhouse gases. After all, anthropogenic greenhouse gases, with their far-ranging environmental and health effects, are just about the most hazardous substances nations around the world have to grapple with today.
The Bill goes into significant technical detail about the regulation, monitoring, prohibition and enforcement against a subset of greenhouse gas goods and related activities. However, I believe it is also crucial that we do not lose sight of the big picture in terms of the urgent and bold actions that the Government, as well as all other governments around the world, have to undertake to curb greenhouse gas emissions adequately, in order to deal with the existential threat of climate change.
Today's debate is thus timely in the context of the recent August release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC's sixth Assessment Report or AR6 and as nations around the world prepare for COP26 at the 26th UN Climate Change conference coming up in November this year. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the recently published IPCC report \"a code red for humanity\", as it confirmed that we are observing unprecedented changes in the Earth’s climate \"in every region and across the climate ecosystem\".
It makes clear that the world faces a frightening future, even if – and that is a big \"if\" – the global economy is decarbonised rapidly. I would thus like to spend some time sharing more about the key implications of this report and also what we should do in light of these implications, especially since this could have serious repercussions on a coastal island nation that is our home.
In 2019, atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations were higher than at any time in at least two million years. Across all scenarios considered by the IPCC, global temperatures will continue to increase until at least the mid-century. In fact, we are now expected to reach this 1.5 degree celsius tipping point earlier than expected. To limit warming to 1.5 degree celsius with no or limited overshoot, net global CO2 emissions need to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach \"net zero\" by 2050. Unless immediate, rapid and large-scale action is taken to reduce emissions, the average global temperature is likely to reach or cross the 1.5 degree celsius warming threshold within 20 years.
Unfortunately, however, some climate changes are already locked in. Hot extremes have become more frequent and more intense across most land regions since the 1950s, while cold extremes have become less frequent and less severe. Over the next 2,000 years, the global mean sea level will rise by about two to three metres, even if warming is limited to 1.5 degree celsius, with the effect irreversible for millennia.
At this point in time, remaining carbon budgets for a 50% chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degree celsius and two degree celcius are estimated at 500 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO2) and 1,350 GtCO2 respectively. With global emissions currently at a little more than 40 GtCO2 a year and if continued, the budget would be exhausted in a mere 12 years.
Singapore is certainly not spared from the effects of a higher global temperature. Even in a 1.5 degree celsius warmer world, there will an increase in the number of unprecedented weather events with disasters to become more frequent and intense. Should emissions not come down to net zero by around 2050, there will be even more punishing heatwaves, severe coastal flooding events and bouts of heavier rain. As it is, Singapore has already seen record rainfalls in January, April and August. The recent memory of flash floods in August this year is a very sombre reminder of how things are no longer the way it used to be. What does this mean for daily life in Singapore?
Firstly, in terms of temperature, Singapore has already experienced warming higher than the global average because of the urban heat island effect. Local temperatures are 1.8 degree celsius higher than they were in 1948, as indicated in the MET Service database. In contrast, global temperatures have warmed by about 1.1 degree celsius from pre-industrial times, which ended around 1850.
The IPCC has identified Southeast Asia as a region experiencing severe heat waves, which used to occur once every 50 years but have become five times more frequent. Tropical cyclones are also getting stronger, severe droughts are happening 1.7 times as often and fire seasons are increasing in duration and intensity.
Secondly, bouts of rain could become more intense and frequent with each additional degree of warming. Southeast Asia would likely experience this, resulting in flash floods if the ground is covered with concrete and if drainage systems are overwhelmed, as in Singapore’s case recently.
Thirdly, sea level rises in Asia, especially critical to low-lying coastal regions like Singapore, are projected to increase faster than global average, alongside coastal area loss and shoreline retreat.
While there has been much focus on CO2, the IPCC also assessed the possibility of actively targeting and removing methane as part of the pathway to limiting warming. While methane is less prevalent than CO2, it is more than 80 times more powerful at trapping heat over the first 10 to 20 years in the atmosphere.
I had earlier filed a Parliamentary Question on whether the Government has conducted a study to assess the amount of external methane emissions associated with natural gas imported into and consumed in Singapore, across both piped natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG). This is critical because even though methane emitted directly from Singapore is low, the use of natural gas as a source of energy could indirectly contribute significantly to methane emissions through upstream fugitive emission leakages, if these are not properly controlled. As a responsible consumer of natural gas, be it piped or LNG, it is important that we uphold strict monitoring and verification standards and promote the adoption of emission reduction technologies.
Having spoken much about the AR6 findings and their implications for Singapore, Mr Deputy Speaker, I do have a number of clarifications I would like to raise about the Bill itself.
To begin with, I note that the Bill under section 40A provides certain definitions on GHG goods, GHG works and other interpretations of the new Part 10A. The first clarification is about sections 40A and 40B which deal with the power of the Minister, after consultation with NEA, to prescribe any class, description or type of GHG goods to be regulated.
To provide greater visibility to businesses and consumers, I would like to ask the Minister if there is currently a set of goods by which the Ministry and NEA plans to prescribe and regulate as GHG goods once the Bill is passed. If there is not such a list yet, would the Minister and agency consider putting a plan for such a list such that, by the time the Act comes into force, the Government may facilitate a swift recognition of such goods? How much of such goods and works that are available in our market today will now be subject to these amendments? In addition, could the Minister provide clarity on whether these GHG goods or works were originally excluded from the Carbon Pricing Act and if so, what is the assessment of the cost to measure and report these GHG goods compared to the amount of carbon tax that potentially could be collected?
Furthermore, I would like to ask the Minister what is the Ministry’s assessment of any possible impacts this amendment and the classification of the new GHG goods or works will have on our companies, such as the air-condition, chiller and equipment manufacturers as well as industries, such as the semiconductor manufacturing industry, which uses fluorinated gases?
Secondly, under section 40C, an importer or manufacturer has to be a registered supplier for these regulated goods. I would like to ask the Minister when will the regulation of such businesses commence; and in the future, should a new GHG good be added to the list of regulated GHG goods, what is the lead time for businesses to respond accordingly?
Thirdly, under section 40D, there are proposed restrictions on supplies and imports of regulated goods. I would like to ask the Minister how the thresholds of global warming potential are being determined for the regulated goods, and how often would NEA or the Director-General of Environmental Protection plan to review the GWP threshold and its basis for restriction of supply? For example, according to the NEA website, the typical refrigerant used in chillers is R134a, which has a GWP of 1,300. The climate-friendly alternative is R1233zd, which has a GWP of just one. Based on what is disclosed, the NEA will, from the fourth quarter of 2022, restrict the supply of certain air-conditioning equipment with a GWP of more than 750 and certain refrigerators and chillers with GWP of more than 15. How much of a decline in the percentage or volume of GHG emissions is this restriction expected to lead to?
Finally, my fellow Sengkang Member of Parliament He Ting Ru asked a Parliamentary Question about whether MSE has initiated a review of Singapore's ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and if so, what is the outcome of this review. To which, Minister Grace Fu shared that a review is ongoing and the decision for Singapore to ratify the Kigali Amendment will be finalised after consultation with key stakeholders.
I would like to ask if the current Bill amendment is a part of the process towards ratifying the Kigali Amendment and if the Minister can provide a timeline for the review as to whether Singapore will decide to join the 124 countries that have thus far already ratified the agreement.
In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, I support this Bill and its introduction of legislative safeguards and controls over greenhouse gases in Singapore. Yet, this Bill is but one of the many steps that Singapore will have to take in order for us to advance our efforts in addressing climate change.
As I shared in my speech on the Climate Motion earlier this year, even as a small island-state, Singapore has always been daring in our vision for the future. Climate change should be no different. The science has spoken and there is no alternative except to urgently commit to reversing the trend of rising emissions. We can, should and must do more.
My fellow Sengkang colleague, Ms He Ting Ru, again had asked in a Parliamentary Question whether the Government plans to review Singapore's net zero emissions target and set a definitive timeline to achieve net zero emissions. Member Louis Ng too had asked in a Parliamentary Question whether the Government would review and bring forward the plans to reach net zero emissions.
I ask that we be that bright green spark and show the world that even in spite of our constraints, we can set a bold, ambitious and specific emissions reductions target that aligns with the global goal of reaching net zero by 2050 and not let it be that because of our constraints, \"if\"s and \"only if\"s dominate our vocabulary.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Desmond Choo.
Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill. Climate change is affecting every country in the world and Singapore is not spared. The IPCC report published last month is a sobering reminder of the disastrous outcomes we can expect in 2050 if planet-warming emissions, also known as Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), do not come down to net zero.
I believe that the proposed amendments have balanced both the interests of businesses and protecting the environment. For example, the methods to appeal against a Director-General's (DG) decision are not onerous, whereby aggrieved persons may simply apply to the DG by way of a written notice for reconsideration of the decision.
Ultimately, the objective of the Bill is to regulate GHG emissions in Singapore and this will eventually benefit all stakeholders.
I would like to highlight three areas of the amendments and related suggestions for the Ministry's consideration. I believe that these suggestions will allow for a more calibrated approach in ensuring that businesses comply with the amendments.
First, on the implementation of a register of suppliers, regulated goods and registered GHG entities.
These provisions ensure that the Ministry retains oversight of all GHG goods and GHG-related stakeholders. This is particularly valuable where GHG goods are subsequently found to have been falsely reported as conforming to prescribed standards. The register will benefit suppliers of GHG goods in allowing them to recalibrate their business models where appropriate.
Can we presume that similar to the prescribed regulated goods and suppliers under the Energy Conservation Act, that the register under the amendments will also be made available online?
Second, on the offences relating to the falsification of data in the proposed section 40X. The falsification of data to the DG would render the objective of the Act nullified. For example, suppliers would be able to supply GHG goods that blatantly fall afoul of the prescribed limits of emissions. Furthermore, to ascertain the accuracy of every piece of information or data received would be operationally burdensome on the Ministry.
At present, a conviction for this offence attracts a fine of $5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both.
I have two suggestions for the Ministry's consideration. Could the Ministry impose a minimum fine for an offence under section 40X? This will encourage businesses to take extra effort to ensure the accuracy of information to be submitted to the Ministry.
Additionally, could the Ministry adjust the maximum term of imprisonment under section 40X from three to six months? This harmonises the maximum term of imprisonment to that of section 177(1) of the Penal Code. The said section prescribes that it is an offence to give false information to a public servant if one is legally bound to do so.
Lastly, I am concerned about the hardships SMEs and smaller businesses may face in complying with the amendments. Doing our part for climate change has a cost and the cost could be placed upon these SMEs unduly, especially in the short term. While the obligations under the proposed amendments will help to combat climate change, they will be especially onerous to smaller businesses. For example, section 40D(4)(d) obligates suppliers of GHG goods to ensure that the goods are accompanied by information relating to their environmental impact.
To this end, I have two suggestions to make.
Firstly, I hope the Ministry will consider a transitionary period in relation to the new obligations under the amendments. While the impact of these obligations may not be large for individuals or larger businesses, I fear that SMEs may be adversely impacted in the short run. This is worsened by the fact that some businesses may still be suffering from the effects of the pandemic.
The new obligations imposed on related businesses are akin to new skillsets for their workers. An appropriately timed transitionary period will allow businesses the required time to adequately comply with the new obligations and retrain their workers.
Secondly, I propose for the Ministry to assist SMEs in complying with the new obligations. The Ministry can explore working with the unions and trade associations in providing practical information to affected SMEs. Furthermore, while the definition of who qualifies as a competent person has yet to be published, the union stands ready to conduct training programmes to ensure affected SMEs can comply with this new obligation with ease.
Perhaps the Ministry can also consider making such training courses approved courses under the SkillsFuture scheme for jobseekers who wish to update their skillsets.
Deputy Speaker, Sir, notwithstanding the above, I support the Bill. These amendments feature a judicious, multi-pronged approach in targeting a key driver of climate change. Every one of us, businesses and consumers alike, have an important role in creating a sustainable Singapore for our future generations. I am confident that by passing the Bill, the House will further cement its commitment towards a greener future for Singapore.
Prof Hoon Hian Teck (Nominated Member): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, when an activity such as a firm's production of a good imposes a cost on the rest of society, which it does not pay for, for example, when it emits greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, the marginal social cost exceeds the marginal private cost.
In other words, the cost to society of producing an additional unit of the good includes not only the cost of factor inputs like labour and capital but also the harm the firm causes to the environment.
The result is that in the absence of government intervention, there is an overproduction of such a good and its concomitant emission of greenhouse gases.
The amendment to the Bill under consideration provides the Government the legal powers to set regulatory standards on the manufacture and import of certain goods as well as the carrying out of certain works in order to limit the amount of carbon emissions.
As policy tools to fight climate change, the setting of regulatory standards, which is a command-and-control measure, works to complement the introduction of carbon taxes, which is a price mechanism measure. When is it optimal to use the setting of regulatory standards, which target quantities directly and when is it optimal to use prices to achieve the aim of limiting greenhouse gas emissions?
When the compliance costs of limiting greenhouse gas emissions are fairly uniform across firms in the economy and the harm imposed on the rest of society rises sharply when the amount of greenhouse gas emissions crosses a certain threshold, it is optimal to set regulatory standards.
In practice, however, compliance costs might differ across industries and even across firms in the same industry. For example, newer firms might more readily take advantage of clean technology not available to older firms when the latter made their investment decisions. A policy question is whether older firms should be given more time and help in resources to make the transition to adopting clean technology so that there might be differential standards across firms temporarily.
In an environment with uncertainty about the cost of compliance due to new technological development, setting the same regulatory standard for all firms runs the risk of two possible types of error.
If the actual cost of compliance turns out to be less than initially expected, then regulation would, in retrospect, have turned out to be too stringent. On the other hand, if the actual cost of compliance turns out to be higher than initially expected, then regulation would, in retrospect, have turned out to be too lax.
It might be preferable under uncertainty to set a tax on greenhouse gas emissions and then allow firms to choose the extent to which they wish to control the amount of emissions so it gives firms some buffer time to transit.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the emission of greenhouse gases from the manufacture and import of certain goods and carrying out of certain works by firms creates negative externalities on the rest of society. There is, therefore, a basis for government intervention to limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
The set of optimal policy tools most likely includes both the setting of regulatory standards as well as the use of carbon taxes, which Singapore introduced in 2019. In combination with subsidies for research and development in clean technology, this set of policy tools can steer Singapore in the direction of being a leader in sustainable living. Sir, I support this Bill.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I support the new regulations to reduce HFCs emitted by refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. As mentioned by my colleague Louis Ng, I share his concerns.
I am concerned too with the details concerning certified technicians who handle refrigerants. Some of these employees are not very proficient in English. This has an impact on their certification. What are the plans to help these workers? Will the Government provide free training before the test? Will the testing be difficult? Will training be arranged on a regular basis to ensure that all technicians keep up with the technological changes in this sector?
(In English): Sir, not all job sites will be forbidden from carrying on with work during extended hours and on Sundays and public holidays. Construction sites beyond 150 metres of homes and noise-sensitive buildings such as hospitals are exempted.
I have received quite a number of feedback regarding noise pollution from residents over the years, even though the construction sites producing the noise are some distance away. There is a continued need to improve on the noise insulation properties of new and existing flats. I urge the Ministry to continue to look into the use of technology to minimise the noise pollution from construction projects.
In addition, how can we ensure that the video cameras installed by errant contractors are working well and recording without deliberate intervention? Sir, I support the Bill.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Leader.
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Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong (Jurong): Mr Deputy Speaker, we must continue our work of reducing carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions and sustain the reduction for decades to come. Under most emissions scenarios that are being modelled today, the global surface temperature will most certainly continue to increase until the middle of this century. In fact, the target of 1.5 degrees celsius and two degrees celsius temperature rise will most certainly be exceeded unless we do more, much more.
In the coming years and decades, we will experience changes in our climate system with increase in heatwaves, droughts and more intense storms. Here in Singapore, we will most probably experience heavier precipitation. Throughout the world, we will continue to see the massive loss of sea ice, snow cover and permafrost.
Many of such changes were caused by past greenhouse gas emissions and are irreversible for centuries and up to a millennia. These changes and impact are most prevalent in our ice sheets and global sea levels. Today's emissions and the emissions of the future, will further contribute to these irreversible changes: ocean warming, ocean acidification, deoxygenation, melting glaciers and ice sheets, just to name a few.
Recently, I visited Pulau Ubin – lovely island. Coincidentally, I was there at high tide. The waves were crashing onto the sides of the rocks near the jetty. It would probably take less than another metre of sea level rise before the seawater would flood the coastal roads. With current estimates, the sea level will rise by two to three metres if the temperature rise is limited to 1.5 degrees celsius and two to six metres if limited to two degrees celsius. At two degrees celsius and a six-metre corresponding rise in sea level, not much of Pulau Ubin would be left above water.
We must do more to better control and regulate our greenhouse emissions, be bold and quicken the pace. We are in a race against time. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.
Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support all the measures to reduce the emissions of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants from refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) equipment. These measures, coupled with effective enforcement, will definitely go a long way to help mitigate climate change.
However, I have some concerns about the amendment to ensure that construction sites remain quiet on Sundays and public holidays. The Ministry intends to achieve this by requiring errant contractors to install electronic video surveillance systems.
Due to the pandemic, many construction projects have been delayed. Now, with our economy gradually adjusting to a new norm, contractors are trying to catch up on the works in progress. I would like to ask: how do we balance the need to expedite these construction projects, while ensuring disamenities like noise pollution are kept to acceptable levels?
With the shortage of workers and the urgency to rush jobs, more machinery might be used. Then, what comes immediately to mind is safety. So again, another delicate balance between productivity and safety. Would the Ministry be stepping up safety briefings and inspections? Can the same CCTVs be used to enhance safety at the worksites? The purpose is not so much to penalise and punish contractors, but rather to help spot any safety concerns early. This will allow contractors to be alerted and take remedial action to ensure safety.
Next, I have a query about the integrity of the video recordings. I had encountered cases in my community where NEA received complaints from residents about noise but when they went down to check the construction sites, the noise level was considered acceptable. As technology is so advanced, how can we be sure that the recordings that both the residents and NEA encountered are similar?
The layman does not know what is an acceptable noise level and what is not. I would like to suggest that information on how to discern when maximum levels have been breached be set up at our worksites. These would be very helpful, so that residents are informed and can tell if rules have been flouted. Sir, in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I have some questions regarding the amendment to ensure that construction sites remain quiet on Sundays and public holidays. Due to the pandemic, many construction projects had been delayed. Now, many contractors are trying to expedite their works. How are we going to balance their need to expedite construction, while at the same time, ensure that the noise pollution is maintained at an acceptable level? In addition, in this situation of rushing for work to be done, how do we ensure safety at worksites?
The Ministry will require errant contractors to install video surveillance systems. How can we ensure that the recordings will not be tampered with? Most residents do not know what the acceptable noise level is, as set by the Ministry. I would like to suggest that worksites set up information notices about noise pollution. This will be helpful to let our residents know under what conditions the regulations are violated.
(In English): Sir, I support the Bill.
Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the measures to reduce the use and emissions of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. However, in view of the current difficulties faced by many companies due to the untamed COVID-19 pandemic, would the Ministry consider reviewing the appropriate time to introduce these measures? My concern is that some of these measures will increase costs for SMEs.
For example, low Global Warming Potential (GWP) commercial water-cooled chillers cost more upfront. We can also expect the higher costs to impact end-users. What measures does the Government have to help manage the impact? How will the Ministry ensure that our cold chain needs will not be adversely affected by the increased costs?
Another area contributing to higher costs is the certification of technicians handling refrigerants. Only certified technicians will be permitted to supervise or service chillers. Mandatory collection and treatment of spent refrigerants will also entail additional costs. Who will bear the fees?
Hence, I appeal to the Ministry to consider delaying the implementation of some of the measures during these challenging times, so as to give our SMEs more breathing room and time to adjust to the new regulations. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In order to ensure that construction sites remain quiet on Sundays and public holidays, the authorities will require errant contractors to install video surveillance systems. I would like to know what is the impact of this new requirement on the construction sector. I am concerned that such unnecessary costs will be levied on these SMEs and many of them are already suffering now.
In addition, are the relevant departments considering using other measures to ensure that construction companies abide by the no-work regulations and better manage construction noise? Currently, what measures have the Ministry’s agencies implemented to reduce construction noise in residential areas? Can we use mobile phones to report errant contractors? Notwithstanding all my concerns and enquiries, I support the Bill.
Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is timely to rein in the emission of pollutants such as gases and noise. This is pertinent in densely populated Singapore, where there are many concurrent ongoing construction activities, with some at close proximity to residential areas.
This is especially pronounced in Yio Chu Kang. There are construction works going on for the North-South Corridor and the new Thomson-East Coast Line. New BTO flats and private estate projects are being built in Yio Chu Kang. There are also existing upgrading works, for instance, at Mayflower Primary School. While I am happy to see such developments, many are taking place simultaneously. The effects of accumulated noise and dust can be vexing to residents. Furthermore, many projects have been extended due to COVID-19. I have received many feedback on noise pollution at my Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS).
In my speech, I will focus on managing noise from construction sites.
First, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, we should have better feedback management systems for residents to provide feedback on such matters. I support the new requirement for construction sites who have contravened the no-work rule on Sundays and public holidays to install electronic video surveillance systems.
Over the years, authorities have increasingly leveraged on technology to monitor noise levels at construction sites. However, feedback from residents in the vicinity remains important, as they are personally impacted and may have practical concerns. As such, there should be dedicated feedback channels for residents to relay their concerns to the contractor. There should also be clear escalation protocols to NEA as the regulator, should problems remain unresolved, despite the initial feedback to the contractor. The relevant authorities should ensure that clear service standards are in place as to when replies must be provided.
It should also be mandatory to provide advance notice to residents living within a 150-metre radius from the construction site. This could be in the form of information on display boards, as well as flyers distributed to nearby blocks. NEA should also consider using Municipal Services Office (MSO)'s OneService app to push out notifications to residents living near construction sites. This will give ample time to residents, whether it is to facilitate alternative arrangements, or to find ways to mitigate the noise.
Contact details for the contractor and the relevant NEA feedback channels must also be clear and visible to residents. On my rounds, I noticed that the display of contact details was not uniform for all sites. Some constructions sites display their contact details and project information on a large board. However, for certain works, especially smaller-scale ones, the information is not always immediately visible. Some residents can therefore be surprised to see a barricaded project site appear, out of the blue. They do not know what it was for and do not know who to ask. I hope the Ministry can standardise the format and requirements for displaying relevant information and communication channels.
Second, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, there needs to be more public education with regards to no-work days. Work is allowed on weekends for projects that meet certain criteria. Nevertheless, the ground reality is that this is not publicly known. As such, members of public would lodge a complaint when they see construction works during the weekends, despite the works being permitted by NEA. With the COVID-19-related delays, I expect that more projects would seek permission to work on weekends. Therefore, there needs to be more awareness and better understanding of the regulations. This is to avoid wasting residents' time and Government's resources to manage redundant feedback.
Third, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to ensure that video surveillance support remains sustainable and effective. Can NEA provide a rough estimate on the cost of installation and maintenance of video surveillance equipment? One of the common reasons worksites contravene no-work days is because they are racing against a deadline and budget. So, my concern is if quality video surveillance equipment is costly to install and maintain, they may have some challenges setting it up within the stipulated timeline. Some errant contractors may even try to cut corners.
Moreover, as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, we are observing a rise in digital capabilities to tamper with video equipment to create false content. How will NEA ensure that the equipment would not be tampered with, to present a fallacious impression?
Fourth, Mr Deputy Speaker, we need greater clarity on the type of construction projects covered under the new amendments. Besides construction sites, I would like to seek clarification as to whether it also covers other projects that generate noise and other possible disruptions. Are small scale infrastructure developments in the housing estates like the building of covered linkways by the Town Council, piping works by PUB, or road works by LTA covered as well? What about home renovations for HDB and condominium apartments, as well as additions and alterations for houses in landed estates?
The legislation ought to have a clearer definition on the projects it applies to. This could be determined by the project scale or some other measurable criteria, such as the amount of noise pollution emitted or the number of residents that would be impacted. Once the types of project sites are identified, we should also incrementally move towards having mandatory sound and dust-proof barriers for all these work sites.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my last point is on imposing heavier penalties on construction companies that breach the no-work rule. For many Singaporeans, Sundays and public holidays are the only days in a week when they can take a break and recharge. Loud noise over prolonged periods triggers anxiety and stress. This is exacerbated by work-from-home arrangements during this pandemic period. Also, noise monitoring should not be limited to volume alone, but also frequency. Having mediated for community disputes among neighbours previously, some arising from construction noise, I can attest first-hand to the impact of unwanted noise on one’s mental well-being.
Currently, there is a proposed penalty of a composition sum of $5,000 for construction sites that break the no-work rule for the first time. Subsequent offences lead to a Court summons with a maximum fine of $40,000. If we are to meaningfully address noise pollution as a threat to public health and not just as a mere annoyance, would these penalties be too light? As a more effective deterrent, violation of the no-work regulation ought to bear heavier consequences on the contractor’s ability to succeed at the next tender bid. We should also require such offences to be highlighted, when they next bid for projects.
In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, noise pollution is a real issue on the ground. I did a check in the Hansard. Issues relating to construction noise have been consistently brought up in Parliament on several occasions over the past 10 years, despite ongoing reviews to manage disamenities. Instead of having discrete and piecemeal recommendations, we need a multifaceted and holistic approach to tackle noise pollution. As mentioned in my speech, these include better feedback management, promoting greater public awareness of no-work days and having stronger guidelines on surveillance systems. We should also have greater clarity on the type of construction projects covered under the new amendments and have more enforcement bite.
I believe that these suggestions working together as a system, will make a difference on the ground. I support the Bill.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Minister of State Desmond Tan.
Mr Desmond Tan: Mr Deputy Speaker, first, I thank the Members for their support of the Bill. The thoughtful comments and suggestions that were raised reflect our collective commitment to climate action and to provide a quality living environment for Singaporeans.
I will first address Members’ questions on the measures to reduce HFC emissions from refrigeration and air-conditioning, or RAC, equipment.
HFC accounts for a sizeable share of Singapore’s greenhouse gas emissions. As Mr Louis Ng pointed out, there was a 30% increase in HFC emissions from 2014 to 2016 and this underscores the urgent need for action, which Mr Shawn Huang as well as Mr Louis Chua have also emphasised. The measures introduced today will deliver deep cuts in HFC emissions and bring us closer to our climate goals.
Mr Don Wee suggested delaying the measures in view of the current economic conditions caused by the pandemic. I wish to clarify that the requirement to use low-GWP refrigerants applies only to new regulated equipment that is supplied from 1 October 2022. Companies can continue to use their existing equipment until the end of life for those equipment.
While low-GWP chillers may cost a little more, they are typically more energy and carbon efficient and offer net cost savings over their lifecycle. So, investing in them not only protects the climate, but also protects companies from being locked into the higher operating costs of less efficient chillers. For example, CapitaLand expects to reap lifecycle cost savings of $280,000 from its low-GWP chiller deployed in Funan.
Companies that are replacing their chillers in the immediate future can tap on the grant introduced in October 2020 to incentivise the early switch to low-GWP chillers, before the supply restriction comes into force in October 2022. So far, 10 projects have been approved or are under consideration. These projects are expected to collectively abate HFC emissions equivalent to 60 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide, comparable to taking around 18,000 cars off the road.
One grant recipient is Kaer Pte Ltd, an energy services company which provides \"Cooling as a Service\". With grant support, Kaer is replacing chillers at an industrial facility with climate-friendly ones that not only use low-GWP refrigerant, but will also improve the system’s energy efficiency by 35%.
As Mr Louis Ng has highlighted, proper refrigerant handling practices are important to minimise HFC emissions during servicing and maintenance of RAC equipment.
We have worked closely with Temasek Polytechnic and industry partners to develop a training and certification programme for chiller technicians. This two-day programme has been designed to be practical and relevant to the industry and will cover the processes for handling and recovering refrigerants from chillers. Technicians will be re-certified every three years to keep up with advancements in technology.
Mr Louis Ng and Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked whether the course could be held in other languages aside from English. The course is designed to meet the needs of the technicians. It will be conducted in simple spoken English. Temasek Polytechnic has ample experience in conducting other similar technical courses and trainers will tailor their delivery to suit the language competency of the technicians. Trainers will also give practical demonstrations and conduct hands-on practice to enhance understanding. To be certified, technicians have to pass an open-book test comprising multiple choice questions and a simple practical assessment. In fact, during my visit to Temasek Polytechnic, I noticed that the course will be conducted, hands-on, by technicians for the technicians themselves. So, it will be done in a simple manner, using languages that the technicians can understand.
Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Louis Ng and Mr Gan Thiam Poh have asked if there would be financial support for these technicians. Singaporeans and PRs will be eligible for up to 90% subsidies under SkillsFuture SG and the balance of $85 can be paid for using their SkillsFuture credits.
We agree with Mr Desmond Choo that companies need time to develop internal processes and train their technicians. For this reason, we announced the requirements early in March last year. We have since been engaging the industry closely to develop these measures and will continue to do so to ensure a smooth transition.
I am also pleased to inform Mr Desmond Choo that the register for registered suppliers and registered regulated goods will be made accessible online. This was a question that was asked by Mr Louis Chua as well.
Mr Desmond Choo also proposed stricter penalties for the offence of falsifying information or data under the new section 40X. The penalty of a fine not exceeding $5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both, is aligned to similar offences under the Energy Conservation Act. From our experience, this serves as sufficient deterrence and we will review the penalty level should data falsification become an issue of concern, going forward.
Mr Don Wee asked whether requiring spent refrigerants to be recovered and treated will add to business cost. This is unlikely, as most of the spent refrigerants can be treated for reuse and have commercial value. Today, even in the absence of regulation, there is already a market for them and facilities to treat spent refrigerants are already available.
Mr Louis Ng also asked about our plans to address HFC emissions beyond the current measures. We are studying the potential for other types of RAC equipment, such as commercial and industrial refrigeration units, to switch to low-GWP refrigerants. We will need to assess the feasibility of available technologies, balancing considerations such as fire safety, toxicity, energy efficiency and the cost of suitable substitutes. In response to Mr Louis Chua, we will consult and work closely with industries and businesses, and give sufficient lead time before implementing any measures.
I assure Mr Don Wee that we will carefully consider the cost impact on our cold chain needs when assessing any future measures on commercial and industrial refrigeration units. The measures introduced today have no impact on cold chain needs, as climate-friendly household refrigerators do not cost more.
Prof Hoon Hian Teck asked whether it would be better to price HFC emissions rather than regulate these. While pricing remains an option, there are merits in adopting regulations to reduce HFC emissions. Most jurisdictions also take this approach. HFC emissions arise mainly from ownership rather than the intensity of use of RAC equipment and are locked in by technology choices. Given technical complexity and the need to balance multiple considerations in the choice of refrigerants as highlighted earlier, it is difficult for end-users to make informed choices or to influence upstream supplier decisions. Regulation offers much greater outcome certainty in abating HFC emissions. In commercial chillers, for example, regulation will effect a switch to a new generation of refrigerants with GWP close to zero, bringing HFC emissions to negligible levels when the entire stock of chillers turns over.
Even if taxation were to be introduced, these considerations mean that regulations may still be needed. We would have to consider the cost effectiveness of the taxation regime, given the highly distributed sources of emissions. While the tax can be levied upstream on importers, this has to be coupled with the system of downstream rebates for spent refrigerants that are recovered. This could potentially result in higher administrative costs.
Mr Louis Chua also asked about the abatement potential and plans for the Kigali Amendment. The HFC mitigation measures introduced today are expected to reduce HFC emissions from the regulated equipment by around half by the year 2030. With regard to the Kigali Amendment, my Ministry has initiated a review and is consulting key stakeholders. We will update when ready.
I will now address Members’ questions on construction noise and the requirement for contractors, who have violated the no-work rule, to install, maintain and operate video surveillance at their construction sites.
First, let me address questions on the implementation of the requirement for video surveillance.
Mr Yip Hon Weng asked about the types of construction projects that are covered. The current regulations state that all construction sites located less than 150 metres from any hospital, home for the aged sick or residential building must comply with the no-work rule on Sundays and public holidays. The Bill does not change the no-work rule regulation or requirement. Under this Bill, the Director-General may now impose the requirement for video surveillance on any construction site that contravenes the no-work rule. So, the site has to contravene the rule first. The requirement applies to all public and private sector construction projects, regardless of the size, if they violate the no-work rule.
It is important to ensure the integrity and proper functioning of the video surveillance systems, as Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Mr Yip Hon Weng and Ms Joan Pereira have pointed out. NEA will carry out scheduled and surprise site inspections to ensure that the video surveillance systems are in good working condition and not tampered with.
The new section 28A empowers the Director-General to specify requirements for the video surveillance system, including ensuring that the system's security is not compromised. For example, contractors should implement robust digital identification (ID) and password controls and restrict access to the physical components of the system. The person required to install, to operate and to maintain the video surveillance system under the new section 28A must also take all reasonable steps to ensure that no person tampers with or does anything to compromise the proper functioning of the system or any image, sound or video recorded by the system.
Mr Don Wee asked whether phone video footages can be used to substantiate complaints on no-work rule violations in place of video surveillance. While phone video footages can be used as evidence for prosecution, they might not capture sufficient information on the construction activities being carried out to conclude that there was indeed an offence. Such footages received from the public might also not be timely enough to address ongoing construction noise infringements.
On the other hand, the installed video surveillance will allow NEA to remotely monitor construction worksites and deter repeat violations. It enhances NEA's efficiency and responsiveness, removing the need for officers to carry out repeated inspections to address recurring public feedback.
I assure Mr Don Wee and Mr Yip Hon Weng that we are mindful of the impact of the measures on the construction industry, which is facing challenging times. The requirement will only be imposed on the very small group of construction sites that have breached the no-work rule. This is around 150 out of the 5,800 construction sites a year, or about 3% of all active sites. It will not affect the vast majority of construction sites that comply with the no-work rule.
The cost of installing video surveillance stands at less than 1% of total construction project cost on average. One set of closed-circuit television (CCTV), for example, can cost about $5,000. Depending on the project size, a construction site that has violated the no-work rule may be required to install up to four CCTVs.
Mr Yip Hon Weng highlighted other complementary measures to strengthen compliance to the no-work rule, such as introducing higher penalties. The vast majority of construction sites comply with the no-work rule. NEA will monitor the effectiveness of these measures in this Bill to address the remaining small group of non-compliant contractors and consider further measures, if needed.
Let me now address points raised by Members on managing construction noise in residential areas beyond the no-work rule.
We have to strike a careful balance between maintaining a conducive living environment and also allowing construction work to be completed within a reasonable duration and cost. We need to maintain a steady supply of public housing, continue expanding our public transport network and provide amenities such as hospitals and schools.
As Mr Yip Hon Weng pointed out, many projects have been significantly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This impacts end users such as families waiting to move into their Build-To-Order (BTO) flats.
Project delays not only affect the construction industry and end users, they also prolong the disamenities experienced by neighbouring residents.
Ms Joan Pereira also spoke about balancing the need to expedite projects that have been delayed while keeping disamenities to acceptable levels. This, in fact, is the balance that we need to strike.
Mr Louis Ng asked for an update on the review of construction noise limits. Given the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction industry, this is not the time to tighten construction noise limits which will affect the whole industry. We recognise that the construction sector faces serious manpower and supply shortages during these extraordinary times.
Nevertheless, I assure Mr Louis Ng that NEA will monitor the situation and continue to work with stakeholders to review construction noise limits, including the limits for construction work on Saturdays, taking into account the World Health Organization's guidelines and our local context.
Mr Yip Hon Weng gave useful suggestions to improve feedback management for residents, including having dedicated feedback channels, clear escalation protocols, standardising format for displaying communication channels and providing advance notice to residents. Many of these measures are already in place and we will see how to improve and enhance them.
For example, as part of construction works that require a BCA permit, the contractor must erect a project signboard of at least 1.8 metres in width and one metre in height before work can commence. The project signboard displays information of the project parties and their contact numbers as well as the hotline numbers of MOM, NEA and BCA. Residents can also submit their feedback through the NEA website and the myENV and OneService mobile applications.
Upon receiving feedback, NEA officers will investigate whether the construction site has generated noise levels exceeding the noise limits or violated the no-work rule and then, they take enforcement actions accordingly.
NEA has also been advising contractors to engage the nearby residents early to develop plans to minimise the impact of construction work on residents' daily lives. Contractors have also been encouraged to implement additional noise mitigation measures where possible, such as noise barriers for noisy works like hacking and drilling.
We acknowledge Mr Yip Hon Weng and Ms Joan Pereira's suggestions on improving the public's awareness of the rules on construction noise.
Information on construction noise limits, permissible work hours and the no-work rule is published on NEA's website. Members of the public can reach out to NEA through various communication channels to find out if a particular construction site is permitted to carry out quieter works on Sunday and public holidays or if noise limits have been breached.
NEA will explore raising public awareness on the no-work rule via social media channels.
On Mr Gan Thiam Poh's suggestion to improve the noise-insulating properties of HDB flats, HDB will continue to explore practical noise mitigation measures for the comfort and well-being of residents. Given our high-density environment and with HDB flats being designed for natural ventilation, some noise will inevitably make its way into flats through our open windows and doors.
We will continue to work with stakeholders to better manage construction noise in order to maintain a conducive living environment while allowing projects to keep pace with providing infrastructure and amenities for our residents.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the amendments in the Bill help lay the foundations to achieve our climate ambitions. The early switch to low-GWP equipment and proper management of HFC refrigerants will ensure that the cooling needs and comfort of Singaporeans will not be compromised as we transit to a low-carbon future.
Imposing electronic video surveillance on construction sites which have violated the no-work rule is an important step and addition to our existing enforcement measures. We hope this requirement will improve compliance and help NEA to manage public feedback more effectively. Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Desmond Tan]. (proc text)]
[(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]
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The Second Minister for Law (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, that the Bill be now read a Second time.
Sir, Singapore is internationally recognised for having a justice system that is fair, transparent and effective. We have a world-class judiciary that is known for its competence, independence and utmost integrity.
The sound justice system has brought about many tangible benefits to Singaporeans.
The value of our legal industry and jobs in the legal sector have grown in tandem with our status as a legal hub. A reputation for being an efficient dispute resolution centre and respect for the rule of law have also enhanced Singapore's attractiveness as an investment destination.
But we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. We have to constantly look ahead and improve on what we have to stay relevant and competitive. So, this Bill represents the latest of our continual efforts to improve our justice system. Let me now take Members through the key aspects of this Bill.
First, I would like to touch on the digital transformation of the Courts.
As Members will appreciate, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a reduction in the level of person-to-person contact.
In April 2020, we introduced a temporary remote hearing framework under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act to maintain access to justice amidst safe distancing measures. These measures have brought convenience to court users and also increased administrative efficiency. We are now looking to enact a permanent framework that will facilitate the use of technology in Court proceedings.
Under the Bill, Courts will be generally empowered to conduct hearings remotely, using appropriate electronic means such as video-link. For example, we may have hearings where one party is physically present before the Judge while the other party appears via video-link. We may also have hearings that take place entirely online.
Regardless of the specific remote hearing arrangements, the Court's overriding duty in each case will be to ensure that proceedings are conducted fairly to all parties. There will also be statutory powers to exclude certain types of matters from being heard remotely, should this prove necessary.
Where witness testimony is concerned, the Courts have existing powers under the Evidence Act to allow witnesses to give evidence remotely in civil matters. The Bill will now amend the Evidence Act to enhance safeguards relating to remote testimony.
For example, matters which the Court must consider before it allows witnesses to give evidence remotely can be prescribed.
For criminal matters, the Courts already have existing powers under the Criminal Procedure Code to allow a witness to give evidence via video-link if the witness is in Singapore. The Bill seeks to expand this in two ways.
First, the Court may now allow an expert witness or a witness of fact to give evidence via video-link even if the witness is not in Singapore. There will, of course, be appropriate safeguards for this.
For example, in the case of a witness of fact, all parties, including the defence, must agree to the witness giving evidence from outside Singapore. Where parties do not agree, the witness will only be allowed to do so if he is unable to give evidence in Singapore and has set out in writing the evidence which he proposes to give to the Court. This provides advance notice to the other parties so that the veracity of the witness' evidence can be adequately investigated.
Second, the Court may allow an accused person to appear or give evidence via video-link from a stipulated location in Singapore, such as in Court or from a prison. The Court may also allow an accused person to appear or give evidence via live video-link from another place in Singapore if all parties agree.
In both cases, the Court must be satisfied that allowing the witness or the accused person to give evidence remotely will be in the interests of justice. The Court must also be satisfied that there are sufficient administrative and technical arrangements in place in order to facilitate the taking of evidence. For proceedings relating to contempt of court, a framework similar to that in the CPC will be introduced.
The Bill will also empower the Courts to decide any matter based on written submissions and documents tendered by the parties, without any oral hearing. This is commonly known as a \"paper hearing\". A paper hearing can improve efficiency in the conduct of administrative pre-trial matters and can also save time and costs when it comes to the disposal of substantive matters that are document-centric. Appeals can also be heard on paper where appropriate.
Next, let me touch on asynchronous hearings. The Bill will also make clear that parties can address the Court and make their arguments via an \"asynchronous\" exchange in appropriate cases.
The intention is also to adopt, what we call an “omni-channel” approach. So, lawyers and judges will be able to log in to the e-Litigation system or use the new SG-Courts application to communicate with the Court. They will be able to give information to the Court such as the number and availability of witnesses, or other pre-trial preparatory matters, whilst they are “on the go” and from remote places.
This would also reduce the need for litigants, lawyers and the Court to schedule fixed timeslots when they must all appear together at the same time and at the same location to deal with a matter. This will bring about increased convenience and improved productivity.
Overall, the amendments will empower our Courts to conduct their proceedings in a flexible manner, through the use of technology.
However, technology is but a means to an end. The foremost consideration for the Court in all cases will be to ensure that the proceedings are conducted fairly for the parties, including, and perhaps, in particular, for litigants-in-person, and that justice is done.
In considering what a suitable mode of hearing might be in each case, the Court may consider matters such as whether the case is a civil or criminal one, the complexity of the case and the kind of and the degree of fact-finding that might be required in each case. The stage of proceedings would also be an important consideration. For example, the Court may consider it appropriate to deal with administrative pre-trial matters via an asynchronous hearing. The Court may also decide that certain interlocutory issues can be dealt with on paper but may direct parties to appear in-person when it comes to other matters.
Let me add that if at any point, the Court assesses that a remote hearing would unfairly prejudice any party to the proceedings, then a remote hearing would not be ordered. Litigants-in-person who find it difficult to cope with technology can also request for an in-person hearing and make their reasons known to the judge.
Let me now move on to some other amendments under this Bill.
First, related amendments to the Administration of Justice Protection (AOJP) Act.
Part 2 of the Bill will update the AOJP Act to ensure consistency in the way physical and remote court proceedings are treated. Therefore, unauthorised recordings of court proceedings which are conducted by electronic means, or publication or transmission of such proceedings, will constitute contempt of court. This will safeguard the sanctity of remote hearings in the same manner as physical hearings. In other words, what you could otherwise not have recorded or transmitted in a physical setting in court, you cannot also do in a remote, online court proceeding.
Next, the Bill also introduces amendments to modernise and simplify court terminology. The aim is to make it easier for court users and the general public, who are not legally trained, to understand our laws and Court practices without the jargon. This is part of the overall effort to simplify legal processes and also enhance access to justice.
This Bill will modernise archaic Latin terms – terms which perhaps lawyers are most familiar with – and also technical legal jargon across more than 150 Acts.
Let me now touch on another amendment, which stems from the recommendation of the Civil Justice Commission that parties ought, where possible, to consider resolving disputes amicably. If the Court is not satisfied that parties have made efforts on this front, the Court will be empowered to order parties to attempt amicable resolution before continuing with litigation.
The learned Chief Justice, in a 2019 speech, said that there is a need to challenge the longstanding assumption that disputes are inherently confrontational and therefore, solutions must also be adversarial in nature.
The Chief Justice opined and I agree, that justice must be more than the enforcement of legal rights and obligations. Justice can also be about the maintenance of peace and the promotion of compromise, conciliation and closure between parties.
As a litigator myself for many years, I agree with the Chief Justice’s observation that maintaining relationships is sometimes even more valuable than vindicating one’s legal rights in court.
This amendment will, therefore, give force to that exhortation and will hasten a shift in mindset as to how justice may be achieved by focusing on the common interests of the litigants and reaching common ground through mutual agreement and compromise.
Let me now move on to the next bucket of amendments under the Bill.
Part 4 of the Bill amends the Attorney-General (Additional Functions) Act to provide a statutory framework for the Attorney-General (AG) to intervene in court proceedings to fulfil his duty as guardian of the public interest.
This statutory framework is based on the well-established role of the AG as the guardian of the public interest. The AG has a right and a duty to represent and safeguard the public interest.
The AG does not intervene in court proceedings with a view to advancing the interests of any litigant. Rather, the AG intervenes to represent the public interest and to place before the Court, a non-partisan perspective on public interest issues. This strengthens the integrity of proceedings before the Court, especially in cases where the Court's decision may have ramifications on the wider public good.
Let me touch on the framework briefly.
First, the AG may apply to the Court for permission to intervene in any court proceeding, if he is of the opinion that the proceedings raise a question of public interest and the intervention is necessary in the public interest. To be clear, this will not affect the AG’s right to intervene in court proceedings under any other written law.
If the Court is satisfied that the AG has adequately set out the reasons in support of the application, then the AG is made a party to the proceedings. In deciding whether to grant permission, the Court does not at that stage enquire into the merits of the AG’s application or opinion.
An existing party to the proceedings may still apply thereafter to set aside the intervention on the basis that this would be in the interests of justice. But pending the resolution of the setting aside application, the AG remains a party to the proceedings. This ensures that proceedings do not come to a standstill once an application to set aside is made.
The Court has the power to order costs for or against the AG, as it thinks fit.
Overall, the amendments in the framework that I have just outlined will provide greater clarity to the process for the AG to intervene in court proceedings and also minimise uncertainty and satellite litigation.
Next, let me touch on Part 5 of the Bill which deals with freestanding interim relief. This Part amends the Civil Law Act to enable the General Division of the High Court to grant interim relief in aid of foreign court proceedings, even if there are no substantive proceedings in Singapore. This is commonly known as a \"freestanding interim relief\".
Under these amendments, the General Division may grant any type of interim relief which it has the power to grant, in proceedings within its own jurisdiction. In other words, the Court is circumscribed by the power it already has within its jurisdiction to grant in those proceedings. For example, a Mareva injunction, which is quite typical, or a search order or an Anton Piller order. However, warrants for the arrest of property and provision for obtaining evidence are excluded.
The amendments are consistent with the approach in the UK and Hong Kong, and will support our efforts to promote Singapore as a leading international dispute resolution hub.
Mr Deputy Speaker, let me now touch on four other proposals quickly under the Bill, which collectively aim to harmonise and enhance the court process.
First, on summary dismissal. At present, the Court of Appeal and the Appellate Division have powers to summarily dismiss unmeritorious appeals. The Bill will introduce amendments to empower the General Division, the State Courts and the Family Courts to also summarily dismiss appeals that arise from the lower Courts, or from a decision of the Registrar. To avoid doubt, the Courts have the ability to exercise their powers of summary dismissal without hearing oral arguments.
The summary dismissal powers are narrowly scoped and are intended to manage frivolous appeals that are a drain on judicial resources.
We have also provided that the Court must consider representations made by the appellant and must also give the appellant a reasonable opportunity to show cause, before exercising its summary dismissal powers.
Sir, at this stage, I would like to highlight that my Ministry will be moving a Notice of Amendment during the Committee Stage to address two other issues relating to summary dismissal.
First, to make drafting changes and align the phrasing of the summary dismissal provision for the Family Court at clause 25 of the Bill with the equivalent provisions that apply to the General Division and to the State Courts. These provisions are intended to have the same effect.
Second, to ensure that the Court has the power to summarily dismiss certain unmeritorious criminal applications on its own motion. For example, these could be applications brought without any sufficient ground or where in a particular case where the Court has no jurisdiction. This power will apply to criminal matters, such as an application for criminal revision or a criminal motion, where the existing summary dismissal provisions in the Criminal Procedure Code do not currently apply.
Next, Agreements not to Appeal. We will align the position across all the Courts for Agreements not to Appeal by introducing a clear and simple framework that the parties may use to restrict their right of appeal.
This already exists to some extent in the State Courts Act and the Family Justice Act today.
Under these amendments, Agreements not to Appeal must be in writing and signed by or on behalf of all parties. This ensures that parties' attention is drawn to the implications of their agreement and minimises ensuing satellite litigation over whether there was in fact an agreement or not.
Third, flexibility in the size of the coram. Currently, proceedings in the General Division are usually disposed of by a single Judge. Clause 53 of the Bill introduces amendments to allow the Chief Justice to convene a coram of three or more Judges to hear any civil or criminal matter before the General Division, if he considers appropriate. This may be the case where, for example, there are novel or important questions affecting the public interest, which could benefit from the collective wisdom and insight of a larger coram.
Let me now touch on one final amendment in this Bill.
Proceedings under the Arbitration Act and International Arbitration Act. Today, proceedings under the current Arbitration and the International Arbitration Act, are heard in open court by default, unless a party applies for the matter to be heard otherwise than in open court, in camera, for instance.
We have considered feedback from various stakeholders, practitioners, that as a matter of practice, it will be common for parties involved in proceedings, involving arbitration, such as in those two Acts, to make applications, for the matter to be heard in private. Given that these applications relate to arbitrations, such applications are often allowed by the Court.
Hence, to better reflect the prevailing practice and streamline the process for parties, clauses 8 and 30 of the Bill will amend the Arbitration Act and the International Arbitration Act respectively, to provide that proceedings under these Acts are to be heard in private by default, unless the Court orders that the proceedings be heard in open court.
This is in line with the overall confidential nature of such arbitral proceedings and will result in cost and time savings for parties who now do not have to apply for such proceedings to be heard in private.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, our Courts play a critical role in upholding the rule of law, through the fair administration of justice in Singapore.
This Bill is the culmination of years of effort to re-design our Court system to enable it to be future-ready and well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of society. The Bill also implements the recommendations of the Civil Justice Commission and the Civil Justice Review Committee.
I would like to end by thanking the Judiciary, members of the Bar and all stakeholders who have worked with MinLaw, on shaping the future of the legal system. Sir, I beg to move.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Pritam Singh.
Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Courts (Civil and Criminal Justice) Reform Bill proposes amendments to several statutes. The Workers' Party supports the Bill and the majority of the proposed amendments such as the ones related to supporting the digital transformation of the Judiciary, the simplification of court terminology, civil justice reforms and the empowerment of the High Court to grant interim relief in aid of foreign court proceedings.
In addition to these, however, there are proposed amendments to the Attorney-General (Additional Functions) Act.
I seek clarification on Part 4 of the proposed Bill. In MinLaw's factsheet on the technical amendments to this Bill, the objective is to, \"clarify the scope of the Attorney-General's right to intervene\". I have some questions on this part, as I alluded to earlier.
I will first summarise the proposed amendments in Part 4, then discuss the current position in Singapore law and finally, briefly compare Singapore's position with those and other common law countries.
First, the proposed amendments.
The Bill proposes a statutory framework for the Attorney-General, or AG, to intervene in proceedings where the AG is of the opinion that the question of public interest has arisen and the AG is of the opinion that it is necessary to place information or make submissions before the Court.
A critical element of the proposed amendments is that the Court is not to examine the merits of the AG's grounds for intervention – essentially, the public interest grounds – before granting permission. The Court is only to look at whether the grounds for intervention are adequately set out with a supporting affidavit.
So, although the proposed amendment say that the AG must apply for permission to intervene, in reality, there would be very little room for the Court to deny certain application.
If the existing parties to the proceedings disagree with the AG's intervention, the proposed amendments place the onus on those existing parties to apply to set aside the permission to intervene after it has been granted to the AG. But while the Court may consider matters such as the stage the proceedings have reached, prejudice to the parties, yet again, the Court cannot examine the merits of the AG's grounds as to the public interest the AG is protecting.
This onus placed on parties reverses the usual order of things in Court and the common law position on the AG's right to intervene where it is the party who wants something who should apply for it and justify it.
The changes proposed by this Bill are extended to all civil proceedings. The proposed clause 4A(3) allows the AG to intervene in any proceedings and I emphasise the word \"any\". They are not criminal proceedings and are proceedings to which the AG is not a party or representing any party.
Clause 4A(4) spells out that the AG may intervene in proceedings such as judicial reviews, any civil proceedings, family proceedings or quasi-criminal proceedings appeals and proceedings before Judges under the Legal Profession Act and the Medical Registration Act, although clause 4A(4) is careful to point out that this list does not limit subsection 3, which as I have said, allows intervention in any proceedings.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the Workers' Party has no issue with the established position that it is the AG who is the guardian of the public interest in matters where there is a public interest component to a civil dispute or criminal matter.
However, in a private law dispute, the Bill before us today would allow the AG to intervene, with the Courts having no scope to assess the merits of the AG's submission as to what public interest the AG is protecting and in the event an application is made, to set aside the order granting permission for the AG to intervene.
Can the Minister confirm that these amendments effectively represent a significant shift or a shift to the common law position on the AG's right to intervene?
There is already a process under common law for the AG to apply to intervene and for the Courts to consider the merits of the AG's application. It is a well-established procedure and there is no case law in Singapore to suggest that the AG is fettered from intervening in the public interest. Quite simply, the current intervention process under common law appears to work well.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, to give this House the context of the changes, let me talk about the AG's interventions under current law and the AG's interventions in other common law jurisdictions.
In Singapore, the AG may currently intervene through the authority of legislation or via common law.
First, the AG has the right to intervene where a statutory right is given. For example, section 46 of the Charities Act entitles the AG to be heard in appeals to the High Court against decisions of the Commissioner of Charities. Other statutes that give the AG the right to intervene in specific situations are the Industrial Relations Act and the Women's Charter.
Second, the AG may also intervene at common law, as I intimated earlier. This process can be seen in action in the cases of Deepak Sharma v Law Society of Singapore and ARW v Comptroller of Income Tax, both of which are referred to in the Explanatory Statement.
In the ARW case, the High Court Judge stated in his judgment in 2017 that an intervener must establish his standing. He said that in public law matters, the standing of the AG to intervene is not usually in question but that in a civil suit based on private law rights, the AG's role may not be immediately apparent and must be properly established.
From what the Judge said, it does seem clear that, conceptually, at least, a distinction is currently made between matters of public law and private law.
In matters of private law such as in Deepak Sharma and ARW, the AG currently has to justify his application to intervene and the Court decides on the merit of the application.
The Government now seeks to replace the Court's function of deciding on the merits of an application to intervene with the proposed amendments to the Attorney-General (Additional Functions) Act that are before the House.
Let me move on to the positions in a few other common law countries.
In Australia, at common law, the AG has the right to intervene in cases affecting the prerogatives of the Crown. This right has been extended by statute to cases involving, for example, the interpretation of the Constitution and the Migration Act. For other types of cases, the Australian AG can seek leave from the court to intervene.
In New Zealand, the position is similar. The AG has the right to intervene in proceedings affecting the Crown's rights, property or profits. Otherwise, the AG must seek leave from the court to intervene in other cases.
In Canada, the AG can intervene in constitutional matters without obtaining leave but on non-constitutional matters, the AG must apply for leave.
These positions are broadly similar to Singapore's current position. Distinction is drawn between public law cases and private law cases, even those private law cases that may involve the public interest.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government needs to clarify the basis of the proposed amendments in part four, both because there is already a common law procedure in place and the AG's right to intervene on matters of public and even private law has not been questioned by the judiciary.
More specifically, I would like to ask the Minister the following questions.
Number one: what triggered the proposed amendments? Have there been civil cases in Singapore recently that the Government wishes it could have intervened in without having the Court examine the merits of the grounds for the Attorney-General's opinion as to the public interest under the proposed amendments?
Number two: are there possible cases which have not occurred in the past, which the Government is preparing for as a contingency? And if so, what are these possible scenarios?
More generally and as an extension of the above two questions: are there new areas of public interest that have hitherto not come up, which the Government is trying to protect?
Number four: how actively is the AG looking to be in applying these proposed amendments.
Finally, the answers to the above questions do not adequately address this: why does the current procedure, which is well accepted and widely practised in common law countries, have to be changed?
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Murali Pillai.
Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the general aims of the Bill which, inter alia, are to support the digital transformation of the Courts and to enable the Attorney-General to safeguard public interest in Civil Court proceedings.
On the first point, one silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has hastened the digital transformation of the administration of justice in Singapore.
Thanks to the efforts of MinLaw, led by the hon Minister Edwin Tong, which launched the Legal Industry Technology and Innovation Roadmap in October 2020, law firms are supported in their endeavour to develop legal tech solutions, manage and mitigate risks that come with increasing digitalisation and benefit from the eCourt model, which has enhanced functions such as system integration, speech to text technology and leverages on AI.
The Courts transformed quickly to regain lost ground in terms of lost hearing days arising from the circuit breaker in April and May last year when it pivoted to remote hearings.
I would like to draw from my own experience over the past year. I have attended numerous virtual Court hearings and online dispute resolutions as counsel.
The productivity gains and cost savings arising from the usage of digital platforms are significant and acknowledged by all Court users. Hearings nowadays are also more focused in that the parties would have made full written submissions and the Courts, at all levels, would generally take the lead in asking pointed questions of counsel before making decisions.
All these translates to efficiencies in the administration of justice and provides litigants with higher value.
For these reasons, I fully support the move to enact a permanent framework that will empower the Court to conduct remote hearings or even paper hearings. This will ensure that these hard-won costs savings and productivity gains will endure beyond the pandemic.
One concern I have though is how to ensure that litigants-in-persons (LIPs) who may not be familiar with or do not have access to video conferencing technology or have concerns about expressing themselves in writing are not disadvantaged by remote or paper hearings.
The hon Chief Justice in his address in the Opening of the Legal Year this year sounded a cautionary note on the impact of technology on such persons. He said, \"As we embrace and explore the greater use of technology, we must remain keenly sensitive to the needs of Court users who are less technologically equipped or inclined and ensure that technology is an enabler rather than an impediment.\"
In light of the Chief Justice's observations, may I please ask what measures will be put in place to help LIPs so that the interests of justice would be met?
The hon Minister did mention that the raison d'etre of Court proceedings would be to ensure fairness. Clearly, at one level, the remote hearing requirement can be waived for LIPs. But I am just wondering whether there could be avenues for LIPs to learn how to have access to remote hearings, how to use the remote hearing functions or even draft submissions for paper hearings.
Another associated question I have is with respect to the intention to allow accused persons to appear and give evidence remotely from prisons.
Again, conceptually, I have no issue. May I ask, however, how is it being proposed in such situations where they would continue to have access to their lawyers during these proceedings? How is it being proposed that conversations between the accused persons in prisons and their counsel joining in from another location in the course of remote proceedings will be kept strictly privileged and confidential?
I now move to my second point on the matter of the AG's right to intervene in Civil Court proceedings.
I note that the provisions dealing with the right is premised on the standing of the AG as a guardian of public interest under common law. This standing does not stem from the duties of the Attorney-General as set out in article 35 of the Constitution.
I am aware that the AG's standing as the guardian has been recognised by the Court of Appeal on several occasions. Notwithstanding that, it seems to me desirable that the AG' role as the guardian of public interest should be codified in our Constitution.
[Mr Speaker in the Chair]
As acknowledged by the Court of Appeal, the AG's office is a high constitutional office equal in status to the judiciary. His power over prosecution stems from a constitutional grant under article 35(8) of the Constitution. His role as the Government's legal adviser is also constitutionally entrenched.
It is also important to entrench his role as the guardian of public interest so that whatever steps he may take to safeguard public interest in civil proceedings is derived from an exercise of a power that is not only independent but constitutionally protected. In this way, his power cannot be trumped by ordinary legislation.
My other questions are on the mechanics of the two-step procedure that is being contemplated when the Attorney-General applies to intervene.
In this regard, I heard the hon Leader of the Opposition mention that the power of intervention is based on common law. Based on my understanding, that is not the case. Under common law, the AG's position as the guardian of public interest is established. But as far as the powers of intervention are concerned, they are provided for under the rules of the Court and in particular, Order 15.
Sir, I note that at the first instance, the AG here is proposed to be permitted to apply to the Court to intervene without notice to other parties. In the event the Court allows the AG's application, then at the second instance, parties may apply to set aside the intervention.
May I please ask when the AG applies at the first instance, does he have a duty of full and frank disclosure?
As the hon Minister who spent a lot of time in private practice would be aware, such responsibility is usually assumed by litigants making Court applications without notice and to some extent, it may address some of the concerns expressed by the hon Leader of the Opposition as well.
On the twin threshold questions of (a) whether a question of public interest has arisen and (b) whether it is necessary in the public interest for the AG to intervene, I seek clarification as to what is meant by the words \"has arisen\".
Sometimes, public interest issues may be not part of the key issues as framed by the private parties to the proceedings.
There could also be a situation, as was discussed in the Court of Appeal case of ARW v Comptroller of Income Tax, where the core decision of the Court may not trigger a public interest issue although the issue may have been discussed but not perhaps being germane for the disposal of the case.
My next question is whether it is intended that when a Court decides that it is necessary for the AG to intervene, it would still have a discretion to consider all factors which are relevant to the balance of justice in the particular case, before it makes its decision whether or not to allow the intervention.
This is the power that is provided for with the Courts under the Rules of Court when hearing the usual joinder applications. I seek the hon Minister's clarification as to whether it is intended that the same approach will apply to the AG. And in this regard, I will say that it is not unusual for AGs to apply to intervene in civil proceedings because there could be situations where, for example, in my own experience, documents may be sought and these documents may be something that is subject to state immunity. And in those circumstances, in safeguarding public interests, sometimes, the AG may wish to intervene. So, from my own experience, it is not unusual.
Sir, I would like to conclude now.
My two points may appear separate, but they are in fact, intertwined. The first relates to a key moral imperative, that in the administration of justice, the means of administration must not disadvantage any group. This speaks to the principle of fairness as put by the hon Minister. My second point is also a moral imperative, that in the administration of justice, the source of power for the guardian of public interest, the hon AG, must derive, not just from common law, but from the highest law of the land, our Constitution. This speaks to the need for legitimacy. I welcome the hon Minister's views on my suggestions. With that, I support the Bill.
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, this Bill will support the digitalisation of proceedings and signal a focus on amicable dispute resolution, among other changes.
The Courts have shown remarkable resilience in this pandemic, adapting to ensure that the judicial system remains open to users and that justice is both done and seen to be done. I thank the Registry and judicial officers who have worked tirelessly to ensure the continuity and integrity of judicial processes.
I have three points of clarification to make.
First, I seek clarification on the Court's new power to order parties to attempt amicable resolution in civil proceedings.
Amicable resolution, such as negotiation and mediation, work best when parties participate in good faith. Good intentions are critical. This point is underscored in the Rules of the Court. The Rules allow the Court to consider how parties acted during their attempts at alternative dispute-resolution when making its decision on costs orders.
However, with the new paragraph 23 of the First Schedule of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, the Court can now order parties to attempt an amicable resolution. In such cases, the process is no longer voluntary and it raises four sets of questions about effectiveness and implementation.
One, has the Ministry studied what cases are amenable to amicable resolution? Clarity on such situations will help the Court decide on what circumstances to order an attempt at an amicable resolution.
Two, what constitutes an attempt at amicable resolution? Will there be clear requirements to verify such attempts? For instance, it may be useful to require that parties attempting mediation go through an accredited mediator.
Three, how will the Court ensure that parties participate with good faith in attempts at amicable resolution? I can imagine a bad-faith party relying on the Court's order of amicable resolution as a strategic manoeuvre by parties to prolong litigation and financially wear down opponents.
Four, will there be consequences of non-compliance with such an order?
The Minister's answers to these questions will help ensure that Court orders for amicable resolution do not get undermined by bad-faith actors.
My second clarification is on the new section 79, which gives legal immunity to the Court registrars and Court-appointed mediators for actions that they take as part of mediation or alternative dispute resolution for the Supreme Court. The immunity is limited to actions done in good faith and without any fraud or wilful misconduct.
This appears to mirror section 68(4) of the State Courts Act, which provides similar protections for judicial officers and Court-appointed mediators for alternative dispute resolution in the State Courts.
Alternative resolution processes, such as mediation and conciliation require different skills from hearing a case as an adjudicator. These specialised skills are honed by professional mediators and conciliators over years of training and experience. For this reason, judicial officers in the State Courts are required to undergo basic training in mediation.
With the extension of immunity to officers in the Supreme Court, will the Registrar, Deputy Registrars and Assistant Registrars be required to undergo training in mediation and other alternative resolution processes?
Will there be a minimum requirement that officers and mediators at both State Courts and Supreme Court must meet?
High quality training will ensure that alternative resolution is a realistic and cost-effective alternative to litigation. Accreditation is offered by the Singapore Mediation Centre, Singapore International Mediation Institute and International Mediation Institute, just to name a few.
In addition, who will be the Court-appointed mediators in the Supreme Court? Are there plans to set up an equivalent of the State Courts' Court Dispute Resolution Cluster in the Supreme Court?
How will the Ministry also support the growth of the private mediation service providers? Private mediation service providers stimulate our mediation sector with innovation and competition. With the expanded reliance on mediation and similar processes in Singapore, we should integrate and regulate such private providers carefully.
My third and final point is a proposal. Today's Bill amends the law to allow various proceedings at the State Court and Supreme Court to be heard by a live video link. This is a welcomed move that mirrors changes which have already taken place on the ground due to COVID-19.
However, with more proceedings taking place by live video link, there is also greater risk of issues which may undermine the security and integrity of Court proceedings. These include, for instance, unauthorised recording of Court proceedings, witness coaching or poor Internet connection affecting the quality of evidence presented to Court.
Will the Court consider implementing a protocol for proceedings conducted by way of a live video link to standardise the way video link hearings are conducted? Such protocol should address issues from the testing of the video link to the arrangements that should be in place for witnesses to give evidence remotely.
Sir, notwithstanding these points, I stand in support of the Bill.
Dr Shahira Abdullah (Nominated Member): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Courts (Civil and Criminal Justice) Reform Bill aims to improve the accessibility of legal services for everyone. On the whole, I do support the Bill. However, I would like to bring up certain concerns and suggestions which I hope can be addressed in this debate.
Firstly, under paragraph 4, the amendments that will be made to section 5 is broader in scope than the existing contempt provisions for unauthorised audio or visual recordings. Anyone who makes such recordings, even if they were not the source of the original recording or was present in Court at the time, would be penalised. If this is the intention of the legislature, would educational campaigns be held to notify the general public of this substantial change in contempt laws?
Could I also clarify if lawyers and litigants-in-persons will also be prohibited from making their own non-official audio transcripts of court proceedings, trials and hearings? Such recordings can facilitate understanding for proceedings that may take several days and are information intensive.
Moreover, I would also like to welcome the amendments introduced under paragraph 6 through the new section 26A. The new amendments will allow for the presentation of evidence via video or television links. Expert witnesses from other countries can now provide testimony through live video link without having to come to Singapore. This will make litigation not only more efficient but cost-effective as well. Additionally, in the midst of a pandemic, this is a necessary amendment to navigate the new realities of border closures.
Secondly, I applaud the move to simplify court terminology to make our laws more accessible and understandable to the general public. Lay people would be unfamiliar with legal phrases that are often not used in everyday life. This move will improve the accessibility of legal due process for in-person litigants.
That said, I would also like to highlight some concerns I have. There are inconsistencies in the terminology used for the civil and criminal courts and for the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC). Moreover, these new terms do not apply to the family division of the High Court, or Family Court, or a youth court. This inconsistency may be confusing for both laypersons and lawyers and may cause both legal practitioners and laypersons to talk at cross purposes given that similar sounding words have different meanings.
Also, some of the terms considered archaic and to be removed by the SICC are now used as the new simplified expressions for the civil and criminal courts. This anomaly suggests a lack of agreement by the Courts and Legislature over whether such terms are archaic or not.
Lastly, paragraph 10 introduces amendments to the Attorney-General (Additional Functions) Act, which enable the AG to intervene in any proceedings, even those that are not criminal proceedings, to which the AG is neither a party nor representing a party and retrospectively, in the public interest. These include proceedings that are often personal and private in nature. Then these powers are extensive.
May I ask what prompted this change? May I also clarify when it would be of public interest for the AG to interfere with the legal process of matters that do not concern the AG's office? For example, when would an element of public interest arise in issues of civil or family proceedings? Could the Minister also provide us with the types of scenarios contemplated that would require the exercise of the AG's new powers?
The above queries are rooted in real-world concerns about the implications of the AG's new powers for parties to proceedings. For example, under the new section 4A(9), once the AG is granted permission by the Courts to intervene in any proceedings, he is deemed a party to the proceedings and inter alia, has the same right of appeal in the proceedings. Who will bear the burden of cost of the appeal if neither original party to the proceedings had sought for or wanted the appeal?
Also, would the Minister be concerned about the chilling effect of these new powers on the rule of law and litigants given that, it is possible under the new laws, for almost every proceeding now to have an element of public interest?
Mr Speaker, Sir, all in all, I believe the amendments will allow the Courts to carry out their functions more effectively and therefore, I support the Bill.
Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. The cornerstone of our legal system has always been access to justice for all. In pursuit of this aim, the judicial system must be constantly reviewed to remain relevant, robust and efficient.
Digital transformation and a citizenry increasingly aware of its legal rights necessitate our legal system to evolve accordingly. The key amendments in this Bill are in the right direction to meet these evolving trends.
I will highlight three key areas of the amendments along with a few clarifications.
First, I applaud the Ministry's efforts in advancing access to justice for all. Over the years, the Ministry has simplified complex Court processes and improved accessibility to such information. For example, the Insolvency Office's website offers a comprehensive, one-stop suite of information for bankruptcy applications. The information provided on the website is reader-friendly and tailored for laypersons.
I fully support the Ministry's move to simplify court terminology within the amendments. An example of such simplification is changing the expression of \"subpoena\" to \"an order to attend court\". The simplification of legal terminologies is similar to those undertaken in jurisdictions, such as Britain and Canada. Academics have also advocated for such changes. Complex legal terminology in statutes can exclude the layperson from fully exercising their right of self-representation as they are less able to be cognisant of their legal rights. As we move towards a more accessible judicial system for litigants-in-persons, we must work towards continually revising our laws to ensure that they are easily understandable by an average layperson.
Secondly, the digital transformation wave has not spared the judicial system. COVID-19 has accelerated the use of technology and the Courts are now better prepared to leverage technology in legal proceedings. Perhaps, the most important change is that of the advent of remote hearings.
While remote hearings were practically unheard of in the justice system before the pandemic, it is now a ubiquitous feature in various jurisdictions. The amendments formally legislate the practice of remote hearings. This allows the judicial system greater flexibility to dispose of matters efficiently.
Evidence may also be given via electronic means, such as live video and television links. This is beneficial for both the Court and litigants. For example, obtaining testimonies from expert witnesses, especially those of experts located out of Singapore, can be extremely costly. The admission of evidence via video links can significantly reduce the costs of calling upon experts.
Furthermore, with crimes and civil matters becoming increasingly borderless, witnesses may sometimes be located overseas. The amendments will similarly ensure that matters at hand can be disposed of expediently and reduces costs on litigants in bringing witnesses to Singapore.
Notwithstanding the benefits leveraging technology brings to the judicial system, I have one area of concern. As with all forms of technology, the benefits of it are followed by risks of misuse. My concern lies within the rising prevalence of Deepfake Artificial Intelligence. Deepfakes are created using artificial intelligence whereby an existing image or video is manipulated and replaced with someone else's face. While deepfakes have been primarily contained to the manipulation of pre-recorded images and videos, there has been new software, such as Avatarify. Unlike traditional deepfake software, it enables users to impose anyone else's face on their own in real-time within applications, such as Zoom.
I worry that such software will become increasingly sophisticated with time. This increases the likelihood of manipulation during remote hearings where witnesses, or even parties, may be impersonated. It is thus imperative to ensure the highest level of technical standards in conducting such processes to preserve the integrity of the judicial system.
Considering the rapidly evolving forms of such disruptive technologies, how robust are the current technical safeguards within our judicial system in countering such threats? How can video links be protected such that vulnerable persons’ identities would not be revealed via hacking?
Lastly, on the Court’s power to order parties to attempt to resolve disputes by amicable resolution under the proposed section 23 in the Supreme Court of Judicature Act, or SCJA. Alternative dispute resolution, or ADR, mechanisms are much more cost-effective in resolving disputes, compared to litigation. Parties can, more often than not, reach an amicable settlement without the need to commence litigious proceedings. It also prevents Singapore from becoming increasingly litigious.
However, I would like to clarify if the Court should consider the intention of parties in exercising its powers to order parties to attempt to resolve disputes by amicable resolution. There may be situations where one or both parties do not want to participate in these ADRs in good faith. In such circumstances, ordering parties to do so might be counter-productive.
Sir, despite Singapore being consistently ranked highly in the WJP’s Rule of Law Index, we must continue to build on our efforts thus far. At its core, the Bill modernises the form of our judicial system, while retaining its substance and core objective: accessibility to justice for all. I stand in support of the Bill which ensures our judicial system remains highly receptive to the needs of its users.
Mr Speaker: Deputy Leader. Adjournment of Debate.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Adjournment of Debate","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"The Deputy Leader of the House (Mr Zaqy Mohamad): Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Leader, I beg to move, \"That the debate be now adjourned.\"
[(proc text) Resolved, \"That the debate be now adjourned.\" – [Mr Zaqy Mohamad]. (proc text)]
Mr Speaker: Resumption of debate, what day?
Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Tomorrow, Sir.
Mr Speaker: So be it.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Adjournment","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"[(proc text) Resolved, \"That at its rising today, Parliament do stand adjourned to 11.00 am tomorrow.\" – [Mr Zaqy Mohamad]. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Using Deterrence to Tackle Second-hand Smoke in Homes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"The Deputy Leader of the House (Mr Zaqy Mohamad): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, \"That Parliament do now adjourn.\"
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, last year, we delivered an Adjournment Motion in this House seeking increased protection against second-hand smoke in our homes. The answer was a no. Today, I wish I could report that the problem has been solved, that, actually, nothing needs to be done. But this is not the case. In fact, the problem has likely worsened. As the Senior Minister of State Sim Ann said recently, “Across many communities... our sense is that residential smoking has risen”.
Since our Motion, many Singaporeans have spoken up. On social media, in news media and in private messages, they report feeling tortured and trapped by their neighbours’ second-hand smoke. I will share the stories of these Singaporeans. I will also share that a law already exists that makes smoking near windows and at balconies illegal. We do not need a new law. And I will emphasise the power of deterrence, not just enforcement of this current law against smoking near windows and at balconies, but deterrence, a power that we have not sufficiently drawn on.
First, let me provide a reminder to this House on how deadly second-hand smoke is. About one person in Singapore dies every day due to second-hand smoke. This is based on the 383 deaths in 2016 and the number of deaths has been growing each year. Let us put this in context. This is about five times the number of people who have died in motor accidents; seven times the number of people who have died from the coronavirus; and 12 times the number of people who have died from workplace injuries.
Let me be clear. Deaths from motor accidents, the coronavirus and workplace injuries are all serious and all need our attention. Indeed, I have regularly spoken up on these very issues in this House. My point is that second-hand smoke needs our urgent attention, too. Unlike these other causes of death, there is no preventive measure you can take against second-hand smoke at home. You cannot, for example, take a vaccine. You can install an air purifier but, as MOH has said, it does not work. You can shut your windows but, as many residents know, it does not work. You can talk to your neighbours but, again, as many residents know, more often than not, it does not work.
One resident, Kim, shared with me about how she begged her neighbour, with her baby in her arms, about how his second-hand smoke was affecting her child. It did not work. You can move house like another resident, Jennifer, did. She has moved house three times in the past six years and has been unlucky enough to suffer from her neighbours’ second-hand smoke every time. She recently wrote to me at 1.30 am, saying, “Our neighbour is smoking and we are unable to sleep. We are literally dying in our sleep every day”. And honestly, how many people can afford to move house repeatedly to avoid the dangers of second-hand smoke? Is this fair for them?
Condominium residents do not have it any better. MCSTs have no power to fine their residents, regardless of their bylaws. A condominium resident, NC, spoke to her neighbour, who smokes throughout the day at her balcony and was told that what she was doing was legal despite the condominium bylaw prohibiting smoking at the balcony. NC is worried about the health of her two young children.
So, let us focus on how this affects our children. We all become sick from second-hand smoke, but the worst is saved for our children. In a recent study published just a few months ago, researchers concluded that children exposed to second-hand smoke from pregnancy to childhood were more likely to suffer from ADHD symptoms. And it is not just ADHD. Second-hand smoke causes severe respiratory infections, triggers more frequent and more severe asthma attacks, cough, wheezing, breathlessness, ear infections and a whole slew of other illnesses among young children.
Sir, these medical scenarios are not hypothetical. Parents write letters to me and they describe their lived experiences in these exact words. Their letters sometimes read like horror stories; they know something is killing their children, but they are helpless to do anything about it.
Take Ying Ying, a young mother with one child and another on the way. Her neighbour’s smoking has plagued her family for four years. It caused her firstborn to suffer from bronchitis. She is now terrified that her next child will suffer the same. To quote her, “Every time we want to open the windows for fresh air, we hesitate. Because we never know how much shorter our breath will become”.
Take another parent, Peter. His elder son is taking PSLE this year and studies at home while inhaling his neighbour’s second-hand smoke. His younger son has been coughing and sick as a result of the second-hand smoke. “It does not make sense to suffer like that,” Peter says.
And it is not just children. Kelvin shared with me about how he has a family member who has cancer and they are worried that the constant exposure to second-hand smoke will be bad for her already failing health. As he puts it, “We are losing our freedom for fresh air”.
We have always taken pride in being a safe nation. But for many, home is no longer a safe place. It is the place where their neighbours cause them to suffer asthma attacks, bronchitis, breathlessness, respiratory infections and they cannot do anything about it.
Sir, this Government acknowledges that this is a public health concern. The Health Promotion Board states, “You wouldn't put your child in danger by letting him play with fire. So, why risk your child’s heath by exposing him or her to second-hand smoke?” I am sure many parents agree with that. So, like me, they choose not to smoke. But they have no choice when it comes to someone else’s second-hand smoke. They need the Government to step in.
Here, we should remember that one of the most powerful forces in Singapore is deterrence. Indeed, it is fair to say that deterrence is at the cornerstone of our law and order. It explains why we have such low crime rates. But we know that deterrence does not happen out of thin air. It is a three-tier approach and you need to build it, starting from the bottom.
At the first tier, you must make clear that the bad behaviour is illegal. To be clear, the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Sustainability and the Environment is not calling for smoking at home to be illegal. We know that it will be almost impossible to enforce a ban on smoking at home and there will be no deterrent effect of such a law as people will not be able to see people smoking inside their homes.
Sir, we are calling for the Government to make clear that smoking at windows and balconies is illegal. To be clear, a law already exists. Section 43 of the Environmental Public Health Act empowers NEA to take any step necessary to remove nuisances of a public nature. These nuisances, as defined in section 44, include “the issue of any fumes, vapours, gases, heat, radiation or smells in any premises which is a nuisance or injurious or dangerous to health.”
That sure sounds like second-hand smoke. Why is the Government not using this law to take a clear stance that smoking near windows and at balconies is illegal? Even without doing anything else, it would already reduce the problem of second-hand smoke in homes.
I am sure Senior Minister of State Amy Khor would agree with me that Singapore is, generally, a nation of law abiders. Singaporeans are terrified of breaking the law. It would also help neighbours mediate, as offenders can no longer say that their behaviour is perfectly legal. It would help give more bite to NEA officers who already give advisories to those smoking near windows and at balconies. Their words would have more impact if backed by the law. Section 43 can already be used to stop smoking near windows and at balconies. In this unprecedented period of home-based learning and work from home, this needs be done urgently.
The second tier for deterrence is awareness. Our authorities have historically been very good at this. We have all seen signs by the Police warning against scams, thefts and molestation. Again, we can make it clear that smoking near windows and at balconies is illegal under current laws. We can then leverage the new LCD screens at HDB lobbies to start an awareness campaign. These screens are near to where offences happen and are most likely to have a significant impact. Singaporeans respond when they know something is illegal.
The third tier for deterrence is enforcement. This is the point Senior Minister of State Amy Khor took issue with when we raised our Motion last year. To quote her: “Cameras must capture the smokers smoking or holding a lighted cigarette as evidence for enforcement. However, a smoker can easily hide behind a pillar, frosted glass, windows or curtains to avoid detection by the cameras. Overall, this may entail deployment of significant resources without achieving effective outcomes.\"
Let me first clarify that a smoker is unlikely to hide behind pillars, windows or curtains to smoke. As a former smoker, I can tell you that smokers smoke at open windows and balconies precisely to get the smoke out of their homes. It would defeat the purpose to hide behind some cover. If they do hide, like how Senior Minister of State Amy Khor describes, then it would be a good thing, not a bad thing, because it would help contain most of the smoke within their homes.
Senior Minister of State Amy Khor's concern is also about the cost and effectiveness of camera surveillance, but camera surveillance is just one of the many options. It is the last, last, last resort.
Let me stress again that once people are aware that smoking near windows and at balconies is illegal, the vast majority of people will comply with it. I cannot imagine a person continuing to smoke at their windows, committing an offence right in front of their neighbours in the nearby block. I am sure some neighbours will take photos of this and report the smoker or put it on social media. Deterrence, again, will kick in, before the need for enforcement.
For a small number of cases where smokers continue to smoke at windows and balconies, then enforcement kicks in. We start with advisories and then nuisance orders under the Environmental Public Health Act. As I have mentioned earlier, NEA officers already issue advisories today. But they are not backed by the threat of harsher penalties. So, they accomplish little. Used in conjunction with a law, however, such low-effort enforcement may be sufficient to end bad behaviour in most cases.
I have no doubt that the majority of people will comply once they realise that the penalty for not complying with nuisance orders under the Environmental Public Health Act is a fine of $10,000 for first-time offenders and in the second or subsequent conviction, to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both.
There will be cases where the culprit repeats the offences despite the advisories or nuisance orders and stronger enforcement is needed. To collect further evidence, we can first draw on evidence from complainants. Complainants are often very capable of collecting evidence on their own. Indeed, we already ask residents to provide evidence of their neighbours smoking, such as photos or videos, when they bring a case to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal.
Second, NEA can conduct stakeouts. It already does this for high-rise littering and bird feeders. Both of these problems kill far less people than second-hand smoke. Surely, we can justify reallocating some resources.
Finally, surveillance cameras remain a viable last, last, last resort for a very small number of cases. This is the reality. We are not asking for surveillance cameras to be placed everywhere, throughout Singapore. This is not needed at all.
For the small number of cases where we need to deploy a surveillance camera, we can minimise concerns of privacy by doing what we already do: point it at the facade of the building.
These cameras are used by the authorities today to catch high-rise litterbugs. But they will actually work just as effectively for catching those smoking at windows and balconies. Let me show you some photos of these cameras. These photos show how these cameras can already capture someone smoking at their windows without invading the privacy of the smokers and their neighbours.
I will share these photos on my social media pages so everyone can see for themselves.
The good news also is that NEA has improved technology. NEA has collaborated with GovTech on Project Balefire, which aims to detect smoking activities using video analytics. This has helped to reduce the need for enforcement officers.
Sir, there is no law where we have successful enforcement 100% of the time. But in the case of smoking near windows or at balconies, the chances of a successful enforcement are much higher as compared to high-rise littering.
If we can catch someone throwing litter from their window in a fleeting moment, action that takes a couple of seconds. Then surely, we can catch someone smoking at the window for a few minutes at a time repeatedly throughout the day. Think about it.
The chances of catching someone smoking at the window are also infinitely higher than the odds of catching someone right inside their own homes naked. If the Police are able to enforce the law against being naked at home, then surely NEA can enforce the current law against smoking at windows and balconies.
Sir, we should be really clear about one thing: universal enforcement is not necessary. This should be common sense. There is no law where we enforce 100% of the time. We obviously do not have speeding cameras on every single road. In the same way, we would not need to install surveillance cameras at every housing estate.
Instead, what we need to do is enforce some cases and then publicise them. This will make clear that the authorities can and will take action. This is what we already do with so many public health hazards where universal enforcement is not possible: racing on roads, cycling on highways, PMDs on pavements, being naked in your own home, feeding of birds and so on.
We clean up a few bad eggs, we announce it to all Singaporeans and we make a point.
Sir, to conclude and to be absolutely clear, a law does already exist. Section 43 of the Environmental Public Health Act can already be used to penalise smoking near windows and at balconies and deterrence rather than enforcement is the key.
In this COVID-19 pandemic, we have tried so hard to keep people safe. This has meant keeping them at home for work and for studies. But this also meant many more are now exposed to the silent pandemic of second-hand smoke at home.
People need to feel safe in their homes again. Deterrence is a power we have not used enough. Let us use it so Singaporeans feel safe in their homes again.
Mr Speaker: Ms Poh Li San.
Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang): Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of this Motion. Everyone is well aware of the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. The World Health Organization revealed that annually 1.2 million non-smokers die from exposure to second-hand smoke. One point two million! And 65,000 children die from illnesses related to its poisonous and harmful chemicals. It has also been found that exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth, congenital malformations and respiratory illnesses.
With such comprehensive findings, it is evident that second-hand smoke has the same adverse toxic chemicals that smokers inhale. There is no safe degree of exposure for passive smoke.
Unfortunately, I happen to be a passive smoker. Let me share my personal experience with everyone.
I am residing above a neighbour who smokes by his window numerous times a day.
A window is meant for natural air ventilation and definitely not for cigarette smoke to be emitted into our homes. Hence, whenever my neighbour below smokes, I will have to keep my window closed.
On the other hand, I have a considerate neighbour who would take his smoke breaks near the car park a few times a day. The neighbour does this because he does not wish to expose his young son and his wife to his second-hand smoke.
Over the past year, many of my Sembawang West residents have sent me troubling emails about them being exposed to second-hand smoke emitted by their neighbours. Given the rising number of people having to work from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be a concern that we will have to address.
I am certain that there are numerous similar complaints that my fellow Members of Parliament in this House have had to deal with. Most of the time attending to such complaints do not end well and would usually be compromising the much-needed harmonious environment amongst neighbours.
There is absolutely nothing anyone can do to help the innocent victims of second-hand smokers. Town Council, HDB, NEA and even Police officers have been called upon to assist residents in some of these incidents. However, no one, including myself as their representative Member of Parliament, has any legal right to stop anyone from smoking at their window or balconies.
While we can understand that it is not possible for a smoker to be able to quit smoking easily, it is important for smokers to understand that they need to be considerate and behave like my other neighbour who walks to a smoking or an open area to smoke.
It is not fair to expose non-smokers to the dangerous toxic chemicals caused by cigarette smoke – period. Smokers must always remind themselves to smoke only at allocated spots.
Under the Smoking Act, there is a list of places where smoking is allowed; some of these locations include open spaces in residential estates and town centres, surface car parks, top deck of multistorey car parks and uncovered walkways. Unfortunately, it is often seen that most smokers light up wherever convenient for them.
Similarly, I would also like to clarify section 43 of the Environment Public Health Act. The intent of this Act is to protect residents from any fumes, vapours, example, in any premises which are dangerous to health. Then, should second-hand smoke from cigarettes not be included in this category? I would like to request that MSE consider second-hand smoke as hazardous to health.
Separately, we should continue to have targets to bring down the number of smokers over the next five to 10 years.
Our National Tobacco Control Programme introduced in 1986 had a long-term strategy to make Singapore a “nation of non-smokers”. In 2018 we had announced a target to bring the smoking rate down to below 10% by 2020.
In the recent announcement made on 11 July 2021, we achieved a smoking prevalence rate of 10.1%, just slightly shy of the 10% target.
Personally, I believe that many smokers do wish to stop smoking but being addicted to the habit, it is often easier said than done.
It would be good if we could introduce more aggressive campaigns to help those who sincerely wish to stop smoking and also to introduce a convincing message on the dangers of smoking to our children at an early age.
Singapore must continue to inch steadily towards achieving a “nation of non-smokers”.
Mr Speaker, Sir, it is a norm to work from home these days. The home is now an office for most working Singaporeans and with that growing trend, we must consider the circumstances that non-smoking Singaporeans are in. Their home now substitutes an office which is often located in a commercial district. Offices in all commercial districts do not allow smoking. If you wish to smoke while working in a commercial office, you will have to go downstairs to an allocated area to smoke.
We are simply requesting for some consideration for smokers not to smoke at their windows or balconies.
There is no doubt that second-hand smoke threatens public health and social harmony. The living environment of non-smokers must be addressed. I am in favour for the call to ban smoking at all balconies and windows. Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of this Motion.
Mr Speaker: Dr Amy Khor.
The Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan): Mr Speaker, I thank the Members for their impassioned pleas regarding second-hand tobacco smoke in homes. Let me assure everyone that we also take this matter seriously and are doing what we practically and reasonably can to tackle this issue.
As part of our national health policy to discourage smoking and protect the public from second-hand smoke, we have expanded smoking prohibition extensively, to more than 32,000 places. In residential areas, this includes common corridors and stairwells of apartment blocks, right up to the doorstep.
We are now looking into extending the smoking prohibition to even more places.
Through concerted efforts, Singapore’s smoking prevalence has been driven down to 10.1% in 2020, half the global average of 20%.
Mr Louis Ng and Ms Poh Li San have asked my Ministry to prohibit smoking at windows and balconies to minimise second-hand smoke drift. We appreciate their intent but as previously explained during a Motion on the same issue in October last year, enforcement is not simple.
First, let me clarify the intent of sections 43, 44 and 45 in Part V of the Environmental Public Health Act or EPHA, which are on the abatement of public nuisances through the use of Nuisance Orders and explain why they cannot be used to prohibit smoking at windows and balconies.
This part of the EPHA was enacted in the context of 1960s Singapore to provide for quick mitigative action to arrest public nuisances from specific industrial activities. It is not the purpose of the EPHA to deal with smoking prohibition. This is why the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act was enacted in 1970. Part V of the EPHA addresses public nuisances that affect the public at large and not private nuisances which interfere with another person’s use or enjoyment of his property, which is the situation with smoking in homes.
To achieve deterrence, not only do we need the appropriate law, we also need effective enforcement. Unfortunately, NEA’s assessment is that this is not achievable with current enforcement modalities and technology. If we were to prohibit smoking at windows and balconies, we can be sure that there will be smokers who will find ways to avoid getting caught. They could smoke in balcony corners, or in toilets with windows or ventilation fans, which some already do. Smoke will inevitably seep out and can still travel to neighbouring units. So, the problem remains.
We cannot prosecute people based solely on complaints of smell or smoke wafting from neighbouring units. We have to catch the offender in the act of smoking at the balcony or window, or have witnesses come forward to testify that they witnessed the act. Yet complainants are often unable to accurately identify the source of the smell or smoke. Each case will require extensive manpower and resources to investigate, with no guarantee of successful enforcement.
Furthermore, to undertake investigation, we will need to accept significant social trade-offs. As noted, smokers who want to evade enforcement are unlikely to stand in full view at the balcony or window. To clearly capture a person in the act of smoking at windows and balconies, cameras would have to be of a sufficient resolution and trained directly into units. Their field of view would also cover neighbouring units and potentially include innocent neighbours engaged in other activities. Are we prepared for such intrusive measures?
These are just some of the many challenges faced in catching the culprit, given current technology. Residents could become even more frustrated, as there is a law but with great enforcement difficulties.
Even for high-rise littering, where there has been a significant number of successful enforcements, many still express frustration that offenders have not been caught, an issue that has also been discussed in this House.
As people spend more time at home nowadays, NEA has stepped up its enforcement efforts in HDB estates to address the issue of second-hand smoke in homes. Eleven thousand tickets were issued in 2020 compared to 7,100 in 2019 for smoking in prohibited areas such as common corridors and stairwells of flats which can lead to second-hand smoke in homes.
While this would be of little comfort to our Members Mr Louis Ng and Ms Poh Li San, Singapore is not alone in grappling with this intractable issue. Other jurisdictions have attempted regulation and when doing so, they have done so on a very selective basis, and more importantly, they have not experienced clear success.
Norfolk, Virginia, banned smoking in public housing rental units in 2018. Non-compliance could result in the termination of the tenant's lease, a huge consequence. The situation improved in the first month but, within a year, the situation had reverted to what it had been previously, as smokers resumed smoking at home.
Why so? While the consequences were real and serious, the chances of being caught were not.
We also need to recognise that there are wide-ranging views on this issue, which touches fundamentally on an individual's right in his own home. Prohibiting smoking in homes, even if just at windows and balconies, is controversial. Homes are private spaces and it can be viewed as intrusive for governments to regulate what people can and cannot do there.
Last year, the city and county of San Francisco put forward a proposal to prohibit smoking in all multi-unit residences. The legislation did not garner enough votes and was not enacted as some tenants contended that the ban would infringe on their personal rights inside their homes.
For Singapore, we must address this potentially divisive issue in a way which strengthens rather than hinders our efforts to cultivate a gracious and cohesive society. For example, residents are coming together to discuss ground-up solutions to address neighbourly issues, including second-hand smoke in homes under the Municipal Services Office or MSO's \"Love Our 'Hood\" initiative. MSO has rolled this out in Mountbatten and Pioneer and will be bringing it to Bukit Gombak.
We will also keep a lookout for innovations and technological solutions. In June, two Designated Smoking Points, or DSPs, with improved designs were set up in Clementi as a community pilot project. We will monitor the outcome of this latest pilot study on the effectiveness of DSPs to reduce smoking in homes.
Last Friday, MND called for proposals for innovative solutions on managing second-hand smoke from neighbouring homes. Technological solutions that remove second-hand smoke at source or prevent its drift could bring reprieve to affected residents. We hope to see promising submissions from enterprises.
The pandemic has been a difficult time for all. For many, this has led to heightened tensions and fewer interactions among neighbours. Where there are problems of second-hand smoke from homes, I encourage neighbours to communicate with one another as a first step towards resolving the matter.
My Ministry has worked with various agencies to enhance joint advisories issued to smokers. In fact, most smokers cooperate and thus far, less than 10% of the feedback we received recur within a year.
My Ministry is also part of a workgroup that is reviewing the Community Dispute Management Framework. We are proposing enhancements to increase the effectiveness of the community mediation process and the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal. The workgroup will share updates in due course.
I want to assure Members that we are committed to tackling second-hand smoke from homes and are monitoring global best practices and developments in technology and legislation. We stay open to innovative and practicable solutions and will continue to draw on the ideas and efforts of all stakeholders to address this issue for a more gracious and cohesive society.
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Thank you, Sir. Just a quick clarification.
The whole Adjournment Motion is about using deterrence, not enforcement. I am just wondering whether MSE feels that if there is a law, whether there will be a deterrent effect and whether there is going to be a need where 100% of Singaporeans do not comply with the law? I cannot imagine that to be the case and I wonder whether Senior Minister of State Amy Khor can share her views on that.
Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: As I have said, deterrence will only be achieved not just with an appropriate law but when there is effective enforcement.
I think it is the case, with all the laws that we enforce, we know that we cannot be everywhere. Our law enforcement officers cannot be everywhere. But the fact would be that if the potential offenders know that it is easy to evade the law, that the chance of getting caught is very, very low, then it will not be an effective deterrent.
The example I gave of Norfolk, Virginia, is such an example where they implemented the legislation, there was some improvement within a short period but, after a year, it was back to normal because the residents knew that it was very difficult to enforce the legislation. So, for deterrence to be effective – obviously, when you have a legislation, it is for deterrence. You actually do not really want to enforce it if nobody breaks the law. But at the end of the day, if you cannot enforce it effectively, then it is not going to be a useful deterrent.
Mr Speaker: Order. The time allowed for the proceedings has expired.
[(proc text) The Question having been proposed at 8.06 pm and the Debate having continued for half an hour, Mr Speaker adjourned the House without Question put pursuant to the Standing Order. (proc text)]
Adjourned accordingly at 8.36 pm.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":"Matter Raised On Adjournment Motion","questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Fight against Illegal Trade of Species Listed under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"33 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for National Development in view of the ban on domestic ivory trade from 1 September 2021 (a) what are the trends in illegal wildlife trade in Singapore that the Government has observed in the last three years; and (b) what other measures can be taken by the Government to strengthen our resolve in the fight against the illegal trade of species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Mr Desmond Lee: As a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Singapore is committed to the global fight against illegal wildlife trade. We have put in place a whole-of-Government regulatory and enforcement framework to tackle the illicit trade in CITES species, and we work closely with our regional and international partners on this front.
Due to travel restrictions as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, NParks has observed more cases of illegal wildlife trade detected in parcel post, as consumers have turned to e-commerce and online shopping platforms. This is in contrast to cases detected in air passenger baggage, which were more common three years ago. NParks is investigating these cases and will take the necessary enforcement actions.
In view of these trends, we have put in place measures to ensure that our enforcement regime remains robust and effective. Our officers stationed at the border checkpoints and parcel post offices are trained to screen and look out for suspicious parcels that may contain wildlife and wildlife products. NParks is also working with logistics companies and e-commerce platforms to identify such parcels upstream and to remove online listings of illegal wildlife for sale. NParks’ new K9 Unit is also being trained for deployment in different situations to help uncover illegal wildlife and wildlife products passing through our borders.
Beyond enhancing our enforcement regime, we are also leveraging science and technology to support our investigation and prosecution efforts. For example, NParks recently opened the Centre for Wildlife Forensics, which will enhance its capabilities in wildlife forensic science and research. Through the Centre, NParks is also collaborating with international experts on studies related to ivory and pangolin scale seizures and will share the findings of these studies with the international community. This will strengthen our global expertise and enforcement efforts to tackle illegal wildlife trade.
Lastly, we are currently reviewing the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, to strengthen our regulatory processes and enforcement powers against illegal wildlife trade. We will share more details on this soon.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Review of Targets in Singapore Green Plan following Sixth Assessment Report of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"34 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the amount of carbon emissions three years ago during the pre-COVID-19 period in comparison to post-COVID-19, with more people working from home and reduced travelling; (b) if it is a net decrease in carbon emissions, how can this momentum be maintained, moving on; and (c) whether revisions to key targets in the Singapore Green Plan will be made following the report of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
36 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment following the latest report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whether the Government will review and bring forward the plans to reach net zero emissions.
37 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the Sixth Assessment Report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6) (a) what changes are required to Singapore’s carbon emission and other environmental targets; (b) whether there is a system in place to review and track Singapore’s long-term environmental commitments; and (c) whether there are urgent short-term changes to the commitments that will impact citizens and businesses.
38 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment given the latest report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whether the Government plans to (i) review Singapore's net zero emissions target and set a definitive timeline to achieve net zero emissions (ii) commit the public sector to net zero emissions by 2050 and (iii) commit the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation to having a portfolio of net zero emissions.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The latest report from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a sobering assessment of the grave threats posed by climate change. Singapore remains fundamentally vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
Senior Minister Teo, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change, outlined Singapore’s Considered, Committed and Collective approach to climate action at this year’s Committee of Supply debates. As a small city-state with limited land and alternative energy options, we face much starker trade-offs in mitigating our emissions. But we are committed to doing our full part in the global fight against climate change. Our ambitious climate goals have real impact on Singapore’s development and the lives of Singaporeans, and are made after careful and co-ordinated planning. Last year, we submitted our enhanced 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and our Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS) under the Paris Agreement. Less than a year later, we launched the Singapore Green Plan 2030, our national roadmap towards sustainable development and net-zero emissions. The Green Plan builds on our enhanced NDC and LEDS and maps out ambitious targets and concrete initiatives over the next decade.
Several Members have asked if we would review our initiatives and targets in light of the latest IPCC findings. Let me assure Members that these are not static. We are pressing ahead decisively with our initiatives and gaining experience from implementing them. Where the conditions allow, we will strengthen our suite of initiatives and push ourselves to do more. The extent to which we can realise emissions reductions will become clearer, as technology evolves and matures, and as the modalities for international cooperation and collaboration become formalised. We are making efforts on both fronts. We are investing and working with key partners on low-carbon technologies and solutions, such as hydrogen. We are also working hard on the international front to advocate for a multilateral, rules-based approach to address climate change, and to foster collaboration in areas like carbon markets and regional energy grids that will support our push for decarbonisation.
In the meantime, we are advancing our efforts to transform our industry, economy and society to be more energy and carbon efficient. Central to this is the carbon tax, which helps to drive economy-wide emissions reduction. We are reviewing our carbon tax regime, to price carbon at a level that can spur the reduction of our carbon footprint and promote industry innovation and green growth, while maintaining Singapore’s economic competitiveness. While we will maintain the carbon tax level at $5 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions up until 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister and then Minister for Finance stated at Budget 2021 that we are reviewing the post-2023 trajectory and level of carbon tax, as the urgency and global momentum for climate action have accelerated. This review will be done in consultation with industry and expert groups, and the outcome will be announced at Budget 2022 to give ample time for businesses to adjust.
The carbon tax complements the comprehensive suite of measures in the Green Plan to reduce emissions across all sectors. This includes quadrupling our solar energy deployment by 2025, greening 80% of our buildings by 2030 and investing in low-carbon technologies such as carbon capture utilisation and storage and low-carbon hydrogen. The public sector will take the lead and aim to peak its emissions around 2025, five years ahead of the national target. We will review the public sector’s climate targets and strategies together with our national goals.
As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will examine how to lock in some of the gains from the increased prevalence of telecommuting over the past year, as Dr Lim Wee Kiak has suggested. Our preliminary analysis indicates that Singapore’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 had fallen compared to 2019 levels, mainly due to lower levels of economic activity in the industry sector. It is not conclusive that telecommuting has reduced emissions as working from home may have increased demand for services such as online shopping and food deliveries that increase transport emissions. We have also observed an increase in emissions from households due to increased electricity use. When the emissions data for 2020 is available, we will provide a full update.
As we move towards a low-carbon economy, businesses and financial institutions have an important role to play in channelling capital towards sustainable development. Ms He Ting Ru asked if there are plans to commit the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) to having a portfolio of net zero emissions. The Minister for Finance has previously stated that the Government does not prescribe the individual investment actions of our investment entities, which make independent commercial decisions. Nonetheless, we note that GIC is already holistically integrating sustainability considerations in their investment processes so as to protect and enhance the long-term value of their portfolios.
Miss Cheryl Chan asked whether there is a system in place to review and track Singapore’s long-term environmental commitments. We do so through the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (IMCCC), chaired by Senior Minister Teo and also regularly report the progress of our climate efforts to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Moving forward, we will provide regular updates on the progress of our broader efforts under the Singapore Green Plan. We hope that this will galvanise Singaporeans to make steady progress on these challenging and ambitious goals to create a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Singapore's Measures to Mitigate Impact of Higher Temperatures on Residents, Fauna, Flora and Sea Levels","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"39 Ms Poh Li San asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in light of the latest report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a) what are the plans to mitigate the higher temperatures that will be experienced in Singapore, particularly to alleviate the impact on residents, fauna and flora; and (b) what measures will be taken to mitigate the more extreme sea level rise events especially in the low-lying regions.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Singapore is clear-eyed about the risks of climate change and takes the recent IPCC findings seriously. The Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) has started work on the Third National Climate Change Study, which will contextualise the IPCC findings and derive localised projections for Singapore.
The latest IPCC findings underscore the urgency to press ahead with our climate adaptation plans outlined under the \"Resilient Future\" pillar of the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
To address rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect, the Government has been developing a heat mitigation action plan, informed by science. This includes increasing urban greenery and green buildings and scaling up the use of cool materials. For example, HDB together with the Tampines Town Council, have launched a pilot project to paint some 130 HDB blocks with cool paint to reduce ambient temperature.
We are also intensifying greenery in our urban environment as part of our City in Nature efforts under the Singapore Green Plan 2030. For example, as part of our OneMillionTrees movement, we are planting 170,000 more trees in our industrial estates over the next 10 years, nearly tripling the current tree population. This can help to cool these industrial estates and create a more conducive work environment.
Climate change can also affect Singapore’s biodiversity and natural ecosystem processes. Under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Plan 2025, NParks will lead research on the impact of climate change on terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Such research can guide our nature conservation efforts.
Another key area is strengthening Singapore’s coastal protection and flood resilience. Site-specific studies to determine feasible measures for coastal protection are being carried out progressively, beginning with more critical and vulnerable regions such as the City-East Coast. PUB is also developing a Coastal-Inland Flood Model that can assess the combined flooding effects from extreme sea levels and intense rainfall.
To enhance flood resilience, PUB has invested almost $2 billion on drainage works in the last decade and will invest another $1.4 billion over the next five years. Drainage design standards were raised in 2011, which called for an increase in drain capacities by up to 50% to cater for more intense rainfall.
The Government will take a science-based and proactive approach to climate adaptation. The Government will review and update Singapore’s long-term coastal protection plans based on the latest data, by adopting a flexible approach in planning protection measures and evaluating the plans across a range of scenarios. However, it will not be prudent or feasible to build infrastructure to accommodate every extreme climate scenario. The recent extreme climate events worldwide have highlighted that the collective response to such occurrences is just as important. We will seek to strengthen community resilience, in partnership with our local communities and stakeholders.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Plans and Timeline for Projects to Protect Singapore's Coastlines from Impact of Climate Change","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"40 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in light of recent global climatic changes, whether there needs to be a revision to estimated timelines of sea-level rise that may affect Singapore in future; and (b) whether he can provide an update on the plan to build polders and implementation of other measures to deal with sea-level rise.
41 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on Singapore’s polder development project; and (b) how have the findings affected Singapore’s current plans and timeline to protect our coastlines from the impact of climate change.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Sea-level rise poses an existential threat to Singapore. By 2100, sea levels are expected to rise by up to one metre in Singapore due to climate change. We have started work to protect our coastlines to ensure that Singapore remains climate-resilient.
In developing coastal protection plans, the Government refers to the latest climate projections and risks, such as the recent findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These findings will be further localised to inform Singapore’s climate adaptation plans.
Coastal protection is a long-term and large-scale endeavour. Hence, even though there are uncertainties in climate projections, we have begun planning for coastal protection, beginning with the more vulnerable parts of our coasts. In May 2021, PUB, which is the national coastal protection agency, embarked on a site-specific study at the coastline of City-East Coast, which will consider possible protection measures, including the use of polders, seawalls as well as hybrid solutions that integrate nature-based elements such as planting mangroves. Similar studies to protect Jurong Island and the North-West coast will commence in 2022. These studies will develop coastal adaptation pathways and measures that are adaptive to climate uncertainties and the evolving climate science, drawing on international best practices.
HDB has also piloted a polder project at Pulau Tekong and its construction is ongoing. The learning points from this pilot will guide us on the feasibility of building polders as a coastal protection solution.
MSE will keep our adaptation measures nimble to account for the latest developments in climate science and projections of sea level rise. This will ensure that Singapore remains resilient to the long-term effects of climate change.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Shoring Up Emergency Preparedness to Deal With Weather Phenomena Due To Climatic Change","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"42 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs what steps have been taken to shore up the emergency preparedness amongst Singaporeans and civil defence of Singapore to deal with weather phenomena arising from climatic change.
Mr K Shanmugam: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has been educating members of the public on emergency preparedness for the past decades. For example, how to react in situations of fire, flood, landslide, tremors, lightning (during thunderstorms), tsunami and so on. SCDF conducts training for members of the public and issues advisories that can be found in public educational materials, such as the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook and on SCDF’s website. SCDF’s Emergency Preparedness Centre also educates visitors, via interactive exhibits and video accounts, for example of Singaporean survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, how to react during such emergencies.
Climate change has resulted in drier and hotter weather in recent years, increasing the risks of wildfire and heatwave. The inter-agency Wildfire Task Force, which is led by SCDF and with members from agencies such as SLA, NEA, NParks and PUB, steps up preventive measures such as watering and trimming of overgrown vegetation at high-risk areas, ahead of dry weather, to minimise the occurrences of vegetation fire.
The Government also periodically conducts contingency planning exercises involving multiple Government agencies, to review our planning assumptions and strengthen coordination in emergency plans.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Protection of Inland Elevated Slopes and Areas from Landslips and Weakening Soil Conditions","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"43 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for National Development besides defending Singapore's shoreline against rising sea waters with a coastal defence plan, whether there will be similar efforts for the inland elevated slopes and areas with gradients to systematically identify areas where there can be risks of landslips and sinkholes and to fortify against weakening soil conditions.
Mr Desmond Lee: Agencies that manage public land carry out regular inspections on slopes that may pose a risk to public safety and implement appropriate mitigation measures to stabilise the slopes if required. For example, NParks inspects slopes in parks and gardens on a quarterly basis during fair weather and on a weekly or monthly basis during periods of intense wet weather.
In addition, BCA requires all slopes that are formed as a result of building works to be assessed for risk of failure by a Qualified Person (QP) before construction commences. The QP is required to recommend slope protection measures to be put in place, such as earth retaining walls and stabilising structures, to ensure that the slope remains stable under adverse weather conditions, including extreme rainfall.
BCA also issues regular advisories to remind land and building owners to implement measures to manage the risk of landslips for their slopes. These include ensuring adequate drainage and proper maintenance of slope- and earth-retaining structures.
Sinkholes in Singapore are generally caused by larger scale excavation or underground works. For such works, BCA requires a QP to conduct a site investigation and recommend measures to prevent sinkholes from occurring. BCA also requires the builder and the QP supervising the works to monitor ground and building movements during construction, and to implement additional safety measures as necessary.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Review of Plans for Decarbonisation of Power Grids and Reduction of Carbon Footprint in Data Centres and Industry Sectors","subTitle":"Singapore's response to latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report","sectionType":"WANA","content":"44 Ms Poh Li San asked the Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the “code red for humanity” warning in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report and industries contributing to about 60% of Singapore’s greenhouse gas emissions (a) whether the Ministry will accelerate the decarbonisation of our power grids by using more imported renewable energy; and (b) whether the Ministry will impose more stringent carbon emission quotas and energy consumption targets on sectors with higher carbon footprints, such as petrochemicals, semi-conductor and data centres.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Singapore is committed to play our part to address global climate change. We have pledged to peak our emission at no more than 65 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent (MtCO2e) around 2030, halve that to 33 MtCO2e by 2050 and eventually achieve net zero emission. Earlier this year, we launched the Singapore Green Plan 2030 to strengthen our climate commitments and advance our national agenda on sustainable development.
Singapore has limited capacity to generate renewable energy. We will quintuple our solar panels deployment by 2030 to generate at least two gigawatt-peak of electricity, but this will only constitute around 3% of our projected total energy consumption in 2030.
Thus, we will need to supplement this with imported renewable energy, while we develop other low-carbon energy sources like hydrogen. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) is conducting trials of electricity imports which will pave the way for more electricity imports over the longterm. MTI will be outlining our plans for electricity imports in the near future.
On the demand side, we will also need to encourage our companies to be more carbon efficient. We have introduced the carbon tax to provide the price signal to encourage companies to reduce emissions and at the same time, give them the flexibility to act where it makes the most economic sense. The Government is reviewing the trajectory and level of the carbon tax, post-2023, and will announce the outcome of the review in 2022, to give businesses time to adjust to any revision in the carbon tax trajectory.
In addition, we have used incentives such as the Resource Efficiency Grant for Energy (REG(E)) and the Energy Efficiency Fund (E2F) to help companies improve energy efficiency and adopt cleaner technologies.
The Government will continue to work closely with our industries to ensure that while we continue to grow our economy to provide good jobs for Singaporeans, we do so in a manner that supports global efforts to address climate change.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Initiatives for Travel Resumption Such As Mutual Recognition of COVID-19 Vaccine Certificates, Setting up of Quarantine-free Travel Lanes and Vaccination for Short-term Visitors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"49 Ms Janet Ang asked the Minister for Transport (a) to date, which are the countries that have agreed on a common platform or at least an inter-operable system of recognising COVID-19 vaccination records; (b) whether there will be mandatory implementation and use of such systems; and (c) whether the Government will consider waiving the SHN period for travellers who have been vaccinated and whose serological test is positive upon arrival.
50 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider giving priority to visitors who have been vaccinated to enter Singapore until an acceptable level of local vaccination rate is reached.
51 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Transport (a) how many short-term visitors who are currently in Singapore have received vaccinations under the Special Access Route as these visitors are ineligible for free vaccinations under the COVID-19 national vaccination programme; and (b) whether short-term visitors will continue to be ineligible for free vaccinations under the COVID-19 national vaccination programme.
Mr S Iswaran: I thank the Members for their questions. I will address them at the 14 September 2021 Parliament Sitting.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates Detected at Borders","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"53 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of (i) fake vaccination certificates that have been detected at our borders by ICA and (ii) fake Singapore-based vaccination certificates that have been detected at foreign borders; (b) whether the perpetrators of such cases have been apprehended locally or abroad; and (c) whether any action will be taken against perpetrators of fake vaccination certificates and if so, what are the penalties.
Mr K Shanmugam: Since August 2021, selected groups of travellers to Singapore are required to show documentary proof of their full vaccination status to be eligible for vaccination-differentiated safe management measures.
Singapore is currently in bilateral discussions with several countries and regions on establishing mechanisms for the authentication of digital vaccination certificates. For countries where such verification mechanisms are not yet in place, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) would conduct manual checks on the physical certificates.
To-date, there have been no cases of fake vaccination certificates detected at our borders. We have also not received any reports on detection of fake Singapore-issued vaccination certificates at foreign borders.
A person who presents a fake vaccination certificate at our borders could be liable for an offence of providing false or misleading information or document under section 64(b) of the Infectious Diseases Act. If convicted, first-time offenders are liable to punishment of a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment term not exceeding six months, or both.
A person who is found to have presented a fake Singapore-issued vaccination certificate at foreign borders would be dealt with under the laws of the countries where the offence was discovered. The person could also be investigated by the Singapore Police Force if there is evidence that an offence has been committed in Singapore.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on COVID-19 Vaccination of Pregnant Women","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"56 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant women; and (b) what support or counselling has been provided to pregnant women who have concerns on the potential effect of the vaccination on themselves and their unborn children.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: I thank the Member for his question. I will address it in a combined reply on 14 September 2021.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Conditions To Be Met For Existing Vaccinated-differentiated Safe Management Measures To Be Lifted","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"63 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Health what are the remaining conditions to be met before the existing vaccinated-differentiated safe management measures can be lifted for Singapore given that Singapore has achieved an 80% COVID-19 vaccination rate.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: I thank the Member for his question. I will address it in a combined reply on 14 September 2021.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Feedback on Restaurants Refusing Entry for Dining-in to Unvaccinated Individuals who have Presented Negative COVID-19 Test Results","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"66 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry has received any feedback on restaurants refusing entry for dining-in to unvaccinated individuals who have presented negative COVID-19 test results as required under the Pre-Event Testing (PET) regime and if so, what is being done to ensure that restaurants will accept these forms of verification.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: I thank the Member for his question. I will address it in a combined reply on 14 September 2021.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Debarment of Parties Involved in Case where LTA Deputy Group Director was Convicted of Receiving $1.24 million in Bribes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"69 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Finance regarding the case of the former LTA deputy group director convicted of receiving $1.24 million in bribes (a) whether the Standing Committee on Debarment (SCOD) has received any recommendations from CPIB for debarment action against parties involved in this corruption case; (b) if so, whether SCOD has made any decision to debar any party and the respective periods of debarment; and (c) if not, whether SCOD will proactively request for CPIB to make recommendations for debarment.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Debarment is an administrative procedure to protect the Government’s interests as a buyer, against those who have caused direct harm or losses. Where corruption is involved, CPIB can recommend to the Standing Committee on Debarment (SCOD) to take administrative action after a court decision which establishes that a contractor or any of its employees, directors, partners or its sole proprietor had bribed a public sector officer or another person, in connection with a Government agency or contract.
Regarding the case of the former LTA deputy group director convicted of receiving bribes, CPIB has submitted its recommendations to SCOD relating to parties who have been convicted. SCOD is currently reviewing CPIB’s recommendations before making its decision.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Names of Companies Involved in Case where Former LTA Deputy Group Director Was Jailed for Taking Bribes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"71 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA will be releasing the names of all companies or businesses on behalf of which bribes or loans have been given to former LTA Deputy Group Director Henry Foo Yong Thye; and (b) whether the said companies or businesses will be banned from tendering for future contracts with LTA or all future Government contracts.
Mr S Iswaran: LTA is committed to upholding public sector procurement requirements and high safety standards when carrying out all projects. These include projects such as the Thomson-East Coast Line and Cross Island Line.
To meet our stringent safety standards, construction works are closely monitored by a team of LTA officers. There are also independent checks conducted on the safety of construction works, with the independent reviewer reporting directly to BCA, as required by law. All procurement activities also adhere to standards of good governance, which include multiple layers of checks and eventual endorsement by a panel with senior officers from a non-user department to ensure all proposals are evaluated rigorously and impartially. In other words, no officer is able to singly approve variation orders or to sign off on completed works.
The persons who have been charged in relation to the corruption offences committed by Henry Foo have been made public by CPIB through their press release and names reported by the press. The Standing Committee of Debarment (SCOD) decides on all cases of debarment and CPIB will only be able to make its recommendations to the SCOD after the current proceedings have completed.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Stakeholders Consultation Process for Upcoming Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"72 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to a proposed Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act (a) who are the stakeholders that will be involved and consulted on during the drafting of the Act; (b) how will the Ministry consider the concerns of the different communities without creating a litigious culture; and (c) how will the Ministry ensure that only legitimate cases are being investigated and prosecuted.
Mr K Shanmugam: MHA and MCCY will be engaging community leaders and groups across all racial groups in preparation for the new Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act. We are working on the engagement plans and will share more details when ready.
The Member asked how we would address the concerns of the communities without creating a litigious culture. Laws by themselves cannot make people get along with one another or like one another. However, they can help to lay out what our society considers right or wrong.
The new Act will act as guardrails for our racial harmony. Besides criminalising acts that clearly seek to promote enmity between different racial groups and undermine our racial harmony, the Act will introduce softer, non-punitive measures that allow the offender a chance to mend relations or understand the offended party’s perspective better. This is important as there could be situations where it would be more helpful to focus on mediating and restoring relations rather than punishing the offender.
The Member asked how we would ensure that only legitimate cases are investigated and prosecuted. As with all offences under the law, AGC will decide on whether a case should be prosecuted by making an assessment on the sufficiency of the evidence gathered by the law enforcement agencies and on whether it is in the public interest to do so. That said, Parliament decides on where to draw the line as to what actions should be considered criminal, through the laws that it passes. This new Act will give us an opportunity to review our laws on race and determine the appropriate threshold to set.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Financial Viability of HDB BTO Contractors and Assistance for Subcontractors in Greatearth’s Public Projects","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"73 Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for National Development following the winding-up of Greatearth Construction, what are the Government’s efforts to assist the subcontractors that are involved in Greatearth’s five HDB BTO sites and other public projects.
74 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for National Development what measures are currently in place to ensure the financial viability of HDB’s BTO contractors and whether these measures will be enhanced.
Mr Desmond Lee: Members Mr Don Wee and Ms Hazel Poa, as well as Ms Poh Li San1 and Mr Murali Pillai2 who have filed questions for future Sittings, have asked about the Greatearth situation and how it has affected homeowners, main contractors, and sub-contractors.
Greatearth Corporation Pte Ltd and Greatearth Construction Pte Ltd (referred to collectively as \"Greatearth\") are the main contractors for five HDB BTO projects. The five projects are at various stages of completion, with two projects at Bukit Panjang – Senja Ridges and Senja Heights – near completion.
Just before mid-August, arising from a feedback from the project consultant, HDB checked with Greatearth and was informed that they had run into financial difficulties and were exploring options to continue with the projects. Slightly more than a week later, Greatearth informed HDB that they were unable to complete the five BTO projects, despite the Government's assistance provided to all construction firms over the past year. Prior to this, work at the sites had been progressing satisfactorily and there were no signs of work slow-down. HDB engaged Greatearth to explore possible options to resolve Greatearth’s challenges, such as the provision of advance payments to allow Greatearth to continue with the projects. However, Greatearth did not have the financial ability to continue operations and made the decision to undergo liquidation.
HDB is now working closely with Greatearth and their provisional liquidators Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) to bring onboard new contractors to take over and complete the five BTO projects as soon as possible. As part of this process, HDB is facilitating discussions between potential new main contractors and existing sub-contractors. This will allow affected sub-contractors the opportunity to work out a suitable arrangement to remain on the projects and complete the remaining works. It will also minimise the extent of delays for flat buyers.
We recognise that the delays will affect home buyers and further disrupt their life plans and understandably, many will be disappointed. HDB has reached out to the affected flat buyers and will continue to keep them updated about the situation. We will also inform them of the revised completion date of their flats, once the replacement contractors have been appointed and the construction schedule has been worked out.
Flat buyers who are unable to find alternative interim housing arrangements with family members, relatives or on the open market, can apply for temporary housing under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) if they are first-timers. On a case-by-case basis, HDB will also offer Interim Rental Housing (IRH) to low-income households with limited family support and without alternative housing options. In addition, HDB will consider waiving the forfeiture and one-year wait out period for flat buyers who have been affected by these delays and decide to cancel their BTO flats to buy a resale flat, based on an assessment of the flat buyers’ specific circumstances. Flat buyers can contact HDB if there is any further assistance they might require.
The construction industry has been one of the sectors worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction costs have increased due to an increase in foreign manpower costs arising from tightened border measures, additional compliance costs from Safe Management Measures to lower the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and increases in the cost of construction materials.
In line with overall support for the construction industry, HDB has provided extensive support for our contractors. This includes:
(a) co-sharing the increase in foreign manpower costs, by allowing contractors to apply to adjust the contract sum for their projects to account for such increases. HDB and relevant agencies are also supporting industry players who are seeking to bring in more migrant workers from various countries in a safe and controlled manner, to ease the construction manpower shortage;
(b) co-sharing the increase in non-manpower related operating expenses arising from the prolongation of construction contracts, such as plant and equipment rental, site maintenance costs and the extension of insurance premiums and performance bonds. In this regard, HDB has provided $36 million in co-funding;
(c) providing some $170 million in advance payments to help ease the contractors’ cashflow and exercising flexibility by deferring the start of the recovery of the advance payment beyond the default two months after construction works have commenced and allowing a longer repayment period beyond the default 12 months;
(d) extending the original duration of 18 or 22 months for which HDB provides steel price protection. Structural works may take longer than usual and we will further extend the steel price protection period to make it a total of nine additional months, so that contractors can continue to receive full protection from steel price fluctuations for the duration of the structural works which have been delayed due to the COVID-19 situation; and
(e) providing additional supplies of concreting materials to contractors for local pre-cast production, going beyond the amount that contractors had earlier opted for at tender closing.
HDB will work closely with our contractors and assist them in tiding over this difficult period. We will continue to engage them and review what more we can do to support them to ensure that construction progress remains on track. We also recognise that the delays will affect homebuyers and will do our best to assist them. We remain committed to minimise the extent of the delays and continue to deliver BTO flats in a timely manner, while ensuring that project quality and safety standards are not compromised.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB BTO owners affected by the closure of Greatearth Construction will be accorded priority for HDB rental flats when required; (b) what measures can the Ministry and HBD put in place to facilitate a smooth handover of the construction works for the affected BTO projects and minimise delays in the completion of the projects; and (c) what assistance can be given to construction companies of BTO projects to prevent similar closures in light of the construction manpower shortage.","2 : Question subsequently withdrawn: To ask the Minister for National Development what steps will HDB take to help home buyers of the five BTO developments, including Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok, who may be affected by the construction delay arising from the insolvency of the main contractors of these BTO projects.”"],"footNoteQuestions":["73","74"],"questionNo":"73-74"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Estimated Value and Impact of Private Tuition and Enrichment Industry for School-going Children","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"78 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has data on the current total value of the private tuition and enrichment industry catering largely to school-going children and if so, what is that total value; (b) what are the findings of studies conducted to examine the effects of the burgeoning private tuition and enrichment industry on Singapore’s overall educational system; and (c) what consideration has been given towards modifying the regulations around such centres to meet the goals of providing a holistic, well-rounded education to all school-going children.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: MOE does not track the total value of the private tuition and enrichment industry, or expenditure on such services. Based on the latest Household Expenditure Survey (HES) conducted from 2017 to 2018 by the Department of Statistics (DOS), resident households on average spend $112 a month on private tuition and other educational courses.
MOE recognises that the reasons for taking up tuition are varied. It is important to be able to distinguish when it is desirable and when it is not. For example, tuition can benefit students who are genuinely in need of more dedicated help in coping with their studies. This is why our schools cater additional resources to students who need extra help and also partner Self-Help Groups to provide additional academic support to those who need it. We also know that, at heart, many parents send their children for tuition out of care and concern for their child, as they may worry about whether their children can cope with their studies and examinations.
We are concerned, however, when parents send their children for tuition excessively, or to ace examinations even when their children are coping well with their school work. This diminishes our students’ ability to learn independently, adds to their workload and stress and runs counter to our philosophy of holistic education and nurturing lifelong learners.
Introducing regulations to the private tuition and enrichment industry to address unnecessary reliance on tuition is unlikely to be effective, if the underlying reasons why students and parents take up tuition are not addressed. Overseas experience in countries such as South Korea thus far have shown that restrictions on tuition are generally ineffective at reducing demand. We continue to monitor new developments, such as the new regulations in China that Mr Yip Hon Weng has referenced.
Therefore, our approach is to address the fundamental issues that drive the demand for tuition. In recent years, we have progressively introduced several policy changes under our Learn for Life movement, to nurture in our students the joy of learning, reduce the overemphasis on academic results and change the mindsets and attitudes of parents and students to adopt a broader definition of success.
Since 2019, we have reduced school-based assessments significantly to provide students more time and space to deepen and pace out their learning. We are changing the PSLE scoring system this year to reduce fine differentiation of examination results and will roll out Full Subject-Based Banding across Secondary schools by 2024 to provide students greater flexibility to learn at a pace and rigour suited to their strengths and interests. We have also continued to broaden the definition of success by expanding Direct School Admission to Secondary schools, as well as aptitude-based admissions to ITE, Polytechnics and Universities.
Our reforms will take time to bear fruit. Reducing the over-reliance on private tuition requires not just policy shifts, but a long-term partnership between MOE, parents and the wider community to change mindsets. Together, we can build a culture where our children are self-directed in their learning, develop more holistically and find joy in the process.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Rostered Routine Testing for Members of Parliament","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"79 Dr Tan Yia Swam asked the Minister for Health whether Rostered Routine Testing can be implemented for (i) Members of Parliament (MPs) doing home visits, (ii) MPs doing physical Meet-the-People sessions and (iii) MPs attending Parliamentary Sittings.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) has been mandated for groups who work with vulnerable populations, have a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19, or are living or working in settings where an outbreak would be difficult to control. This includes our frontline workers at our borders and care facilities, as well as workers living in dorms.
Nevertheless, we have encouraged all Singaporeans to voluntarily undergo regular self-testing as a matter of social responsibility to keep Singapore safe and to protect themselves and their loved ones. MOH has discussed the matter with the Speaker of Parliament and recognising that MPs tend to meet many of their residents, Members of this House will set a good example to undergo supervised self-tests with Fast and Easy Testing modes ahead of each Parliamentary Sitting.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures to Ensure Suppliers' Compliance with Regulations for Health Supplements","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"80 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Health (a) what process does the Ministry adopt to ensure that providers of health supplement products comply with the Health Products (Advertisement of Specified Health Products) Regulations and that those who make false claims are taken to task, especially the recalcitrant ones, so as to protect the public; and (b) how many cases of infringements have there been in each of the last five years.
81 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Health given the recent case where a health supplement company is fined for making false cancer cure claims (a) whether the Ministry is working with media outlets to regulate such claims in advertisements; and (b) what is the Ministry's stand on companies that promote such claims.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Under the Medicines Act, anyone who publishes false and misleading advertisements relating to medicinal products or prohibited claims that the product will prevent, alleviate or cure specified diseases, can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed up to two years.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) therefore monitors the advertisements of health supplements, directs companies to comply with the Act and holds them responsible for their advertising and marketing activities. Generally, a light-touch approach is adopted for first-time offenders, while stricter enforcement actions are taken for recalcitrant cases. In deciding whether prosecution is warranted, HSA also considers whether there is evidence that consumers had been harmed or that the supplements marketed were harmful. Over the last five years, HSA has reviewed 243 advertisements relating to claims made for health supplements. One hundred and eighty-two advisories and warnings have been issued and advertisers have been directed to take corrective actions such as ceasing and rectifying the offending advertisements. Prosecution action was taken against one recalcitrant advertiser which had made prohibited claims.
For recalcitrant cases, apart from the penalties imposed by the court, HSA will actively publicise these cases and also engage key media outlets to publicise the prosecution outcome to educate and warn consumers against falling prey to these companies’ misleading claims.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of Deferment in In-Camp Training and Suspension of Individual Physical Proficiency Tests on NSMen's Operational Readiness","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"82 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Defence in light of the deferment of in-camp training (ICT) and the suspension of the individual physical proficiency test and in-person fitness training during the period of COVID-19 Phase Two (Heightened Alert) (a) what plans will be taken to maintain the operational readiness and fitness of NSmen; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider extending the deferment of ICT until next year given the various work and business challenges faced by NSmen during this period.
Dr Ng Eng Hen: In-Camp Training (ICT) for NS soldiers is required to maintain the operational readiness of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Therefore, ICT will continue, together with stringent testing regimes and safe management measures to prevent infections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When tightened restrictions are implemented nationally, the SAF will assess if some less essential training can be deferred. For example, during the Phase Two (Heightened Alert) in July, ICTs were deferred for four weeks, with catch-up training subsequently. However, critical ops units continued their training during Phase Two (Heightened Alert).
The physical fitness of our NSmen is also an important aspect of the readiness of the SAF. This year, the SAF introduced the NS Fitness Improvement Training (FIT) programme to make fitness activities more convenient and accessible for them. These include FIT@Home, a fitness programme conducted through a virtual platform, to allow our NSmen to stay fit even when physical NS fitness activities were suspended during Phase Two (Heightened Alert). The initiatives have been well received by our NSmen.
While short-term interruptions are manageable, prolonged disruptions to NS activities will have an impact on SAF’s operational readiness. This is why the SAF resumed ICTs and physical conduct of fitness activities right after Phase Two (Heightened Alert) ended in mid-August. High vaccination rates of about 90% amongst our NSmen coming back for ICTs, coupled with stringent safe management, provide for safe conduct of NS activities. Another key enabler is frequent testing. When the SAF resumed ICTs last October, we implemented a weekly COVID-19 test regime for NSmen reporting for unit-level ICT. Going forward, the SAF will continue to monitor the national situation and adjust our COVID-19 measures according to MOH guidelines.
We thank our NSmen for their continued commitment to NS. Over the past year, we have in fact experienced slightly lower deferment rates and higher post-ICT satisfaction scores1. At the same time, we recognise that COVID-19 has brought about challenges to many Singaporeans. NSmen who require time to address important and time-sensitive personal or work matters may approach their unit commanders for assistance on deferment matters or arrangements for time-off during ICT.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Deferment rates and Post-ICT survey data for ICTs conducted in 2020 and 2021, when compared to pre-COVID-19 data."],"footNoteQuestions":["82"],"questionNo":"82"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Protocols for Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers Executing Search on Premises Without Warrant","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"85 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers executing a search of premises without a warrant are required to wear a body camera at all times during the search.
86 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment what protocols are in place for Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers executing searches of premises without a warrant, to clearly identify themselves as authorised Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers, ensure the safety and well-being of occupants who are alone at their place of residence, specifically women, children or the disabled and avoid abuse of power by such officers.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Safe Distancing Enforcement Officers (EOs) do not randomly or proactively enter residences and check for potential breaches. They adhere to a set of protocols to guide them in deciding whether to enter homes and check for potential breaches, such as if there are repeated or substantiated feedback, or by the presence of tell-tale signs from outside the residence. EOs will engage the occupants and identify themselves with both their EO and corporate staff passes, and explain their intent. For home checks, EOs will be progressively equipped with body-worn cameras.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Fines Issued to Persons at Hawker Centres and to Patrons of Zi Char and Steamboat Stalls for Not Returning Food Trays","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"88 Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how many people have been issued fines for not returning their trays in hawker centres since 1 September 2021; (b) how many of these fines have been imposed on patrons of zi char and steamboat eating places; and (c) what are examples of situations where enforcers have taken on “pragmatic approaches” for stalls with dedicated service staff who serve food and clear tables.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Since 1 September this year, NEA has started enforcing against table littering in hawker centres following a three-month advisory period. For diners who do not clear their dirty trays, crockery and litter, enforcement officers will first advise them to do so. Diners who refuse to heed officers’ advice will have their particulars taken down and issued written warnings if it is their first offence. Only second and subsequent offenders will be issued fines or be sent to Court.
From 1 to 10 September, our enforcement officers advised an average of about 650 diners per day across 110 hawker centres to clear their tables. The vast majority complied. No fines have been issued as yet, but NEA has taken down the particulars of one diner who did not heed advice and will be issuing him a warning letter.
For zi char stalls that use specialised, bulky crockery, stallholders will have their stall assistants, who serve the food to the tables, or the cleaners to assist in collecting these bulky crockery after diners finish their meal. Diners will need to clear the rest of the dirty crockery and table litter. We have observed that most diners have been able to do so.
To make it more convenient for diners to return their dirty crockery and trays, NEA is installing 150 new tray and crockery return racks at hawker centres, on top of the 900 existing racks. NEA will also be progressively introducing 300 tray and crockery return trolleys that can be easily deployed at convenient locations within easy walking distance of diners.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Sale Price of HDB Flats to be Set at a Level of Not More Than Four Times the Average Annual Income of Applicants","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"89 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will reduce the sale price of HDB flats to not more than four times of the average annual income of the applicants for the respective HDB flat types.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Government remains committed to providing affordable public housing options to help citizen households own their first homes. To achieve this, new Build-To-Order (BTO) flats are priced at a significant discount to the market. First-timer flat buyers can also enjoy the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $80,000, which provides further support to lower- and middle-income families buying their first home.
With these generous subsidies and grants, new HDB flats have remained affordable. In 2020, BTO flat prices in the non-mature estates remained at around five times or less of the median annual first-timer families’ income. The monthly instalment of these families is typically less than a quarter of their household monthly income. This means that most buyers can service their housing loans using their monthly CPF contributions, with little or no cash outlay.
HDB will continue to price its new flats with affordability as the key consideration and offer a wide range of flat types in various locations to cater to different budgets and needs. We also encourage flat buyers to exercise financial prudence in their housing choices.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Ensuring HDB Resale Market Remains Affordable to Aspiring Home Owners","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"90 Mr Xie Yao Quan asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry assesses that the current HDB resale market remains affordable to aspiring homeowners.
Mr Desmond Lee: The recent increase in prices can be partly attributed to a broad-based increase in demand for housing, supported by the current low interest rate environment. Nonetheless, HDB resale flats continue to remain affordable. On average, the mortgage servicing ratio (MSR), which is the proportion of monthly income used to service mortgage instalment payments, has remained at 23% among resale flat buyers taking an HDB housing loan, over the past three years. This means that first-timer buyers generally have little or no cash outlay in servicing the payments for their resale flats as their mortgage loans can be paid using their CPF contributions. This is made possible as the Government provides housing grants of up to $160,000 to ensure resale flats remain affordable for eligible first-timer families.
The Government will continue to monitor the housing market conditions closely and ensure that Singaporeans have access to affordable public housing.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Incidences of Police Access to Contact Tracing Data Allowed Under Seventh Schedule of COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"92 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) from February 2021 to August 2021, whether the Singapore Police Force has accessed contact tracing data for the purposes of investigations; and (b) if so, what is the breakdown of the access requests by serious offences under the Seventh Schedule of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.
Mr K Shanmugam: In respect of sub para (a) of the Member’s question, the answer is no, the Singapore Police Force has not accessed contact tracing data for the purposes of investigations.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of COVID-19-related Port Closures on Global Maritime Industry Outlook","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"93 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Transport in light of the COVID-19 situation leading to port closures in China (a) what is the Ministry’s assessment of the global maritime outlook and risk scenarios; and (b) how will overseas port closures affect Singapore’s port operations, logistics sector and supply chain resilience.
Mr S Iswaran: The global maritime industry has remained resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic which has allowed for cross border flow of goods to continue. However, the outlook remains fluid in the short to medium term as the pandemic situation worldwide is still evolving. Containment measures for COVID-19 by overseas ports to bring the COVID-19 situation under control contributed to port closures and congestion, causing further vessel delays and exacerbated the situation in many ports which are already facing tight capacity constraints.
As the world’s largest transhipment hub port, Singapore is affected by these global disruptions. Congestion in upstream ports resulted in vessels arriving off-schedule in Singapore. This has led to bunching and more peaks and troughs in port operations. In addition, due to changes in the connections for transhipment cargo, PSA and the shippers need to re-plan and execute additional container movements.
The terminal closures in the Port of Shenzhen in late May to mid-June and the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in August this year had compounded the problems of delays and capacity for sea freight. Fortunately, the closures were time-limited and both terminals have since reopened. These two ports collectively accounted for approximately 8% of Singapore’s imports from China. Their closures did not have a significant direct impact on Singapore as our supply chains are sufficiently diversified.
PSA has taken firm action to minimise the impact on Singapore’s port operations and logistics. For example, with support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the unions, PSA opened more berths and yards for operations and deployed more port workers to handle surges in container volumes. PSA worked with shipping lines who had to skip ports to enable them to catch up on their operations in Singapore to make up for lost time.
As our port is highly digitalised, stakeholders in the logistics sector and supply chain ecosystem receive real-time information about vessel arrivals and departures from PSA terminals through a system called Portnet, allowing them to quickly respond to schedule changes. PSA has also been supporting shippers and cargo owners to track their cargo closely through digital platforms and expedite connections for urgent cargo.
Through these efforts, Singapore has not been too badly affected by the disruptions. Customers have benefited from our connectivity and reliability, which further strengthens our position as a hub port. Singapore’s container throughput grew by 4.8% from January to July 2021, compared to the same period in 2020; and by 2.8% compared to 2019 before COVID-19 began.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Training and Post-Education Employment Trends for Persons with Disabilities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"94 Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for Education (a) how are schools training and skilling individuals with disabilities during their formal education to enhance their employability in the job market; (b) whether the Ministry tracks the outcome of students with disabilities in this area; and (c) what are the post-education employment trends of student with disabilities.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Students with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, whether in mainstream schools and the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), or Special Education (SPED) schools, are taught life skills and where they are preparing for work, they are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and values as well as work exposure.
Throughout their education journey, students in the mainstream schools and the IHLs have access to Education and Career Guidance (ECG) Counsellors who can advise on suitable education pathways, including post-Secondary education options and career pathways. This helps them to make informed decisions for successful transition from school or higher education to work. Secondary and Junior College students with additional needs receive further guidance and support from teachers and other staff such as Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support). At the IHLs, dedicated SEN Support Officers prepare students with SEN for employment, by partnering the community and industry to identify internship opportunities and provide pre-internship and employment workshops. These cover workplace norms, communication skills, interview and resume writing.
Students in SPED schools are given work exposure, experience and skills development through a structured vocational education curriculum from age 13. With the support and mentorship from teachers, vocational instructors and job coaches, students are equipped with everyday skills such as independent travel, to industry-specific skills. The current focus of the review of the vocational education curriculum is on soft skills to enhance SPED graduates’ job experience and sustain employment. Vocational certification is offered at Metta School, Delta Senior School and Pathlight School. Students may also progress to employment without formal certification, after completing internships organised by their schools, many of which lead to job placements after graduation.
For work-capable SPED students who need more time to be work-ready, the School-to-Work (S2W) Transition Programme by MOE, MSF and SG Enable offers them customised training pathways-cum-work options. S2W includes up to two years of worksite-based, customised job training with support from Job Coaches and employment services such as job referrals after students graduate from their SPED schools. Each year, about half of the SPED graduating cohort progresses to IHLs or other forms of training or are successfully employed, in sectors such as Food and Beverage (F&B) and hospitality.
Based on MOM’s Comprehensive Labour Force Survey (CLFS), 29% of resident persons with disabilities in the working ages of 15 to 64 are employed. This statistic would exclude those with milder SEN who do not require much support post-school and do not identify as a person with a disability.
We encourage employers to be part of the whole-of-society effort to partner our educational institutions to provide internships, training and employment opportunities for young Singaporeans, especially those with additional, longer-term challenges.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Details for Increase in Supply of Rental Flats under Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"95 Mr Xie Yao Quan asked the Minister for National Development with regard to the increase in supply of 800 rental flats under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) (a) what is the projected timeline for the release of supply beyond the fourth quarter of 2021; (b) whether this additional supply will be withdrawn in the medium term after clearing the key collections backlog due to COVID-19 delays; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider tapping into private housing stock to increase near-term supply and meet young couples’ demand for PPHS flats.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) provides an additional temporary housing option for eligible first-timer households awaiting the completion of their new flats. The supply of PPHS is limited as it depends on the availability of vacant flats, typically vacated flats under the Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).
Most flat buyers continue to stay with family members or relatives, or rent on the open market, while awaiting the delivery of their BTO flats. However, the demand for PPHS flats has increased in the last year due to delays in the completion of BTO flats, more people working from home and more competition for open market rental. At the same time, the supply of PPHS flats has tightened as delays in BTO completion have stalled the return of PPHS flats to HDB and the shortage of workers has slowed down sprucing-up works for the PPHS flats before they can be rented out to new tenants.
HDB currently has a stock of 840 PPHS flats and will be adding another 800 flats, starting from this year, and over the next two years. Of these, about 200 will be ready and progressively released for application by end-2021. Another 500 will be ready in 2022 and the remaining 100 by mid-2023. While HDB strives to maintain a steady supply of PPHS flats, the supply of PPHS flats is limited and opportunistic, as it is mainly drawn from interim sources of supply and the flats may be withdrawn if they are needed for redevelopment.
To boost PPHS supply in the nearterm, we have explored other supply sources, such as vacant staff apartments at various Polytechnics. The Member asked about tapping into private housing stock. We are continuing to study other possible short-term options to augment PPHS supply, but note that at present the private housing stock is equally tight. To optimise our limited PPHS supply, we have therefore also recently finetuned the PPHS eligibility conditions and allocation process to give priority to families in greater need of temporary housing.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Local Universities' Support of Artists and Sportsmen","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"98 Mr Mark Chay asked the Minister for Education what more can be done by our local Universities in supporting the pursuits of our artists and sportsmen.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: As part of their educational mission, the Autonomous Universities (AUs) are committed to helping students develop holistically through academic and co-curricular programmes, including through arts and sports.
Students have opportunities to appreciate and participate in a wide variety of arts- and sports-related activities. These include avenues such as arts and sports student groups, events and competitions, concerts and inter-faculty or inter-university games, and taking elective modules on the sports or arts. The AUs provide support for these activities, for instance, through the provision of theatres, sports halls or suitable equipment.
The AUs further support student artists and athletes by providing them with arts and sports facilities and training; opportunities to participate in national, regional or international competitions; and facilitating their training and participation through arrangements such as Leave of Absences, adjusted academic loads and e-learning or e-assessment modes if they are overseas. Talented artists and sportsmen may apply for scholarships and grants, along with talent development programmes with networking and training opportunities.
Aspiring artists and sportsmen who wish to further their education in the field can apply for sports and arts degree programmes at the AUs. In addition to the AUs, LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) offer publicly-funded programmes for students who wish to pursue tertiary arts education pathways. A new university of the arts will also be formed within the next three years by an alliance between the two institutions and will strengthen tertiary arts education pathways in Singapore.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Addressing Demand by Households for Migrant Domestic Workers After Delays Caused by COVID-19 Travel Restrictions","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"99 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Manpower with the announcement of the pilot programme to bring in more foreign domestic workers, whether the Ministry will consider allowing a greater number of foreign domestic workers to enter Singapore so as to meet the many urgent caregiving needs of those looking after the elderly, those with disabilities and the very young.
100 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of migrant domestic worker (MDW) entry approvals in each month over the last 12 months; (b) what is the current number of outstanding MDW applications that have been granted in-principle approval but have yet to enter Singapore; (c) what is the average duration from the point of application for a MDW to the point of entry into Singapore; and (d) whether Singapore’s transition to a COVID-19 endemic status will have an impact on the number of entry approvals granted.
Dr Tan See Leng: From September 2020 to April 2021, an average of about 3,300 migrant domestic workers (MDWs) entered Singapore per month. With the increase in number of COVID-19 cases and emergence of COVID-19 variants locally and globally this year, the Government had to tighten the entry approvals so as to reduce the risk of COVID-19 importation. From May to August this year, the average number of MDWs that entered Singapore was about 800 per month.
MOM is currently prioritising the entry of MDWs for families with very challenging caregiving needs and progressively scheduling the entry of those who had their entry approvals postponed earlier. We are aware that many employers are still waiting to bring in their MDWs. When the COVID-19 situation improves in the countries where the MDWs are from, we will be able to allow more to enter Singapore. Our priority remains for the risk of COVID-19 importation to be well managed to protect our public health and safety of the families that MDWs are deployed to.
Meanwhile, to meet the demand for MDWs, the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) started a pilot programme in July 2021. Under this commercial initiative, the AEA(S) works with its overseas business partners to implement additional safe management measures prior to the MDWs’ entry into Singapore. The AEA(S) also gives priority to households with caregiving needs to participate in the pilot programme.
The pilot is still ongoing and is conducted on a small scale so the industry can better manage the risks involved, identify areas for improvement, and make refinements to the processes.
As it has only been slightly more than a month since the start of the pilot programme, more time is needed by the industry to assess whether the programme can be scaled up to facilitate the entry of more MDWs. MOM is monitoring the results closely. If the pilot proves effective in keeping the risk of importing COVID-19 small, more MDWs will be able to enter Singapore under this arrangement.
Singapore’s vaccination coverage has allowed us to ease some community measures and take steps towards further opening up our economy. However, we must open our borders carefully and take into consideration countries or regions that have controlled the pandemic well and also vaccinated large parts of their population and adjust our measures accordingly. In our transition to an endemic status, adjustments may also be necessary as protection conferred by vaccines may wane with time and new COVID-19 variants may emerge that may be resistant to our current vaccines. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and do our best to facilitate the entry of MDWs in a safe manner.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Course on Tripartism for Graduating Students at Institutes of Higher Learning","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"101 Mr Abdul Samad asked the Minister for Education whether a module on tripartism can be included as part of the graduating year for students in Institutes of Higher Learning.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The curriculum in our secondary schools and pre-University institutions expose students to the concept and importance of tripartism. In subjects such as History, Social Studies, Economics, and Character and Citizenship Education, students learn how consensus is built when groups with different interests work together to achieve collective goals and how positive industrial relations and collaboration among unions, employers and the Government contribute to Singapore’s stability and economic growth.
The Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) build on these foundational efforts to deepen students’ understanding of tripartism in Singapore. The IHLs offer a range of modules that cover issues such as the role of trade unions and tripartism in Singapore, employee relations, industrial relations, labour laws, manpower policies, collective bargaining and dispute resolution.
There are also additional exposure opportunities for IHL students outside the formal curriculum, such as dialogues with representatives from Government, industry and the labour unions.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Fully mRNA Vaccinated Persons to be Additionally Inoculated with Sinovac Vaccine for Essential Travel","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"102 Mr Xie Yao Quan asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will allow persons who have been fully vaccinated with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine under the national vaccination programme to be additionally inoculated with Sinovac in order to facilitate essential travel to certain countries while guidelines for booster shots remain under development.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: From a public health point of view, persons who have received two doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine authorised under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) are considered fully vaccinated, and do not require any further vaccine doses at this time.
The safety of receiving two complete regimens of two different vaccines is not established. If an individual wishes to take additional vaccines in order to travel to certain countries, then the consideration at this point is one of allocation and fairness. There are individuals who are unvaccinated for various reasons and are waiting for additional stocks of the vaccines from Sinovac to arrive, so that they can get vaccinated. MOH’s view is that this group should be prioritised above those who want additional vaccinations in order to travel.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Residents Registered for Sinovac Vaccine under Special Access Route and Implication for Residents who Choose non-mRNA Vaccines for Non-medical Reasons","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"103 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Health what is the current number of Singapore residents who have registered for and are waiting to take (i) the first dose of the Sinovac vaccine and (ii) the Sinovac vaccine as the second vaccine due to allergic reaction to the first dose of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
104 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Government has stopped all clinics who are giving Sinovac vaccinations from vaccinating those who are seeking vaccination for both their doses and who are not medically excused from taking the mRNA vaccines; and (b) whether the Government intends to provide the public with free access to non-mRNA vaccines.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: I will address Questions Nos 103 and 104 from the Order Paper and also address Mr Dennis Tan1’s question scheduled for tomorrow’s Sitting on a similar topic.
Let me start with some background. Early last year, at the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Government negotiated with various pharmaceutical companies to secure supply of vaccines which were still under clinical trials development. At that time, there were no ready vaccines for us to choose from.
Subsequently, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna submitted the required data to the Health Services Authority and was approved for use under our national vaccination programme. Because of advance planning and some fortune, we were able to benefit from these two vaccines that turned out to be highly effective against the COVID-19 virus.
Separately, the Government brought in 200,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine and allocated 170,000 of it, also for free, to 31 approved private healthcare institutions to administer under the Special Access Route to individuals who wish to take them.
MOH kept a portion of the Sinovac stock to cater to individuals who found out they were allergic to the mRNA vaccines after taking the first dose and indicated interest to receive the Sinovac vaccine to complete their vaccinations. There are 3,900 of these individuals to date. The various Sinovac vaccinations at public and private healthcare institutions have led to about 1.5% of our population to be vaccinated with Sinovac.
Over time, as the stock depleted, MOH facilitated private healthcare institutions to bring in new supplies of the Sinovac vaccine. The process took a while, which was why the clinics suspended the booking of new appointments. The supplies are expected to arrive around 20 September, barring unforeseen circumstances, and should be available for sale in the private healthcare institutions a few days after.
We have started our booster programme for seniors and individuals who are immunocompromised, using the mRNA vaccines. The EC19V is reviewing international data to consider a booster programme for younger age groups. It is also studying a heterologous strategy, that is, administering a non-mRNA booster shot that is different from the first two primary mRNA doses. If indeed we decide to proceed on such a booster strategy, the shots will also be administered free of charge to residents of Singapore.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether all non-Singapore citizens who have already taken one or both dosages of the Government’s current stock of Sinovac vaccines are allowed to do so solely on the premise of having an allergy to mRNA vaccines and, if not, what are the other grounds; and (b) whether the Government intends to increase its stock of Sinovac vaccines so that Singaporeans who wish to take Sinovac for the purpose of travel to China will be allowed to do so soon."],"footNoteQuestions":["103","104"],"questionNo":"103-104"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Fine Amount in Section 139 of Administration of Muslim Law Act","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"105 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) when was section 139 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act enacted; and (b) whether there is a plan to increase the fine amount, which currently is not exceeding $2,000.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Section 139 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) was enacted in 1966, and imposes criminal sanctions on those who promulgate false doctrines. This section was amended in 1999.
Offences under AMLA are reviewed periodically to ensure they are consistent with broader legal policies and are effective in deterring offenders. Any attempt to apply legislation to religious matters must be carefully considered. In the case of deviant teachings, I previously shared that MUIS seeks to address these problems at the root, by adopting a multi-pronged approach of counselling individuals and inoculating the public against harmful ideologies.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Review of Primary 1 Registration Process","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"106 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Education (a) when does the Ministry expect to conclude its review of the Primary 1 registration framework; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider using citizenship and home-school distance as a primary means of allocating vacancies for all three phases of the Primary 1 registration while retaining the existing Phases 2A and 2B criteria for determining balloting priority.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: MOE has concluded our review of the Primary 1 Registration Framework and will be making several changes that will take effect from the 2022 P1 Registration Exercise, as announced on 9 September 2021.
We will increase the number of reserved places in Phase 2C to ensure more children with no prior connection will be able to get a place in a school near their home. The current Phase 2A1 and 2A2 will be combined into a single Phase 2A. We have kept Phases 2A and 2B to recognise the importance of maintaining the heritage and ethos of our schools and building closer links between community and school. Where the number of applicants exceeds vacancies in a phase, balloting will continue to be based on citizenship first, then Home-School Distance categories.
This fine-tuning of our P1 Registration Framework seeks to strike a careful balance of many different considerations, where we are careful not to drastically affect the groups given priority under the current Framework. So, while we are now placing greater weight on giving our children access to a school near to their homes, we continue to recognise the efforts of our community, including school alumni who have contributed to the development of a school and its culture.
What Mr Chua has proposed is a major departure from the current system and would cause significant disruptions to parents and the community, which we should avoid.
Nevertheless, as circumstances and our society evolve, we will continue to refine our P1 Registration Framework.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Support for Persons Unable to Pay for Stays at SHN-Dedicated Facilities and COVID-19 Tests","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"107 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for National Development (a) to date, how many persons have been unable to pay for their stays at SHN-Dedicated Facilities (SDFs) upon arrival in Singapore; (b) what proportion is this of the total number of persons who have stayed at SDFs; and (c) how has the Ministry supported those who are unable to pay the SDF and testing fees.
Mr Desmond Lee: Since 1 January 2021, all incoming travellers are required to pay for their stay at Stay-Home Notice (SHN) dedicated facilities (SDFs) and testing fees, as part of the cost of travel in a COVID-19 world. While the Government had borne these costs during the earlier phase of the crisis last year, we have gradually moved to a position where travellers bear the costs of their travel as a private expense, rather than relying on public funds. This is consistent with the practice in many other countries.
Only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (SC/PRs) who face financial difficulties and had to travel for extenuating reasons may apply to ICA for a full cost waiver. Non-residents who wish to enter Singapore are generally required to pay for their SDF stays and testing fees before they can be granted entry into Singapore. Non-residents who have financial difficulties may be assessed for a cost waiver or refund by their respective sectoral leads on a case by case basis.
Between January and July 2021, the Government has received around 10,000 appeals for cost waiver from SC/PRs and non-residents. This constitutes about 6% of the total number of travellers who have stayed at SDFs over the same period. In assessing these appeals, we considered the financial situation of the travellers and their ability to pay for the SDF stay and testing fees, as well as the circumstances surrounding the decision to travel. Waivers are reserved for those who have extenuating reasons to travel and genuine difficulties in meeting the cost of the SDF stay and testing, which should otherwise be considered as a private expense. About half of the appeals have been acceded to.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Assessment of Reports on Fake Vaccination Certificates","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"109 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Health with regard to fake vaccination certificates (a) whether the Ministry has conducted any assessment of (i) the current situation of forgery and how widespread it is and (ii) the likelihood of such cases happening in Singapore over the next few months and if so, what are the findings of such assessment; and (b) whether there are stricter measures put in place to ensure that vaccination certificates cannot be forged for fraudulent purposes.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: MOH and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) have developed various digital solutions to assist businesses to check for valid vaccination certificates and detect fake displays.
Businesses are strongly encouraged to use the SafeEntry (Business) App to check an individual’s vaccination status by requesting the individual to tap his or her TraceTogether (TT) App or Token against the businesses’ SafeEntry (Business) App. This would confirm the status of the individual’s vaccination status directly with MOH’s databases. It also allows individuals to concurrently and conveniently perform SafeEntry check-in.
Businesses may also ask to see individuals’ TT App or HealthHub App for their vaccination, or test, status. There are a number of ways to verify the certificates as genuine and to ensure that what is displayed is not just a screen shot of somebody else’s TT App or HealthHub display. For example, businesses can look out for the “signal” animation on the TT App. One can also tap through icons in the App or click on the “refresh” button next to the “COVID Health Status”. Lastly the business can check the particulars on the HealthHub App against the individual’s Government-issued identification card.
As for Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and Long-Term Pass Holders who received vaccination overseas, they would need to present proof of their overseas vaccination and submit themselves to a serology test at participating healthcare providers. After confirmation of a positive result for their serology test, their vaccination status would then be updated in MOH’s databases by their healthcare provider. Their vaccination status would thereafter be displayed in the TT App or the HealthHub App.
Agencies’ enforcement teams will monitor whether establishments are indeed making appropriate checks on their patrons’ vaccination, or test, status. Individuals who are found to have deliberately misrepresented themselves and/or others, for example through the provision of false or misleading verification documents and/or information, could be subject to criminal enforcement and prosecution.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"COVID-19 Vaccination Status Check Via SafeEntry (Business) App","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"110 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Prime Minister whether the Government can help organisations and businesses that need to check on the COVID-19 vaccination status of their visitors, clients and customers, to install and configure their SafeEntry (Business) Apps to allow visitors and patrons, especially the elderly who carry TraceTogether (TT) tokens, to verify their status through a quick scan.
Mrs Josephine Teo (for the Prime Minister): Businesses can use the SafeEntry (Business) App to check on the vaccination and test status of their visitors. Members of the public can use either their TT App or Token to tap against the mobile device uploaded with the SafeEntry (Business) App, for the business to verify their status from the display.
More than 70% of the businesses that need to implement vaccinated-differentiated safe management measures (SMMs) have already set up the SafeEntry (Business) App. For those that have not done so, we have published a step-by-step guide on the SafeEntry website. Businesses that require further help can approach Safe Distancing Ambassadors and Smart Nation Ambassadors to provide hands-on assistance. Businesses may also submit a ticket on the SafeEntry website for technical support or call the SafeEntry Gateway hotline. We will continue to render help to businesses and other organisations as needed.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Animal Cruelty and Abuse Cases Investigated and Enforced Against in Last Five Years","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"111 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development in respect of animal cruelty and abuse cases in the past five years (a) how many cases have been investigated annually; (b) how many cases have been issued warning letters; (c) how many cases have been issued compound fines; (d) how many cases have been prosecuted and fines issued; (e) how many cases have been prosecuted and jail terms issued; and (f) whether the Ministry is considering increasing the penalties for such cases.
Mr Desmond Lee: From 2017 to 2020, NParks investigated close to 1,200 alleged animal cruelty and abuse cases annually. Since 2017, 87 persons have been issued warning letters, 113 persons have been issued compound fines, 40 persons have been sentenced in court and fined, and 23 persons have been sentenced in court with jail terms issued.
We take a serious view of all acts of animal cruelty and abuse. Individuals who are found guilty of committing acts of animal cruelty can be charged under the Animals and Birds Act. First-time offenders can face a maximum fine of $15,000, or a jail term of up to 18 months, or both. Repeat offenders can face a maximum fine of $30,000, or a jail term of up to three years, or both. We will continue to review the penalties under the Animals and Birds Act to ensure that they remain effective in deterring acts of animal cruelty and abuse.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Fundraising for Charities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"112 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how has fundraising for charities been impacted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic; and (b) whether the Ministry intends to do more to encourage more charitable donations for the coming years.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly disrupted many sectors, including our charity sector. Their operations were affected in many ways, from delivering services and programmes, engaging volunteers to organising fund-raising activities and events. They had to postpone or cancel flag days and fund-raising gala dinners. There were fewer volunteering opportunities as we had to minimise close contact to reduce the risk of COVID-19 community transmission. Yet, this was also a time where many charities, especially those in the social and health sectors, experienced greater demand for their services due to the pandemic.
Despite these difficulties, we saw the resilience of our charity sector. Many adapted their operations to serve their beneficiaries and found new ways to do things such as fund-raising online so they could continue their charitable programmes.
In fact, the quantum of tax-deductible donations received by the Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) was $1.01 billion in 2020, which is about the same level as in pre-COVID-19 year 2019 at $1.02 billion. This was a difference of $10 million or just a 0.01% decrease from the previous year.
In the financial year ended March 2021, Giving.sg, a one-stop online donation platform by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), raised $102 million in donations for approximately 600 charities. This is more than two-and-a-half times the $39.5 million raised in the prior financial year. Specifically, we see significant growth in donations supporting charities in the social welfare, health and community sectors.
However, the distribution of charity dollars has been uneven. Tax-deductible donations dipped across all the sectors in 2020, except for the Social and Welfare sector, which reported a significant increase of $138.6 million.
Over the past year, our Government has put in place initiatives to better support charities and encourage charitable donations.
MCCY launched the #SGUnited Portal last year as a one-stop platform for donation and volunteer opportunities for COVID-19 related efforts by charities.
Our National Council of Social Service established the Invictus Fund to marshal private donations to Social Service Agencies, to help them serve beneficiaries safely and effectively during the pandemic. The Community Chest has raised over $10 million for the first tranche of the Invictus Fund.
We extended the 250% tax deduction for qualifying donations to IPCs until the end of 2023. The Tote Board’s Enhanced Fund-Raising Programme for dollar-for-dollar matching was extended to FY2021.
The SHARE As One programme, which offers Government matching for any new and incremental donations through Community Chest’s SHARE donation programme, has been extended to March 2024.
MSF also introduced the new Change for Charity initiative. It provides Government matching grants to encourage participating businesses to weave giving mechanisms into their business models, and to allow customers to donate to the Community Chest through their transactions on the businesses’ payment platforms.
In addition, our NGOs and the community as a whole launched initiatives to encourage online contributions to charities and causes in response to the needs on the ground.
Giving.sg set up a central giving page to help donors locate and contribute to charities’ efforts to address the needs of communities affected by the pandemic. NVPC also fully waived its administrative fees to set up fund-raising for all charities, not just those in social services.
Meanwhile, campaigns on online donation platforms such as Giving.sg and Give.Asia encouraged Singaporeans to donate a part of or their entire Solidarity payment from the Government to those affected by the pandemic. Movements such as #GiveYour600 and #wegiveinsolidarity went viral online.
There were also many commendable ground-up efforts initiated by the community. For example, The Majurity Trust raised more than $600,000 under the Singapore Strong Fund to fund ground-up projects to help our community stay strong amid the pandemic. To-date, The Majurity Trust supported more than 140 projects, benefiting more than 196,000 beneficiaries.
Besides programmes and initiatives to encourage giving, our Government has put in place longer-term initiatives to guide and support charities in their digital transformation and fund-raising efforts. This will help them further their causes in the new normal and expand their toolkit for fund-raising.
The Commissioner of Charities introduced the “Charities Lean Forward” series of webinars, the Charities GoDigital Kit, as well as the enhanced VWOs-Charities Capability Fund to help charities kickstart their digitalisation journey. Together with the National Council of Social Service and Tote Board, the Commissioner also rolled out the enhanced Tech-and-Go!, a first ever technology hub for non-profit organisations to accelerate the sector’s digital transformation.
Through these digitalisation efforts, we hope to help our charities to expand the avenues available to them for fundraising and over time, even out the distribution of charitable donations across the various sectors.
In the face of adversity, our charities did not give up. They acquired new knowledge and skills, embraced new technology and changed existing practices so that they could continue furthering their charitable causes. Our Government has stood beside them in this endeavour.
I would like to encourage all our charities to use all the available grants, support and resources to prepare and transform, to adapt to the new normal that has arrived sooner than we all expected. MCCY and our agencies are committed to continue partnering our charities to emerge stronger from the pandemic together.
Our Government and charities have made significant effort to encourage people to contribute generously. We are also working to ensure that these funds are more evenly distributed and are going to where they are most needed.
However, our charities can only be effective if they have the monetary resources to deliver the services and programmes that are most needed. As individuals, we also have the opportunity to do our part to donate generously to charitable causes close to our hearts.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Awarding of Grades to Students who Miss National Examinations Due To COVID-19 Quarantine Order","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"113 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Education for candidates who miss national examinations because they are under a quarantine order (a) what evidence will be used to award their grades; (b) how is a fair grade arrived at since some students may not perform well during earlier school tests/examinations; (c) whether an alternative examination script can be administered on another date; and (d) how can parents be assured that they need not be anxious about their children having contact with infected persons in the weeks leading up to national examinations.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: To enable as many students as possible to sit for the national examinations while ensuring that the examinations are conducted safely with stringent Safe Management Measures in place, MOE and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) have updated the examination arrangements to include the use of Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for students who are placed on Leave of Absence (LOA), Approved Absence, on Medical Leave with Acute Respiratory Infection or Medical Leave due to fever. Similar to last year’s practice, schools will be implementing a study break for graduating cohorts prior to the year-end national examinations to minimise the risk of school-based transmissions and reduce the number of students placed on Quarantine Order (QO) and Leave of Absence (LOA).
Each year, there will be students who miss some papers of a subject or sat for a paper under adverse circumstances at the national examinations, such as an illness. Under such circumstances, schools will apply special consideration for these students. Similarly, students who are affected by COVID-19 can apply for special consideration.
Special consideration is a well-established procedure, used by many international examination boards, to project grades through an evidence-based and data-driven approach. To ensure that the projected grade is fair and accurate, multiple sources of evidence are considered which include the student’s performance in the other papers for that affected subject in national and school-based examinations as well as the school cohort's performance in national and school-based examinations.
While there is a make-up examination for oral examinations as these are held well ahead of the year-end written examinations, there will be no make-up examinations for the other papers held in the later part of the year. Given the large number of written papers, providing make-up examinations for these would lengthen the duration of national examinations and impact downstream processes such as marking, results release and posting to schools.
MOE and SEAB will monitor the COVID-19 situation and provide timely updates if there are further changes to the examination arrangements.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Degree or Diploma Qualifications for Social Work Employees","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"114 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) why are only degree holders allowed to become social workers; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider developing diploma holders into social workers through short professional development courses targeted specifically at those who have a significant amount of work experience in the social sector.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Social Work is a profession that engages people and systems to address issues and problems in life to enhance well-being. Social Workers need to have mastery of theoretical and research-based knowledge and have deep skills to make assessments and interventions within professional standards of practice and adhere to the Social Work Profession’s code of conduct and ethical principles.
The roles of Social Workers are multifaceted. These include how to conduct risk assessment and mobilising of individuals and resources to keep persons safe especially if they are vulnerable. They have the responsibility to make timely professional judgement calls and work with involuntary clients to receive help and improve their well-being. The rigour of Social Work training at the undergraduate level ensures that Social Workers are able to apply casework, work with groups and communities to solve problems, improve well-being and advocate for vulnerable clients to keep them safe. The basic entry qualification for professional Social Workers in other countries (for example, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines) is a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work.
Diploma holders can take on the role of Social Work Associates and work alongside Social Workers in their professional role. To become a Social Worker, diploma holders have the option of enrolling in an undergraduate programme at the National University of Singapore or the Singapore University of Social Services. Their training at the diploma level may be recognised (subject to each University’s specific admission criteria) and they can complete the Social Work programme within a shorter duration.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Denial of MediShield Life Claims Due To Non-disclosure of Minor Unrelated Health Conditions","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"115 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Health (a) in the last three years, how many MediShield Life claims have been denied annually due to the non-disclosure of minor unrelated health conditions; and (b) what recourse is available for those who feel aggrieved about an unfair rejection of their claims.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: MediShield Life does not deny claims due to non-disclosure of health conditions. All Singapore Residents receive universal and lifelong protection under MediShield Life, including for pre-existing conditions.
The Member may be referring to Integrated Shield Plans (IPs), which are private and optional plans that provide additional coverage on top of MediShield Life. IP claims are assessed by the private insurers based on the contractual terms agreed between the insurer and policyholder. We do not track the number of IP claims denied due to non-disclosure of minor unrelated health conditions. Nevertheless, we expect private insurers to be fair and reasonable to policyholders. Insurers should not reject major illness claims on the basis of undeclared conditions that are minor and unrelated.
Policyholders who feel that their claims have been unfairly rejected and are unable to reach a satisfactory resolution with the insurer may file a claim for mediation or adjudication at the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC). MOH is also establishing a Clinical Claims Resolution Process (CCRP) for IP claim disputes of clinical nature. More details will be released later this year.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Children's ICU Surge Capacity and Scale-up Rate at Singapore's Public Health Institutions","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"117 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health given overseas reports of some paediatric COVID-19 patients needing intensive care (a) how many public healthcare institutions (PHI) currently have children's ICUs and the business-as-usual operational children's ICU bed capacity; (b) what is our PHI children's ICU surge capacity and how quickly can it be scaled; and (c) how many doctors and nurses are trained in the provision of children's ICU care and have recent experience thereof.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and National University Hospital (NUH) are the two public healthcare institutions with paediatric ICU capacity and capability. For 2021, the paediatric ICU beds capacity in both hospitals was 32 beds.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, none of our local paediatric COVID-19 (C+) cases have required supplementary oxygen or ICU care. However, should the need arise, we are able to stand up an additional 20 paediatric ICU beds within a week.
Both hospitals currently have a total of 16 accredited paediatric intensivists, five Paediatric ICU Associate Consultants (PICU), and 163 PICU trained or experienced nurses.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Leveraging Automation and Technology to Monitor and Curb Sea Robbery Incidents in Singapore Strait","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"118 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Transport with the rise in sea robbery incidents in the Singapore Strait (a) what is the Ministry doing to protect our ships and their crew; and (b) whether the Ministry is leveraging on automation and technology to track and monitor the hot spots with the eventual aim of eradicating the perpetrators.
Mr S Iswaran: Between January and July 2021, there were 22 reported sea robbery incidents in the Strait of Singapore, which includes the territorial waters of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. None of these 22 cases occurred within or originated from Singapore’s territorial waters. The 22 reported incidents represent a slight increase over the 19 cases reported over the same period in 2020.
Maritime security agencies respond swiftly and robustly to any suspicious activities within our territorial waters. For example, should a vessel encounter a sea robbery incident in Singapore territorial waters, the Police Coast Guard (PCG) will board the vessel and conduct checks onboard to search for unauthorised personnel and ensure the safety of the crew. The PCG will also do the same upon request by the ship captain if a vessel subsequently enters Singapore territorial waters after encountering such an incident.
To support these enforcement actions, the Singapore Maritime Crisis Centre (SMCC) maintains our overall maritime situational awareness. Through the use of data analytics and intelligence, the SMCC detects and deters maritime security threats, and coordinates responses at the national level. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and PCG use technology to monitor vessels around and within Singapore’s territorial waters. For example, MPA uses its Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) to monitor the safe navigation of ships. MPA also issues alerts to vessels passing through areas with recent piracy or armed robbery incidents, to remind them to stay vigilant. The RSN and PCG leverage on a network of cameras and coastal surveillance systems to detect and track suspicious activities within Singapore’s territorial waters.
Piracy and sea robberies are transboundary problems that require collaboration among regional partners to combat effectively. To that end, our agencies will continue to work closely with the maritime authorities and enforcement agencies of our neighbouring countries, and to share information and conduct coordinated patrols.
Singapore has also contributed actively to cooperative regional efforts to combat piracy and sea robberies. Singapore has hosted the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) since its inception 15 years ago. The ReCAAP ISC is a vital part of the regional anti-piracy architecture, facilitating information sharing, capacity building and cooperative arrangements between its contracting parties.
In addition, the RSN hosts the Information Fusion Centre (IFC), a regional Maritime Security centre which shares information on hotspots and locations with higher concentrations of vessels with authorities of neighbouring countries, to aid them in making decisions on the appropriate actions against possible perpetrators.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Self-defence Lessons for Primary and Secondary School Students","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"120 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry can consider incorporating self-defence lessons into the physical education curriculum for Primary and Secondary schools which include violence prevention strategies and strategies on risk assessment and de-escalation of conflicts to prevent assaults.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The safety and well-being of all our students is of paramount importance. MOE's approach towards physical confrontation is to de-escalate conflict or run to seek help. Students are therefore taught to avoid physical confrontations as an important strategy to keep themselves safe. In situations of emergency or sudden unprovoked acts of physical violence in school or outside of school, students are taught to use the \"Run-Hide-Tell\" response to move quickly away from danger, to stay out of sight and to inform the authorities about the danger.
Self-defence lessons are currently not taught in our physical education curriculum. Teaching all students self-defence may encourage some students to physically defend themselves in response to a physical assault. In such instances, engaging in physical confrontations may potentially put students in greater risk even if they have attained some level of self-defence skills.
Students who are keen and have an interest to learn self-defence can do so through co-curricular activities or enrol in other community-based programmes.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Consistent Enforcement Standards by Safe Distancing Ambassadors for Gyms, Fitness Centres and Sports Facilities","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"121 Mr Mark Chay asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth how does the Ministry ensure that safe distancing enforcement officers are accurately applying and enforcing the safe distancing measures in gyms, fitness centres and sports facilities.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Safe distancing enforcement officers are appointed by the Minister for Health to enforce compliance with the prevailing safe management measures (SMMs) as stated in the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations. They are authorised under the Infectious Diseases Act to issue warnings and fines, as well as prosecute individuals and businesses that breach the control order.
All newly appointed enforcement officers are trained on their roles and responsibilities, and undergo a comprehensive briefing on the current control regulations before they are deployed. Enforcement officers are regularly updated on the safe management measures (SMMs), which include the rules of engagement with premises operators and members of the public. They are also provided timely updates and reference material via their mobile devices. Officers are deployed in teams of at least two persons and a less experienced officer will be paired up with a more experienced one who can provide support and guidance.
Since the start of the circuit breaker period last year, our enforcement officers have conducted more than 47,000 inspections, and provided advice to sport business operators and the public on SMMs. The vast majority of sport business operators have been compliant with the SMMs and we are thankful for their cooperation. Operators who need additional clarification are encouraged to approach Sport Singapore.
We understand that the different alert phases and rules have made implementation complex for some sport business operators. To facilitate the process and help operators, Sport Singapore has held townhalls and briefing sessions to better explain the regulations, as well as to hear and better appreciate the operational concerns on the ground. We will continue to engage the sporting community on the SMMs, and seek the community’s understanding and cooperation as we move towards becoming a COVID-19-resilient nation.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Additional Precautions for Preschools, Childcare Centres and Kindergartens to Prevent COVID-19 Clusters","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"122 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Social and Family Development in view of the recent COVID-19 clusters involving preschools and updated measures to Phase Two (Heightened Alert), whether additional precautions will be taken at childcare centres and kindergartens to ensure greater safety for the staff and our children enrolled in preschools.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The safety and well-being of children and staff in preschools is of utmost importance. To ensure this, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has been evolving our measures to keep our preschool community safe since the start of the pandemic, in consultation with MOH.
ECDA requires all preschools to observe strict safe management measures (SMM) along three strategies:
(a) Restricting access. We do not allow higher-risk individuals (such as persons who are unwell) to enter preschools. We restrict visitors to only those who need to perform necessary functions. As an added precaution, ECDA tightened Leave of Absence (LOA) requirements from 8 June 2021 for children or staff undergoing mandatory testing, issued with Health Risk Warning, or are staying with household members who are on Home Quarantine Order (HQO) or Stay-Home Notice (SHN)1.
(b) Emphasis on personal and environmental hygiene. Practices such as frequent handwashing, cleaning of high-touch points and ensuring good ventilation are adopted.
(c) Restricting movement across groups in the preschool. Children and staff in preschools are cohorted by class and staff cannot be deployed across preschools.
To complement the three SMM strategies in preschools, vaccination and testing are two key enablers for the safe resumption of activities.
Vaccination is a key part of Singapore’s efforts in moving toward a COVID-19-resilient nation. As at end August 2021, about 95% of preschool staff are already vaccinated or have received their first dose. We will continue to encourage those who are medically eligible but have yet to get themselves vaccinated, to do so early so that they can better protect themselves, their families, and the children under their care.
Beyond vaccination, regular testing using Antigen Rapid Test (ART) serves as a useful form of surveillance so that COVID-19 infections can be detected earlier, which will in turn enable preschools to ring-fence and act earlier to reduce the risk of transmissions. To enable this, we will:
(a) implement the \"Vaccinate or Regular Test\" regime in preschools. From 1 October 2021, the \"Vaccinate or Regular Test\" regime announced by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) will apply to all programme and non-programme staff working in preschools, including interns and HQ personnel. Any unvaccinated staff, including those who are medically ineligible, will have to be tested with an ART twice a week.
(b) introduce surveillance testing at preschools. From 1 October 2021, preschools will also introduce regular ART testing of staff, regardless of their vaccination status. Surveillance testing is important, given that preschool children cannot be vaccinated at this point.
(c) facilitate regular testing and close self-monitoring of preschool staff and children’s health. We will do so by distributing three ART kits to each preschool staff and child from mid-September. The ART kits distributed by ECDA, together with the six ART self-test kits that each household will receive as part of MOH’s nationwide distribution exercise, will enable preschool staff and children to do a quick test whenever there is possible exposure or suspicion of possible infection. This includes staff and children who:
(i) are identified by their preschool as possible contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case and placed on LOA;
(ii) are feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms, but were not swabbed when visiting the doctor; or
(iii) have unwell household members with flu-like symptoms.
More fundamentally, we hope that the distribution of ART kits will help to kickstart the habit of regular self-testing by everyone. To keep our community safe, all of us have to exercise personal responsibility and monitor our health, our family members’ and our children’s health closely and self-test regularly.
The COVID-19 situation remains dynamic. As we transit towards living with COVID-19 as an endemic situation, we will continue to review and refine our testing regime and safe management measures, in line with the national posture and in consultation with MOH, to safeguard the health and well-being of the children and staff in our preschools.
Keeping our preschools safe and healthy is a collective effort. Hence, we urge the preschool community to continue to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions against the spread of COVID-19. We also urge parents to monitor their children’s health closely and seek immediate medical advice, if their child is unwell. Children who are unwell should stay at home to rest and return to preschool only when they have fully recovered.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : For staff staying with household members under HQO or SHN, preschools may issue LOA to the staff or redeploy them to back-end administrative tasks. From 8 June 2021, this measure was tightened further such that preschools may choose to lift the LOA and redeploy the staff to back-end administrative tasks only after the staff’s household member under QO tests negative for their entry swab test."],"footNoteQuestions":["122"],"questionNo":"122"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Support for Singaporeans Living Abroad in Countries with Limited Access to COVID-19 Vaccinations","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"123 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether and to what degree the staff working in Singapore’s overseas missions have obtained access to COVID-19 vaccinations; and (b) what support is provided to Singaporeans living abroad to gain access to COVID-19 vaccinations in countries where residents’ access to vaccinations is still limited.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Officers posted to our Overseas Missions are frontline and essential services personnel who have been given access to COVID-19 vaccinations. Currently, we have 359 officers based overseas and only one has not yet received the vaccination. The officer will be returning in the next few weeks and will be fully vaccinated by November 2021.
On the second query, we are unable to conduct vaccination overseas for medical and legal reasons. Therefore, to the extent possible, MFA will seek the cooperation of foreign governments to extend their local vaccination programmes to Singaporeans overseas.
We are also exploring options to make it more convenient for overseas Singaporeans to be vaccinated when they return to Singapore. We just announced two dedicated vaccination options under which Singaporeans overseas can receive one dose of vaccination on transit in Singapore without serving the full Stay-Home Notice (SHN). The Singaporean can then return to receive his second dose on transit again after the required dosing interval. The second option is for Singaporeans overseas to receive their first dose of vaccination while serving SHN after their arrival in Singapore and the second dose post-SHN.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Development of Space Industry Given Potential Economic and Strategic Value to Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"124 Mr Raj Joshua Thomas asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the Government’s plans to develop the local space industry given its potential economic and strategic value to Singapore.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Today, the space industry in Singapore employs more than 1,500 professionals, and there is potential for the sector to grow further. The space industry is a key enabler for global connectivity, aviation and shipping. Space research can also help us better understand climate changes and weather patterns. In Singapore, space is already integral to our daily lives. The apps that we depend on for ride-hailing or deliveries tap on location data derived from a network of Global Navigation Satellite Systems or GNSS. When you log on to check your WhatsApp messages or emails during a flight or on a cruise ship, you are also tapping on connectivity provided by communications satellites.
Given the vast potential for the future, we intend to develop our local space industry to capture opportunities using three strategies. First, we will support local space enterprises to innovate and scale up. Our national space office, the Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn), has been working with our startups and SMEs to build deep technical capabilities, identify opportunities, and support their venture building and fund-raising efforts. For example, Zero Error Systems is a spin-off company from NTU which develops radiation-hardened electronics based on earlier research supported by OSTIn and they went on to raise US$1.85 million in a seed round last October. Our startups have also developed technologies that are valued by more established space players. For instance, AddValue Innovation’s Inter-satellite Data Relay System (IDRS), which enables operators to do real-time tasking of their satellites, is on San Francisco-based Capella Space’s satellites and will be on Boston-based Analytical Space, Inc’s Fast Pixel satellites.
We have also launched several R&D grant calls where space-based technologies can support our national priorities in aviation, maritime, climate and the environment, and resilience. For instance, OSTIn opened a grant call in June for R&D proposals for disruptive small satellite technologies to improve the performance of satellite buses and payloads, while reducing size and cost.
Second, we hope to inspire a future generation to fulfil their dreams in space. One such avenue is by preparing our students to take on job opportunities in this area through space-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs. Earlier this year, OSTIn and the Singapore Space and Technology Limited partnered the School of Science and Technology to conduct a workshop for Secondary school students on radio communication with satellites. This was a pilot for OSTIn’s “Space Explorers’ Network” outreach programme based on ground-up initiatives by teachers and students to explore topics of interest related to space.
Third, we will continue to contribute to an open and collaborative international system through bilateral partnerships and participation in forums such as the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). We are also looking beyond our borders to collaborate with other space-faring nations. For instance, Singapore recently joined the Space Climate Observatory as its 30th member. OSTIn has also signed a Letter of Intent with the UAE Space Agency to strengthen cooperation on topics such as space science and technology, and space policy and law.
The Government, the private sector, research institutions and IHLs will need to work together to better understand space, which will allow us to harness its vast potential for everyone’s collective benefit. Together, we can grow an innovative space ecosystem, build deep capabilities and forge strong partnerships, so that we can reach for the stars.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Options for Drivers to Safely Drop Off and Pick Up Passengers from Bus Stops","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"126 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether cars, motorcycles and other similar vehicles are allowed to make quick stops at bus stops to allow passengers to alight/board; and (b) if not, what options are available for drivers to safely drop off and pick up passengers from bus stops.
Mr S Iswaran: Bus stops are designed to facilitate the safe boarding and alighting of public bus commuters. Their capacities are sized based on the volume of public buses and commuters they serve. If other vehicles, such as cars and motorcycles, are allowed to freely pick up or drop off passengers at all bus stops, it could result in congestion at the bus stops and affect the service reliability of public buses.
It is an offence for vehicles apart from public buses to stop at bus stops which are heavily used, such as those located along bus lanes during bus lane operation hours or at bus stops where there are “No Stopping Except Public Buses” signs.
Motorists are allowed to make quick stops at other bus stops. However, parking or waiting at bus stops is prohibited as it could disrupt public bus operations. Enforcement action will be taken against motorists who do so.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Addressing Findings in Survey that Showed Top Stressors for Youths are Anxiety over Future and over Finances","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"128 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth given the National Youth Council's findings highlighting anxiety over the future and stress over finance as top stressors for youths in Singapore, what are the targeted mitigating measures in place to alleviate stress and promote greater mental wellness for our youths.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: MCCY and our National Youth Council (NYC) regularly engage our youths to better understand how they feel and what challenges they face during the pandemic. In a poll conducted in the second half of 2020, our youths tell us that they perceive mental well-being to be a key challenge and are particularly anxious about their future and finances1.
Our Government has put in place a range of measures to support our youths in this regard.
On the jobs and careers front, as of end-April 2021, we have placed more than 110,000 locals, including graduates and working youths, into jobs and development opportunities under our SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package. MCCY and NYC are complementing these efforts by providing more diverse opportunities through initiatives such as our YouthTech Programme and our Youth Corps Internship Scheme.
On the financial front, our COVID-19 Support Grant, Temporary Relief Fund and Recovery Grant, are available to youths in lower- to middle-income households who lost their jobs or income, or had to go on no pay leave due to the pandemic.
We are also supporting our youths’ mental well-being across all life stages.
In schools, MOE will enhance professional development on mental health literacy for all teachers and recruit more school counsellors where possible. Our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) are also committed to help ensure the mental well-being of students. For example, IHLs have professional counsellors to support our students and refer students who require more assistance to mental health professionals in the community and hospitals. All IHLs also have an established peer support structure. For example, students look out for one another, offer a listening ear and encourage peers in distress to reach out to a trusted adult for help. We will introduce peer support structures in all schools by end 2021.
In workplaces, MOM issued the \"Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-Being at Workplaces\" to advise employers on how to better support their employees’ mental well-being, especially during COVID-19. MOM also launched iWorkHealth, an online workplace psychosocial health assessment tool to help companies better understand their employees’ state of mental well-being and stress factors at work. As of 3 September 2021, more than 180 organisations have registered for iWorkHealth, with more than 7,500 employee respondents.
In the community, we introduced online campaigns to educate our public on how to cope with stress and challenges and to encourage help-seeking behaviours. MCCY and Health Promotion Board (HPB)’s \"Brave the New\" campaign, which ran from August to December 2020 helped individuals cope better and be more willing to seek help from others.
We have also provided our youths with mental well-being resources on Youthopia, our first-stop portal providing information and content. MCCY and NYC have partnered youth-led organisations such as Campus Psy and the Happiness Initiative to curate resources for our youths to learn tips on self-coping and resilience, as well as how to talk to and help others in need.
MCCY is building up peer support networks among youths in the community, beginning with a Community Peer Supporter programme by our Youth Corps Singapore (YCS), in collaboration with HPB. About 30 youth participants will be onboarded as part of the pilot by the end of September 2021.
In the wider community, youths can also seek help through a range of channels, such as 24-hour hotlines run by the Samaritans of Singapore and the Institute of Mental Health, as well as counselling services and social-emotional support provided by community mental health teams and Family Service Centres.
We are also keenly aware of the impact of social media and online usage on our youths’ mental well-being.
On Youthopia, youths can find resources to navigate the online space safely, including how to respond to cyberbullying and deal with cyber wellness issues.
We are partnering tech companies to promote the positives while mitigating the risks of social media. This includes partnerships with Facebook and TikTok to equip our youths with skills to create social impact initiatives and online educational content on topics such as mental health stigma, cyber bullying and exposure to harmful online content. We also worked with these companies to include local support resources for mental health and cyber wellness on their platforms.
As part of the Digital for Life movement, MCI has launched a Singapore Together Alliance for Action (AfA) to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls. The AfA brings individuals and organisations from multiple sectors together to close the digital safety gap.
Our Government is committed to addressing mental well-being of our population, including our youths. Our new Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being co-led by MOH and MSF and chaired by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Health, brings together the capabilities and capacities of different agencies to develop a national action plan on mental health and well-being beyond COVID-19. As a member of this taskforce, MCCY will work with MOE, MOH and MSF to support our youths.
The challenge of youth mental well-being is broad, and we thus need everyone – Government, our community, our youths, to play a role. So we invite partners to join us in this effort and thank our many partners already on board this important journey with our youths.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Feeling anxious over future uncertainty (53%), stress over finances (41%) and worries over academic or work performance (39%) were youths’ top mental health stressors."],"footNoteQuestions":["128"],"questionNo":"128"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal to Slow Down Sale of Government Land Parcels for New Developments to Preserve Green Spaces","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"130 Ms Poh Li San asked the Minister for National Development in view of the “code red for humanity” warning in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report and the building and household sectors making up the second highest source of carbon emissions in Singapore (a) whether the Ministry will consider slowing down the sale of Government land parcels for new developments to preserve more green spaces; and (b) how will the Ministry incentivise existing building owners to switch to more energy efficient air-conditioning systems.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Government is committed to taking decisive action to mitigate climate change. The Singapore Green Plan 2030, which we launched earlier this year, charts ambitious and concrete targets for sustainable development over the next decade. One of our key priorities under the Green Plan is to accelerate our transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon built environment.
The Government adopts a long-term approach towards land use planning, with stewardship and sustainability as core principles. We have to balance demands and trade-offs across a wide variety of needs, including housing, green spaces, workplaces, amongst others.
We adopt various strategies to make the most of our land, while incorporating flexibility in our plans, to meet the changing needs and aspirations of each new generation. These include redeveloping brownfield sites, increasing the density of developments and co-locating suitable uses to optimise our land.
For our green spaces, we adopt a science-based approach to nature conservation. Today, as a result of this approach, we have safeguarded approximately 7,800 hectares of our land for Nature Reserves, Nature Areas, Nature Parks and other green spaces, such as parks and park connectors. We have retained a number of ecologically important sites as green spaces, although they had initially been designated for other uses. For example, while Dairy Farm Nature Park and Rifle Range Nature Park could have been developed for housing, we decided to keep them as green buffers to our Nature Reserves given their ecological value.
As part of our efforts to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, we will add another 1,000 hectares of green spaces over the next 10 to 15 years and weave greenery more intensively into our urban areas. By 2030, we will plant one million more trees across Singapore under the OneMillionTrees movement, replacing trees lost to development and more.
We are committed to stewarding and protecting our green spaces. However, given our scarce land, there will be greenfield sites that we have to develop. Where development cannot be avoided, we proceed with care. Supply of Government land for new developments is carefully calibrated and regularly reviewed, taking into account considerations such as land use needs, macroeconomic conditions, and ecological factors.
We also take steps to minimise the environmental footprint of new developments. We impose higher sustainability requirements for Government Land Sale (GLS) sites in selected strategic areas, beyond the minimum legislative requirements. For example, projects developed in Marina Bay are currently required to attain BCA’s Green Mark Platinum certification.
To encourage building owners to switch to more energy-efficient cooling systems, BCA administers the Grant for Low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) Refrigerant Chillers, which supports part of the cost of switching to chillers that use climate-friendly refrigerants. Such chillers help building owners to not only reduce their buildings’ emissions, but to also reap energy cost savings over time. Building owners who need financial assistance to undertake retrofitting works may also tap on the Building Retrofit Energy Efficiency Financing (BREEF) scheme, which helps to finance the upfront cost of energy efficiency retrofits through an energy performance contract arrangement with a participating financial institution.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Greening Plan for New and Existing Parks","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"131 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development whether achieving the plan for the development of new parks and enhancing existing parks with more vegetation and natural landscapes by the end of 2026 has been affected by the pandemic.
Mr Desmond Lee: We remain committed to achieving our targets to add over 130 hectares of new parks and enhance about 170 hectares of existing parks, by the end of 2026. While some projects may face delays in the immediate term due to manpower constraints and material shortages in the construction industry brought about by COVID-19, NParks will work with its contractors to minimise these delays. In addition, NParks has continued to work with stakeholders to conceptualise and design our new parks during the pandemic, such as by conducting engagement sessions virtually. We will press on with our plans to transform Singapore into a City in Nature.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Enhancing Employment Opportunities and Training for Individuals with Autism and Intellectual Disability","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"132 Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the Ministry's efforts to enhance employment opportunities and employability of individuals with autism and intellectual disability; and (b) what are the Ministry's plans to enhance continuing training support for these individuals.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: To help persons with disabilities gain employment, the Government supports employers of persons with disabilities with the Enabling Employment Credit (EEC). The EEC provides employers with wage offsets for each Singaporean person with disability earning below $4,000 per month that they employ.
In addition, persons with disabilities seeking employment could tap on the Open Door Programme (ODP), which is administered by SG Enable with support from Workforce Singapore. The ODP provides job placement and job support services for persons with disabilities and their employers.
Persons with disabilities receive up to one year of job matching, training and other support services provided by partner organisations such as Autism Resource Centre and Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore. These partner organisations are experienced in working with persons with autism and persons with intellectual disability and have trained job coaches to provide customised employment support to these individuals. Employees with disabilities can also tap on the ODP Training Grant for upskilling and training courses for continual learning and training. The ODP Training Grant, which was enhanced in July 2020, offers 95% course subsidy and a training allowance for employees. Between 2014 and 2020, under the ODP, SG Enable and its partners placed over 3,000 clients in employment through job placement and job support services, and trained more than 2,500 persons with disabilities.
Amid the continued impact of COVID-19 on Singaporeans, the Government launched three new programmes to enhance access to training and employment opportunities for PwDs this year. The new customised Place and Train (PnT), Attach and Train (AnT) and Skills Development Programmes (SDP) complement existing efforts under the ODP, to support employment and training for PwDs.
Persons with disabilities who participate in any of these programmes will benefit from a 90% course fee subsidy for courses that they attend while employers will receive up to 90% of salary support from the Government for the placement of these persons with disabilities. These efforts will help to enhance access to training, employment and other related opportunities for persons with disabilities amid the continued impact of COVID-19 on Singaporeans, as well as to lower the costs for employers, host companies and training providers in offering these new programmes to persons with disabilities. More than 100 PwDs have benefited from these programmes. We will review whether to continue the programmes after this year.
The Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) was introduced in August 2020 to support employers to expand local hiring. Employers hiring eligible locals can receive up to $15,000 per hire. Those hiring mature workers, persons with disabilities and ex-offenders will receive higher support of up to $54,000 per hire. The JGI has supported the hiring of more than 1,600 persons with disabilities as at February 2021. This includes PwDs who may have been out of the labour force, but are now able to find a job with the support of progressive employers.
About six in 10 were not employed at the point of hire, and more than half of these persons had been out of work for more than six months.
To encourage more employers to hire persons with disabilities, President’s Challenge 2020 focused its year-long efforts on empower persons with disabilities through rallying employers to reaffirm their commitment to inclusive hiring. As at 31 August 2021, 148 employers have pledged their commitment. In addition, SG Enable launched the Enabling Mark in October 2020, the first national-level accreditation framework that benchmarks and recognises organisations for their best practices and outcomes in disability-inclusive employment. The inaugural Enabling Mark Awards Ceremony was held last month where 88 organisations were accredited with the Enabling Mark.
Building on these efforts, MSF is currently working with its partners to implement the recommendations of the Third Enabling Masterplan’s (EMP3) Workgroup on Preparing Persons with Disabilities for the Future Economy.
The workgroup released their report in April 2021 and its recommendations seek to better prepare special education students for employment, create new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, support them in upgrading their skills and better recognise and incentivise inclusive employers. The Government has accepted these recommendations and has started implementing some of them over the past year, for example, by enhancing the Open Door Programme (ODP) Training Grant and introducing the Enabling Employment Credit (EEC) and the Enabling Mark. We will continue to monitor our existing measures and explore ways to enhance lifelong learning as well as employment opportunities for individuals with autism and intellectual disability through the Enabling Masterplan 2030.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Public Consultation for Review on Carbon Tax","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"133 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Finance whether a public consultation will be conducted on the review of the carbon tax.
Mr Lawrence Wong: We announced at Budget 2021 that we are reviewing the post-2023 carbon tax level and trajectory to spur the transition to a more sustainable future, while maintaining our overall economic competitiveness. The outcome of the review will be announced at Budget 2022 to provide time for adjustment to the changes.
We will engage widely as part of this review. The public have also been providing their views, through ongoing engagements on how the Singapore Green Plan and the carbon tax can help us achieve a low-carbon, sustainable future. In the annual lead up to Budget 2022, MOF will also seek views from the public. More details on engagements will be shared as they become available.
The transition to a greener and more sustainable future will involve difficult trade-offs. But there will also be opportunities for innovation and growth. The Government will continue to support Singaporeans and businesses through this transition.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Current Upfront and Monthly Cost to Households for Hiring of Foreign Domestic Workers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"135 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry has data on the current minimum, median and maximum total upfront cost and monthly cost of hiring (i) a transfer migrant domestic worker and (ii) a new migrant domestic worker entering Singapore respectively; (b) if so, what are the costs; and (c) whether the current costs are sustainable.
Dr Tan See Leng: To hire a new migrant domestic worker (MDW) from overseas, an employer incurs upfront costs for the local Stay-Home Notice (SHN) and related COVID-19 tests, service fees charged by the employment agency (EA), as well as other administrative costs such as medical insurance, security bond, cost of the Settling-In Programme (SIP) and work permit application fees. Based on our sampling two months ago, the median cost of hiring an MDW was about $7,000, including the loan that the employer extends to an MDW from overseas. The upfront cost of hiring an MDW has increased and this is mainly due to the cost of SHN and related COVID-19 tests that are mandatory.
We have observed an increase in the monthly salary of MDWs as well. As at end-2019 (pre-COVID-19), the average monthly salary of MDWs hired from overseas was $570. The average monthly salary was $590 as at end 2020. For transfer MDWs, the average monthly salary was $610 as at end 2019 and $630 as at end 2020.
To help employers manage the SHN cost, MDWs serve their SHN at economy hotels, which cost $1,500 for 14 days compared to $2,000 for other work pass holders in regular hotels. In addition, MDWs have the option to share a room with another MDW during their SHN at $1,000, subject to room availability. MOM considers appeals from Singaporeans to waive the SHN costs on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration household income and the financial circumstances of the household. MOM also recently announced that when an MDW is transferred to a second employer, the first and second employers may share the SHN and related COVID-19 test costs paid by the first employer. This will help employers who hired MDWs from overseas better manage the costs of hiring an MDW.
As the global COVID-19 situation has not stabilised, border controls remain necessary to reduce the risks of importing COVID-19 and protect the community. With the limited number of entry permits allowed by the Multi-Ministry Task Force, MOM is prioritising households with urgent caregiving needs. Households can consider engaging part-time help from companies providing domestic services such as house cleaning. MOM has recently formalised the Household Services Scheme to help in this aspect. Households with caregiving needs can also consider childcare or eldercare facilities, some of which are subsidised to help households with financial difficulties.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Coffee Shops and Hawker Centres that Have Applied for Funding under Toilet Improvement Programme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"136 Ms Hany Soh asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) to date, how many coffee shops and hawker centres have signed up for NEA’s Toilet Improvement Programme since its launch on 2 October 2020; and (b) whether NEA is looking into reviewing the existing scheme to encourage more stakeholders to come on board and increase its participation rate.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The Toilet Improvement Programme offers co-funding for coffeeshop owners or operators and Town Councils, to improve toilet designs, install sanitary fittings and adopt technology that better facilitate the cleaning and maintenance of toilets in coffee shops and hawker centres. As of 31 August 2021, NEA has received applications from 38 eligible coffeeshops and 10 hawker centres.
To increase participation, NEA reaches out to stakeholders regularly through circulars and engagement sessions. I welcome Members to encourage your Town Council and the coffee shop owners or operators in your constituency to apply for funding under the Toilet Improvement Programme.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Professional Services Support for Social Service Organisations","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"137 Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the current percentage distribution of employees in the social service sector across the (i) social work function (ii) back-office function (such as human resource, administrative and finance) (iii) volunteer management function and (iv) communications and/or fundraising function; and (b) whether there is a target or goals that the Community Capability Trust intends to achieve in terms of enabling non-social work professional functions in social service agencies to be beefed up and if so, what are these targets.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Based on MSF's Manpower and Salary Survey (MPSS) which collects manpower and salary data from Social Service Agencies (SSAs), there were around 16,500 social service sector employees in 2019. About 60% of these employees were in positions that provide direct social services, including social workers, therapists, counsellors and care staff, among others. Social workers comprised 14% of all social service sector employees, or around one-quarter of employees who provide direct social services.
The remaining 40% of social service sector employees were employed in functions that do not deliver direct social services, such as human resource, administration and finance, communications, fundraising, volunteer management and others.
As SSAs have different organisational structures and requirements, we do not set targets on the distribution or size of staff in corporate functions. Instead, we have been partnering SSAs to strengthen their capabilities, which includes corporate functions and have introduced various initiatives to do so. This includes schemes to help SSAs diagnose areas for improvement and implement solutions such as the People Practice Consultancy (PPC) and Organisation Development Journey (ODJ), and schemes to help SSAs hire to expand their corporate functions and implement capability-building projects such as the Enhanced Volunteer Manager Funding Scheme (EVMFS) and Transformation Support Scheme (TSS). Apart from these schemes, SSAs can tap various other grants under the VWOs-Charities Capability Fund (VCF).
The Community Capability Trust (CCT) will open for applications in FY2022 and will build upon our existing efforts to further support SSAs to achieve organisational excellence. This includes areas such as volunteer management, digitalisation, evaluation and research, among others.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Factors in Pricing HDB Flats of Different Sizes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"138 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for National Development (a) how does HDB derive the price of a new flat unit for (i) 2-room Flexi flat and (ii) 3-room flat; (b) why is there such a wide difference in the pricing; (c) what is the standard difference in flat sizes for the two flat types; and (d) what are the factors taken into consideration when determining the size of the two flat types.
Mr Desmond Lee: In pricing new flats, HDB first establishes the market value of the flat by considering the prices of comparable resale flats nearby, as well as the individual attributes of the flat, such as its location, floor area, storey height and orientation, as well as accessibility to key transport nodes and amenities. A significant subsidy is then applied to the market value so that new flats are priced below market to ensure affordability. Eligible first-timer flat buyers can also enjoy the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $80,000, which provides further support to lower- and middle-income families buying their first home.
The typical HDB flat sizes are 36 square metres (sqm) for 2-room Flexi Type 1 flats, 46sqm for 2-room Flexi Type 2 flats and 66 sqm for 3-room flats. Three-room flats are thus 1.4 to 1.8 times larger than 2-room Flexi flats, with difference in sizes ranging from 20 to 30 sqm.
The price differences between 2-room Flexi flats and 3-room flats arise mainly due to the differences in their respective floor areas. At the individual flat level, differences in flat attributes also impact the price. In addition, 2-room Flexi flats can be offered on short leases of between 15 and 45 years, where prices will be adjusted downwards to account for the lease length and conditions.
HDB offers various flat types, ranging from 2-room Flexi to 3-Gen flats to meet the different needs and budgets of home buyers. All flats, including 2-room Flexi and 3-room flats, are designed to be fully functional, for instance, meeting the needs for basic furniture placement and comply with Universal Design requirements.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Interest-free Financial Support to Singaporeans Pursuing Degrees at PSB Academy","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"139 Mr Abdul Samad asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider providing interest-free financial support to Singaporeans pursuing degrees at the PSB Academy.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Private Education Institutions (PEIs), including PSB Academy, are not part of the public education system and hence generally do not receive Government funding.
We have likewise not extended Government-funded loans to PEI students. They may apply for financial assistance offered by PEIs, or tap on education loans offered by commercial banks, to finance their studies.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for New Category of COEs for Motorcycles Used for Delivery Work","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"140 Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider creating a new category of COEs for motorcycles used by riders for delivery work or increasing the quota for motorcycles.
Mr S Iswaran: The recent increase in motorcycle COE prices has raised concerns amongst the public. Fundamentally, COE prices are determined by demand and supply. Due to the closure of motor vehicle showrooms and dealerships during the 2020 circuit breaker, COE bidding was suspended from April to June 2020. The accumulated COE quotas from the suspended COE bidding cycles were restored to the monthly pool over 12 months, thereby increasing COE supply by about 30% from July 2020 to July 2021. Despite the higher-than-usual number of motorcycle COEs, more than 99% of motorcycle temporary COEs (TCOEs) issued have been used to register motorcycles before they expired. For instance, from June to August 2021, only seven out of 3,188 Category D TCOEs were not utilised. This represents a 99.8% utilisation rate within the TCOEs’ six-month validity period. This high utilisation rate suggests a high demand for motorcycles.
As the return of earlier accumulated COEs concluded in July 2021, the COE supply dropped by 28% from August to October 2021 compared to the preceding three months. The combination of high demand for motorcycles and the drop in COE supply may have contributed to the high COE prices.
Unlike for cars, the COE quota for motorcycles is relatively small. Dividing it further into smaller sub-categories may distort the market and result in significant volatility in COE prices. Increasing the supply of motorcycle COEs has broader ramifications for our total vehicle population and our vision of a greener and more vehicle-light environment.
A subsidy scheme for delivery riders will raise questions of equity and would be difficult to implement given the dynamic inflow and outflow of workers in the gig economy. Moreover, such subsidies are likely to be priced into bidding and purchasing decisions.
We recognise that some workers rely on motorcycles for their livelihoods. This is why the Government subjects motorcycles to lower Additional Registration Fees, road taxes and ERP charges compared to other vehicles types.
There have only been three COE bidding exercises since the redistribution of the accumulated COEs concluded. LTA is monitoring the market situation closely and will respond if there is any evidence of undesirable bidding behaviour.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of People Developing Severe Allergic Reactions after First Dose of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine and Advised Not to Proceed with Second Dose","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"141 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many people have developed severe allergic reactions after their first dose of an mRNA vaccine; (b) how many have been advised against proceeding with the second dose; and (c) what is the vaccination plan for this group.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: As of 10 September 2021, 47 persons were notified to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) as having anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, after their first dose of an mRNA vaccine. All such persons are unsuited to take subsequent doses of mRNA vaccines.
They are offered Sinovac-CoronaVac (Sinovac) in public hospitals, to complete their vaccinations. Alternatively, they may choose to wait for the other non-mRNA vaccines that MOH has procured and expects to be delivered by the end of the year or early next year.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Profile of Persons Not Yet Inoculated with COVID-19 Vaccine","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"142 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Health of the remaining population that is not vaccinated, what percentage of them are (i) children below the age of 12 who cannot receive the vaccination and (ii) individuals who cannot receive the vaccination for health reasons.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: As of 5 September 2021, 17% or about 930,000 of our population are yet to be vaccinated with any dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Of the unvaccinated, more than half are children below the age of 12 and are not yet eligible. The remaining 400,000 unvaccinated comprise about 100,000 seniors aged 60 and above, and an estimated 300,000 individuals aged 12 to 59 years.
A small group of about 1,000 individuals have a previous allergic reaction to other vaccines and may potentially not be able to receive COVID-19 vaccines. They are being referred to specialists for further assessment.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Increase of HDB Loan Tenure In View of Delays in Construction of HDB Flats and Rise in HDB Resale Prices","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"143 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for National Development having regard to the current short supply of HDB BTO units caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising prices of HDB resale flats making it more difficult for buyers to afford them, whether the HDB loan tenure may be increased from 25 years to 30 years.
Mr Desmond Lee: Buying a HDB flat is a long-term financial commitment. The maximum loan tenure for HDB housing loans is set at 25 years to encourage financial prudence among flat buyers. This is especially important in the current climate of rising housing prices.
While a longer loan tenure may increase the loan amount or lower the monthly instalment payable, flat buyers will pay more in interest over the duration of the loan. Such a move will also inject liquidity into the resale market, which may fuel property prices.
To ensure that resale flats remain affordable, HDB provides up to $160,000 in housing grants for eligible first-timer families. With regard to the supply of new flats, HDB is on track to launch about 17,000 Build-to-Order (BTO) flats this year. This is higher than the 14,600 and 16,800 flats launched in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Balance flats, which are offered via Sale of Balance Flats exercises and open booking of flats, will further supplement our housing supply.
We will continue to monitor the market situation closely and remain committed to ensuring that public housing remains affordable and accessible for Singaporeans.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Annual Amount in Maintenance Orders Issued by Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents from 2016 to 2020","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"144 Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development from 2016 to 2020, what is the yearly breakdown of the maintenance orders made by the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents by quantum awarded in the bands of (i) less than $500 and (ii) each subsequent band of $500.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents allows parents to file for a maintenance order against their children who are not supporting them financially, if conciliation by the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents does not work out.
From 2016 to 2020, the Tribunal received close to 200 applications, of which about two-thirds were granted maintenance. Of these, 82% of the parents were awarded a monthly quantum of less than $500. Thirteen percent were in the $500 to $999 band, 4% were in the $1,000 to $1,499 band and 1% received $1,500 or more per month. On a yearly basis, the proportions based on the various bands remain generally similar. Please refer to Tables 1 and 2.
The Maintenance of Parents Act allows for parents to claim for their basic needs. The amount ordered varies depending on the parents’ needs and circumstances, and what their children are able to afford. The Tribunal may dismiss claims or reduce the quantum ordered if the parent had abused, neglected or abandoned his or her children. The Tribunal may also refer the parents to the Social Service Office for financial assistance, if they are not awarded any maintenance, or if the maintenance awarded is insufficient to meet their basic needs.
146 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) from 2015 to 2020, how many bus captain applications were rejected annually due to the candidates possessing a Class 3A driving licence instead of a Class 3 driving licence; and (b) what is the rationale for restricting only motorists with a Class 3 driving licence to become bus captains.
Mr S Iswaran: Under the Road Traffic Rules, an individual who wants to undergo training to obtain a Class 4A driving licence, which allows for the driving of public buses, must first obtain a Class 3 driving licence. A Class 3 driving licence allows the holder to drive Class 3 motor vehicles, such as cars and small vans, with either manual or automatic transmission.
Some applicants for bus captain positions have Class 3A driving licences, which allow them to drive Class 3 motor vehicles with only automatic transmission. These applicants are required to obtain a Class 3 driving licence, before they are allowed to undergo training to obtain a Class 4A driving licence. There is this requirement because public buses in the past used to operate on manual transmission.
Over the years, our bus fleet has fully shifted to automatic transmission. Given this change, the Traffic Police has approved requests from Public Transport Operators to allow bus captain applicants who have a Class 3A driving licence, to undergo training to obtain a Class 4A driving licence. Between April 2019 to July 2021, 57 out of 60 of such requests were approved. The remaining three requests were rejected as the applicants had outstanding driving offences.
We have received feedback from the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) that the current licencing rules could affect bus captain recruitment efforts, as some applicants could be deterred from applying because they have a Class 3A licence and not a Class 3 licence.
MOT agrees with NTWU’s feedback. We are discussing with MHA to review the requirement, as this would provide greater clarity and certainty to potential bus captain applicants and encourage them to sign up.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Landlords in Arrears of Mortgage Payments Since Start of COVID-19 Pandemic","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"147 Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Prime Minister with regard to leases of non-residential properties (a) what is the number of landlords and units they own that are in arrears of mortgage payments since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (b) for landlords who are legally obliged to give rental reliefs to support their tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, whether the Government will consider mandating measures to compel banks to reduce their interest rates and waive penalties for late payments or interest expenses.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, MAS has worked with the financial industry on a comprehensive set of relief measures to support individuals and businesses. They have included full or partial deferrals of principal repayments on loans secured by property, both residential and commercial. The objective is to allow more time for economic conditions to normalise, so that we avoid unnecessary foreclosures on otherwise viable loans.
With the gradual opening up of economic activities, most borrowers have been able to resume loan repayments. Those with difficulties can apply to their banks or finance companies for relief measures. Based on the applications for assistance, the number of borrowers in difficulty has been coming down over time. Last year, banks and finance companies granted about 12,000 reliefs on non-residential property loans. Between January and July this year, they received fewer than 650 applications for payment reliefs on such loans.
We understand that some landlords may face cashflow constraints as a result of the mandated two-week rental waiver. The three local banks have recently reaffirmed their commitment to provide targeted assistance and restructuring solutions to borrowers.
Given the fall in interest rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, landlords with floating rate mortgages would also have seen lower interest rates on their loans and a reduction in their debt servicing burden. Landlords with fixed rate mortgages can refinance their loans at lower interest rates and apply to lenders for waivers of refinancing fees on a case-by-case basis.
Overall, we assess the current targeted relief measures to be sufficient to support the much-reduced number of landlords who are facing difficulties.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Annual Declaration of Non-indebtedness by Public Service Employees and Limits on Unsecured Loans","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WANA","content":"148 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Prime Minister (a) whether all public servants are required to make annual declarations of non-indebtedness; (b) if so, what is the maximum amount of unsecured loans each officer can have vis-à-vis their monthly income; (c) whether there is any obligation on the part of officers to report fellow officers whom they know have exceeded this amount; and (d) what are the consequences for non-reporting.
Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Prime Minister): Every public officer has a duty to maintain high standards of personal conduct and integrity. This includes living within one’s means so as not to become financially embarrassed. All officers have to make an annual declaration of their non-indebtedness. They must also immediately declare to their Permanent Secretary or the Chief Executive of the Statutory Boards when their unsecured debts and liabilities exceed three months of their monthly salary.
To reinforce high standards of integrity, conduct and accountability, there are established internal channels for officers to report wrongful practices or behaviours they have observed in the workplace to their Heads of Department. Based on the reporting guidelines, officers can report their fellow officers who have become financially embarrassed in good faith.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures for Licensed Payment Institutions that Issue Credit/Debit Cards to Singaporeans Below 16 Years of Age","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"1 Mr Don Wee asked the Prime Minister whether MAS has any plan to increase measures for licensed payment institutions that issue credit/debit cards to Singaporeans younger than 16 years of age as there is a risk of children utilising the card details to shop for unsavoury items or subscribe to dubious websites.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam (for the Prime Minister): There are broadly three types of payment cards – credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards – which may be issued by banks, non-bank credit card issuers (such as American Express and Diners Club), as well as licensed payment institutions. Examples of prepaid cards are EZ-Link cards, NETS FlashPay cards and Singtel Dash, which is an e-money wallet.
Generally, as a matter of commercial practice by banks and other credit card issuers, those under 16 years of age do not have access to credit or debit cards and applications can only be made for them to have prepaid cards. However, to use a prepaid card, they would still need to be able to fund the card using money transferred from a bank account, credit card, or physical cash top-up in a store.
Prepaid cards, being a type of e-money wallet, have a maximum funding limit. Different card issuers can provide useful features for parents such as providing access to their children’s transaction records, card-locking capabilities, blocking of certain categories of merchants, setting of spending limits and so on. We urge parents to actively engage their children on the responsible use of money and if appropriate, leverage on such features offered by card issuers to have a conversation around appropriate spending.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Plans to Reduce Wastage in Food, Gears and Logistics within SAF Camps under Singapore Green Plan","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"2 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Defence in light of the Singapore Green Plan (a) whether the Ministry has plans to reduce wastage in food, gears and logistics within SAF camps; and (b) how is biodiversity managed in SAF training areas.
Dr Ng Eng Hen: In line with the Singapore Green Plan, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is committed to reducing its waste generation by 30% by 2030. It has been implementing various measures to attain this objective.
To reduce food wastage, SAF plans for meals at its cookhouses based on weekly consumption forecasts that take into account a unit’s training schedule and nutritional requirement. An electronic meal accounting system is also used to track actual consumption over time so that further adjustments can be made. These measures have reduced food wastage to, on average, about 1% of meals catered.
On equipment, servicemen are issued with the necessary uniforms, boots and other personal equipment needed to perform their vocational roles. They are provided with annual eMart credits to replace worn-out personal equipment as and when needed, rather than at rigid fixed time windows when the equipment are still in good order.
Besides minimising wastage, SAF also makes effort to recycle. For example, 14 SAF cookhouses are currently involved in a food recycling programme, which produces biogas for energy generation. By 2024, all SAF cookhouses will be part of this programme. SAF has also set up equipment collection points at premises such as SAFRA clubhouses for National Servicemen to dispose their old uniforms, boots and other personal equipment, some of which are repurposed and recycled. In addition, SAF has put in place waste disposal contracts to repurpose and recycle scrap metals, electronic waste, chemicals and waste oil. Moving forward, SAF will explore further measures to reduce and minimise wastage.
MINDEF strikes a careful balance between the need to meet SAF’s operational and training needs with biodiversity concerns. Subject to operational and security considerations, MINDEF adheres to the national Environmental Impact Assessment framework to assess and reduce the environmental impact of our developments. MINDEF also works closely with partner agencies, such as NParks, and consults other stakeholders, including nature groups, on such efforts.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Expected Impact of Change in Malaysia's Political Scene on Singapore and Bilateral Relations","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"3 Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what will be the expected impact of the change in Malaysia's political scene on Singapore and our relationship with Malaysia.
4 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether the changes in the political leadership in Malaysia will impact agreements and discussions supporting Singapore-Malaysia cross-border movements such as the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates and compassionate cross-border travel; and (b) if so, what will be these changes.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: It is Singapore’s consistent position to work with the government of the day. We have enjoyed good relations with successive Malaysian governments and leaders, and cooperated well with them across a wide range of areas. We cooperated closely with the previous government led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and minimise disruptions to our companies, workers, and citizens. We also made progress on long-term bilateral projects such as the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link Project.
Our office holders are familiar with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Cabinet, and our civil services maintain good relations and are in regular contact with each other. We remain in close communication with the Malaysian authorities on various issues of mutual concern, such as on cross-border travel and the reopening of borders. Cross-border travel arrangements such as the Periodic Commuting Arrangement and framework for Death and Critically Ill Emergency Visits remain in effect. The Singapore Government is also continuing discussions with the Malaysian government on the safe and gradual resumption of cross-border movement of people. This will require mutually agreed public health protocols, such as the mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, in order to preserve the public health and safety of residents on both sides.
Singapore remains committed to maintaining a constructive and positive bilateral relationship with the current Malaysian government. This is especially important in order for both our countries to emerge stronger together from the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to working with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and his government for the mutual benefit of our countries and peoples.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Review of Penalties for Illegal Massage and Karaoke Outlet Operations with a View to Make Jail Sentences Mandatory","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"5 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will review the penalties for those who run illegal massage and karaoke outlets to make jail sentences mandatory; and (b) whether legislation will be enhanced to make it a serious crime for those who callously flout healthcare rules as they are endangering human lives by their actions.
Mr K Shanmugam: In determining penalties for offences, there is a need to consider deterrence and also that the penalties are proportionate with the nature of the offence.
Where the legislation provides for a discretionary jail term, such as under the Massage Establishments Act, the Courts may decide whether to impose a jail term, depending on the facts. We do not see a need to remove this discretion from the Courts.
Further, non-compliance with Safe Management rules is an offence under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, punishable by penalties of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Repeat offenders may be punished with a fine of up to $20,000, or imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been several cases where individuals who egregiously broke the rules, have been jailed.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Yearly Breakdown of Speeding Violations Involving Singapore-registered Lorries from 2016 to 2020","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"6 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) from 2016 to 2020, what is yearly breakdown of the 19,758 speeding violations involving Singapore-registered lorries; (b) among these speeding violations, what is the highest recorded travelling speed; and (c) among the 19,758 speeding violations, how many have involved lorries that are ferrying workers.
Mr K Shanmugam: From 2016 to 2020, the Traffic Police (TP) detected a total of 19,758 speeding violations involving Singapore-registered lorries. This comprises lorries that were caught travelling at a speed higher than either its vehicle or the road speed limit. The yearly breakdown of these speeding violations are as follows:
Among these speeding violations, the highest recorded speed of an offending lorry was 132 kilometres per hour.
TP does not track if vehicles involved in speeding violations were ferrying workers.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Outcome of Mandatory Installation of Speed Limiter on Heavy Vehicles since Its Introduction","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"7 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) when was it made mandatory for heavy vehicles to be equipped with a speed limiter; (b) since then, whether there have been any cases of tampering with these speed limiters; (c) whether the number of speeding offences among heavy vehicles has dropped since speed limiters have been made compulsory; and (d) if so, by how much.
Mr K Shanmugam: Since 1999, the Traffic Police (TP) has required all heavy vehicles, with a maximum laden weight greater than 12,000 kilogrammes, to be installed with speed limiters which impose a speed limit of 60 kilometre per hour.
From 1999 to 2020, 24 cases of tampering of speed limiters were prosecuted and convicted. This is an offence under the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Speed Limiters) Rules. First-time offenders are liable for an imprisonment term of up to three months or a fine of up to $1,000. Repeat offenders are liable for an imprisonment term of up to six months or a fine of up to $2,000.
TP only started tracking the breakdown of speeding violations for those committed by heavy vehicles with speed limiters from 2011 and therefore is not able to provide a before-and-after comparison since the start of the speed limiter regime in 1999.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Police Investigations into Authenticity of Supporting Documents on Work Performed by Facility Management Contractors Highlighted in Auditor-General's Report for FY2020/2021","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"8 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the observations in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY 2020/2021 casting doubt on the authenticity of several supporting documents on the work performed by facility management contractors (FMCs) (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the status of Police investigations on this matter; and (b) whether technology can be harnessed to require FMCs to make contemporaneous digital records of work that has been performed to improve their governance.
Mr K Shanmugam: MHA takes a very serious view of the cases involving possible irregularities in the supporting documents produced by MHA’s contractors for AGO’s audits. In this connection, Police reports were lodged against two contractors.
In the first case, the contractor was charged in court on 27 July 2021. In the second case, the contractor was given a 12-month conditional warning on 19 August 2021.
MHA is leveraging technology in the management of facilities management. In particular, MHA will be enhancing its enterprise Integrated Logistics Management System (iLMS) to enhance the contract administration process, such as the digitalisation of records and monitoring of the work processes for facilities management. Our processes will generally ensure that contractual requirements are met. Cost recovery is effected when there is non-compliance. But as hon Members will understand, once in a while, someone will get around the system. We will take action against such people, when they are found out.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number and Proportion of Prison Inmates Aged Above 55 on Completion of Prison Sentence and Their Employment and Job Retention Rates within Three and Six Months of Release","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"9 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number and proportion of prison inmates who are presently above 55 years old; (b) what is the number and proportion of inmates who are presently below 55 years old but will be above 55 years old upon completion of their prison sentence; and (c) for inmates aged above 55 years old upon release, what is the employment rate and job retention rate for them within three months and six months upon their release.
Mr K Shanmugam: As of end 2020, 1,924 local inmates, that is, those who were Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, or 20.5% of the local inmate population, were aged above 55 years old.
The number of local inmates who were 55 years old and below as of end 2020 but would be more than 55 years old upon their release, is 492. They formed 5.2% of the local inmate population.
In 2020, there were 1,344 local inmates who were above 55 years old at the point of release. And 56.1% and 72.4% of these inmates found employment within three and six months of their release respectively. These numbers are likely an underestimation, as the data was based on CPF records and thus did not include persons in jobs which do not provide for CPF contributions, such as food delivery riders and private hire car drivers.
For local ex-offenders aged above 55 years old and who were employed within six months of their release, their three-month and six-month job retention rates are 81.6% and 42.5% respectively.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures to Reduce Number of First-time Drug Abusers, Especially Those under 30 Years Old","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"10 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Home Affairs what is being done to reduce the number of first-time drug abusers especially those under 30 years old.
Mr K Shanmugam: Preventive drug education (PDE) is the first line of defence in the Central Narcotics Bureau’s (CNB) drug control approach. Through its PDE initiatives, CNB aims to increase public awareness of the harms of drugs and encourage the adoption of a drug-free lifestyle.
To inoculate youths specifically, CNB works closely with MOE to incorporate PDE contents into the school syllabus. CNB also engages students through talks, sharing sessions, exhibitions, skits and the After-School Engagement (ASE) programme. In 2020, in spite of the COVID-19 situation, 66% of Primary and Secondary schools participated in at least one PDE programme.
For post-Secondary youths, CNB fosters a participatory process through co-creating projects with the students. Through this, youths are encouraged to think about the long-term impact of drug abuse and advocate against a drug-tolerant culture from taking root in Singapore. For example, in July 2021, \"Monomania\" was launched on the Singapore Polytechnic (SP) campus. This was a collaborative project between SP students and CNB to deliver the anti-drug message through an exhibition using projection mapping technology, to provide an immersive audio-visual experience showing the effects of drugs on the body.
CNB works with the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force to engage full-time national servicemen (NSFs). For instance, PDE toolkits and message cards with bite-sized information are provided to NS commanders so that they can engage NSFs under their charge on drug issues.
Social media is another key engagement channel. In May 2021, CNB released the \"Down the Rabbit Hole\" video, which illustrates the calculated business motivations of drug dealers and how drugs abusers are mere \"revenue streams\". The video has garnered more than 200,000 views thus far.
One of CNB’s key partners is the National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA). CNB and NCADA engage community partners and volunteers through the United Against Drugs Coalition (UADC) and Anti-Drug Abuse Advocacy Network, or A3 Network. The UADC rallies support from local organisations to raise awareness of drug abuse in our society, while the A3 Network brings together individuals from different walks of life to educate and empower them to advocate for a drug-free Singapore. As of August 2021, CNB has 1,108 A3 advocates, out of which 237 are youths and 73 partner organisations under the UADC.
In addition to PDE efforts, MHA constantly reviews its laws to ensure that they remain effective. In 2019, amendments were made to the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) to criminalise acts of contamination which facilitate or promote drug abuse, as well as to better protect children and young persons from the harms of drugs.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Result of Drug Rehabilitation Centre Regime on Recalcitrant Rates in Past Two Years of Implementation","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"11 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Drug Rehabilitation Centre regime has resulted in lower recalcitrant rates in the past two years of implementation.
Mr K Shanmugam: In 2019, MHA introduced changes to strengthen the drug rehabilitation regime. Third and subsequent-time drug abusers who have not committed other concurrent offences are channelled to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) for treatment and rehabilitation, instead of being charged in court and sentenced to long-term imprisonment (LT regime).
The DRC regime consists of an in-care phase and a community-based programme (CBP) phase. During the in-care phase, drug abusers go through programmes such as psychology-based correctional programmes, employability skills training, family programmes and religious programmes. They may then be emplaced on CBP and serve the remainder of their detention in the community under supervision, as part of a step-down approach to facilitate their reintegration into society.
The two-year recidivism rate — defined as the percentage of local inmates under the custody of Singapore Prison Service (SPS) who are subsequently detained or sentenced to either imprisonment or day reporting order within two years of release into the community — is a key measure of the effectiveness of SPS’ rehabilitation policies and programmes. The two-year period is widely used internationally as a benchmark for recidivism.
From January 2019 to December 2020, 3,985 drug abusers were admitted into DRC. And 1,759, or 44.1%, were third- or subsequent-time abusers. As at end-December 2020, 654 third- or subsequent-time drug abusers had completed their in-care phase and had been released into the community. The two-year recidivism rate for this group will only be available in 2023, as that is when they would have completed two full years in the community.
In the interim, there are some early indications that the 2019 changes support rehabilitation. Earlier this year, SPS conducted a qualitative study involving third- and subsequent-time drug abusers in the DRC. Participants who had previously undergone the LT regime reported that under the DRC regime, they are better able to maintain family ties and reintegrate back into society, compared to the previous times when they were incarcerated for long periods under the LT regime.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Total Transaction Value of 89 Reports of Fraudulent Card Transactions Performed with SMS OTPs from September 2020 to February 2021","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"12 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Home Affairs from September 2020 to February 2021, what is the total transaction value of the 89 reports of fraudulent card transactions performed with SMS OTPs where victims claimed that they neither performed the transactions nor received any SMS OTPs to authorise the transactions.
Mr K Shanmugam: The total transaction value of the 89 reports of fraudulent card transactions was $550,500.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Employment of Latest Cyber Technology to Detect and Deter Foreign Interference with Domestic Politics and Social Issues","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"13 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry can provide an update on how the latest cyber technology is drawn upon to detect and deter foreign interference with domestic politics and social issues.
Mr K Shanmugam: Foreign actors may use bots or inauthentic accounts to launch hostile information campaigns (HICs) to manipulate viewpoints in other countries’ domestic politics. Our security agencies have been keeping abreast of developments in cyber technology that may be exploited for such purposes. They have deployed early detection systems which can surface anomalies or patterns in network activity to alert agencies to such threats.
MHA has also introduced new legislation to guard against foreign interference.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Assistance for Sex Workers under COVID-19 Support Schemes and Help with Other Forms of Work to Prevent Them from Turning to Underground Prostitution","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"14 Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether sex workers have been provided with any form of assistance under the COVID-19 support schemes or allowed to engage in other forms of work to earn income; and (b) what measures are in place to prevent these workers from turning to underground prostitution.
Mr K Shanmugam: The various support schemes and training packages to assist Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who have been affected by COVID-19 are available to all persons who meet the eligibility criteria, including those who might have worked in the sex industry.
It is indeed possible that such workers and others may engage in underground illegal sexual activities, using a variety of means and fronts. The way this is dealt with is through enforcement operations against vice activities, including online vice activities and vice activities offered at other places (for example, massage establishments).
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Take-up Rate of ScamShield App since Its Launch and Efforts to Encourage Elderly to Use App to Protect Themselves against Scams","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"15 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the latest take-up rate of the ScamShield app since its launch in November 2020; (b) when will the Android version be ready; and (c) what are the efforts to encourage more of our elderly to download this app and protect themselves from scams.
Mr K Shanmugam: As of 20 August 2021, about 200,000 iOS users have downloaded ScamShield.
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and GovTech are currently developing an Android version, which is expected to be ready by the end of this year.
We use various channels to inform our seniors about ScamShield. For example, the Police regularly share crime information, including scam prevention advice, with Residents’ Committees and grassroots volunteers, so that in turn, they can engage their residents about scams via their various outreach platforms. Senior citizens are encouraged to download ScamShield during these sessions. Volunteer Crime Prevention Ambassadors from NCPC also share about ScamShield with residents, including senior citizens, during their engagements.
We also work with partner agencies. For example, as part of the “SG Cyber Safe Seniors” programme launched in June 2021 by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Singapore Police Force, the outreach collaterals and webinars included references to the Scam Alert website (www.scamalert.sg) where ScamShield is featured.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Plans for Ministries to Work Together to Prevent and Solve Cryptocurrency Scams and Crimes","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"16 Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the various Ministries can work together to prevent and solve cryptocurrency scams and crimes and if so, in what ways.
Mr K Shanmugam: To more effectively combat cryptocurrency scams and crimes, the Police established the Cryptocurrency Task Force in 2018 to monitor the cryptocurrency landscape; develop and improve operational procedures in the investigation and seizing of cryptocurrencies; and establish working relationships with overseas law enforcement agencies, industry professionals and academic experts in cryptocurrencies.
The Task Force works closely with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which regulates entities that deal in or facilitate the exchange of cryptocurrencies or Digital Payment Tokens (DPTs) in Singapore under the Payment Services Act. The Task Force also has links with the Association of Crypto Currency Enterprises and Start-ups Singapore (ACCESS), a Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Industry Association that aims to foster dialogue between Singaporean cryptocurrency and blockchain businesses and other relevant public and private sector stakeholders. The Police also work with the various cryptocurrency exchanges based locally and abroad to investigate into cryptocurrency crimes.
Enforcement against cryptocurrency-related scams and crimes alone is insufficient. Public awareness and vigilance are key to preventing more people from falling prey to such scams. MAS has issued numerous advisories warning consumers of the risks of investing in and trading cryptocurrencies, given their highly speculative nature. MAS and the Police have also issued public advisories alerting consumers to fraudulent websites soliciting cryptocurrency investments.
In addition, MoneySense has ongoing outreach initiatives to alert consumers to the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies, through articles, campaigns and regular posts on Facebook and Instagram. Cryptocurrency investment scams, in particular, was a key focus area for MoneySense’s recent campaign from April to June 2021. Besides highlighting the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies, the campaign featured key messages about the risks of dealing with unregulated entities, and to always “Ask, Check and Confirm” before making investments.
Should consumers choose to invest in or trade cryptocurrencies, they are advised to check if the entities they deal with are regulated by MAS. Regulated entities have to comply with anti-money laundering and terrorism financing requirements, which means that they would have to put in place measures, such as performing customer due diligence and transaction monitoring, to reduce the risk of illicit actors transacting through them. Regulated entities are also required to put in place security measures to guard against cyber attacks. These entities would have to report any suspicious transactions to the Police.
The public may refer to the following resources found on MAS’s website:
(a) the Financial Institutions Directory – a list of financial institutions regulated by MAS and the activities they are authorised to provide;
(b) the Register of Representatives – a list of individuals who conduct activities regulated by MAS; and
(c) the Investor Alert List – a list of unregulated entities who, based on the information received by MAS, may have been wrongly perceived as being licensed or authorised by MAS.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Use of SGSecure App to Make Reports and Actions Taken against Makers of Prank Reports","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"17 Mr Raj Joshua Thomas asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) to date, what is the number of (i) persons who have downloaded the SGSecure app (ii) reports made through the app and (iii) prank reports made through the app; and (b) whether any action has been taken against persons who have made prank reports.
Mr K Shanmugam: The SGSecure app was launched in 2016 and about three million devices have been equipped or downloaded with the SGSecure app since.
The number of reports made through the app have been increasing steadily, from 6,000 reports in 2017 to 14,000 reports last year. These include reports alerting the authorities to sightings of suspicious individuals or behaviour, individuals suspected to be armed with weapons, unattended or suspicious bags and packages, as well as individuals showing signs of radicalisation or religious extremism.
We do not track prank reports, most of which were sent anonymously. Nonetheless, our assessment is that the number is quite low. To date, three persons have been warned for intentionally sending false information via the SGSecure app.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Cases Referred to Independent Review Panel and Work Done since its Formation to Strengthen Systems and Processes of Home Team","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"18 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the Independent Review Panel (IRP) formed in 2014 to strengthen the systems and processes of the Home Team (a) how many cases have been referred to the IRP since its formation; (b) what is the nature of the cases referred; (c) who is the current Chair of the IRP; (d) what reforms have been implemented as a result of the IRP's advice; and (e) whether the public can be informed of key findings and changes made.
Mr K Shanmugam: The Independent Review Panel (IRP) has been convened on six occasions since its inception. Cases referred to the IRP are those where allegations of serious misconduct have been made against Home Team Officers acting in their official capacities, such as neglect of duty or abuse of powers, but short of criminal conduct. In these cases internal investigations had been carried out. Where the allegations suggest criminal conduct, criminal investigations and court prosecution will be initiated and there would be no necessity to go through with the IRP process.
The IRP was satisfied on all six occasions that the internal investigations conducted by the Home Team Departments were thorough and fair. It had also provided recommendations to improve some procedures. Following the recommendations, Home Team Departments had taken steps to address them:
(a) Police reviewed its training programmes on the management of difficult subjects by frontline officers, its handling of persons-in-custody at hospitals and the standard operating procedures on filing and classification of cases; and
(b) CNB reviewed its standard operating procedures and training on internal investigations to ensure that internal investigations are thorough and robust.
The IRP’s current chairman is Mr Richard Magnus, a retired senior district judge.
As stated earlier, if the conduct is assessed to be potentially criminal, the Court process will take over and the matter will be in public domain. The internal investigations (referred to above) and the IRP deal with other disciplinary or process breach related issues. The Ministry will follow up on the findings, act on them. To the extent relevant, they will also be picked up by the AGO and made public.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Implementation of Amendments to Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act Passed in 2019","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"19 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Home Affairs when will the amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act passed in 2019 come into operation.
Mr K Shanmugam: Since the passing of the amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA) in October 2019, MHA has been working on developing the systems and processes that will facilitate the required disclosures and reporting by religious groups. We have also been conducting user testing on the new systems. We are working towards operationalising the amendments to the MRHA by early 2022.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Statistics on Successful Applications for Simplified Debt Restructuring Programme and Simplified Winding Up Programme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"20 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Law with regard to the Simplified Debt Restructuring Programme (SDRP) and the Simplified Winding Up Programme (SWUP) respectively, as of 28 July 2021, what is (i) the number of successful applications (ii) the median revenue of the applicant companies and (iii) the median debts of the applicant companies as at the time of application.
Mr K Shanmugam: Between 29 January 2021 and 28 July 2021, there were 26 applications received for the Simplified Winding Up Programme (SWUP). Of these, seven applications were successfully emplaced on the programme, 17 applications are being assessed for suitability for the programme and the remaining two applications were rejected. To date, we have not received any application for the Simplified Debt Restructuring Programme (SDRP).
As part of the eligibility criteria for the SWUP, the annual sales turnover of the applicant companies cannot exceed $10 million. The median annual revenue of the applicant companies, based on the companies’ latest financial accounts, is $30,000. The median debt of the companies as provided at the point of application is $200,000.
Given the uncertain business outlook, the application period for both the SWUP and SDRP has been extended for an additional 12 months till 28 July 2022 to continue to assist eligible financially-distressed micro and small companies to rehabilitate their businesses or to wind up their businesses in a simple, faster and lower-cost manner.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Take-up Rate of Productivity Solutions Grant by SMEs and Micro SMEs in 23 Industry Transformation Map Sectors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"21 Mr Abdul Samad asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) to date, what is the take-up rate of the Productivity Solutions Grant, particularly by SMEs and micro SMEs in the 23 Industry Transformation Map sectors; and (b) what is the breakdown of resident workers by numbers and demographics who have seen wage increases as a result of their employers receiving such grants.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Since the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) was launched on 1 April 2018, over 77,000 grants have been taken up by SMEs and micro SMEs, with about 85% taken up by enterprises from the Industry Transformation Map (ITM) sectors.
PSG supports the ITMs by helping SMEs adopt pre-scoped productivity solutions. Agencies review these solutions regularly to ensure that they are effective in raising productivity, thereby laying the foundations for sustainable wage increases for workers. PSG recipients are not required to report the wage increases arising from the solutions. As a proxy, the real median income from work of full-time Singaporeans (including employer CPF contributions) since the introduction of the ITMs in 2016 has risen by 3.7% per annum from 2016 to 2019.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Study to Assess Amount of External Methane Emissions Associated with Piped and Liquefied Natural Gas Imported and Consumed in Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"22 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry has conducted a study to assess the amount of external methane emissions associated with natural gas imported and consumed in Singapore across both piped natural gas and LNG.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Singapore imports natural gas from around the world, including Piped Natural Gas (PNG) from Indonesia and Malaysia, and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Australia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Oman and the United States. The amount of external methane emissions associated with piped natural gas and liquefied natural gas depends on the production, processing, transportation and distribution processes. As these differ across different sources of natural gas and given the diversified sources that Singapore draws natural gas from, the amount of external methane emissions arising from natural gas imported to Singapore varies. We have not conducted a study on the external methane emissions associated with the natural gas imported and consumed in Singapore.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Extent of Chinese Port Closures from COVID-19 Pandemic and Likely Impact on Supply Chains, Production and Growth in Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"23 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the extent of Chinese port closures during the COVID-19 pandemic; (b) how will this affect supply chains and production in Singapore; and (c) whether it will have a material impact on Singapore’s growth.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: In May and August 2021, after detecting several COVID-19 cases, China imposed partial and temporary closures at the Yantian International Container Terminal at the Port of Shenzhen and the Meidong Container Terminal at the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan for 34 and 14 days respectively. While both ports accounted for approximately 8% of Singapore’s imports from China, the port closures did not have a significant direct impact on Singapore’s economy and supply chains.
However, in a globally connected network, such port closures would create a chain effect and affect operations at subsequent ports of call, particularly at major transhipment nodes like Singapore. For example, when there is a delay in vessel arrivals, shippers would need time to re-plan and execute cargo movements.
To mitigate the impact of the delays, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) has been working closely with the shipping lines, cargo owners and other supply chain stakeholders to track the handling of time-sensitive cargo to minimise delays.
Such port closures may be more frequent in the future and therefore, businesses will need to strengthen their supply chain risk management and business continuity plans.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures to Mitigate Overall Increase in Costs of Living on Wage Increments for Low-wage Workers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"24 Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Trade and Industry how will the Ministry mitigate the overall increase in costs of living so that it does not negate the wage increments for low-wage workers.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The Government adopts a multi-pronged approach to manage cost of living pressures faced by Singaporeans, including low-wage workers.
First, the Government aims to keep the economy competitive to ensure that companies continue to create good jobs with sustained income growth. As companies are better able to sustain real wage increases if productivity improves, the Government has put in place schemes such as the Productivity Solutions Grant to help companies raise their productivity.
Second, the Government promotes competition in markets and lowers barriers to entry where possible to ensure that Singaporeans enjoy competitive prices. For instance, we have diversified our sources of supply, including for food, in order to prevent sharp price increases whenever there are disruptions to our supply from any particular source.
Third, the Government strives to moderate business cost increases by managing domestic supply-side constraints. For example, the Government ensures an adequate supply of industrial and commercial space to meet rising demand, which helps to relieve the price and rental cost pressures faced by businesses. This in turn helps to moderate the cost increases for consumers.
The Government will continue to monitor cost of living trends closely and adjust its policies if necessary. Assistance such as through ComCare will continue to be provided to low-income and vulnerable Singaporeans who need help with their daily living expenses.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Annual Value of Export and Trade Surplus or Deficit with European Union and Impact of EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on Singapore's Exports","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"25 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Trade and Industry for the last five years (a) what is the annual value of exports and trade surplus or deficit with the European Union, of which, what is the annual value and trade surplus or deficit every year for (i) cement (ii) iron and steel (iii) aluminium (iv) fertilisers and (v) electricity; (b) what is the impact of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on Singapore’s exports; and (c) what are Singapore’s plans in relation to the CBAM.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: On 14 July 2021, the European Union (EU) released draft legislation for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The CBAM aims to equalise the price of carbon between EU products and imports for a sub-set of products in five sectors: (i) cement; (ii) iron and steel; (iii) aluminium; (iv) fertilisers; and (v) electricity. During the transitional period from 2023 to 2025, the CBAM will require EU importers of these products to report carbon emissions embedded in their imports. From 2026 onwards, the CBAM will require EU importers to purchase CBAM certificates corresponding to the level of carbon emissions embedded in their imports of affected products.
Based on the list of products in the draft legislation, we expect limited impact on Singapore’s domestic exports to the EU. Between 2016 and 2020, the average annual value of our domestic exports to the EU was around S$19 billion, of which affected products was around 0.08%, or S$14 million.
Singapore is a strong supporter of multilateralism and global climate action. We have been working closely with the EU and other partners at international, regional and bilateral platforms to explore multi-faceted strategies in tackling climate change. At the same time, measures such as the CBAM should be consistent with WTO principles and not raise barriers to international trade. In particular, the CBAM should be applied in a non-discriminatory manner. It should also take into account existing carbon taxation or other mitigation mechanisms implemented by exporting countries.
We will continue to help Singapore-based companies to do more business in the EU by using the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and to navigate issues arising from the EU’s CBAM. MTI will also continue to keep in close contact with our EU counterparts on their implementation of the mechanism and ensure that our trade and investment relations remain strong and robust.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Extending COVID-19 Vaccinations to Seafarers Joining and Signing Off Ships in Singapore Waters","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"26 Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Transport whether COVID-19 vaccination can be extended to seafarers who join and sign off ship in Singapore waters as Singapore is an International Maritime Centre and there are countries globally who vaccinate seafarers of all nationalities in their shores.
Mr S Iswaran: As a major transhipment hub port and international maritime centre, Singapore supports the International Maritime Organisation’s efforts to set up a global network of seaports in facilitating the vaccination of international sea crew. This initiative provides additional protection for sea crew against COVID-19 and enhances global supply chain resilience.
Under the Sea Crew Vaccination (SEAVAX) Initiative, Singapore is offering eligible groups of non-resident foreign sea crew the option of receiving COVID-19 vaccinations from 30 August 2021. These sea crew are either working in the Port of Singapore for a prolonged duration, engaged in the supply of essential goods, or engaged in ferrying passengers.
The Singapore Shipping Association, maritime unions and PSA are also working out the necessary protocols for transient sea crew who are signing on to vessels at the Port of Singapore to receive their vaccinations as part of the established crew change process. Currently, such sea crew are required to undergo stringent pre-arrival isolation and testing, and strict bubble wrap protocol under our crew change process.
Sea crew who are signing on to vessels should be prioritised for vaccination because they will be at sea for long periods aboard vessels calling at ports around the world and will hence be at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. Sea crew who sign off at the Port of Singapore may receive their vaccinations upon returning to their home countries.
The vaccination of sign-on sea crew will commence once the arrangements for this industry-led effort are ready and the necessary approvals have been obtained.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Investigation and Prosecution of Cases of Waste Disposal into Singapore Waters in Past Five Years","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"27 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Transport for each of the past five years (a) how many cases of disposal of refuse, garbage, waste matter, trade effluent, plastics or marine pollutants in packaged form, into Singapore waters have been (i) investigated (ii) issued warning letters (iii) issued compound fines (iv) prosecuted and fines issued and (v) prosecuted and jail terms issued respectively; and (b) how many ships’ garbage and management plans have been verified by inspectors.
Mr S Iswaran: Between 2016 and 2020, there were three cases of disposal or discharge of refuse, garbage, waste matter, trade effluent, plastics or marine pollutants in packaged form from ships into Singapore waters investigated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). There were two cases in 2017 and one case in 2018. MPA issued composition fines for all three infringements.
The number of inspections and verifications of the Garbage Management Plan (GMP) on ships conducted by MPA between 2016 and 2020 is provided in the table below.
28 Dr Tan Yia Swam asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of the 400 KTVs that pivoted to food and beverage and given licences, how many of them have commercial kitchens.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Of the more than 400 nightlife establishments that were approved to pivot to Food and Beverage operations, 11 operate with a Food Shop (Restaurant) licence from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), which requires a commercial kitchen. The rest operate with a Food Shop (Snack Counter) licence, which requires more basic food preparation equipment.
Enhanced Safe Management Measures (SMMs) have been introduced on top of existing ones for the F&B sector to further reduce public health risks and facilitate enforcement checks. All pivoted nightlife establishments can only resume operations after they pass inspections and receive a conditional permit from MTI. This conditional permit imposes additional SMMs on these establishments, including installing CCTVs to monitor operations, removing public entertainment equipment like karaoke machines and pool tables from sight, and ensuring that food preparation facilities and menus comply with licencing conditions set by SFA.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Investigation under Transboundary Haze Pollution Act against Companies and Individuals involved in causing Haze Pollution in Singapore in 2015","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"29 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether he can provide an update on NEA's investigation under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 against several companies and individuals for allegedly causing peatland and forest fires in Indonesia causing haze pollution in Singapore in 2015.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: In its investigation into fires which caused severe transboundary haze in 2015, the NEA identified fires on concession lands associated with six Indonesian companies and issued legal notices under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act to all six. As previously announced in March 2017, NEA has closed the cases on two companies based on the information they provided in response to the legal notice. Investigations into the other four companies remain open.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal to Release Figures on Singapore’s Existing Carbon Emissions that GreenGov.SG's Projections and Targets are Based on","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"30 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry will release public figures on Singapore’s existing carbon emissions that GreenGov.SG's projections and targets are based on.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: GreenGov.SG was launched in July 2021 with new sustainability targets and significantly expanded coverage of public sector facilities beyond office buildings. The Government will work towards releasing a GreenGov.SG report on the public sector’s sustainability performance in due course, which will include carbon emissions.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Plans to Reduce Stigma against Students Seeking Psychological Help from School Counsellors","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"31 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Education (a) what plans are in place to reduce the stigma against students seeking psychological help from school counsellors; and (b) whether there are anonymous ways for students to reach out.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: MOE and our schools have a multi-pronged approach to reduce the stigma for students seeking help from School Counsellors.
Firstly, mental health education is featured strongly in the refreshed Character and Citizenship Education curriculum. Topics include understanding common mental health issues and symptoms, knowing when and how to seek help for self and others, destigmatising help seeking and developing empathy towards people struggling with mental health issues and conditions.
Secondly, the counselling room provides a private, quiet and safe place for students to share in confidence. To help students feel more comfortable with talking to School Counsellors, they engage students beyond the counselling room. School Counsellors proactively reach out to students during morning assembly and recess time to interact with students. They also conduct school-wide or class-based talks to raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage seeking help from trusted adults. School Counsellors also engage parents during the schools’ briefing sessions for parents on supporting their children’s well-being.
Thirdly, for students who prefer anonymity and support outside of the school setting, there are local online portals (for example, Tinkle Friend, eC2, SOS) available. Students are informed of these portals and encouraged to access them if needed. For those who prefer face-to-face support, they can seek help from family service centres or private counselling centres with parental consent if they are below 21 years of age.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal to Revise Government Bursary Quantum for Higher Education to Help Low-income Youths who Study Part-time and Work to Support their Family","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"32 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Education for low-income youths who study part-time as they have to work to help support the family, whether the Ministry can consider revising the Government bursary quantum for higher education to cover a 100% tuition fee subsidy.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Government provides substantial subsidies for all Singaporean students studying in our publicly-funded post-Secondary education institutions, including those studying part-time. Beyond Government subsidies, Government bursaries are available to support part-time and full-time students from lower- to middle-income families who need further assistance.
As part of our efforts to enhance the affordability of higher education, we enhanced Government bursaries in Academic Year (AY) 2020 for part-time diploma students and undergraduates from lower- and middle-income households. For most part-time Nitec and Higher Nitec students from lower-income households, the annual bursary amount is sufficient to fully cover fees. For part-time diploma students and undergraduates from lower income households, the annual fees they need to pay after Government bursaries are $140 and $2,300 respectively. They can tap on the Post-Secondary Education Account or SkillsFuture Credit to pay this remaining amount. Part-time undergraduates also have the option of tapping on Government loans to pay the remaining amount.
We will continue to review the Government bursaries regularly to ensure that the level of provision remains adequate for Singaporean students.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Expected Expenditure on Creation of New College due to Merger of Yale-NUS College and University Scholars Programme","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"33 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Education (a) how much is budgeted to be spent on the creation of the New College due to the merger of the Yale-NUS College and the University Scholars Programme; and (b) how much is anticipated to be funded from public funds.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: NUS has formed a Planning Committee to work out the details of the New College, such as its common curriculum, staff matters, transition plans, admission, and residential and student life. MOE and NUS will discuss funding matters at a later stage based on the details of the New College.
Nonetheless, MOE is committed to supporting the New College and expects the cost per student to be lower than for Yale-NUS College (YNC). The New College, while retaining the best elements of YNC, should benefit from better economies of scale and sharing of resources with NUS.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Root Causes of Repeated Lapses Highlighted Auditor-General's Report for FY2020/2021 and Measures to Strengthen Governance","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"34 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Finance (a) what are the root causes of the repeated incidents of weak controls, lapses and waste of public funds that were highlighted in the Report of the Auditor-General for FY2020/21; and (b) whether the governance and control culture within the public agencies can be further strengthened.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Report of the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) is an important element of the system of governance that we have put in place to ensure good internal controls and effective use of public funds. The public service takes corrective and preventive actions in response to the findings of the AGO report and other “health checks”, including internal audits and continuous improvement projects.
Even with these various checks in place, we cannot expect zero lapses given the scale and complexity of Government operations. We have more than 150,000 officers in the Public Service handling hundreds of thousands of transactions each year. There are more than 2,000 Government IT systems built over the years by different vendors and using different technologies.
The repeated lapses highlighted in the Report of the Auditor-General this year were in the areas of IT controls, procurement and contract management. In general, these lapses can be attributed to gaps in public agencies’ processes and human factors.
The lapses in IT controls were related to weaknesses in the review of privileged users’ activities and management of user accounts and access rights. Currently, many of these procedures have manual steps which are prone to human error. Agencies are implementing technical solutions to reliably automate these IT tasks. However, there will be scenarios that cannot be fully automated and may require human intervention.
Many of the lapses in procurement and contract management were related to inadequate control and monitoring of contractors and managing agents, and lack of documentation of decisions made or work done. This is more challenging in complex construction projects where there can be hundreds of contract variations due to changing circumstances as the project progresses.
The Government takes these audit findings seriously. The relevant agencies have reviewed each case carefully and are taking steps to enhance their systems and processes. At the whole-of-Government (WOG) level, we are implementing measures to strengthen governance across our agencies. For example:
(a) the WOG Risk Management team supports public agencies in implementing Enterprise Risk Management practices and integrating risk management into policy planning and operations.
(b) public agencies are strengthening internal audit capabilities through expanded use of data analytics in conducting audits such as post-disbursement checks on payments and grants. Central guidance and resources ensure consistency in audit approach and practices across the Public Service.
(c) to consolidate construction procurement and contract management, the Building and Infrastructure Centre of Excellence now oversees project management for about $7 billion worth of projects from 27 agencies. We are similarly embarking on efforts to consolidate the facilities management of government offices.
The Public Service is committed to upholding high standards of governance. The leadership sets the tone and culture for the whole Public Service, pays attention to governance issues, acts decisively when problems are detected and takes disciplinary action, where needed.
The Public Service leadership will continue to leverage on different platforms and channels to communicate expectations and share learning points, besides taking active steps to strengthen structures, processes, capabilities and systems.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Governance Framework at Government Agencies and Ministries to Ensure Adequate Oversight of Timely and Accurate Payments","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"35 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Finance what is the governance framework being practised at Government agencies and Ministries to ensure adequate oversight and monitoring of timely and accurate payments are being made by the qualified teams.
Mr Lawrence Wong: There are rules and guidelines on financial controls which govern public agencies in carrying out various finance functions including payments. Heads of agencies are responsible for ensuring that sound accounting practices and adequate internal controls are in place. Let me elaborate using some examples.
Our payment processing cycle is automated with system controls to ensure timely and accurate payments. Invoices are received electronically from suppliers via the electronic invoicing network, thereby reducing the risks of handling paper invoices and data-entry error. Invoices are then automatically matched against the purchase order and goods or services receipt note. Prior to that, public officers are required to check supporting documents and verify that the works are completed satisfactorily. For instance, prior to certifying payments for facility management services, the officer has to verify documentation such as service records, maintenance audit reports and inspection checklists. The officer also needs to conduct test-checks to ascertain that the contractors have met the performance standards.
Agencies can proactively monitor the status of their payments to suppliers and benchmark the timeliness of their payments via dashboards on the financial data analytics system. Such tools and practices have enabled agencies to achieve a prompt payment rate of 98% in FY2020.
We strengthen internal controls through ongoing efforts to develop capabilities. Some examples are:
(a) strengthening internal audit capabilities, including the use of data analytics to conduct post-disbursement checks on payments and grants to identify anomalies.
(b) all finance officers are required to attend training courses that cover key financial procedures, including payments and internal controls. These are reinforced at milestone programmes and training sessions throughout the officers’ career.
We will continue to review our financial procedures and systems to maintain their effectiveness. As stewards of public resources, we are firmly committed to ensuring a strong governance system.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal to Enhance Audit Processes Training and Introduce Harsher Penalties in Light of Public Officers Fabricating or Altering Documents for Audits","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"36 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Finance in light of the instances of public officers fabricating or altering documents for audit (a) how prevalent is this practice in the public service; (b) whether there is ongoing in-service training for public officers to ensure that they are familiar with audit processes; (c) whether there is a need to enhance these training for public officers; and (d) whether there is a need to introduce harsher penalties for public officers to act as a deterrent against future lapses.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Over the past five years, there were five cases of irregularities in the documents furnished for audits by public officers. While this is a small number compared to the huge amount of documents submitted for audit, we take a serious view of these offences.
Public officers undergo regular training and milestone programmes throughout their careers. The training covers learning points from audit observations and good practices. The Finance and Procurement Academy was set up last year to better equip Public Officers with finance and procurement skills including governance and internal controls.
All public officers are also required to take an annual Code of Conduct quiz that aims to refresh and reinforce officers’ awareness and understanding of the key conduct principles and the behaviour expected of all public officers as they carry out their duties.
Apart from training, there are a number of whole-of-Government platforms to communicate common audit findings, root causes, remedial measures and learning points to all agencies across different levels of seniority.
Integrity-related misconduct are viewed seriously and penalties meted out to officers found guilty of the misconduct include dismissal and demotion. Police reports are made in serious cases where we have reasonable grounds to believe that officers have broken the law. The vast majority of public officers serve with integrity and perform their duties to the best of their abilities.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Impact on Portfolios of Government Investment Entities as a Result of China's Decision to Ban For-profit Private Tuition and Implications on Anticipated Net Investment Return Contribution","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"37 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Finance with regard to China’s decision to ban for-profit private tuition (a) whether this decision has resulted in any adverse impact on the portfolios of the Government investment entities (GIE); (b) if so, how does the impact compare to the historical losses experienced in the portfolios of the GIE; and (c) whether the adverse impact will have any implications for our anticipated Net Investment Return Contribution.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Government does not comment on specific investment decisions or exposures of our investment entities, as we assess their performance on an overall portfolio basis, over the long term.
Temasek and GIC have globally diversified portfolios, with investment exposures across geographies, asset classes and sectors. The portfolios of both entities have exposures to China, including its education sector, as they have to other geographies. While the recent Chinese regulatory decision had an impact on investments in its education sector, such developments are part and parcel of investing. Portfolios may be impacted by changes in the operating environment from time to time. What is more important and relevant is the performance of the overall portfolio over the long term.
The Net Investment Return Contribution is tied to the long-term expected returns of our investment entities and their total portfolios. It is not driven by short-term impacts to investments.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Social Workers who Left the Profession in Past Five Years and Reasons for Leaving","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"38 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) for each year in the past five years, how many social workers have left the profession; (b) what are the main reasons for leaving the profession; and (c) if this information not currently available, whether the Ministry will start tracking this information.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Social workers are employed in a range of settings from the social service sector to the healthcare and education sectors. MSF does not currently track changes in employment for all social workers, given that social workers work in a diverse range of organisations and it would be challenging to do so.
We do, however, track the key reasons based on Social Service Agencies’ (SSAs) declarations for staff resignations and turnover, that is, changes in employment or employer. For social service sector employees in general, the top reasons declared for resignation based on MSF’s Manpower and Salary Survey in 2019 included: (a) other opportunities for their career growth; (b) family and caregiving reasons; and (c) issues with job fit.
We recognise that retention of social workers is a key component of effective social service. On an ongoing basis, MSF and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) work closely with SSAs to understand their manpower needs and work on strategies to improve the retention of their employees, including social workers. In supporting SSAs to develop career progression pathways, MSF, NCSS and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) had launched the Skills Framework for Social Service (SFwSS) in 2019. The SFwSS provides information on the range of jobs and career pathways available in the sector and employers are encouraged to utilise the framework to improve talent attraction, performance appraisal and retention.
To boost retention of social workers, the social work sub-team of the SkillsFuture Tripartite Taskforce (STT), which comprises representatives from community and Government agencies, has looked into continuous professional development of those in the profession, as well as clinical supervision and mentoring by the Singapore Association of Social Workers. At the same time, the STT has also identified self-care as an important factor for reducing attrition among social workers and has therefore partnered practitioners to promote self-care among social workers. In addition, to support fresh social work graduates entering the social service sector, the Social Service Institute offers onboarding programmes that equip new social workers with knowledge of various social work settings.
While financial reward may not be the sole motivation for social work professionals, we recognise that other employers in the broader labour market will continue to pay competitively to attract talent and social work professionals need to be adequately compensated for their contributions. This is why we have developed salary guidelines for the sector and strongly encourage SSAs to adopt the guidelines.
At the broader level, the Social Service Tribe has been key in promoting the branding (including debunking common career myths) of the social service sector. The Tribe initiative will continue to engage SSAs to build their own value proposition to attract and retain manpower. In addition, MSF supports the Singapore Association of Social Workers in organising the annual Outstanding Social Worker and Promising Social Worker Awards ceremony, to recognise the exemplary contributions of social workers. We will continue to work closely with the sector and ensure that social workers are adequately supported in their professional journey.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal to Modify Eligibility of COVID-19 Recovery Grant from Current Percentage-based Model to Absolute Loss of Income for Low-wage Workers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"39 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the eligibility for the COVID-19 Recovery Grant can be modified from the current percentage-based model to an absolute loss of income for low-wage workers.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The COVID-19 Recovery Grant (CRG) supports lower- to middle-income resident employees and self-employed persons who, as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19, are:
(a) involuntarily unemployed due to retrenchment or contract termination;
(b) placed on involuntary No-Pay Leave (NPL) for at least three consecutive months; or
(c) experiencing monthly salary loss or net trade income loss of at least 50% on average for at least three consecutive months.
CRG is intended to target support at those with lesser means and who are significantly impacted by COVID-19. Compared to an absolute income loss criterion, the percentage-based income loss criterion allows us to better target help to individuals in financial difficulty due to loss of a significant proportion of their income, regardless of their absolute income loss. The percentage-based income loss criterion is more advantageous for lower income workers because workers with higher income must experience a larger absolute income loss to qualify for CRG assistance.
We recognise that there may be some who do not meet the CRG eligibility criteria but are in need of assistance due to extenuating circumstances. We encourage those facing financial difficulties to approach our Social Service Offices (SSOs). Our SSOs will assess their needs and circumstances and provide other assistance such as ComCare if they are eligible, or link them up with other forms of community support.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Inclusion of LBTQ Women in Upcoming Government White Paper and Steps to Ensure They Are Protected from Discrimination, Hate Speech and Incitement of Violence","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"40 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the upcoming Government White Paper arising out of the Conversations on Singapore Women's Development will include LBTQ women; and (b) if so, whether there will be any steps taken to ensure that such women are protected from discrimination, hate speech and incitement of violence which may not fall within the protection against religiously-motivated violence under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony (Amendment) Bill.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: We have received much feedback and suggestions from the public and various organisations in the course of the Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development. The Government is studying these ideas carefully, many of which aim to strengthen protection of all Singapore women, including LBTQ women and will include the salient issues in the White Paper.
The Government takes a serious view on violence, discrimination and hate speech. We do not condone harassment, threats, incitement of violence, or use of violence against any person, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or gender identity. In cases where the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act does not apply, remedies under the Penal Code or the Protection from Harassment Act are available, subject to the facts of each case.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on Muslim Divorce Cases from 2011 to 2020","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"41 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) from 2011 to 2020, how many cases of Muslim divorce are classified under (i) talak rajie (ii) talak bain (iii) taklik (iv) fasakh and (v) khuluk; (b) how many of these divorce cases have been pronounced by hakam; and (c) how many cases are presented to the second set of hakam.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Between 2011 and 2020, there were a total of 16,456 Muslim divorces registered with the Syariah Court (SYC). During the same 10-year period, a total of 915 cases involved the appointment of an arbitrator (hakam) in the divorce proceedings. Less than one percent of such cases required a second set of arbitrators.
The SYC does not track divorce data by the classifications cited. We consider every divorce case on its own grounds and merit and the legal process is the same.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Mothers Diagnosed with Post-natal Depression in Past Three Years","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"42 Ms Hany Soh asked the Minister for Health (a) for the past three years, how many mothers have been diagnosed to be suffering from post-natal depression; and (b) how many of these mothers are first-time parents.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: From 2018 to 2020, based on the data available, an average of about 290 women per year sought care for post-natal depression at the public hospitals. About one out of three of these women were first-time mothers.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Short-term Visit Pass Holders Who Recently Entered and Are Staying in Singapore and Availability of COVID-19 Vaccination for Them","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"43 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Health (a) from April 2021 to June 2021, how many short-term visit pass holders have entered and are staying in Singapore; (b) how many of them are fully vaccinated; and (c) whether COVID-19 vaccination will be made available to short-term visit pass holders.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: There were over 30,000 short-term visitor arrivals (excluding lorry or van drivers) from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021. Out of these arrivals, almost 17,000 individuals were still in Singapore as of 30 August 2021. The breakdown of the vaccination status of these individuals is not available.
Since 18 August, the MOH has extended the COVID-19 National Vaccination Programme to short-term pass holders who have been in Singapore for at least 60 days continuously.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Private Medical Service Providers that Applied for Importation of COVID-19 Vaccines Not Approved by WHO","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"44 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Health whether there are private medical service providers that have applied for importation of COVID-19 vaccines other than the inactive virus vaccines approved by the World Health Organization.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: To date, no private medical service providers have applied for importation of COVID-19 vaccines other than the inactivated virus vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Hospitalisation Visitation Guidelines under COVID-19 Endemic Model and Whether Exceptions Can Be Made for Patients in Critical Condition","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"45 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Health (a) what will be the hospitalisation visitation guidelines under the COVID-19 endemic model; and (b) whether visitation policies can be relaxed or have further exceptions made for a patient in critical condition especially if visitors are fully vaccinated and willing to don the necessary protective gear.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: We have a responsibility to protect patients and staff in our hospitals from COVID-19 infections. We have had several clusters in the hospitals, have had to close wards, and subject patients and healthcare workers to testing and quarantine.
Given the risk of infections brought in by visitors, from 19 August 2021 onwards, unvaccinated visitors to hospital wards will need to have a valid negative antigen rapid test (ART) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result obtained within the 24 hours prior to their visit. Fully vaccinated persons can also get infected and can shed the virus, but because they have a lower risk of spreading the infection, we will allow these vaccinated visitors to enter hospital wards without the need for a pre-visit COVID-19 test.
All visits will be limited to 30 minutes. Each patient can register up to two visitors for each admission, with only one visitor at the patient’s bedside at any time. Patients who are very ill can register up to five visitors, with two visitors allowed at the patient’s bedside at any time. All visitors to the hospital must wear a high filtration efficiency face mask at all times. They must not eat or drink in the hospital wards. They must not use the patients’ toilets in the wards and they must avoid sitting on patients’ beds.
As we transit into the endemic stages of COVID-19, MOH will monitor the exposure risks in our hospitals and adjust the hospital visitation policy accordingly.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Third Dose of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine for Those Who are Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"46 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health what is the Ministry’s assessment of the recommendation by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention made on 13 August 2021 that people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should receive an additional dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after the initial two doses.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: As the Member is aware, MOH has agreed with the EC19V’s recommendation to administer a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines to individuals who are immunocompromised. This will start after 14 September in Vaccination Centres, as well as hospitals and Specialist Outpatient Clinics which provide COVID-19 vaccination under the national vaccination programme.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Reasons for HPB's Excess Fitness Trackers Leading to Wastage","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"47 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Health (a) what are the planning parameters that the Health Promotion Board (HPB) used that resulted in 341,000 excess fitness trackers being purchased; (b) what are the reasons why only 120,000 of these fitness trackers are still functioning; and (c) how will HPB be held accountable for this wastage.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: In planning for the various seasons of the National Steps Challenge, HPB would estimate demand based on past seasons’ trend and projected increases in demand due to the new season’s eligibility criteria. However, this resulted in an over-estimation of the demand, and surplus of 341,000 fitness trackers.
Of the excess fitness trackers, 120,000 remain functional. Forty-eight thousand have been used to replace faulty trackers and those with expired warranties. About 3,000 trackers have also been used to support community partners, companies and other Government agencies in their health and wellness initiatives. The remaining 69,000 functional trackers will continue to be used for similar purposes. Unfortunately, the rest of the excess fitness trackers have been disposed of, as they have exceeded the average useful life or were no longer functional.
HPB has conducted a full review of the matter. It has enhanced the processes for central monitoring of the movement and stocks of fitness trackers. HPB now tracks movement across and at all distribution channels closely on a daily basis to detect signs of excesses building up. Audits and physical stock checks will also be done twice a year instead of annually. Excess inventory from previous years will be counted towards providing trackers for the following year’s activity.
Moving forward, HPB will be more conservative in its projections of the number of fitness trackers to be procured. Any additional purchase of trackers will be done only when excess bookings are received from participants. HPB has also broadened the criteria of replacement for the one-to-one exchange and will proactively inform our participants so that they will come forward to exchange the trackers if their trackers are defective.
MOH will closely monitor the implementation of these measures and work with HPB to determine accountability and the prudent use of resources as we continue with our efforts to encourage Singaporeans to adopt healthier lifestyles.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Expected Completion and Implementation of the National Mental Health Competency Framework","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"48 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Health when can the National Mental Health Competency Framework be expected to be completed and implemented.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The COVID-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce (CoMWT) was formed to address the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the population. One of the recommendations of the CoMWT is to develop a National Mental Health Competency Training Framework, which will align existing mental health trainings towards a common set of training standards and competencies expected of professionals and para-professionals who support persons with mental health conditions.
This recommendation has been accepted by the new Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being, and will be further worked on under the auspices of the new taskforce. More details will be provided when ready.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Statistics on Medically Eligible Pregnant Women who Received mRNA Vaccination and Side Effects Observed","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"49 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many and what proportion of medically eligible pregnant women in Singapore have received an mRNA vaccination against COVID-19; (b) what are the types and frequencies of side effects that have been observed so far; and (c) how does this compare with the experience of other countries.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has received a small number of non-serious adverse event (AE) reports with the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine in pregnant women. These include rash, syncope (fainting), dizziness and one report of Bell’s Palsy (temporary weakness of the facial muscles). These AEs are similar to those reported in the general population.
There is currently no evidence of safety concerns when mRNA vaccines are used in pregnant women, based on real-world clinical data. MOH and HSA will continue to monitor both the local and international safety data.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines Currently under Evaluation by HSA for Use in Singapore and Expected Timeline for Release of These Alternatives","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"50 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Health (a) what are the various non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that are currently under evaluation by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for use in Singapore; and (b) what is the expected timeline for the release of each of these alternatives.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Singapore’s approach is to secure a diverse portfolio of vaccines to cater to the clinical needs of different segments of the population. This includes non-mRNA vaccines such as the inactivated vaccine by Sinovac and the protein-based vaccine by Novavax. The timeline for approval is dependent on the companies’ applications to HSA and the availability of data.
MOH and HSA are working with the manufacturers to facilitate their regulatory submissions. In the meantime, vaccines in the WHO Emergency Use Listing can be made available by private providers through the Special Access Route (SAR). Two non-MRNA vaccines have been made available under SAR.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Claim Limits for Cancer Treatment and Expected Savings Under MediShield Life Changes Effective From September 2022","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"51 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Health (a) whether existing cancer patients will be able to claim under the current scheme until the new MediShield Life changes come into effect in September 2022; and (b) what are the expected savings for MediShield Life with the new scheme, assuming drug prices remain constant.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The current MediShield Life chemotherapy claim limits will continue until the changes take effect in September 2022.
The MediShield Life changes will help to slow down the increase in cost of cancer drugs, as it supports more effective negotiations with drug suppliers for better drug prices and encourages the use of clinically proven and cost-effective treatments. Hence, it is not meaningful to estimate savings assuming drug prices remain constant.
Over the past few months, we have achieved an average price reduction of 30% and over 60% for some drugs. The exact impact of the changes will depend on various factors, including the changes in utilisation patterns and whether the drug suppliers are willing to reduce their prices further.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Patient-days of Medical Oxygen Supplies Currently Available and Singapore's Oxygen Manufacturing Capacity","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"52 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) how many patient-days of medical oxygen supplies are available for patients who require oxygen supplementation because of COVID-19 or other diseases; and (b) whether Singapore has sufficient oxygen manufacturing capacity to replenish our local supply should the number of COVID-19 cases increase rapidly as the economy reopens.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: We currently have about 6,000 patient-days of medical oxygen supplies. This supply could be replenished in a day, if required.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Waiting Times for Patients at Institute of Mental Health Given Current Refurbishment Works","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"53 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Health in view of the refurbishment and improvement works at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) since 2018 to improve its operational efficiency (a) what are the median and average waiting times for patients for appointments with (i) psychiatrists (ii) clinical psychologists and (iii) counsellors at IMH; and (b) what are the measures being taken to reduce waiting times.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) campus renovation work is still ongoing and is slated for completion in end 2023. The refurbishment works do not affect the clinic operations and waiting times for appointments have not been affected by the refurbishment works. For 2020, the median waiting time for new subsidised patients was 29 days to see a psychiatrist and 18 days to see a clinical psychologist. The corresponding waiting times in 2019 was 22 days and 14 days for psychiatrist and clinical psychologist appointments.
IMH does not track waiting times specifically for appointments to see counsellors, as many healthcare professionals and social workers provide counselling as part of their work.
IMH monitors appointment waiting times closely and implements measures to optimise appointment slots. For example, IMH will review staffing schedules and clinical operations including calling of patients prior to their appointment to check for any last-minute cancellations so that other patients’ appointments could be brought forward. IMH also conducts triaging of the conditions of referred patients via phone calls and suitable patients are offered therapy with psychologists over teleconference platforms. Non-urgent cases are referred to primary and community-based care to enable specialist services to focus on more urgent and complex cases.
MOH will continue to work with IMH and service providers in the community to ensure that we provide holistic and timely support for persons with mental healthcare needs.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data on COVID-19 Positive Persons Tested Serving Quarantine Orders at Home and Medical Treatment Provided to Them","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"54 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many persons who tested positive with COVID-19 have been allowed to serve their quarantine orders at home; (b) what are the criteria for allowing such individuals to quarantine at home; (c) what medical treatment is provided to such individuals to reduce the chances of them requiring hospitalisation; and (d) how are they monitored for a worsening of their condition which may require them to be admitted to a hospital.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Home Recovery is commonly practised and in fact the default mode of recovery in many countries, from US, UK, Germany, France, Japan and so on. We have been more cautious, admitting infected patients to hospital, or to Community Care Facilities.
However, given that over 98% of individuals infected with COVID-19 has mild or no symptoms, we should right-site their recovery to be at home, so that hospital beds can be freed up for those who truly require the medical care.
Hence, we implemented the Home Recovery pilot scheme from 30 August 2021. Forty individuals have been allowed to recover at home and 15 have been discharged as at 12 September 2021.
Given the positive pilot results, we will expand home recovery as the default care management protocol for fully vaccinated, younger individuals under 50, from 15 September 2021. They should not have significant co-morbidities or underlying illnesses and must be able to self-isolate in a room at home with an en suite bathroom. Their household members should not be above 80 years old, regardless of vaccination status and not belonging to any vulnerable groups, that is, individuals who are pregnant or with weakened immune response.
Parents have also been requesting for their children who are infected with COVID-19 to recover at home. Hence, we will also roll out home recovery for infected children between five and 11 years old who do not have co-morbidities or underlying illnesses. These children are generally well with no or minimal symptoms. They will first be assessed by the hospital to be clinical fit for home recovery, before sending them back home for their recovery journey.
Patients on the Home Recovery Programme will be provided with a Care Pack that includes a thermometer, pulse oximeter and information on how to conduct daily self-monitoring of their own temperature, blood oxygen level and pulse rate. The patients are also informed on how to detect symptoms and warning signs, such as low blood oxygen level and the appropriate escalation protocol, including contacting the 24/7 telemedicine provider for medical assistance or call 995 in the event of medical emergencies.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"More Affordable Charges for Antigen Rapid Test Kits and Pre-Event Tests","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"55 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Health as more pre-event testing and self-tests will be carried out in a COVID-19 endemic environment, whether the retail price of self-test Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kits and the cost of Pre-Event Tests (PET) can be made more affordable.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Health Sciences Authority has approved six Antigen Rapid Test (ART) self-test kits for sale at major retailers and e-commerce platforms and are actively reviewing new kits for public sale. From 1 October onwards, the public can also make an appointment for an ART test at the 20 Quick Test Centres (QTCs), which can be used to fulfill pre-event test (PET) requirements. This is in addition to the network of around 1,000 private clinics that are offering ART tests for PETs. Together, the increased access to tests could make the tests more competitively priced.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Enterprises that Have Adopted the Industry Digital Plans under Industry Transformation Maps and Number of Workers from These Enterprises with Jobs and Skills Upgraded","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"56 Mr Abdul Samad asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) to date, how many enterprises have adopted the Industry Digital Plans under the 23 Industry Transformation Maps; and (b) how many local workers from these enterprises have seen their jobs and skills been upgraded through digitalisation and mechanisation.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Industry Digital Plans (IDPs) are developed in line with Singapore’s Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), to provide enterprises with sector-specific guidance on digital solutions to support their growth. IDPs also recommend digital skills training that workers should undertake to be ready for digital transformation in their sector. We have launched 18 IDPs since 2017, tailored to the needs of 16 ITM sectors.1 As of 31 May 2021, more than 75,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have benefited from the adoption of digital solutions in line with the IDPs, under the SMEs Go Digital programme which was also launched in 2017.
For workers specifically, the IDPs provide a Digital Roadmap on Training that identifies relevant courses for digital skills upgrading, ranging from broad-based training courses to more advanced digital courses. Since 2016, more than 117,000 individuals have been trained under the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative through digital courses such as AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital media and tech-enabled services.
We will develop IDPs or equivalents for all 23 ITM sectors in due course. These initiatives reflect our commitment to ensuring that enterprises and workers in all sectors of our economy are well-prepared to seize the opportunities that arise from digital transformation.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Several ITM sectors have multiple IDPs to cater to the needs of key sub-sectors. For instance, under the Sea Transport ITM sector, there are separate IDPs for the sub-sectors of Bunkering, Harbour Craft and Ship Agency."],"footNoteQuestions":["56"],"questionNo":"56"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Protocols for Reporting of Suicide and Attempted Suicide Cases by Media to Discourage Potential Copycat Behaviour","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"57 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Communications and Information what are the protocols in place on how specific suicide and attempted suicide cases are to be reported by the media to discourage potential copycat behaviours, especially by the vulnerable youth, and to minimise trauma to the already mentally unstable suicide survivors particularly those in the younger age groups.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Suicide and attempted suicide cases are distressful incidents. Any media reporting should be done sensitively and responsibly to avoid adding to the pain and trauma of the parties involved.
In March this year, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) launched the Beyond the Label media guide as a resource for journalists and media professionals. It was developed in consultation with representatives from the media, social service agencies and persons in recovery. It provides guidelines on the reporting of mental health issues or of incidents involving persons with mental health conditions.
Specifically on reporting of suicide cases, for example, it advises against sensational reporting or details about the methods used and circumstances, so as to prevent copycat suicides. It also recommends the inclusion in news reports of mental health helplines and resources available to those facing distress. The media guide has been shared with mainstream media newsrooms, editors and journalists across print, broadcast and online platforms. It may also be downloaded from NCSS’ website at go.gov.sg/btlmediaguide.
Our mainstream media have largely demonstrated a responsible and sensitive approach in reporting suicide and attempted suicide cases. This has been a long-standing understanding we have had with mainstream media. We urge all media outlets to continue to exercise care and precaution, be sensitive towards not just the individuals being reported on but also their family and friends, as well as avoid causing trauma to those who may be vulnerable. We will continue to engage and work closely with the media to ensure responsible reporting of such cases.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Legislation to Ensure Technology Companies Take Action to Prevent Vulnerable Minors from Accessing Adult Dating Sites","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"58 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Government will introduce legislation to ensure that technology companies take action to prevent vulnerable minors from accessing adult dating sites.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Many sites that provide dating services can be found on the Internet. Some serve a legitimate purpose, but there are sites that allow people to be offered money and gifts in exchange for “companionship”. Minors face the risk of being exploited if they access such dating sites.
If there is any procurement of sexual services for payment through such sites, action can be taken under the Women’s Charter. If there is sexual communication or grooming of a minor, action can be taken under the Penal Code.
Under the Internet Code of Practice (ICOP), sites which facilitate illegal activities constitute prohibited material and can be blocked by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
IMDA also requires Internet Service Providers to offer Internet parental control services to their subscribers. Parents may subscribe to such services to manage their children’s access to websites and online services.
In addition to policy and regulation, our schools conduct cyber wellness lessons for students, where students learn to identify and avoid inappropriate online content. The Media Literacy Council (MLC) has been promoting safe and responsible online behaviour through resources and public education activities to encourage online users, including our young, to exercise judgment about the content that they come across online.
There is active collaboration between the people, public and private (3P) sectors on addressing online harms, such as MCI’s Singapore Together Alliance for Action (AfA) against online harms launched in July 2021. These collaborations will help guide us in updating our policies, regulations and efforts to educate and support the public.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Update on Number of Low-income Households That Have Benefitted from Home Access 3.0 Programme and Plans to Increase Minimum Broadband Speed","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"59 Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether there is any update on the number of low-income households that have benefited from the Home Access 3.0 programme for minimum broadband speeds since it was launched in April 2020; and (b) whether the Ministry can consider providing a minimum broadband speed higher than 500 Mbps for the Home Access 3.0 programme to cater for the growing need for online access.
Mrs Josephine Teo: The Home Access programme offers subsidised broadband to low-income families. To support the needs of our citizens, the broadband speed offered had increased over the years.
Home Access 3.0 was launched in April 2020 and eligible households may choose between a 500Mbps or 1Gbps subsidised broadband subscription, up from 300Mbps previously.
The broadband speed of 500Mbps is higher than the minimum speed available on the market and is sufficient to support a typical family for common daily activities such as internet surfing, video calls and video streaming.
To-date, the programme has supported over 9,100 beneficiaries and more than 90% of beneficiaries have opted for the minimum broadband speed of 500Mbps.
We will continue to review the Home Access scheme regularly, to consider what is available on the market and balance that with ensuring its offerings keep pace with the needs of citizens.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Investigation on Whether Suspected Infection of Mobile Devices in Singapore are Linked to Cyber Arms Firm's Spyware","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"60 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Communications and Information in light of the findings by the Pegasus Project on the spyware of Israeli cyber arms firm NSO (a) whether there has been or will be any investigation conducted to identify if the operators behind the suspected infection of mobile devices in Singapore, including the operators named “Merlion” and “Ganges”, are operated by NSO’s spyware; and (b) what is the recourse which victims have against such infection.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Members of the public who suspect that their mobile device has been infected with spyware, including Pegasus, are advised to lodge a Police report or report the incident to the Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT). We are aware of open source claims of potential Singaporean victims of Pegasus, dating from 2018. These claims cannot be verified as no report has been filed.
The threat of electronic surveillance by hostile actors is not new. Our security agencies continually invest resources to guard against such threats to our systems. At the individual level, to mitigate the risk of spyware and other malware, we should also adopt good cyber hygiene practices, such as avoiding untrustworthy websites and not opening suspicious attachments.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Proposal for Private Condominiums to Allocate Parking Space Within Their Compounds for Delivery Riders and Drivers","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"61 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will initiate legislation for private condominiums to (a) disallow requests by residents or MCSTs for delivery personnel to park their motor vehicles illegally on nearby public pavements when making deliveries; and (b) allow and allocate parking space for delivery personnel to safely park their motor vehicles in the condominium compound for the period of their deliveries.
Mr Desmond Lee: Parking of motor vehicles on the footway of a road, such as a public pavement, is prohibited under the Road Traffic Rules. LTA will take the necessary enforcement action to deal with offenders. Residents or management corporations (MCSTs) should not request for delivery personnel to park their motor vehicles illegally.
MCSTs have a responsibility to manage their common property, including parking spaces, in a way that meets the requirements and addresses the concerns of residents. URA and BCA are working with industry stakeholders and the relevant agencies to develop a set of best practices to guide MCSTs in facilitating deliveries to condominiums in a safe and practical manner. We will study how best to ensure that MCSTs provide appropriate spaces in condominiums to facilitate deliveries, taking into consideration their varying needs and circumstances, such as the available parking space and residents’ parking demand.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Number of Singles who Bought HDB Resale Flats in Past Three Years by Regions","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"62 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development in each of the past three years, what is number of singles who bought HDB resale flats in the (i) North region (ii) North-East region, (iii) East region, (iv) West region and (v) Central region, respectively.
Mr Desmond Lee: From 2018 to 2020, there were about 17,800 HDB resale flats bought by singles under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme and Joint Singles Scheme. Please see Table 1 for details on the breakdown of the number of HDB resale flats bought by Singles by region.
63 Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for National Development (a) over the last five years, what is the average percentage of applicants in excess of the 30% of flats set aside under the Married Child Priority Scheme in HDB BTO projects within mature estates; and (b) how does this compare with that of non-mature estates.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) gives priority to families buying new HDB flats to live with or near their parents or married children for mutual care and support. Under the MCPS, 30% of the 3-room and bigger BTO flats are set aside for first-timer families.
From 2016 to 2020, the average application rate for all first-timer families for 3-room and bigger BTO flats was 4.2 times in the mature estates, and 2.8 times in the non-mature estates and about 30% of these applicants were eligible for the MCPS. Amongst these MCPS applicants, about 20% and 30% were balloted within the MCPS quota in the mature estates and non-mature estates respectively.
MCPS applicants who were not balloted within the MCPS quota were balloted again with other public applicants. Overall, about 50% and 60% of all first-timer MCPS applicants applying for 3-room or bigger flats were successful in their flat application in the mature estates and non-mature estates respectively. These success rates are higher than first-timer applicants without any priority schemes.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"New Centre for Wildlife Forensics and K9 Unit's Goals Towards Global Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trade","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"64 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for National Development what short, medium and long-term goals will the new Centre for Wildlife Forensics and K9 Unit have in contributing towards the global fight against illegal wildlife trade.
Mr Desmond Lee: NParks opened the Centre for Wildlife Forensics (CWF) and introduced its new K9 Unit on 27 August 2021, to strengthen Singapore’s capabilities and contributions to the global fight against illegal wildlife trade.
In the near term, NParks will continue to enhance the CWF’s capabilities in wildlife forensic science, by leveraging various technologies and building on its current library of reference samples. For example, NParks is working with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and other research partners to explore the use of prototyping vision-based technologies to enable quicker identification of wildlife species such as sharks and rays and timber species. It is also developing advanced identification techniques using mass spectrometry and electronic smell sensors. This will increase the CWF’s proficiency in identifying various fauna and flora species over time.
NParks also plans to deepen its collaborations with other wildlife forensic laboratories and experts in the regional and international community, through research partnerships and studies. The CWF is currently collaborating with international experts on two genetic studies related to ivory and pangolin scale seizures, which will help determine the likely origins of the animals and how they are connected across seizures. The findings from these studies will be shared with the international community to strengthen cross-border enforcement efforts against criminal organisations and networks that trade in illegal wildlife.
In the medium term, NParks aims to register the CWF as a CITES Reference Laboratory, to offer its expertise in wildlife forensic science to aid other CITES member states in their investigation and prosecution of illegal wildlife trade cases. This will contribute to NParks’ longer-term goal for the CWF to become an international centre of excellence in wildlife forensic research and collaboration.
As for its new K9 Unit, NParks will deploy the sniffer dogs at the border checkpoints to detect illegal wildlife and wildlife products. The sniffer dogs will also undergo continuous training over time, to enable them to work in different situations, including the inspection of vehicles at our land checkpoints. This will increase Singapore’s overall deterrence against illegal wildlife trade through our borders.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Enhancing Local Capacities for Conservation of Native Biodiversity in Nature Reserves, Parks and Marine Parks, and Involving Public in These Efforts","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"65 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for National Development (a) how the Government intends to enhance local frameworks and capacities to strengthen Singapore’s conservation of our native biodiversity in our nature reserves, parks and marine parks; and (b) how can the public be involved in these efforts.
Mr Desmond Lee: NParks adopts a science-based approach to strengthen the conservation of our native biodiversity. This is guided by the Nature Conservation Masterplan (NCMP), which sets out strategies to safeguard key terrestrial and marine habitats, as well as plant and animal species in Singapore.
Under the NCMP, NParks works with the community to continually review and enhance its conservation approach. In February 2021, NParks launched the Ecological Profiling Exercise to study the ecological profile of green spaces in Singapore and to better understand their role in strengthening ecological connectivity. This exercise is being carried out in consultation with the nature community and academics, as part of our science-based approach towards the conservation of green spaces.
NParks will also continue to involve the public in our biodiversity conservation efforts, as Singapore transforms into a City in Nature. For example, under its Species Recovery Programme, NParks works closely with the community, to carry out habitat restoration and implement species recovery plans for our native plant and animal species. In addition, young Singaporeans can participate in conservation-related projects and outreach activities under the Youth Stewards for Nature programme. Members of the public may also participate in citizen science programmes such as biodiversity surveys, under the Community in Nature initiative.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Data and Statistics on Neighbourhoods where at Least One Ethnic Integration Policy Limit was Reached","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"66 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for National Development for each of the respective five-yearly intervals from December 1990 to December 2020 (a) what are the names of the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP)-affected neighbourhoods where at least one EIP limit was reached; (b) what is the total number of HDB units in each of these aforesaid neighbourhoods; and (c) what is the number of HDB units classified as owned or rented by Chinese, Malay and Indian/Others households respectively for each of these affected neighbourhoods.
Mr Desmond Lee: In December 1990, 33 neighbourhoods were affected by the EIP limits. Since then, the total number of neighbourhoods affected by the EIP limits has come down. As of December 2020, 24 neighbourhoods, with an average of around 6,000 Dwelling Units each, were affected by the EIP limits. Please see Table 1 for details.
Of the 24 neighbourhoods that were affected by the EIP limits in December 2020, seven were also affected in December 1990. In 2020, three of these neighbourhoods were affected by the Chinese limits only (corresponding to areas around Alexandra North, Margaret Drive and Tiong Bahru), two were affected by the Malay limits only (corresponding to areas around Bedok North and Tampines East), one was affected by the Indian/Others limits only (corresponding to the area around Little India) and one was affected by both the Malay and Indian/Others limits (corresponding to the area around North Coast).
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Mode of Communication to Inform BTO Buyers of Quantum of Resale Levy They Have to Pay","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"67 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for National Development (a) at what stage in the sales process of HDB BTOs are all buyers of their second or more BTOs informed by HDB of the actual quantum of the resale levy the buyers have to pay; (b) what are the modes of communication by which buyers are so informed of the actual resale levy by HDB; and (c) whether any of such communication modes include any non-online mode.
Mr Desmond Lee: Singaporeans enjoy a significant housing subsidy when they buy a new flat from HDB or a resale flat with a CPF Housing Grant. To ensure a fair allocation of the limited housing subsidies and prioritise the allocation of subsidies to those who have not yet received a housing subsidy, second-timers who buy a flat from HDB receive a smaller subsidy than first-timers by paying a resale levy.
Information on the resale levy policy is available on the HDB website, including the situations in which a resale levy needs to be paid, the amount of resale levy to be paid as well as when and how payment is made. HDB also periodically includes information on the resale levy in its press releases.
HDB also informs HDB owners selling their flats as well as those applying to purchase a subsidised HDB flat of the resale levy at various junctures in the process of selling and buying a subsidised HDB flat. When HDB owners sell their first subsidised flat, they will be informed that they need to pay a resale levy if they buy another subsidised HDB flat and of the amount of resale levy they will need to pay. The seller will be required to sign an acknowledgement of these requirements.
Second-timers applying for a subsidised flat from HDB are reminded that they will need to pay a resale levy via the terms and conditions of their flat application. In addition, when they turn up in person to book a flat, HDB highlights the amount of resale levy payable before they proceed to book a flat and they will have to acknowledge an undertaking to pay the resale levy. When the booked flat is ready for key collection, HDB will remind second-timers of the amount of resale levy they will need to pay before key collection (if they have sold their first subsidised flat) or upon the sale of the first subsidised flat (if they have yet to sell their first subsidised flat).
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures for Owners of Older HDB Flats to Maintain and Ensure Their Air-conditioner Brackets are Securely Affixed","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"68 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for National Development what measures are in place to ensure that owners of older HDB flats that are built without air-conditioner ledges maintain their air-conditioner brackets and ensure that both air-conditioners and brackets are always securely affixed to the external wall of their flats and pose no safety risk of dislodging.
Mr Desmond Lee: All home owners are required to ensure that their external air-conditioning units and brackets are installed and maintained properly. BCA requires any person who intends to install an air-conditioning unit on the exterior of a building to engage trained personnel to carry out the installation works and stipulates the specifications of the air conditioning unit bracket.
Home owners are advised to engage air-conditioner servicing companies to check their air-conditioning units and brackets during regular servicing every three to six months. They should also look out for possible signs of corrosion or rust on the brackets and engage trained personnel to replace corroded or rusty air-conditioning unit brackets.
BCA can direct home owners to carry out rectification works if the air-conditioning unit brackets are not well-maintained and are at risk of being dislodged. If HDB receives feedback on corroded air-conditioner brackets that may pose a danger to the general public, HDB will notify the flat owners to rectify the situation immediately and also alert BCA. Information on home maintenance, including air-conditioner maintenance is also published on HDB’s website and in the print media to educate home owners on the importance of keeping their air-conditioners and brackets well-maintained.
BCA will be introducing a Periodic Façade Inspection (PFI) regime in early 2022. The regime will apply to buildings that are above 20 years old and 13 metres in height (or roughly four storeys). Under this regime, façade inspections, which include inspections on air-conditioning brackets, must be conducted by trained personnel every seven years. Following the façade inspections, Town Councils can work with home owners to carry out any works or measures necessary to prevent air-conditioning unit brackets from dislodging.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Enforcement Measures to Prevent Drivers of Heavy Vehicles from Being Overworked","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"69 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what enforcement measures are in place to prevent drivers of heavy vehicles from being overworked especially for drivers who are migrant workers; (b) whether the Ministry will review the payment model and structure for these drivers so as to boost safety; and (c) whether the Ministry will make it mandatory for all heavy vehicle owners to install speed-tracking and anti-fatigue devices.
Dr Tan See Leng: To protect employees from fatigue and being overworked, there are restrictions on working hours under the Employment Act (EA). Workmen1, including drivers of heavy vehicles, earning up to $4,500 per month should not work more than 12 hours per day. Errant employers found to be flouting the EA can be prosecuted and fined up to $5,000 for each offence. In addition, the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSH Council) Guidelines on Fatigue Management recommends that drivers take scheduled breaks, such as 15 minutes of rest for every two hours of driving. The Workplace Safety and Health Council regularly engages the industry to educate employers and drivers on the risk factors and share recommendations on the good practices that can be adopted to prevent fatigue.
The number of accidents involving heavy vehicles2 resulting in fatalities or injuries declined by 45% from 776 cases in 2018 to 426 cases in 2020. Based on statistics from the Traffic Police (TP), for the past three years, the top five causes where heavy vehicle drivers were at fault in traffic accidents include: (a) failing to keep a proper lookout; (b) failing to have proper control; (c) failing to give way to traffic with right of way; (d) changing lane without due care; and (e) turning without due care.
Based on MOM’s investigations into fatal work-related traffic accidents, there is also no evidence to show that long working hours or fatigue had been a key contributory factor for fatal traffic accidents involving heavy vehicles. We are aware and the industry itself recognises, that certain pay models could impact safety outcomes, but we have not seen a strong reason for the Government to intervene at the moment. A better way to do this, is for companies to adopt the pay model that best suits their company’s operations, taking into account the need to uphold safety, as recommended in the WSH Council Guidelines on Workplace Traffic Safety Management.
Since 1999, TP has required all heavy vehicles with a maximum laden weight greater than 12,000 kilogrammes, to install speed limiters which impose a speed limit of 60 kilometre per hour. TP and LTA will continue to monitor the development of suitable technologies that can help to discourage speeding and ensure road safety. MOM has also worked with Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Enterprise Singapore (ESG) to provide grant support to adopt vehicular safety technology such as the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) to improve the situational awareness of drivers and warn of collision risks, and the Driver Status Monitoring System (DSM) to detect fatigue and distractions such as handphone usage or not looking ahead for extended periods. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can tap on the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) to install ADAS and DSM on their heavy vehicles.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":["1 : Perform manual work.","2 : The Road Traffic Act defines heavy vehicles as those motor vehicles with unladen weight greater than 2,500 kilogrammes and excluding motor cars and motorcycles."],"footNoteQuestions":["69"],"questionNo":"69"},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Efforts to Ease Movement of Foreign Domestic Workers into Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"70 Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for Manpower given the gradual easing of COVID-19 measures, what are some of the Ministry’s upcoming efforts to ease the movement of foreign domestic workers into Singapore.
Dr Tan See Leng: As updated in Parliament in July, MOM is progressively scheduling the entry of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) who had their approved arrival dates postponed previously to reduce the risk of COVID-19 importation. The entry approval quota set by Multi-Ministry Task Force takes into account several factors, including the COVID-19 situation locally and abroad.
The Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) started a pilot programme in July 2021 to facilitate the entry of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) while minimising the risk of importing COVID-19. Under this commercial initiative, the AEA(S) works with its overseas business partners to implement additional safe management measures prior to the MDWs’ entry into Singapore. The AEA(S) gives priority to households with caregiving needs to participate in the pilot programme.
The pilot is still ongoing and is conducted on a small scale so the industry can better manage the risks involved, identify areas for improvement, and make refinements to the processes.
As it has only been slightly more than a month since the start of the pilot programme, more time is needed by the industry to assess whether the programme can be scaled up to facilitate the entry of more MDWs. MOM is monitoring the results closely. If the pilot proves effective in reducing the risk of importing COVID-19, more MDWs will be able to enter Singapore under this arrangement.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Measures to Better Manage Cost of Quarantine for Foreign Domestic Workers Entering Singapore","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"WA","content":"71 Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for Manpower whether there are any upcoming measures to better manage the cost of quarantine for foreign domestic workers entering Singapore.
Dr Tan See Leng: To help employers manage the cost of stay for their migrant domestic workers (MDWs) at the Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facility (SDF), MDWs have the option to share a room with another MDW at the SDF, subject to the availability of rooms. The cost of stay in a shared room at the SDF is $1,000, compared to $1,500 for a single room. MOM also considers appeals from Singaporeans and permanent residents and may waive the SDF cost of an MDW on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration household income and the financial circumstances of the employer.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null}],"writtenAnswersVOList":[],"writtenAnsNAVOList":[],"annexureList":[{"annexureID":1982,"sittingDate":null,"annexureTitle":"Annex 1","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/annex-Annex 1.pdf","fileName":"Annex 1.pdf","sectionType":"BP","file":null},{"annexureID":2003,"sittingDate":null,"annexureTitle":"Annex 2","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/annex-Annex 2.pdf","fileName":"Annex 2.pdf","sectionType":"BP","file":null}],"vernacularList":[{"vernacularID":4601,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Sharael Taha","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/vernacular-13 Sept 2021 - Mr Sharael Taha - Criminal Law (MA) Bill.pdf","fileName":"13 Sept 2021 - Mr Sharael Taha - Criminal Law (MA) Bill.pdf"},{"vernacularID":4602,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Ms He Ting Ru","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/vernacular-He Ting Ru Copyright 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf","fileName":"He Ting Ru Copyright 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":4603,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Don Wee","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/vernacular-Don Wee Copyright 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Don Wee Copyright 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":4604,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Gan Thiam Poh","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/vernacular-Gan Thiam Poh Environment 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Gan Thiam Poh Environment 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":4605,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Ms Joan Pereira","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/vernacular-Joan Pereira Environment 13Sep2021 -Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Joan Pereira Environment 13Sep2021 -Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":4606,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Don Wee","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20210913/vernacular-Don Wee Environment 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Don Wee Environment 13Sep2021-Chinese.pdf"}],"onlinePDFFileName":""}