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The Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital (Transfer of Undertaking and Dissolution) Bill›Second Reading Bills12 turns · 4,427w
· 23 highlighted
bill-280recorded 2017-01-10
Mdm Speaker6 words
[+1 sentence]Minister of State Lam Pin Min.
The Minister of State for Health (Dr Lam Pin Min)1360 words
[+11 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Mdm Speaker, before I begin, I would like to acknowledge Mr Patrick Lee, Chairman of Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH), Mr Leong Sin Yuen, Board member, and Dr Ow Chee Chung, Chief Executive Officer of KWSH, who are here with us today to witness the deliberations on the Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital (Transfer of Undertaking and Dissolution) Bill. Mdm Speaker, the Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital, or "Kwong Wai Shiu" for short, was established in 1910 under the Kwong-Wai-Shiu Hospital Ordinance (the Ordinance) to provide needy immigrants from the Kwong-Chau, Wai-Chau and Shiu-heng prefectures of the Canton Province of China with free healthcare. Since its establishment, Kwong Wai Shiu has played an important role in providing quality care to patients in Singapore. It has expanded the scope of its services significantly over the years, and currently operates a nursing home, a senior care centre, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Centre, and provides home care services. Demand for healthcare services is expected to grow as a result of Singapore's rapidly ageing population. Not only do we need to add capacity, especially in the Intermediate and Long Term Care (ILTC) sector, we will need to also build up strong providers to deliver affordable, quality care. Service providers like Kwong Wai Shiu will have an increasingly important role to play in serving needy patients and leading the way to innovative solutions. To better position itself to meet the future challenges, Kwong Wai Shiu is expanding its capacity and capability. Kwong Wai Shiu is doubling its capacity at its current Nursing Home with the redevelopment and expansion of its facility at this site. The new Nursing Home, which will also house a Senior Care Centre, will be completed later this year. When fully opened, it will have more than 600 beds and will be the largest nursing home facility in Singapore.[+19 sentences] Kwong Wai Shiu's upcoming Active Ageing Hubs in the vicinity of its current Nursing Home will also support our seniors to age in place. The Active Ageing Hub is a new concept we are trying out as part of the Action Plan for Successful Ageing. It is a one-stop centre for our seniors, where they can participate in active ageing programmes, and receive care services at the same place if needed. The centre can also provide assisted living services, such as housekeeping and grocery shopping, to seniors living nearby. As Kwong Wai Shiu enhances its services and infrastructure to cater to the changing health needs of our population, it will also need to keep up with the times and ensure the hospital is well-positioned to support its mission to serve all Singaporeans. It is thus timely for Kwong Wai Shiu to review its organisational framework, which is currently set out in the Ordinance, and modernise its corporate and governance structure. The Kwong Wai Shiu management, therefore, sought the Ministry of Health's (MOH's) support to repeal the Ordinance and establish the hospital as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) similar to other voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), for the following reasons. First, the current Ordinance has not been substantively amended since its enactment. As a result, its provisions have become antiquated and are impeding Kwong Wai Shiu's development and growth as a modern healthcare provider. For example, before Kwong Wai Shiu can dispose of any immovable property, it is currently required to first seek the leave of the High Court and serve the application on the Attorney-General. This unduly hampers Kwong Wai Shiu's ability to efficiently manage and control its assets and property to respond to the changing needs of Singapore and ensure that the hospital's activities remain relevant and viable. In comparison, assets of modern charities and Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) are usually governed by their boards, and these charities and IPCs are not required to routinely obtain the leave of the High Court and to serve the application on the Attorney-General when disposing of their immoveable property. Another example is the requirement for Kwong Wai Shiu to follow the Chinese lunar calendar for the submission of its accounts to the "Secretary of Chinese Affairs", a position which no longer exists today. Second, the Kwong Wai Shiu management wanted to improve and strengthen KWSH's overall governance and corporate accountability framework. The Ordinance is not fully compatible with the guidelines recommended in the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs. For example, the Ordinance does not include guidelines pertaining to board governance, as well as the avoidance of conflicts of interests. As a CLG, Kwong Wai Shiu will be governed by a constitution which contains such guidelines. This will ensure that Kwong Wai Shiu will continue to operate in a sound manner and assure its donors and members and the public that its funds and assets are responsibly managed. Last, and most fundamentally, the Ordinance limits the scope of Kwong Wai Shiu's operations and beneficiaries. The Ordinance restricts Kwong Wai Shiu's role to provide hospital services for "indigent persons connected with the Kwong-Chau, Wai-Chau and Shiu-heng prefectures of the Canton Province of China", hence, the name "Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital".[+6 sentences] In reality, Kwong Wai Shiu has gone beyond this limited scope and has long been serving the general public, regardless of race, religion and dialect. The breadth of Kwong Wai Shiu's current activities is worthy and welcome, and it is opportune that the formal limitations imposed by the Ordinance are removed in support of its noble and beneficial activities. Mdm Speaker, I shall now highlight the main features of The Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital (Transfer of Undertaking and Dissolution) Bill, hereby referred to as the Kwong Wai Shiu Bill. The Kwong Wai Shiu Bill will allow Kwong Wai Shiu to modernise and strengthen its corporate structure and provide flexibility in managing its assets and operations. The CLG, named "Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital", was incorporated last year and has been registered as a Charity and obtained IPC status as of 18 July 2016. The Commissioner of Charities, and specifically, MOH as the Sector Administrator for healthcare charities and IPCs, have been identified as the supervisory regulatory authority for Kwong Wai Shiu. The Bill will transfer all the assets, rights and liabilities of Kwong Wai Shiu to the new CLG.[+1 sentence] The new CLG will be governed by the Companies Act. A new constitution has been established for the CLG, under which there are clear guidelines for governance and the avoidance of conflicts of interest.[+3 sentences] A board of directors will oversee the management of the CLG. As a result of the modernisation, Kwong Wai Shiu will have greater flexibility to expand its charitable activities, thereby further benefiting the broader community and public. The transfer will take place after the Kwong Wai Shiu Bill comes into force. Upon the transfer, all records, legal rights and obligations of the former Kwong Wai Shiu will be transferred to, and assumed by, the CLG.[+7 sentences] This includes staff employment − the continuity of the staff's employment, and the terms and conditions of their service, will not be affected by the transfer to the CLG. Likewise, Kwong Wai Shiu's rights, powers, duties and liabilities as an employer will be transferred to the CLG. As such, the Kwong Wai Shiu Bill will not have any adverse impact on Kwong Wai Shiu's employees. Kwong Wai Shiu has also engaged its union, the Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union, and I understand that the union is supportive of the new corporate structure. Kwong Wai Shiu has also engaged its internal stakeholders, including employees and board members. I would also like to highlight that the hospital's operations will not be affected and patients are unlikely to experience any inconvenience or any adverse changes as a result of the transition. Mdm Speaker, I will now conclude. The objective of the Kwong Wai Shiu Bill is to support Kwong Wai Shiu to modernise its corporate structure and place the hospital in a stronger position with greater flexibility to provide healthcare services to Singaporeans, while ensuring transparency and accountability.[+2 sentences] I hope that Members will support the Bill. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Thomas Chua.
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng (Nominated Member)535 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, in Chinese. (In Mandarin): Mdm Speaker, the KWSH was established in 1910 and already has 106 years of history. MOH supports the hospital in moving in step with the times, to abolish those antiquated regulations and to widen the scope of its charitable affairs, hence, raising the Bill for the transfer of undertaking and dissolution.[+7 sentences] I support this move. KWSH provides affordable healthcare services to those with chronic conditions regardless of race or religion, supplements the Government's healthcare policy and is an important charitable organisation in the private sector. During the colonial times, a group of Cantonese businessmen founded KWSH. They provided free hospitalisation and clinical consultation for Cantonese immigrants and looked after the poor and needy clansmen. Although 100 years have gone by, times have changed and Singapore has already gained Independence for more than 50 years, the content of this legislation had never been amended. I met up with Mr Patrick Lee, Chairman of KWSH, and its senior management to get a better understanding of the situation. After listening to them, I was deeply moved. Actually, from 1974 onwards, KWSH has already provided healthcare services for Singaporeans of all races; the hospital has also established an inpatient centre, rehabilitation centre and community hospitals to look after the needs of low-income elderly patients.[+1 sentence] Being a large IPC, the hospital's operations have already fulfilled the conditions required of an IPC. After the expiry of Kwong Wai Shiu's land lease in 2010, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the hospital authorities came together for an earnest discussion and came to an amicable solution of letting it remain at the original location.[+15 sentences] It gave the board more confidence in making long-term development plans. There are many other charitable hospitals of this kind. Motivated by passion, regardless of race or religion, they provide long-term nursing care for the elderly and the more vulnerable groups of people, and demonstrate the merits of an inclusive society. I am really pleased to note the Government's support for KWSH. With our rapidly ageing population, more and more elderly people require care. KWSH is in the process of trying out something new, to help the elderly grow old amidst familiar surroundings. This is a worthwhile experience to promote. With the joint effort of the Government and the private sector, KWSH will enter a new phase of development. MOH gives great support to the hospital in terms of its policies and regulations, while the hospital's management team will be unified in dedicating financial resources and energy in the expansion. This spirit of moving ahead with the times is exemplary and should be emulated by many social groupings and charitable organisations. The operational capital of these charitable hospitals relies on donations from society, and I earnestly hope that every member of society could continue to support the hospital. This successful experience could be replicated in other areas. Due to changed circumstances, the original objective behind establishing many civic organisations has changed significantly. In particular, for some trade associations, the entire industry has to undergo restructuring. I hope that more Government agencies and trade associations could be inspired by the example of KWSH and enable more moving stories to be written.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Gan Thiam Poh.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio)686 words
[+25 sentences]In Mandarin. (In Mandarin): Mdm Speaker, just as my Parliament colleague has just mentioned, KWSH, has cared for many low-income families since its establishment in 1910. The hospital provided Singaporeans with good medical services and contributed much in terms of charitable and healthcare services. When it started, it provided both TCM and western medicine services, a first for Singapore. In the early days, it also provided maternity services and treated communicable diseases. I am glad to see that the hospital has evolved its services over time. Today, it operates a nursing home, a day rehabilitation centre, a TCM centre and provides homecare services. I understand that it is even going out into the community to provide healthcare talks and mobile health screening for the elderly. KWSH has always played an important role in caring for the indigent. Even today, nursing home residents who are unable to foot their bills can still receive funding from KWSH's charity funds. Mdm Speaker, when I was young, I used to live at a rental block opposite the hospital and it has left a deep impression on me. Thinking about the hospital brings back many vivid memories. When I was young, like many other residents, I visited the clinics there for treatment. KWSH's low fees have benefited me, my family and my neighbours. I am glad to see that the Government has decided to keep the hospital and allow it to continue to do charitable work and help the low-income families. I am very happy to see that, and I am also very touched. Although in the early days, the hospital's main purpose is to care for immigrants coming from Kwong-Chau, Wai-Chau and Shiu-heng prefectures of the Canton Province of China, in fact, it has also already been caring for people from other dialects or races. Even though I am not a Cantonese, I am a Hokkien, I have also benefited from the hospital. Whilst it serves all Singaporeans, KWSH has also had the special support of the Chinese community. The hospital has many volunteers helping them in their programmes. The volunteers add much warmth and friendship to the lives of the hospital's residents. These volunteers are called the "kopitiam kakis". They chitchat with the residents, share stories and sing songs with them, just like in a kopitiam. Even though KWSH's Ordinance was outdated, it has been able to achieve all this. I note that the Ordinance is not fully compatible with the guidelines recommended in the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs. With the new Bill, KWSH will have more flexibility to help more low-income Singaporeans regardless of race or religion. This will remove the limitations imposed by the Ordinance regarding KWSH's beneficiaries and allow it to adopt a modern governance structure.[+1 sentence] While KWSH had earlier made the right decision to broaden its scope of services to patients regardless of race, language or religion, it is appropriate that the mandate of the hospital, as reflected in its governing document, be updated in line with our national values. Changes to its governance structure will also be in the interest of KWSH's donors and beneficiaries as the hospital will have greater transparency and accountability in fulfilling its mandate.[+7 sentences] Moving forward, I hope KWSH will contribute even more to healthcare services in Singapore following the repeal of this Ordinance. I am glad that the Government has supported the upgrading of the hospital though part of it is affected by the land acquisition for development. The upgraded hospital will help support our ageing population and patients with chronic diseases. The hospital has an important role to play and I hope it will continue to receive support from the public. I would like to thank the Ministry for connecting the Bendemeer MRT station to the hospital, which will provide much convenience for the public to gain access to the hospital. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our seniors, the Pioneer Generation and the public for their support over the years, with which KWSH is able to make continual success in Singapore. I support this Bill.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon)528 words
[+6 sentences]Madam, the KWSH has contributed its services for years, serving Singapore since 1910. As it transitions into the next phase of its development, I am heartened to see that it continues to serve the public in the spirit of charity. As I learn about its makeover to be reopened as Singapore's largest nursing home, I am assured of our Government's focus on our elderly, and to ensure that they are being well cared for. I was impressed by the amount of effort and planning put in to ensure that it is not just any nursing home, but one which bucks the trend and sets higher standards for all new nursing homes in Singapore. Madam, while I stand in support of this Bill, I would like to take this opportunity to seek a few clarifications. I understand MOH has funded the expansion of the KWSH. Can I ask if it will also be providing the funding for the operations of this new entity?[+3 sentences] Secondly, I was going to ask about the transfer of employees, which the Minister of State has clarified, but could he confirm that all existing employees will be directly re-employed by the new entity? Thirdly, referring to clause 4(1) which states that the trustees and committee members have been involved in the hospital's operation for many years, building up valuable relationships with stakeholders, will they still be able to contribute after leaving or will they be invited to serve on the new board? Finally, I refer to news reports announcing that the new 12-storey facility will be completed in 2017. Could the Minister of State provide an update on whether or not we are on track for the date of launch?[+7 sentences] Madam, I also take this opportunity to share a few comments on Singapore's Action Plan to raise our capacity to provide for our ageing population. I understand that KWSH is unique in its approach. For example, it will be a one-stop shop for services ranging from TCM to specialised wards to treat dementia. It is also not gated and members of the public can enter freely to use its services. There will be other innovative functions, such as a "haze management zone" and a "memory street" on every floor to help the elderly retain their memories. This is an excellent step forward in the design of nursing homes, and I hope that all new nursing homes will also model this approach. I also understand from nurses on the ground that one of the key issues faced is the lack of available beds for patients with higher acuity of care in nursing homes. For example, this includes patients who require tracheostomy care. Such patients are often left to wait for available beds for up to a year while in the acute hospitals.[+4 sentences] Another category of patients is those undergoing haemodialysis. Many have been rejected by nursing homes, and families find it difficult to cope as there are few options available. I hope this issue would be taken into consideration and new nursing homes will be able to accommodate those with acute conditions as well. Madam, the above comments notwithstanding, I stand in support of this Bill.
Mdm Speaker6 words
[+1 sentence]Minister of State Lam Pin Min.
Dr Lam Pin Min1060 words
[+31 sentences]Mdm Speaker, allow me to respond in Mandarin first. (In Mandarin): Mdm Speaker, first, let me thank Mr Thomas Chua, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Louis Ng who have expressed their appreciation to KWSH for its contribution to healthcare in Singapore and voiced their support of the Bill. Indeed, KWSH has played an important role in developing our healthcare system. As one of Singapore's oldest charitable healthcare institutions, KWSH has cared for the sick and needy for more than 100 years since it was established. It has continuously developed and evolved its services to cater to Singaporeans' healthcare needs. In the early days, KWSH responded to national needs by providing maternity services and treating communicable diseases, such as Tuberculosis, and even continued its operations during the Japanese occupation. To ensure that it could care for Singaporeans regardless of race, language or religion, KSWH also went beyond its Ordinance and opened its doors to all Singaporeans in 1974. In recent years, KWSH started to provide additional services, such as speech therapy, cancer rehabilitation and home care. I understand that KWSH also actively engages the community through mobile health screening, public health talks, and active ageing programmes. As mentioned by Mr Thomas Chua, KWSH has been innovating to help seniors age well in a familiar environment. The Active Ageing Hubs that I earlier mentioned, is a good example of KWSH's efforts. In addition, Kwong Wai Shiu is also collaborating with the Academy of Chinese Medicine (ACMS ) to provide better care services for the elderly. ACMS will be part of Kwong Wai Shiu's new integrated hub concept to provide better TCM services, and to more Singaporeans. This platform pulls together several streams of services, including the TCM clinic, to support seniors with varying needs and help them to stay well within the community. Kwong Wai Shiu and ACMS will also jointly work on research study and training programmes to benefit clients and the TCM industry. As mentioned by Mr Gan Thiam Poh, it is to Kwong Wai Shiu's credit that they have managed to adapt over time despite being constrained by its antiquated Ordinance. I commend the Kwong Wai Shiu leadership for having the foresight to look ahead and push for these changes to their corporate structure so that they are able to move more quickly and confidently to meet future challenges. MOH is happy to support them in these efforts. The Members have also raised various comments and questions on the Bill. Let me address the various comments and questions raised by them. I was heartened to hear Mr Gan Thiam Poh's affirmation of Kwong Wai Shiu's efforts in helping patients in need over the years. Indeed, Kwong Wai Shiu has a team that evaluates cases submitted by medical social workers. Those who are assessed to be in need will be assisted using Kwong Wai Shiu's charity funds. Apart from helping indigent patients, I understand that Kwong Wai Shiu also caps its nursing home inpatient fees to ensure that they remain affordable for Singaporeans. This is also why it is important for Singapore to have VWO care providers. They have a passion to serve and can harness the joint resources of the community to help patients in need. Kwong Wai Shiu has promised me that it will continue to fulfil its mission of providing healthcare services to the sick and poor in Singapore regardless of race, language or religion, and serving the community with passion. I am confident that they will be able to fulfil their objective of serving the community for the next 100 years. (In English): Mdm Speaker, Mr Louis Ng queried how the new entity will be funded and operated. He also asked for clarifications on how the transfer of employees from the existing Kwong Wai Shiu entity to the new entity will take place. I would like to reassure Mr Louis Ng that the transition to the new entity is purely a change in Kwong Wai Shiu's corporate structure and does not affect its operations. As mentioned earlier, under this Bill, all records, legal rights and obligations of the former Kwong Wai Shiu will be transferred to, and assumed by, the new CLG, in a seamless manner. This means that the "new" Kwong Wai Shiu will continue to run its nursing home and receive the same funding from MOH to care for its clients.[+4 sentences] In line with this, Kwong Wai Shiu's employees will simply become employees of the new entity, with their employment terms unchanged. I am glad that Mr Louis Ng raised the question on whether Kwong Wai Shiu's trustees and committee members will still be able to contribute to Kwong Wai Shiu after the transfer to the new entity. Kwong Wai Shiu's trustees and committee members have been closely involved with its operations for many years and contributed significantly to its strong track record in community service. I understand from Kwong Wai Shiu that the trustees and committee members have been invited to serve on the new board and that most have agreed to do so. I am confident that the board members will continue to lead and guide Kwong Wai Shiu as it expands its mandate and infrastructure. I would also like to take this opportunity to update that the new 12-storey facility is on track for completion in end-2017.[+5 sentences] Lastly, I would like to thank Mr Louis Ng for his suggestion to consider the possibility of nursing homes accommodating patients with higher care needs. MOH is currently looking into this and we will share more details in future. Mdm Speaker, let me conclude. The Kwong Wai Shiu Bill will modernise Kwong Wai Shiu's corporate structure and put Kwong Wai Shiu in a stronger position to respond to future challenges. At the same time, Kwong Wai Shiu will also have greater flexibility to continue providing quality healthcare services to Singaporeans. Moving forward, MOH will continue to work closely with Kwong Wai Shiu, as well as other like-minded partners to continue improving the accessibility and quality of ILTC care for Singapore. Together, we will make Singapore an ideal place to age gracefully in. I call on Members of the House to give their support to the Kwong Wai Shiu Bill.
Dr Lam Pin Min197 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, as the Bill is, in your opinion, a hybrid Bill, in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 68(1), the Bill will be referred to a Select Committee. I beg to move, "That the Select Committee on The Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital (Transfer of Undertaking and Dissolution) Bill consist of Mdm Speaker as Chairman and the following Members: (1) Dr Chia Shi-Lu, (2) Ms Chia Yong Yong, (3) Miss Cheryl Chan, (4) Mr Christopher de Souza, (5) Mr Gan Kim Yong, (6) Dr Lam Pin Min, (7) Mr Low Thia Khiang." [(proc text) Resolved, "That the Select Committee on The Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital (Transfer of Undertaking and Dissolution) Bill consists of Mdm Speaker as Chairman and the following Members: (proc text)] (proc text)]
Mdm Speaker39 words
[+5 sentences]Order. I propose to take a break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.30 pm. Sitting accordingly suspended at 4.08 pm until 4.30 pm. Sitting resumed at 4.30 pm
The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Mr Desmond Lee)2065 words
[+3 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Madam, in recent years, cyberattacks have increased in complexity, frequency and scale. The Government has taken steps on multiple fronts to deal with such threats. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) was formed in 2015 as the central agency to oversee and coordinate Singapore's cybersecurity strategy.[+3 sentences] CSA nurtures ties with the industry and raises cybersecurity awareness through public outreach programmes. It is responsible for developing a robust cybersecurity industry and ecosystem. CSA also seeks to strengthen cybersecurity in critical sectors, such as energy and banking, and ensure effective coordination and deployment in responding to cyber threats. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) will be setting up the Defence Cyber Organisation (DCO), which will take charge of developing the military's cyber defence capabilities. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) launched the National Cybercrime Action Plan (NCAP) last year, which sets out the Government's key priorities and strategies to combat cybercrime.[+18 sentences] The plan focuses on four areas. First, educating and empowering the public to stay safe in cyberspace through public outreach programmes. Second, enhancing the Government's capacity and capability to combat cybercrime. One key initiative was the establishment of the Police Cybercrime Command in 2015. The Command integrates the Police's cyber-related investigations, forensics, intelligence and crime prevention capabilities. The third priority area is stepping up close partnerships with the industry and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), as well as international engagement with foreign counterparts. The fourth area is strengthening legislation and the criminal justice framework. This Bill will help ensure that our legislation remains effective in dealing with the transnational nature of cybercrime and the evolving tactics of cybercriminals. Madam, in Singapore, the term "cybercrime" typically refers to two categories of offences. The first category involves traditional, real-world crimes that are perpetrated using a computer. Offences in this category, for example, e-commerce scams, are covered by criminal laws, such as the Penal Code. The second category involves criminal acts that target computer systems. Offences in this category are covered by the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act (CMCA) which this Bill seeks to amend. These include criminal acts like the unauthorised access of computer material and we would commonly refer to these as acts of "hacking". This Bill will enable the Police to be more effective in dealing with this second category of cybercrime. For the first category of cybercrime, the Police will continue their current efforts, including public education and working with international counterparts. MHA is also reviewing whether changes to other laws are required to tackle the evolving nature of how criminals are using the Internet to commit crime. Madam, we have seen an increase in the number of cybercrime cases in recent years. In 2016, the Police investigated 691 cases under CMCA.[+25 sentences] This was more than double the 280 cases in 2015. Apart from the increase in volume, cybercrime cases have also increased in complexity. Cybercriminals use a variety of tactics and tools to carry out elaborate attacks. For example, the Police investigated nearly 300 cases last year, where the perpetrators hacked into victims' bank accounts. The criminals developed a fake banking App, with accompanying fake banking websites. This tricked victims into keying in their personal details and login credentials, which were then stolen by these criminals. The growth of cybercrime is a global phenomenon, facilitated by technological advances and the ubiquity of the Internet and smart mobile devices. Internet of Things (IoT) devices have also been attacked. Last October, an estimated 100,000 IoT devices were compromised and used to trigger a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack against the servers of Dyn, a company that controls much of the Internet's Domain Name System infrastructure. This disrupted major websites in the United States (US) and Europe, including Twitter, Netflix and Cable News Network (CNN). Massive breaches of personal information have also become commonplace. Yahoo has suffered one of the worst data breaches, with 1.5 billion user accounts compromised over 2013 and 2014. In April last year, the Philippines Commission on the Elections database was attacked. Personal information belonging to 55 million voters was hacked. Hacked personal information has been used to facilitate crimes like theft and cheating. On the dark web, hacked credit card information or passwords, as well as hacking tools, can be purchased easily and cheaply. The 2016 Underground Hacker Marketplace Report by Dell SecureWorks reported that stolen Visa or Mastercard details can cost as little as US$7 on the dark web. Hacking tools, such as Remote Access Trojans, cost less than US$10. Even hacking services are available. Hackers charge a daily rate of around US$30 to US$55 for DDoS attack services. Cybercrime imposes significant costs on individual victims and the society at large. In 2016, victims in Singapore lost about S$10 million through parcel or impersonation scams involving unauthorised access to the victims' Internet-banking accounts. The culprits would usually empty the victims' bank accounts. One victim lost almost S$380,000 to scammers. These financial losses are devastating to the victims because, to many of them, these monies are their life savings intended to finance the education of their children or meant for their retirement. With our high Internet penetration rate, it is even more important that we safeguard ourselves against cybercrime and enable ourselves to take firm enforcement action against criminals who make use of the anonymity and borderless nature of the Internet to commit cybercrimes. This Bill, therefore, seeks to strengthen the operational effectiveness of the Police in dealing with cybercrime.[+10 sentences] In developing this Bill, we have taken reference from legislation in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. We have also consulted the cybersecurity industry to ensure that the provisions are practical and appropriately scoped. Allow me now to take Members through the key provisions of the Bill. Broadly, the key amendments seek to address the evolving tactics of cybercriminals and the transnational nature of cybercrime. Clause 3 of the Bill introduces new sections 8A and 8B to address the evolving tactics of cybercriminals. Cybercriminals may deal in personal information, such as the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) and Foreign Identification Number (FIN) numbers, credit card numbers and residential addresses, which have been illegally obtained from a computer system. Currently, our law allows us to deal with the culprit who illegally obtained personal information from a computer system, or the culprit who misused the information to commit crimes, such as impersonation and cheating. However, there may be other "middlemen" individuals who may trade in such personal information but are not directly involved in the hacking or cheating offences. For example, criminals may run a website buying and selling hacked credit card information online. These individuals are currently not liable for an offence under the Act. The new section 8A, therefore, closes the gap by making it an offence to obtain or deal in such personal information.[+26 sentences] The new section 8A criminalises acts done in relation to personal information of individuals that the perpetrator knows or has reason to believe had been obtained by committing a computer crime. The act of obtaining or retaining such personal information will be an offence, as will be supplying, offering to supply, transmitting or making available that information. It is not the Government's intent to criminalise legitimate cybersecurity industry practices. We understand that cybersecurity professionals may deal with hacked personal information in the course of their work. For instance, they may transmit such information for the purpose of analysing a data breach or for the purpose of highlighting vulnerabilities in a system. We have, therefore, introduced exceptions in section 8A. It is not an offence if the individual obtained or retained the personal information for a legitimate purpose. It is also not an offence if the individual supplied, offered to supply, transmitted or made available the personal information for a legitimate purpose and they did not know or have reason to believe that the information will be or is likely to be used to commit an offence. Ultimately, we need to strike a balance between protecting the public interest and ensuring that legitimate practices of the cybersecurity industry can continue. It would not be difficult for bona fide cybersecurity professionals to explain why they have hacked personal information in their possession. It is also not the Police's intention to demand that every cybersecurity professional provide such explanations. Rather, in the course of investigations into a CMCA offence, the Police need to have the powers to deal with individuals who are found to have such personal information belonging to others. Fundamentally, care should be exercised when dealing with personal information, especially information that has been hacked and may be subsequently used in the commission of an offence. This applies also to cybersecurity professionals. Madam, the new section 8B criminalises acts in relation to an item that is designed primarily for committing a computer crime or is capable of being used for such purposes. Such items are commonly known as "hacking tools" and will include physical devices, software, passwords and access codes. The prohibited acts include obtaining or retaining the hacking tool, and making, supplying or making available the hacking tool. To ensure that the provision does not inadvertently prohibit legitimate access by cybersecurity professionals to such tools, this is an offence only if the act is carried out with the intention of committing or facilitating the commission of a computer crime. Other jurisdictions, like the UK, have similarly made it an offence to make, supply or obtain hacking tools, where there is intent to commit or assist in committing of a computer offence. Madam, clause 5 of the Bill introduces a new section 11A, which allows the Prosecution to amalgamate, as a single charge of one offence, two or more acts that are the same computer offence, and which have been committed over a 12-month or shorter period in relation to the same computer. Cybercriminals may conduct multiple unauthorised acts against a computer over a period of time in preparation for or as part of an actual attack. This amendment allows for multiple acts of a similar nature to be amalgamated as a single charge. This allows the attack to be appropriately described as a whole, rather than artificially segmented as a series of separate acts. Enhanced penalties may be appropriately meted out when the combined acts result in high aggregate damage. Madam, the second area of amendments addresses the transnational nature of cybercrime. The Internet is borderless, and cybercrimes are often perpetrated across geographical borders. Clause 4 amends section 11 to give Singapore jurisdiction over computer offences, where the act causes or creates a significant risk of serious harm in Singapore.[+2 sentences] Currently, offences in the Act apply extraterritorially only if the perpetrator or the computer, programme or data was in Singapore at the material time. This prevents enforcement action from being taken against the person who was overseas at the material time and who had targeted an overseas computer. The amendment will give extraterritorial effect to these offences, if the act resulted in serious harm or created a significant risk of such harm in Singapore.[+1 sentence] The Police will then be able to initiate investigations against cybercriminals located overseas. The Police will collaborate with their foreign counterparts to provide and share evidence of such cases, with a view to extraditing these offenders to Singapore where possible and prosecuting them before Singapore Courts. As extending the jurisdiction of the Act extraterritorially is not something that we do lightly, we have scoped the definition of the phrase "serious harm in Singapore" carefully, so as to ensure that Police resources will only be used to investigate cases with significant impact in Singapore.[+1 sentence] We also ensure that we establish extraterritorial jurisdiction in accordance with international norms and standards. The phrase "serious harm in Singapore" has been defined to include, among other things: illness, injury or death of individuals in Singapore; disruption of essential services in Singapore; and disruption of the carrying out of governmental duties and functions. These would include acts, such as unauthorised access of bank account details belonging to customers of a bank in Singapore, and publication of the medical records of patients of a local hospital.[+2 sentences] Madam, in conclusion, this Bill will allow the Police to handle the increasing scale and complexity of cybercrime, as well as the evolving tactics of cybercriminals. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Murali Pillai.
Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok)1222 words
[+4 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I rise in support of this amendment Bill. As we forge ahead in becoming a Smart Nation, our increasing use of and reliance on technology and computers to solve our problems and better our lives bring about many benefits but also makes us more vulnerable to cybercriminals. Take, for example, the breach of MINDEF's Internet access system for servicemen and employees this year. This case was referred to by the Second Minister for Defence during Question Time today. The incident led to personal data, including NRIC numbers and telephone numbers, of around 850 servicemen and employees being stolen.[+8 sentences] The work appears to be targeted and not the work of a casual hacker. If not for the Government's farsighted move last year to separate computer systems having Internet access from systems containing classified information, the impact on our country may have been worse. While this breach may have been relatively contained, we should expect increasing attempts to breach our systems. Our laws need to be able to keep pace with such attempts and the increasing sophistication of hackers and other cybercriminals. The changes that the Bill seeks to make to CMCA, whilst not numerous, are significant in shoring up our ability to go after criminals who make use of technology to threaten our security. In particular, the new provisions to criminalise dealing with hacked data containing personal information for illegitimate purposes are a significant development in our fight against cybercrime. The expansion of the extraterritorial application of the CMCA offence would also allow us to address the transnational nature of cybercrimes by going after criminals who operate in the interstices of the law by disrupting our security through computers located overseas. I have three points to make on the proposed amendments to the Act. First, the new section 8A of the Bill makes it an offence for a person to obtain, retain, supply or make available personal information that he or she knew or had reason to believe that it was obtained through unauthorised access to a programme or computer system.[+10 sentences] However, the section provides that it is not an offence under that section if the person obtained or retained the personal information for a purpose other than for use or supply to be used in committing any offence. The section also provides that it is not an offence under that section if the person supplied the personal information for a purpose other than to be used in committing an offence and that he did not know or have reason to believe that the information would be used to commit an offence. When hacked personal data is made widely available, as in the case of Wikileaks and also in the Kbox incident in Singapore when personal data of over 300,000 customers were posted online, such data is often regarded as a treasure trove of information for certain categories of individuals, such as journalists for reporting purposes, and researchers, where such data may be useful for their research. My reading of section 8A is that dealing with hacked personal data is only an offence when it is obtained, retained or transmitted for the purpose of supplying and/or using it in the commission of offences. If my reading is correct, then it is open to journalists and researchers to deal with publicly available information obtained through computer hacking. Perhaps, the Senior Minister of State could please clarify the Government's position to give some assurance to journalists and researchers that their obtaining and retention of such data for the purposes of their work would not cause them to fall foul of the law. Second, on a related point, while section 8A would go some way to deter illegitimate dealing with hacked personal data, I wonder if there may still be some unaddressed challenges in our laws. One area is the potential for sale of personal data. At a symposium I attended some years back, an enforcement officer spoke about the spiking of identity theft worldwide. One unique feature of stolen personal data, unlike chattels, such as stolen paintings, is that it can be sold again and again, therein lies the economic attraction of targeting databases containing personal data. According to a Tech In Asia article in 2014, it was reported, worryingly in my respectful view, that there exists a grey market in Singapore for sale of data. It further states that tons of customer data can be bought for a dirt cheap price of about 1.2 Singapore cents apiece.[+5 sentences] The report also contained an account of a sales pitch given by a shady data broker who goes by the name of John Lee. Mr Lee claimed to have data from Groupon and other popular shopping sites in Singapore that could be purchased from him. One possible reading of the proposed section 8A is that it would not apply to Mr Lee even if Mr Lee had, in fact, obtained knowingly the personal data from a hacker, for his onward sale of data to legitimate businesses. This is because the proposed new section 8A requires the commission of an offence. However, the sale or disclosure of personal data to others, while prohibited under the Personal Data Protection Act that attracts enforcement action by the Personal Data Commission, is not an offence per se. In contrast, the sale of personal data by a person who knowingly or recklessly obtained such data without the consent of the data controller has been made an offence in the UK through their Data Protection Act.[+3 sentences] If my understanding of the provision is correct, I suggest that we consider criminalising the sale of personal data obtained through unauthorised means. Without closing off this avenue, there is a danger we may be exposed to a proliferation of identity thefts. Finally, the amendments to section 11 expands the extraterritorial effect of the Bill to allow us to prosecute offences under the Act which causes or creates a significant risk of serious harm in Singapore. The definition of "serious harm in Singapore" in the section does not appear to include situations where unauthorised access to computer material causes significant disruptions to commercial businesses in Singapore which may not be regarded as "essential services" under section 15A(12) of the Bill. For example, if there were to be a simultaneous DDoS attack on all Singapore e-commerce sites over a sustained period of time, this may have a severe impact on the businesses of these Singapore companies.[+1 sentence] Yet, we may not be able to go after the persons responsible. Perhaps, we may consider expanding the definition of "serious harm" to include damage to the economy of Singapore, similar to what the UK has provided for in its Computer Misuse Act.[+2 sentences] Also, should this provision conferring extraterritorial jurisdiction be invoked, I would imagine that the Government would spare no efforts to bring the perpetrators located overseas to face justice in Singapore. May I please ask what steps will be taken to make these offences an extradition crime that would enable the Government to extradite these offenders to Singapore? Would the Government please consider updating the list of offences for which extradition may be made possible under the Extradition Act?[+2 sentences] With constant new challenges posed by evolving technologies, I support our efforts to guard against those who use technology to try and exploit our vulnerabilities. I support this Bill.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Dennis Tan.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member)762 words
[+3 sentences]Madam, the threats of cyberattacks have increased in recent years. Such attacks affect Government agencies as well as companies and individuals. Attacks on Government information technology (IT) systems may have national security implications. Recently, MINDEF's I-net system was breached and the personal details of 850 National Servicemen and staff at MINDEF were stolen in what MINDEF has described as a "targeted and carefully planned" cyberattack.[+6 sentences] Internationally, foreign governments or elements have been accused of hacking into political party emails or servers of other countries purportedly for political gains. An example would be the alleged hackings on the email servers during the last US presidential elections campaign. Cyberattacks also affect businesses and individuals, causing financial losses and breach of confidential information, for example, downtime, loss of confidential business information or leaking of customer data. In October 2016, Starhub's servers came under cyberattacks, preventing its customers from going online for two days. The existing CMCA grants powers for law enforcement agencies to investigate and take actions against individuals or companies behind acts of cybercrime. As the incidence of cyberattacks increases, as culprits of cybercrimes get bolder and smarter, we have to take appropriate and proportionate actions against such crimes and their perpetrators. The Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill introduces four main changes. One, creating a new offence to obtain, retain or supply personal information obtained through an earlier act of cybercrime.[+5 sentences] Two, creating a new offence for obtaining items which can be used to commit an offence under the Bill. Three, making it an offence certain acts which are committed overseas, and targeting overseas-based computers, but which create a significant risk of serious harm in Singapore. Four, amalgamating charges for offences under the Bill. Madam, in the explanatory note to this Bill, we read that this Bill seeks to amend the Act "primarily to deal with the changing modus operandi with which computer offences are carried out". While I support this Bill, I have two grave concerns. Clause 3 provides for a new section 8A(6), and I quote: "For the purpose of proving under subsection (1) that a person knows or has reason to believe that any personal information was obtained by an act done in contravention of sections 3, 4, 5 or 6, it is not necessary for the prosecution to prove the particulars of contravention, such as who carried out the contravention and when it took place." This section is doing away with the need for the prosecution to prove the particulars of contravention, such as who carried out the contravention and when it took place.[+11 sentences] Madam, I am somewhat uncomfortable with the prosecution being relieved of this burden to prove the particulars of the contravention in question. I think these are fundamental issues which the prosecution should prove before another person can be charged and convicted of obtaining, retaining or making use of the information in question. While I agree that we need to enhance our efforts to tackle and prosecute cybercrimes, I still believe that we should really try to limit easing the burden of proof in this way. Madam, I refer next to the amendments contained in clause 4 which pertains to the amendment of section 11 of the Act. This broadens the Courts' jurisdiction to offences that cause "serious harm" to Singapore, and "harm" is defined, inter alia, as "serious diminution of public confidence in the provision of any essential service or exercise of any power" in subsection (4)(b) and "a disruption of, or a serious diminution of public confidence in, the performance of any duty or function of, or the exercise of any power by the Government, an Organ of State, a Statutory Board…” and so on. This term "serious diminution of public confidence" seems somewhat unnecessarily broad. How does one define this term and how do we expect the Courts to decide what constitutes "serious diminution of public confidence"? I look forward to the Senior Minister of State's clarification. Finally, in closing, at the 2016 Budget Debate, Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said that there will be a new standalone Cybersecurity Bill that will be tabled in Parliament in 2017 which will, I quote "ensure that operators take proactive steps to secure our critical information infrastructure, and report incidents" and also "empower CSA to manage cyber incidents and raise the standards of cybersecurity providers in Singapore". In light of the recent incidents, may I take the opportunity to ask the Government to update the House on the Government's plans for this, even though I realise it may be of a different Ministry? Madam, I support the Bill.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Thomas Chua.
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng (Nominated Member)620 words
[+4 sentences]Madam, in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): Mdm Speaker, computers and websites bring us much convenience as well as elements of risk. The Government's amendment of CMCA would increase cybersecurity and is a very timely action. In May this year, the newly set up Smart Nation and Digital Government Office would strengthen cross-agency coordination and collaboration. The National University of Singapore will also provide data science training for 10,000 public servants, helping them to apply technology with ease and use data and digital tools more effectively.[+6 sentences] In the area of cyber usage and security, Government agencies have already accumulated a wealth of experience. In comparison, businesses' risk awareness and digital capability are obviously lacking. But in the cyberworld, enterprises can also become the target of cyberattacks. Hence, I hope that the Government could transfer their wealth of experience to companies and enable the professional digital training courses offered to public servants to be promoted and made available in the business community. We would urge companies to send their top management and core technical personnel to receive training and enable the public and private sectors to build a safety net of cybersecurity at the same time. At the same time, businesses which make use of digital technology must strengthen their cybersecurity awareness. For example, the National Trade Platform (NTP), which is being set up and will be operational in 2018, would allow enterprises and the Government to exchange information, help enterprises to lower their costs and simplify trade processes.[+3 sentences] In using this platform, companies' key digital data is also open to cyber risks. Hence, I hope that in designing the platform, the Government would place the priority on cybersecurity. Amendments to the Act involve sensitive information which needs protection, such as essential services like energy, water supply, banking and finance and transportation. NTP is one of Singapore's most important trade infrastructures in the cyberworld and ought to be in the scope of cyber protection. I would also urge businesses to pay heed to the newly amended Bill, especially in the newly inserted section 8B on criminal offences: anyone who obtains, retains, sells, creates, supplies or uses whichever method to commit computer-related offences, or deliberately allows these products to be used, would be committing an offence.[+6 sentences] Hence, moving forward, businesses must be much more vigilant when they are buying or selling products, to avoid being made use of unwittingly. I would like to recommend more clarity during implementation. For instance, how can businesses prove that their actions are legal and aboveboard? Will there be a relevant agency to provide guidance to businesses and will we set up an enforcement agency to monitor the implementation of this clause? As the amended Bill would strengthen the protection of national and individual interests, then digitalisation entails a large injection of capital, manpower and resources. The Government may feel that businesses should be responsible for their own cybersecurity. However, when cyberattacks cause a certain degree of harm to "enterprises engaged in non-essential services", it would also involve public interests and deserve legal protection. Hence, businesses hope that the Government can expand the protection scope and protect companies in the "non-essential service" areas as well, so that they do not become the target or victim of cyberattacks or transboundary crimes.[+4 sentences] In this way, these amendments could benefit a broader base of the business community and the interests of industry groups and economic entities. New technologies produce new conveniences, as well as new risks and new loopholes. I support the Government's move to regularly amend related security regulations to ensure that national, individual and business interests are not compromised. Moving forward, safeguarding cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility and is a topic everyone should be concerned about.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Assoc Prof Mahdev Mohan.
Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan (Nominated Member)727 words
[+5 sentences]Madam, cybersecurity − combating small- or large-scale cyberattacks − must be of paramount importance to a smart, resilient nation, such as Singapore. The recent cyberattack against the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and MINDEF that led to the leak of data belonging to almost 800 or more personnel, is a sobering reminder that Singaporeans are not immune from such attacks. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, so, too, must our law enforcement agencies and professionals. It is this House's solemn duty, I would say, Madam, to ensure that our laws, such as CMCA, keep apace of the developments and are refined periodically to deal with new disruptive threats. I thus welcome the amendment Bill which seeks to finetune CMCA. In particular, I commend clause 4, Madam, that amends section 11 to give the statute extraterritorial effect to ensure that even if computer misuse or a cyberattack is committed by a person who is overseas at the time of the misuse or attack, or targeted at an overseas computer, the law will not be confounded by technicalities.[+10 sentences] It will look at what the misuse leads to. In particular, it will ask whether there is significant harm or serious risk of such harm in Singapore. It is well known to international lawyers as such objective territoriality is a recognised base of jurisdiction and it has been used successfully in other pieces of legislation and is contemplated by the Securities and Futures Act and the Transboundary Haze Pollution Law as well. I would ask the Senior Minister of State respectfully though, how enforcement will be ensured. I will add my voice to what was raised earlier by the hon Member Mr Murali Pillai, who asked whether there should be additional crank that is included into the extradition list and other forms of enforcement that the enforcement agencies or the Government would consider. Whether there is serious harm caused in Singapore is a high threshold, Madam. It is not too broad. It looks at whether there was illness, injury, death, disruption of essential services in Singapore. We can, therefore, hope to count on regulators and investigators and others in our criminal justice system who tirelessly work to uphold criminal justice in Singapore. Having said this, Madam, I would like to ask the Ministry four questions. First, does the Ministry intend to propose perhaps further cybersecurity legislation beyond the current amendment in the near future that will aim to give the authorities powers to audit the business sectors and organisations to ensure that they have cyber defence systems in place? Two, will the new laws impose perhaps extensive incident reporting, audits, risk assessments and facilitate the sharing of cybersecurity information, and perhaps even mandate the participation of critical information infrastructure operators in cybersecurity exercises?[+9 sentences] If so, while this may be welcomed, information and communications technology (ICT) companies and service providers should also be included in the consultation exercises, which will lead to such Bills. Madam, third, how will the new cybersecurity legislation that might be proposed, seen together with the current amendments proposed in this Bill, impact on Singaporeans' and residents' personal data protection rights under the law? Mr Murali Pillai raised a concern that is close to my heart about whether researchers will also be restrained in some way. Beyond researchers, Madam, there is a further question. Will other news agencies that report on Singapore or whose Internet service providing capacities would be misused? I am thinking about in my mind Yahoo News, Microsoft Network (MSN) news and so on. Will they also be constrained in some way? Finally, cybersecurity safety requires a close collaboration between public agencies, private sector and universities. I am happy to report that the Secure Mobile Centre at Singapore Management University, funded by the National Research Foundation's National Cybersecurity and research and development programme, is one such example. This centre aims to create a novel ICT solution to secure different layers of mobile computing systems and to assess the scalability and usability of such new technologies and solutions to conduct experiments in real-world settings, so as to guard against such attacks in the future. Thus, Madam, my question to the Ministry would be, apart from prosecution and investigation leading to prosecution, will the Ministry be enhancing its efforts aimed at detection and prevention, in tandem with centres, such as the Secure Mobile Centre?[+1 sentence] I support the Bill, Madam.
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Thanaletchimi.
Ms K Thanaletchimi (Nominated Member)387 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill. This Bill aims to address the increasing scale and transnational nature of cybercrime, as well as the evolving tactics of cybercriminals' punishable offences.[+16 sentences] As the cyber workspace expands, it is important to secure individuals, organisations and Singapore from being victims of cyber intrusions and cyberattacks which could hurt the very heart of Singapore's cyber connectivity and economic vibrancy. For our Smart Nation Programme to realise its objectives, a safer cybersecurity ecosystem is required, and it needs to be strengthened as new developments and tactics evolve and are exploited by cybercriminals. Madam, at this point, I wish to seek the following clarifications. Will the key information infrastructure operators, such as energy, finance and transport operators, be required to report on incidences of breaches or attempted breaches of cybersecurity as and when they occur rather than when directed by the Minister? Will such reporting be extended to the other business sectors, too? Second, what is the awareness level of cybersecurity and its importance to all companies in Singapore, especially small and medium enterprises? How well are these companies protected? Do these companies see the importance of it and invest adequately in cybersecurity to protect both their individual workers' and clients' data? Will there be support and assistance for companies in instituting a holistic approach to protecting their cybersecurity system from cybercrime? Madam, for better security, we require companies' cooperation, effort as well as commitment to build cybersecurity capabilities and invest in employees' education for awareness and implementation of best practices in their usual work processes. Third, how many organisations or companies have cyber insurances to minimise their losses or liabilities which often comes with greater awareness of cybercrimes and means to secure and tighten their cybersecurity? Lastly, Madam, Singapore's CSA's concern on the lack of awareness of cybersecurity amongst Singaporeans is real. And the challenges are here to stay as our cyber transactions, cyberspace communication and cyber connectivity have increasingly become a vital part of our lives with social media use being highly pervasive. On this note, have we done enough and taken all possible measures to educate and increase the awareness of cybersecurity amongst students, employees, employers, social agencies as well as members of the public? I believe there is still room for improvement. With that, thank you, Madam.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Melvin Yong.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Tanjong Pagar)436 words
[+6 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill. We are living in a world today where many of our daily activities involve and depend on online transactions. Many Singaporeans bank online, and many more do their shopping online. This brings about greater convenience but also opens us up to new security threats. There are many examples of hacking cases. Last year, hackers reportedly sent out repeated phishing emails to various US institutions, and John Podesta, Chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, allegedly clicked on one such malicious email, allowing access to over 60,000 private correspondences, some of which were subsequently leaked to the public. Closer to home, we have heard personal data of 850 Singaporean National Servicemen were stolen after a targeted cyberattack on MINDEF's Internet system.[+3 sentences] Fortunately, the compromised system did not contain classified or sensitive information. This Bill will further strengthen our cybersecurity framework and I support the amendments. However, I would like to seek some clarifications from the Minister. First, clause 4 seeks to give extraterritorial application to computer offences.[+4 sentences] Investigating extraterritorial offences is never easy and cooperation from our foreign counterparts is crucial. Given the complexities of computer crimes and the different interpretations across jurisdictions, what is the possibility that a suspect may escape liability due to technical defects or mistakes? With an inevitable rising cyber threat, there is a need for better qualified and highly competent cybersecurity professionals to support our cybersecurity infrastructure across both the public and private sectors. Many companies have highlighted the shortage of such professionals locally. Last month, the Minister for Communications and Information announced the launch of a Cybersecurity Professional Scheme to double the existing pool of cybersecurity professionals in the public sector over the next few years.[+9 sentences] What about the manpower needs for the private sector? Are there any plans to build a similar technical pool of expertise for the private sector? Today, IoT, a vast network of smart devices connecting and interacting with one another, is gaining momentum. Personal devices and common appliances may be the weak links in our cyber defence. As in many cases, it simply takes one unknowing or unguarded individual to click on a malicious email or hyperlink and that will endanger the whole system. How can we enhance our public awareness, particularly for small businesses, which do not invest as much in cybersecurity? Mdm Speaker, as Singapore continues to develop digitally, we also face increased risk of cyberattacks. We need to strengthen our cybersecurity infrastructure, enhance our legislation and, most importantly, establish a pool of cyber warriors to protect our computer systems. Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Desmond Choo.
Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines)619 words
[+3 sentences]Mdm Speaker, the cyberspace has become the new frontier for security. The borderless and anonymous nature of cyberspace is an ideal hive for criminals. Singapore is not alone. Our overall crime rate decreased slightly last year but online crimes are on the rise. The fast-evolving nature of cybercrimes and our increasingly heavy digital reliance makes it imperative that we strengthen our cybersecurity laws to protect our citizens from harm.[+15 sentences] I support strengthening our laws on computer misuse and cybersecurity but I would like to seek clarification on several new provisions contained in this Bill. The new section 8A deals with personal information of individuals that have been obtained through hacking or other computer crimes and further using it for non-legitimate purposes. May I know what constitutes "personal information"? The types of personal information that is available online or on computers can vary from having one's photos on a "private" or "friends only" access on Facebook, to having more personal information, such as addresses and contact or credit card numbers. Furthermore, does the provision in section 8A mean that website owners will have an added legal responsibility in watching out for unlawful information being posted as comments on their site? The issue of online identity fraud is becoming more common and can lead to severe outcomes if not properly dealt with. Just recently, a community leader has had his photos used not only on Facebook, but on various other online platforms. His photo was found to have been scanned onto a digital image of a foreign passport, which was circulated online. Even without hacking or obtaining personal information through crime, cybercriminals can disrupt an individual's life by merely taking a photograph obtained online and using it for nefarious ends. While acts of this sort are covered under provisions in the Penal Code, such as sections 415 and 416 which deal with cheating in general, or under the Protection from Harassment Act, the conditions in cyberspace could create new dimensions of committing crime that may require them to be treated separately. With the rise of such incidences in cyberspace and the convenience with which they can be committed, would the Minister consider having such incidences covered under this Bill for added deterrence? Having new provisions in this Bill means that more manpower and expertise might be needed to investigate these cybercrimes. As the field of cybersecurity is a relatively new one, do we have adequate numbers of officers trained in cybersecurity to tackle these crimes? MINDEF recently announced that it will have a new cyber command and will rope in NSmen in cyber defence. I encourage the Home Team to take similar steps to ensure that it has enough expertise in handling an increase in cybercrimes. As cybercrimes are often transboundary in nature, I support the move to include an extraterritorial application of CMCA offences which cause serious harm to Singapore.[+7 sentences] However, investigations for such cases are usually complex as it will involve dealing with the laws of other jurisdictions. This might hinder investigations. In addition to that, how would distributed databases and cloud services affect investigation and enforcement? Could the Minister elaborate on how this can be overcome? Finally, as many Singaporeans are users of cyberspace, how will the Ministry educate the public on these provisions? What public communication plans are there to increase awareness of these issues? How will the Ministry galvanise the support of netizens as they can play a role in combatting cybercrimes by being more vigilant when they are in cyberspace? Establishing and evolving our cybersecurity blanket is critical to support Singapore's growth in the digital economy.[+2 sentences] This Bill provides greater assurances that our cyberspace can be a safer one. Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Ang Wei Neng.
Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong)816 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, when it comes to cybersecurity, many of us think in terms of our personal laptops and mobile phones. In fact, it would be catastrophic if the computers running our national infrastructure is compromised. In Ukraine, cyberattacks caused a power blackout in Ukraine in December 2016. In the UK, a newly set up cyber protection agency fended off 188 serious attacks in the first three months of 2017. In Germany, its military system was attacked 284,000 times in the first nine weeks of 2017 alone.[+30 sentences] Thus, Germany has just formed a new Cyber and Information Space Command (CIR) on 1 April 2017. The new command will be on par with the army, navy and air force. Besides disrupting our lives, what is deeply worrying is that a successful large-scale cyberattack would result in the loss of trust and faith in Singapore's systems, from businesses and investors. Cybersecurity is, therefore, critical to Singaporeans. I had asked about the issue of how the Police are tackling cybercrimes previously and am glad that the Police have set up a Cybercrime Command within the Criminal Investigation Department in 2015. In this latest set of amendments, the toughening of legal clout against the act of dealing and trading in personal information, the buying and selling of hacking tools, and offences that are committed abroad which may cause serious harm to Singapore, will certainly build on what has already been done to strengthen Singapore's cybersecurity and resilience. However, technology is constantly evolving and I am certain new situations will arise which may require further strengthening of our laws in future. For instance, is it an offence to set up a fake Facebook account? Under the current laws, it is not. But several of my Parliamentary colleagues and I have had fake Facebook accounts set up in our names, and once the perpetrators successfully befriend our friends, they proceed to ask for donations through private messages. Fortunately, no money was transacted as my friends were rightly suspicious, but in such situations should the Police be given powers to investigate fake Facebook accounts? Being strong in cybersecurity also presents an economic opportunity which Singapore can leverage on. Israel is a world leader in cybersecurity solutions and its cybersecurity exports totaled $6 billion in 2014. Interestingly, it was a top-down initiative which started with a directive by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. With Singapore's interest, investment and emphasis on the digital economy, we are well-placed to become the cybersecurity equivalent of Israel in Asia if we can get our act together. Mdm Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): Although it is important to toughen the laws to deter the hackers and mete out harsher penalties to them, prevention is even more critical. I believe that the Singapore Cybercrime Command and the soon-to-be established DCO under MINDEF will help us map out national and defence cybersecurity strategies. However, the key is whether we have enough computer specialists, in particular, cybersecurity professionals. In this respect, I hope that the Government can adopt a multi-pronged approach. First, we should train more cyber specialists, with a focus on cybersecurity professionals. We all know that most of our top performing students choose medicine or law, because lawyers and doctors tend to earn big money. We need to encourage some of these top students to study computer science instead. Offering attractive scholarships is one way, formulating an IT professional development roadmap is equally important to prevent a brain drain in the IT sector. To attract more top students to choose scholarships in computer science and better tap on computer specialists who are serving National Service, I suggest that MINDEF allow Singaporeans serving full-time National Service who have been awarded scholarships to study IT to be disrupted from NS to complete their tertiary education first before returning to serve in DCO. This is similar to allowing medical students to return to serve in the army after they have obtained their medical degrees. Returning army doctors can treat our soldiers. In the same vein, returning computer specialists can help guard against computer viruses and cyberattacks. This is "killing two birds with one stone". (In English): Mdm Speaker, we also need to boost the general knowledge of IT and cybersecurity at the base level. In this respect, I am glad that the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) have committed to train 10,000 civil servants in data science in the next five years.[+3 sentences] However, it is not clear from the newspaper report which group of civil servants will be trained by NUS. I would like to suggest that such IT training should be extended to all Government scholars and top civil servants, which is particularly important as the appreciation of IT application for our future economy and cybersecurity needs should start at the very top. With this, I support the Bill.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Joan Pereira.
Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar)399 words
[+3 sentences]Mdm Speaker, as a Smart Nation dependent on the power of ICT, we must have a robust infrastructure and legislative framework to protect the integrity of our cyber networks and digital systems. Our laws must keep up with the fast-evolving nature of cyber activities. This is a timely Bill which will empower the Ministry to deal with the increasing number of cybercrimes, including the unauthorised use of personal information and the trade and tools to facilitate such illegal usage. The amendment to criminalise offences under the Bill if they are committed in foreign jurisdictions using computers overseas is overdue and closes a loophole in the current Act.[+12 sentences] I would like to take this opportunity to express my concern about how well-prepared our small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are to deal with cyber threats. I note that for the "SMEs Go Digital" programme which was announced at this year's Budget, areas, such as cybersecurity and data protection, are included. I urge the Government to also use this programme as a one-stop platform for SMEs to keep their companies abreast of new developments in cyber defences and to share their experiences in countering cyberattacks, the protection of digital properties and recovery processes. Such mutual support and even collaborations will be helpful for the prevention of future attacks. I would like to ask the Minister what plans the Ministry has to encourage more companies and organisations to step forward and report on cybercrimes on their networks and systems. Ideally, all offences should be reported so that the Ministry will have a better overview of criminal activities in this landscape, which will inform current and future policies to protect our systems as a whole. Would the Ministry also share the progress of its various cyber awareness programmes targeting different segments of our community, from our students to the elderly? How does the Ministry gauge the effectiveness of these programmes in reducing the number of cybercrime victims? Finally, I would like to ask how we can step up the numbers and training of cybersecurity personnel for both our Government and private sectors. Our legislative framework cannot be enforced without these talents to protect our systems and track down the perpetrators of cyber offences. How are we going to overcome the problem of these IT specialist shortages, particularly in the middle and senior ranks? I would like to conclude with my support for the Bill.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon)519 words
[+13 sentences]Madam, I stand in support of the Bill. We live in an increasingly connected world, but the Internet has also created a multitude of opportunities for criminals to thrive. Quite a few Members of this House have recently had their Facebook identities stolen and used to send phishing messages. I am sure that came as a rude shock, but at least my colleagues had the capacity to deal with the matter quickly. I fear, however, that many Singaporeans do not. The Bill amends CMCA in three ways. First, it recognises that sophisticated software, in the hands of wrong persons, can be as dangerous as giving them physical weapons. Second, it criminalises acts of cybersecurity that originate physically outside our borders but passed through or target computers within. Third, it criminalises the use of personal data that have been obtained through hacks. All three changes are necessary steps to build a society that is more resilient to cybercrime. Madam, clause 3 of the Bill introduces the new section 8A which provides increased powers to the authorities. While this could be a needed move in light of the increased cyberattacks and misuse of information, I am concerned with the drafting of section 8A(6) that fellow Member Mr Dennis Tan had raised previously. By way of background, section 8A(1) penalises people who use personal information that arises from the contravention of certain sections of the Act. The new section 8A(6) removes the need for the prosecution to prove that any of those sections of the Act was contravened in order to prove that an offence was committed under section 8A(1). The prosecution is only required to prove that the perpetrator knows or has reason to believe that the relevant sections were contravened.[+2 sentences] However, could a perpetrator truly and accurately know that one of the relevant sections was contravened at the time of the offence? What is the burden of proof required under this section? Further, can the Minister clarify why a safe conviction could not be achieved when the prosecution does not need to prove that a relevant section was contravened when section 8A(1) is premised on the contravention of these sections?[+9 sentences] Next, I am concerned that there is a growing digital divide that is leaving our Pioneer Generation behind. I have many elderly residents who do not know how to use a computer properly. Hence, I am concerned that our elderly are vulnerable to cybercrime. Anecdotes of the elderly falling victim to scams are plenty. In this regard, can there be a collaboration with the Pioneer Generation Office with regard to IT resilience for our Pioneer Generation? Further, may I also suggest coordinated grassroots campaigns in relation to cybersecurity be launched? Under these campaigns, grassroots leaders (GRLs) can reach out to the elderly on topics, such as how to spot phishing emails or messages and how to protect themselves against cybercrime. Madam, I stand in support of this Bill. I believe that as we continue to push towards being a smart and connected nation, we should also not leave behind anyone and ensure that all of us are protected against cybercrimes.
Mdm Speaker6 words
[+1 sentence]Senior Minister of State Desmond Lee.
Mr Desmond Lee3384 words
[+9 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I thank Members for speaking about the threats in cyberspace and for supporting the Bill. Indeed, cyberspace presents new opportunities for criminals to operate. Hacking tools are readily available and criminals can misuse these tools to carry out attacks on computer systems. Many criminals commit computer offences to illegally obtain personal information which can then be used, in turn, to carry out offences like theft and fraud. Cybercriminals are emboldened by the fact that computer offences can be carried out from overseas. I will use two previous examples of cybercrime cases to illustrate the need for this Bill. Members may recall the case of hacker James Raj. James Raj, who adopted the pseudonym "The Messiah", was convicted of numerous charges under the Act for committing a series of hacks in 2013. He was responsible for hacking the server of Fuji Xerox, the Straits Times' blog, as well as the websites of certain Government agencies. The statements of 647 private banking clients of Standard Chartered Bank, which had been stored on the hacked Fuji Xerox's server, were found on James Raj's laptop.[+2 sentences] This was hacked personal information. Various hacking tools were also found on the system. The second example, just last year, a former administrative assistant James Sim, he was charged for cracking the passwords of about 300 SingPass account holders in 2011 and selling the account holders' personal details to a China-based syndicate involved in sham Singapore visa applications. The syndicate successfully applied for 23 visas, with 20 Chinese nationals entering Singapore using these visas.[+10 sentences] Three of the Chinese nationals were later found to have committed criminal offences while in Singapore. They were charged and repatriated. James Sim's actions enabled criminals to breach Singapore's immigration and border protection system. These two cases show that the amendments in this Bill are necessary to deal with the unique law enforcement challenges posed by cybercrime. The amendments to the Act will enable the Police to effectively deal with the evolving tactics of cybercriminals and the transnational nature of cybercrime. Several Members spoke about the new sections 8A and 8B of the Bill. We need to strike a balance between protecting the public interest and ensuring that legitimate cybersecurity industry practices can continue because they contribute to the overall atmosphere of cybersecurity in Singapore and elsewhere. We have, therefore, introduced exceptions in these provisions. These were drafted in consultation with stakeholders from the cybersecurity industry, telecommunications companies (telcos) and Internet Service Providers. With these exceptions, legitimate practices will not be criminalised. Mr Desmond Choo asked what "personal information" in section 8A would cover. "Personal information" is defined in the Bill. It includes information about an individual, whether true or not, which is commonly used alone or in combination with other information to identify an individual.[+26 sentences] This is a broad definition and can include addresses, dates of birth and credit card numbers. These information types are sold online often for criminal gain. Personal photographs may, depending on the circumstances, be considered personal information. Depending on the facts of the case on how the photographs are obtained and used, there may be other Penal Code offences, such as cheating by personation or harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA). Section 8A will only apply if the personal information in question was obtained through a computer crime. Mr Ang Wei Neng referred to the recent cases of Members of this House having been impersonated via fake Facebook accounts. Hacking an existing Facebook account is already an offence under CMCA. Creating a fake Facebook account is not a CMCA offence in itself. But depending on the facts of the case, for instance, if cheating is involved, other Penal Code offences, such as cheating by personation, may have been committed. Mr Murali Pillai asked whether a journalist or a researcher dealing with hacked personal information in the course of their work would have committed an offence under the new section 8A. There is nothing wrong with the journalist reporting on the hacking incident or the researcher who works with the hacked personal information for research purposes. But it is doubtful if they would ever need to disclose the hacked personal information itself, as part of the report or research findings. For example, there is no need for them to publish details, such as hacked credit card numbers, as part of the report on the hacking incident or the research findings. Depending on the circumstances, indiscriminately making available hacked personal information may amount to an offence. Care should always be exercised where hacked personal information is transmitted, even if for a legitimate purpose. This could be done by ensuring that the information is only transmitted to trusted persons who have a legitimate reason to receive the information. Where possible, the personal information should be redacted or anonymised. Mr Desmond Choo asked if website owners have an added responsibility to watch out for unlawful information posted on their sites. Website owners who are aware of hacked personal information hosted on their servers are encouraged to report this to the authorities. This is no different for anyone who comes across hacked personal information. Mr Louis Ng and Mr Dennis Tan spoke about the prosecution not having to prove the particulars of the computer offence through which the personal information was obtained, that is, no need to prove the predicate offence when prosecuting the case of a person under section 8A. The prosecution, first, has to prove that the person involved knew or had reason to believe that the personal information was obtained by an act of hacking, in contravention of CMCA. There will be cases where it will be clear from the circumstances that the information in question could only have been obtained by hacking. For instance, if there is evidence to show that credit card numbers were purchased from a website that trades in hacked credit card information, or if there is an entire file of bank account passwords that the person downloaded from such a site. But it can be practically difficult for the prosecution to also prove the particulars of the actual hacking offence for each of the pieces of information found on the site containing information that had been obtained through hacking. In the earlier example where the credit card numbers were purchased from an illegal website, the identity of the hacker and the exact time when the hack took place may not be known, or easily verifiable. The law, therefore, needs to allow the prosecution to go after the criminal who has committed the offence of dealing in the hacked personal information, without having to also prove the particulars of the actual hacking offence, which may be impossible to fully investigate.[+8 sentences] Mr Murali Pillai made several points about data protection, including how the provisions in CMCA and the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) would apply. PDPA establishes various rules governing the collection, use and disclosure of personal data by organisations. It recognises both the needs of organisations to collect, use and disclose personal data for legitimate and reasonable purposes and the rights of individuals to have their personal data adequately protected from intentional misuse and unauthorised disclosure. Section 8A criminalises acts done in relation to personal information of individuals that the perpetrator knows or has reason to believe has been obtained through a computer crime. MHA's intent is to prevent the misuse of such hacked personal information for criminal purposes. For example, in a scenario where a report was received regarding the online posting of hacked personal information belonging, say, to customers of a company, the Police would investigate whether a criminal offence under section 8A had been committed by the person who posted the information. The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) would look into whether the company had made reasonable security arrangements to prevent the unauthorised access of this personal information. The Police and the Commission will work closely together in dealing with such cases and ensure that there is no overlap in investigation responsibilities, while protecting the public's interest. As for Mr Murali Pillai's question on whether we should criminalise the sale of personal information obtained through unauthorised means, regardless of whether the information is hacked, this is beyond the scope of the current Bill.[+10 sentences] But depending on the circumstances, this may be covered under other laws. We will consider the Member's suggestion in the review of these other pieces of legislation. Several Members highlighted the need for the private sector to level up cybersecurity by strengthening cybersecurity awareness among businesses, like growing cybersecurity expertise in the private sector. These are both focus areas in Singapore's cybersecurity strategy and are led by CSA. Cybersecurity is a collective responsibility and everyone, whether individuals or businesses, has a role to play in making cyberspace a safer place. To promote cybersecurity awareness, the Government has been running the Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign since 2011. The Cybersecurity Awareness Alliance, started in 2008, brings together Government agencies, private enterprises and professional associations to promote the adoption of essential cybersecurity practices. The Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT) under CSA provides advisories to help businesses pre-empt and prevent cyberattacks. Businesses are also encouraged to read cybersecurity tips and resources on CSA's GoSafeOnline website. Ms Joan Pereira and Ms Thanaletchimi spoke about keeping SMEs informed of the latest developments in cybersecurity. By the third quarter of 2017, businesses will be able to get in-person help at the SME Digital Tech Hub set up by IMDA.[+8 sentences] The Tech Hub will provide technical advice to SMEs with more advanced digital needs, such as cybersecurity and data analytics. The Hub will help to connect SMEs to ICT vendors and consultants, as well as conduct workshops and seminars to help SMEs build their digital capabilities. On their part, businesses must also recognise and treat cyber risks as important business risks. The Government is also collaborating with industry to grow the cybersecurity workforce for Singapore. For example, under the Cyber Security Associates and Technologists (CSAT) programme, CSA and IMDA work with the industry and IHLs to attract new graduates and convert existing professionals from related fields. Our universities and polytechnics are also offering cybersecurity programmes for those keen to pursue cybersecurity education. These efforts will go a long way towards creating a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem for Singapore. Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan and Mr Dennis Tan asked if there would be other cybersecurity legislation and what its shape would be like. Members may be aware that the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) is planning to table a Cybersecurity Bill later this year.[+1 sentence] CMCA will complement this new Bill. The Cybersecurity Bill will ensure that owners and operators of Critical Information Infrastructure take proactive steps to secure their systems and networks and report incidents. It will also empower CSA to respond to cyber threats, facilitate the sharing of cybersecurity information and raise the standards of cybersecurity providers in Singapore.[+11 sentences] We will also convey various Members' suggestions and feedback to CSA and MCI for their consideration as they work on the Cybersecurity Act. But cybersecurity and cybercrime are closely related. The perpetrators of cyber incidents, which CSA would manage, might have committed an offence under CMCA in the process of carrying out the attack. Mr Thomas Chua, Mr Murali Pillai and Mr Dennis Tan spoke about widening the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the Bill beyond acts that result in serious harm. As mentioned, offences in CMCA currently have extraterritorial effect if the perpetrator or the computer, programme or data was in Singapore at the material time. For example, the act of hacking a computer which was located in Singapore would already be covered by the Act, even if the perpetrator were located overseas at the material time. Mr Desmond Choo asked how cloud services and distributed databases affect enforcement and investigation of cybercrimes. Today, an increasing amount of data that is hosted on the cloud may actually be physically stored in servers located overseas. This makes cybercrime investigations more challenging. This is a challenge faced by law enforcement agencies worldwide. Where necessary, the Police will work with overseas counterparts to investigate such cases. The widening of the jurisdiction of CMCA will enable the Police to investigate cases where the criminal act resulted in serious harm or created a significant risk of serious harm in Singapore, even if the perpetrator was overseas at the material time and targeted a computer overseas.[+17 sentences] The amendment in clause 4 will allow such cases to be charged and prosecuted before our Courts. However, we have scoped the definition of "serious harm in Singapore" carefully, so that the cases we investigate and prosecute are those that have a significant impact in Singapore. These may include cases where there is illness, injury or death caused to individuals in Singapore; a disruption of essential services, such as services directly related to public transportation, banking and finance and public utilities; a disruption of the performance of any duty or function of the Government; and where there is damage to the national security, defence or foreign relations of Singapore. Mr Murali Pillai asked that we also include as serious harm any act that damages the economy of Singapore. The definition of essential services already takes into consideration the critical sectors that will affect the economy, should they be attacked. Mr Dennis Tan wanted to know how the amended section 11 subsection 4 paragraph (c), in the definition of "serious harm in Singapore", will be operationalised in respect of the sub-clause on "serious diminution of public confidence" in Government services or the disruption of Government functions. What constitutes a "serious diminution of public confidence" would certainly depend on the facts of the case, but there are examples in the Bill of acts that seriously diminish or create a significant risk of seriously diminishing public confidence in the performance of any duty or function of or the exercise of the power by the Government, an Organ of State or a Statutory Board. These examples include providing to the public access to confidential documents belonging to a Ministry of the Government, as well as publication to the public of the access codes for a computer belonging to a Statutory Board. Mr Thomas Chua asked for similar protection for essential services to be extended to NTP. I hope that is the correct interpretation or translation of what the Member said in Mandarin. NTP can be considered as supporting an "essential service" as currently defined in CMCA. It is also a function provided by the Government. So, depending on the actual situation, a disruption to this could be considered within the scope of "serious harm" in the Bill. Mr Melvin Yong, Mr Murali Pillai and Mr Desmond Choo spoke about the challenges of investigating cybercrimes committed overseas. This is another reason why the provisions have to be scoped, so as to ensure that Police resources are not over-committed to pursue crimes that have limited or no impact on Singapore. For the cases that are investigated, the Police will work closely with overseas counterparts to provide and share evidence of such cases, with a view to prosecuting the criminals in Singapore. Mr Murali Pillai and Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan both asked if we will make CMCA offences extraditable under the Extradition Act. MHA is working with the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) to specify offences under CMCA as extradition offences.[+10 sentences] Mr Louis Ng, Mr Desmond Choo and Ms Joan Pereira gave various suggestions on how to deal with cybercrime, and I thank them for that. Last year, MHA launched NCAP, which I referred to in my opening statement. NCAP sets out the Government's key principles and priorities in combating cybercrime, and amending CMCA is one of the key initiatives of NCAP. Under NCAP, we have also enhanced public education and outreach efforts. As Mr Desmond Choo said, the public can play a role in combating cybercrimes by being more vigilant in cyberspace. Mr Louis Ng and Ms Joan Pereira spoke about outreach efforts for vulnerable groups, such as young students and the elderly. The Police work closely with schools and organisations, such as the Media Literacy Council, to raise awareness of cybercrimes among these vulnerable groups. The Police have also been using existing senior citizen engagement platforms, such as IMDA's Silver IT Fest, to raise the cybercrime awareness of senior citizens. I thank Members for their suggestions to further enhance our outreach efforts to the various vulnerable groups. Ms Joan Pereira also asked how we would encourage companies to step forward and report cybercrimes. With greater awareness, the private sector is better able to help the Police to detect cybercrimes. This year, Police established a public-private industry platform to foster closer collaboration with software companies, telcos and banks on cybercrime detection and prevention.[+7 sentences] The Police also regularly reach out to smaller businesses as well to share information on cybercrimes and cybercrime prevention. Mr Desmond Choo asked how we would educate the general public on the provisions of this Bill. Our public cybercrime outreach programmes are principally focused on how to prevent members of the public from falling victim to cybercrimes, but most members of the public would not use hacking tools or transmit hacked personal information. But we agree that there is a need to reach out to the cybersecurity industry as well as to students. MHA has worked with organisations, such as the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), to publicise information about the new provisions. We will continue to work with CSA on outreach efforts. We have also stepped up enforcement actions against cybercrime. Last year, the Police conducted five island-wide enforcement operations targeting scams. More than 300 people were arrested in connection with scam cases, involving about $1.8 million in total.[+12 sentences] Mr Desmond Choo asked what steps the Home Team will be taking to ensure that it has sufficient expertise to handle the increase in cybercrimes. We have been building up new capabilities in the fight against cybercrime. I had spoken earlier about the role of the Police Cybercrime Command in coordinating an effective response to cybercrime. We have also set up Cybercrime Response Teams in every Police Land Divisions. The teams augment the manpower available to respond to cybercrime reports by assisting investigation officers in responding to cybercrime reports through collecting and processing digital evidence. We have also been working closely with industry and IHLs. For example, Temasek Polytechnic and MHA are developing a TALENT Lab, which will be used to train students from IHLs in cybercrime investigations and forensic skills. The Lab will be officially opened later this year. We have also continued to strengthen our international partnerships. Last year, MHA, the Attorney-General's Chambers and CSA organised the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Cybercrime Prosecutors' Roundtable Meeting. This event brought together ASEAN cybercrime prosecutors to share their experiences in addressing cybercrime cases and build networks among the prosecutors. These efforts to fight cybercrime have started to show encouraging results. Notably, the number of reports of cheating cases involving e-commerce, which forms about half of all online scam cases, decreased by 6% last year, from 2,239 cases in 2015 to 2,105 cases in 2016.[+7 sentences] However, these cases, along with scams, like Internet love scams and officials impersonation scams, still remain a significant crime concern. We will continue to monitor the cybercrime situation and calibrate our outreach programme and enforcement efforts accordingly. MHA will continue its efforts under NCAP, in partnership with industry, IHLs, the public and law enforcement agencies, so that we can, collectively, create a safe and secure online environment. Mdm Speaker, the amendments to CMCA help strengthen our response to cybercrime. The threats have so far been under control, but it lurks in many dark corners of cyberspace. We, therefore, need to put in place a robust legislative framework with safeguards, but also with the necessary enforcement levers as part of a comprehensive cybercrime and cybersecurity strategy, to ensure that our computers, systems and data are better protected. (proc text)]
Public Order (Amendment) Bill›Second Reading Bills23 turns · 13,176w
· 95 highlighted
bill-300
The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr K Shanmugam)3410 words
[+3 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Mdm Speaker, there are two major parts to this amendment Bill. The first is to protect the public from the growing threat of terrorist actions to events that take place in Singapore. The second is to re-emphasise and make clear what has always been our position, that permits may be refused for assemblies and processions where non-Singaporeans and non-Singaporean entities get involved towards political ends.[+33 sentences] Let me look at the first part in relation to specific terrorist threats. Members will be aware of the threat of terrorism around the world and in Singapore. The region has been hit several times. We have been targeted. We increasingly see a modus operandi where terrorists target soft targets as one of the main modes of attack. These are large events with large crowds with limited protection, or public buildings which are less secure. You have seen that over the past two years. You had in November 2015 the attack in Paris where they attacked a cafe, football match and concert. Ninety people died. In June of last year, you had the attack in Nice. More than 80 people died. A truck was driven into the crowds. In December of last year, you have the Christmas Market attack in Germany. Twelve persons dead in Berlin. Of course, you have the New Year's Eve shooting at an Istanbul nightclub, with 39 persons dead. Nightclubs, public events, cafes, football events and so on. In terms of how the Government has responded, we have taken significant steps. I call that the kinetic response. We have put in more cameras, increased vigilance with technology. We have new capabilities with the Emergency Response Teams. I have indicated that they are trained to be at any place in Singapore within a certain number of minutes and they understand the local terrain very well, including the buildings. We have also conducted major exercises to see what the gaps are and continuously upgrade and sharpen our skills. In addition, we have also launched the SGSecure movement to bring in the population, and our intention is the entire population has got to come into this and work with the Government in a partnership. The fact is that terrorists have imposed a cost on society. And the Government and the taxpayers are paying the cost. At the same time, business owners, event organisers will have to bear a part of this cost. That is what the first part is about. Not all of it, but a part of it. So, why do we have to regulate security for events? When there is a risk of a potential terrorist attack at an event, and the risk is assessable as potentially dangerous, then it is really in the public interest that the Government does something about it, that the necessary security measures are taken. Otherwise, we are putting lives at risk. The practical issue then becomes one of balancing. What measures do we put in, where do we draw the line, and how do we calibrate so that the measures are reasonable and practicable? Today, as it stands now before the amendment, section 21 of the Act allows the Minister for Home Affairs to designate special events. This is done to ensure the safety and security of the event, and to avoid disruptions to the event.[+16 sentences] These are usually events of major and national significance. To give some examples, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2009 meetings in Singapore, Southeast Asian Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, National Day Parade, events like that. The Police require a wide range of powers to ensure event security to protect the public, in events of such significance. Those powers include the power to inspect personal property, search people, prohibit certain items from being taken into the event area, security screening, refusing entry into special events and also issuing directions to event organisers. But we know, today's threats are not limited to these sorts of events. From my earlier illustrations, you have seen they attack concerts, they attack festivals, any kind of gathering. At the same time, we cannot subject all these events to the kind of security or rules that we require, say, for the National Day Parade. So, it is a balance. You cannot let it go completely unprotected nor can you impose the kind of security that you do for the kind of events I have talked about. When we strike a balance, we must remember and accept that when you put in security measures, they do deter attackers. For example, in November 2015, the terrorists wanted to go into the stadium. But they were deterred because there were security checks, so they detonated outside and that caused much less loss of lives. After the attacks in Berlin and Nice, questions were raised as to why there were no higher security measures. In Singapore, in February this year, we had the Guns N' Roses concert at the Changi Exhibition Centre reputed to have 50,000 people. Concerns have been raised as to why there were no added security measures as this is the kind of events that can be targeted. So, what are the gaps today and how do we deal with them? What the Police do today is to work with event organisers to voluntarily put in the security measures and most organisers are cooperative. But I think the time has come for us to go beyond that to give the Police the powers to require such measures.[+2 sentences] When you have events with large crowds, higher risk, there has got to be adequate security, and there has got to be legal powers for the Police to direct that some security measures be put in that are considered adequate. What is the approach we are going to take? First, we will require organisers of events where you expect beyond a certain crowd, beyond a certain size, to inform the Police in advance that you are expecting this sort of crowd. Second, after the Police's assessment, the Police will then declare events with certain large crowds, or assessed to be at higher risk, as special events.[+12 sentences] The Commissioner of Police will decide this. And the Police can then direct that the event organisers take special steps, security measures. Of course, if the event organiser refuses to comply with the directions of the Police, then it has to be a non-compliance with the law. The Bill also provides for that. The intent of this framework which I have just explained − notifying the Police, allowing the Police to give directions, and making non-compliance an offence − is to make sure that the basic security measures are in place, and also allow the Police to direct further security measures, for example, if there is credible or a reasonable basis to believe that there are specific or generalised threats. These are assessments that the Police have to make. Now, let me deal with the main provisions of this Bill. Members will note from clause 3 of the Bill, it requires organisers to give the Police notice of intention if they expect the crowd size to be above a prescribed size. There will a period prescribed and a notification has got to take place in the context of the prescribed period. Events that meet the crowd size thresholds will then be declared as special events. In making the declaration, the Police will assess if the event is at potential risk of a terrorist attack or a public order incident. What types of events do we intend to prescribe once the Bill comes into force? For public events, if we expect more than 5,000 persons at any time, and public events refer to events where any member of the public can attend, either by purchasing tickets or by freely entering the event area. For private events, if we expect more than 10,000 persons at any time.[+30 sentences] Private events are events by invitation only. The reason for making a distinction between public and private events is that one assumes that, for a private event, the organisers know who they are inviting. And because it is by invitation only, then there is no wide public invitation and, therefore, potentially lesser profile. But, of course, I am just setting the general principles. The specific cases will vary and the Commissioner will have to make that assessment. How does one estimate crowd size? I think the event organisers would try to make an estimate based on the facts available to them, such as the size of the venue, past events of a similar nature, ticket sales and so on. The organiser makes the best estimate he or she can. And if the crowd size exceeds what they estimated, then, of course, that is not an offence. How did we come to these thresholds? They were based on risk assessment. Why 5,000? Why not 4,000? Why not 6,000? We have got to draw a line somewhere. Take into consideration, first, the seating capacity of major event venues in Singapore and also looking at the scheduled landscape of events that we have in Singapore. What is this likely to cover? If you look at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, it can hold 7,000 to 8,000 people when used for concerts. The Star Performing Arts Centre can accommodate up to 5,000 people. How many events would this apply to, based on past precedents? I think about 200 public events. So, we have taken a measured approach. And remember these 200 public events today have already put in place many of these security measures. What is being done is to give the Police the directive power. What we have today is a system where the Police work with the organisers and the organisers voluntarily do this. The Bill will effectively give the Police the power to direct. And we want to encourage people to organise events. We do not want to stifle the vibrancy of events being held in Singapore. We do not want to discourage people. At the same time, we have to recognise that the worldwide impact of terrorism is imposing costs on everyone. Based on the type of events and the threshold of crowds, I talked about the Police having to be told a certain period beforehand, we intend it to be 28 days before the event.[+4 sentences] That gives enough time for the Police to make an assessment, engage with the organisers on the security requirements and for the organisers to put in place the security requirements. Because the Police have to make an assessment, then they have got to go back to the organisers and say "we need you to do these things", and the organisers need time to go and put in place those requirements. But, sometimes, it is not possible to give such notice. So, clause 3 will actually require the Commissioner to accept shorter notice, if he is reasonably satisfied that an earlier notice could not have been given. If you do not notify the Police, that would be an offence. So, there is a legal requirement to notify the Police when you reasonably expect the crowd size to be beyond 5,000 for a public event.[+9 sentences] There is also the power to declare an event as a special event by the Commissioner of Police. Clause 8 of the Bill will repeal and re-enact section 21. When will the Commissioner exercise this power? When it is necessary to preserve the public order and the safety of individuals involved in the event, as well as other persons, and also where it is necessary to avoid disruptions to the event. What would the Commissioner have to consider in declaring events as a special event? He has got to look at the size of the event. He has got to look at the experience and expertise of the organisers and he has got to look at the other factors, including threat assessment. In practice, how is the Commissioner likely to exercise this power? I think he will exercise this power when an event is likely to attract a very large crowd and he assesses it to be at a higher risk of a terror attack or a public order incident. Some of these events, based on past precedent, could include, say, large-scale sporting events like the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, music concerts and celebrations like the Chinese New Year Countdown or the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown.[+1 sentence] These are iconic events that can be targets. High-profile events like the Shangri-La Dialogue or National Day Rally will also be declared as special events.[+9 sentences] Once the Commissioner declares an event to be a special event, he will issue directions to the event organisers to put in place the security measures. He will use section 30, which is an existing provision that applies to special events. Currently, the Minister declares them to be special events under section 30, but he will use the powers under section 30. Clause 9 of the Bill will amend section 30 to clarify examples of written directions that the Commissioner can give. How will this work in practice? Let us say an event has been declared a special event or enhanced security special event. The Police will then discuss the security plan with the organisers. The Police will then issue directions to the event organisers to put in place the agreed or hopefully agreed security measures, which could include setting up of barricades, engaging security officers by having clear signage. And that is likely to apply to the majority of special events which are events which attract large crowds. For some events which are likely to be at a higher risk of a terror attack or a public order incident, the Police could direct additional measures, like armed Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs), full body scans, bag checks and measures against vehicle-borne threats.[+6 sentences] And you have seen how vehicle-borne threats can cause chaos. If for some reason that event venue cannot be secured against security risks, the Police may require the venue to be changed. And that has happened in the past. The event may be cancelled or postponed if it is unsafe for it to continue. That could be due to an imminent threat or severely inadequate security and also inadequate crowd management arrangements. The Police may also require the organisers to inform the participants, the public at large, regarding some aspects of how the event is going to be conducted, for example, to come earlier because of security screening. Again, not complying with the written directions given under section 30 would be an offence, and the Commissioner is allowed or will be empowered to do what is necessary to give effect to his written directions.[+7 sentences] And that could include, if the event organisers are not putting in the security, the Police can put in the security. They can also recover the costs and expenses incurred in doing so, as a civil debt owed to the Government. But stepping in to implement the security requirements is really an option of last resort. But it is important to have this option in case you have organisers who just go ahead, ignore everything and have a large-scale event without adequate security. Clause 10 will make it an offence for anyone to willfully obstruct any Police Officer or the Commissioner in the exercise of his powers. Supposing a Commissioner declares an event be a special event, then the powers that are exercisable in relation to the participants and members of the public under sections 24 to 29 and section 32A will not apply. As the participants and members of the public at a special event will not be subject to these powers, the declaration of the special event by the Commissioner does not have to be gazetted. Clause 8 of the Bill will also enact a new section 21A. That is to allow the Minister for Home Affairs to declare some special events as enhanced security special events.[+5 sentences] Generally, these are events of major national or international significance which have previously been declared as special events under this Act. The powers that are exercisable in relation to these events remain largely unchanged. So, we have to demarcate the events which the Minister will declare as special events from those declared by the Commissioner. The Minister will give directions to the Commissioner to refer certain events or a class of similar events to the Minister. And then the Minister will decide whether or not to declare these events. Basically, we are increasing the security requirements for events which attract certain types of crowd more than 5,000 and/or with national or international prominence giving powers for directions.[+9 sentences] Any declaration made by the Minister must be published in the Gazette because the powers do affect members of the public in and around the vicinity of the special event. My Ministry has consulted key stakeholders. We have consulted the People's Association, Football Association of Singapore and event companies providing entertainment, as well as sporting events, and event security and logistics providers. Based on the feedback we have received, we will develop guidelines for event organisers on what procedures they need to adopt to notify the Police, and also what security measures are required for a typical event, and what sort of additional security measures that might be imposed, depending on the threat assessment and the nature of the event. In doing this, obviously, the private security industry is an important partner to help us implement this framework. We are working with the tripartite partners to develop what is being called the Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for the Private Security Industry. So, we will focus on innovation, technology and upgrading the jobs and skills of the officers. Hopefully, that will help the private security industry meet the demands in the years ahead because you are going to have security officers who need to be professional in handling this. The second part of this Bill relates to the amendment to section 7(2), to prevent foreigners from using Singapore to promote political causes. As to the basic philosophy, there can be no doubt that the Government's position has always been that foreigners and foreign entities should not import their politics into Singapore, nor should they interfere in our domestic politics, especially on issues of a political or controversial nature.[+1 sentence] The Police have previously rejected permit applications by non-Singaporeans to organise events, for example, the Bersih-related events at the Speakers' Corner. Clause 4 of the Bill clarifies that the Commissioner of Police may refuse to grant a permit for a public assembly or procession, if he has reasonable grounds to believe that the proposed assembly or procession is directed towards a political end, and organised by, or involves the participation of non-Singaporean entities or non-Singapore Citizens.[+1 sentence] Those events, where a permit is applied for, will be assessed carefully, case-by-case, by the Police. In determining whether the proposed assembly or procession is "directed towards a political end", the Commissioner would have to consider if such activities would cover matters, regardless of whether in Singapore or elsewhere, that promote the interests of political parties or a group of persons organised for political objectives, or influencing or seeking to influence policies or decisions of any government, changes in the law, any election or referendum, public opinion on a matter of public controversy, or policies or decisions of persons performing public functions, or to promote or oppose political views or public conduct relating to activities that have become the subject of political debate.[+1 sentence] These amendments do not impact on Singaporeans. These are directed at foreigners and foreign entities. "Singapore entity" in the Bill includes entities, such as companies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which are incorporated or registered in Singapore and controlled by a majority of Singapore Citizens. Singapore Citizens and entities can continue to apply for and be granted permits for assemblies and processions directed towards political ends, as long as none of the other grounds which already exist in the Public Order Act are there.[+3 sentences] Mdm Speaker, in conclusion, the proposed amendments will seek to enhance the security of events in Singapore against the clear and present threat of terrorism. The Bill also seeks to ensure that Singapore will not be used as a platform by foreigners to further political causes, especially those that are controversial or divisive. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Melvin Yong.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Tanjong Pagar)1068 words
[+6 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill. I would like to declare that I am one of the trustees of the Union of Security Employees. Given the current regional and global security environment, the proposed changes are timely. The recent attack along Westminster Bridge in London has once again emphasised the need for us to always remain vigilant and alert for any form of attacks on our citizens, including our security forces. I am glad that the Bill aims to further strengthen our security measures to better protect our people, particularly at large-scale events where many will gather. However, I have some areas of concern for the Ministry's consideration. First, under the amendment to section 7, it would be useful to better clarify the term "public controversy".[+4 sentences] Would issues related to race and religion fall under this term? Could the Ministry share where the boundaries or the out-of-bounds markers are? Perhaps some examples would be useful to provide a better understanding of what constitutes "public controversy" under section 7. Second, the new security measures will inevitably mean that we will need more security officers. Today, we have around 43,000 active security officers in the industry.[+9 sentences] This security workforce is supplemented by a significant number of Malaysians. Recently, we heard that concession has been given to some security companies to hire Auxiliary Police Officers from new sources, such as Taiwan. Mdm Speaker, we cannot continue to depend on foreign labour to supplement our security needs. We must build up our pool of local security professionals. We need to establish pipelines of suitable locals into our security industry. Third, we must work on improving standards and enhancing training of our security workforce. In recent years, we have seen a steady increase in the number of large-scale special events. It is important for our security officers to be well-trained, well-equipped and well-informed to handle the ever-changing security threats at such events. They must be properly trained and be kept up to date on the latest security threats and tactics used by those who intend to cause us harm. Today, our security officers go through two Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) modules at the entry-level before they can be deployed.[+5 sentences] These modules are delivered by different training providers and some security companies have even set up their own training centres. Would the Ministry consider consolidating the various training resources and establish a centralised training institute for all security officers? This would allow basic training to be structured and ensure a level of consistency in delivery. It would also allow for regular review of the training curriculum and provide a platform for continuous training for our security workforce. To attract more Singaporeans to join the security profession, the job scope of security officers should progress beyond basic guarding and move towards more skills-based and knowledge-based security operations, so that the value of the job and the image of our security officers can improve over time. Today, the industry has established a five-grade single-track Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for security officers.[+6 sentences] We need to expand on this and create multiple career tracks for our security officers. We know, for example, that the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) West trains students who can set up and monitor remote command centres. But today, this task requires a security supervisor under the single-track PWM and he needs to have four years of experience, that is, two years as a security officer and another two years as a senior security officer. And this is on top of the WSQ prerequisites at each rung and each level. Although exceptions can be given, and are given on appeal, most ITE graduates from this course will find it hard to join the industry and practise what they had been trained for as they do not qualify. Could we explore a parallel career track for security technologists? An ITE graduate in this area can join as a security technologist and get paid at least $1,800 for his specialty skills, while a polytechnic graduate can start as a senior security technologist.[+16 sentences] Mdm Speaker, let me now turn to business cost as a result of the enhanced security measures. For many security companies, the need for more security officers will add to the business costs. But this is also an opportunity for the industry to work together to optimise our limited manpower resources. Security companies need to invest more in risk assessment and smarter use of technologies to augment physical bodies. Can we use sensors and surveillance cameras in place of human beings to guard a locked door? Can we leverage technology to secure our perimeters instead of a patrol team? Do we need to patrol both sides of the same perimeter fence because they belong to two different owners? What is preventing us from optimising the use of our security manpower? To me, there are two key issues. First, there is a lack of common standards for security technology. This has resulted in buyers installing excessive, and sometimes over-priced, systems that they do not need. Would the Police consider working with the industry to provide a set of guidelines to assist both security companies as well as security service buyers? We can start by identifying key areas where technological solutions are clearly superior and seek to provide a set of common standards. Through specific funding support by the Government, we can bring down the cost of security technology solutions, improve productivity and enhance security outcomes. Second, we need to consider mandating security assessments to optimise the use of technology and manpower. There is a Chinese saying: to get the task done, you first need the right tools. Today, most buyers procure security technology separately from security manpower and this is not tenable in the long run.[+1 sentence] Mdm Speaker, the Labour Movement has been advocating the need to aggregate demand for both manpower and technology and attract more Singaporeans to join the security profession. We hope that beyond addressing our long-term manpower needs through the sector's ITM, we can also raise the overall security standards that Singapore must have. We are in a region where terrorism activities fester.[+1 sentence] Let us not wait until it is too late. The security of our nation is paramount and we must spare no effort to ensure that our security officers are well-trained, well-equipped and well-informed to carry out their duties effectively.[+1 sentence] Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan.
Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan (Nominated Member)653 words
[+9 sentences]Madam, there is little doubt that we must give our Police and law enforcement officials robust powers to prevent terrorism from ever taking root in Singapore and to prevent one-off terrorist acts at private and public events. We have done so in the past through the Public Order Act and other legislation. We must remain vigilant and can look at these particular amendments. The Shangri-La shooting incident that Members had spoken about in the past is one such incident that we must have a clear response to. We should never underestimate the importance of appropriate and even additional security measures, where necessary. However, Madam, I have certain concerns and, at the outset, I must say that my concerns are not with respect to anything that we would do which are anti-terrorist initiatives but are specifically about anything, including within these amendments, that may have an unwitting or an overt limitation on free speech or through censorship of the media. If we are seeking to stifle creativity, innovation or healthy intellectual debate as the Minister earlier alluded to, others may worry and I worry as well, Madam, that certain aspects and powers or even discretion that have now been put in the hands of the Police Commissioner and others may cause concern. And I would ask for certain clarifications. My concerns are specific, Madam. If I was to look at section 6A of the present Act, clause 3 proposes fresh discretion in the hands of the Police Commissioner and with the Minister. It suggests, amongst other things, that the Minister may prescribe different numbers of individuals for different classes of events.[+3 sentences] I would ask the Minister, perhaps, how this categorisation would be delineated. Will the different classes of events be specifically clear and distinguished so that organisers will know and be certain as to what the classifications are and what may be their incumbent obligations? I ask this as well, Madam, because not every organiser may quite know what may be lying in store for them. Next, Madam, I look at clause 9(e) which relates to section 37 of the present amendment Bill. It suggests that the Police Commissioner may, without affording any opportunity to be heard, modify any written direction under section 1 or 7 of the proposed above-mentioned legislation.[+6 sentences] This idea of not allowing any right to be heard, Madam, while there is no expressed duty to give reasons under Singapore's administrative law and I would not take issue with this, it does cause some concern. As the Minister rightly mentioned earlier, even his declarations must be gazetted and it must show to members of the public what is being involved. If the opportunity to be heard is being dispensed in some way, would there be a possibility for judicial review? Would there be appeals to the Ministry itself if there is a legitimate reason as to why an event may go forward? Could there be an appeal, perhaps, to the Police Commissioner to consider or reconsider this? The next clause, Madam, that causes some concern is clause 9(g). Clause 9(g) relates to section 38 of the present legislation and seeks to create a new 38A and 38B.[+1 sentence] It relates to the costs that will be involved regarding these events. Would these costs be imposed concurrently with the current criminal sanctions provided in the present 38 of the Act in the event of non-compliance with the Commissioner's written direction?[+3 sentences] In addition, will there be internal control mechanisms, Madam, to ascertain whether the expenses incurred by the Commissioner will be given effect to if the direction is reasonably incurred? Madam, these are perhaps technical points that I have raised. But the larger point would be, if we are seeking to impose obligations on event organisers with events that touch on political matters or political ends, we must have very clear directions at this stage so that we know what we are getting into.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Kok Heng Leun.
Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member)1502 words
[+24 sentences]Thank you, Mdm Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to share my views on the Public Order (Amendment) Bill. Since coming into force in 2009, and subsequently with amendments made as recently as 2015, the Public Order Act (POA) has achieved its objectives to ensure order and safety in public spaces well. As such, any proposed amendment should address specific gaps in public safety which have arisen. It should also offer clear terms for the execution of the Act. Yet, in my opinion, there are various aspects of the proposed amendments which require further clarification in terms of their intent. I believe the amendments will have an adverse impact on our efforts to encourage active citizenry. Our Government has made positive steps, particularly in recent years, to encourage citizens in policymaking. This strategy should be encouraged. Citizens should be politically aware and not politically naive. Political discussion is important to let us understand why decisions are being made, how it affects others and, importantly, allow us to articulate the kind of governance we want. When our citizens' trust and confidence in the political system grow, they will feel invested in the country's development and strategic direction. Of course, while we encourage political discourse and active citizenry, we would also agree that there must be terms of engagement that ensure civility, non-violence and public order. Hence, I see the POA as an Act that assures meaningful engagement. Thus, any policy change that deters citizens from becoming actively engaged will be counter-productive to our vision. We know that there has been more and more active engagement through social media, but meaningful engagement done face to face is equally important. True active citizenry must also include Singaporeans initiating self-directed efforts in response to problems in our immediate surroundings. Also, political discourse should not be seen as something scary and dangerous, or something that only articulates itself as complaining. If people are afraid to participate openly in political discussions, they will not evolve into discerning citizens. To date, I still have audience coming to me about my production and say: "Don't talk about such things. Hey, why are you making these criticisms, will you get questioned? Don't do drama about politics, if not, you will get into trouble." How can all of us assure the public that there is nothing to fear? Ironically, the amended POA might even further deter Singaporeans from good, solid political engagement and discussion. It is in this light that I would like to examine and discuss this Bill. Under clause 4 of the proposed amendment, the Commissioner has the power to refuse a permit for public assembly or public procession, if he or she has reasonable ground for believing that the activity may be, I quote, "directed towards a political end and be organised by, or involve the participation of, any of the following persons: an entity that is not a Singapore entity; and an individual who is not a citizen of Singapore." The term "political end" has a very broad definition, as mentioned by the Minister just now. For instance, a public panel discussion on animal abuse, featuring Singaporeans and foreign experts, can be considered as "directed towards a political end".[+10 sentences] After all, the recommendations of such a panel may well include proposals for legislative changes. Or how about a public lecture, organised by a local NGO, with a foreign expert speaking on healthy policy, proposing recommendations for Singapore to boost Singapore's birth rate? That would also be covered under this very broad definition. I think the House can agree with me when I say these examples should certainly not fall afoul of POA. After all, they are beneficial for our nation, never mind that they deal with policy matters. Furthermore, they should not cause any public disorder or safety issues. But the issue at hand is this: we cannot categorically claim such events have "a political end", nor can we say otherwise. The amendment should then be clarified, to ensure such events are free from unnecessary scrutiny. If the proposed amendment is to deter foreigners from leading or participating in political events that threaten public order or safety, then is it repetitious? Because we have already dealt with such things adequately through clause 7(2) of POA. If we say that the proposed amendment is to restrict the direct influence of foreign corporations on domestic politics, then such instances can be dealt with through measures, such as disclosure rules, which will not limit spaces for political discourse. Therefore, the Bill, with its very broad definition of "political ends", seems to indicate that any event involving a foreign element advocating for some form of political change, whether good or bad, can be rejected by the Commissioner. Therefore, my question would be: how would the Commissioner decide to refuse the application of a particular public assembly? Should it be assessed based on its propensity to cause public disorder and not just merely on determining if it has "political ends"?[+6 sentences] What if there are contestations on the Commissioner's decision? Would there be an avenue for repeal? If the answer is that it can be challenged in Court, then it would definitely be a big deterrent for NGOs because of the cost involved. During the Budget Debate, I have spoken at length about how a strong civil society and an active citizenry build our national resilience. We are facing difficult and uncertain times ahead and, clearly, we do not have all the answers to the problems we face. In such times, it benefits us to collaborate with and learn from international experts. Will the proposed amendments to POA restrict our access to foreign expertise and knowledge, given its prohibition of foreign involvement?[+13 sentences] Our universities and Government agencies have always tapped on foreign resources. Our burgeoning civil society has much to learn as well from foreign experience and wisdom, so that it can grow more robust and address societal problems more effectively. Our nation as a whole has benefited greatly from an exchange of views with people from outside Singapore. Would such engagements now be in danger of ceasing, should the Commissioner, on his or her own discretion, deem them to be infringing the POA? I do not believe I am alone in saying that the new amendments have the potential to incite more fear and create more barriers for civil society to engage with foreign experts. It is encouraging that the Government wants to cultivate active citizenry. But we should also not inhibit concerned individuals or civil society from initiating engagement. Bottom up is not always a bad thing. Top down also sometimes need to take a break. It is time for the Government to trust its people. Let Singaporeans strive to find solutions for important issues without Government interference. When we feel more involved and invested in the future of our nation, then we can truly say Singapore has a genuine active citizenry. Another clarification I would like to seek pertains to the Commissioner's decision-making process. The provision in POA is such that the Commissioner is given the power to decide what he or she deems to be political, in other words, have "political ends".[+3 sentences] This is a very different power from that of deciding whether an event will potentially create public unrest. Yet, is the Commissioner the best judge of what is political and what is not? Of course, there is no dispute on the Commissioner's institutional expertise on what constitutes public disorder. This is why the position is invested with the power to decide on that for the POA. However, the role of our Police Force should be that of law enforcers, not interpreters of political intentions.[+5 sentences] In giving the Commissioner this new responsibility, are we giving our Police Force the right to make political decisions? Would this not lead to questions about its impartiality? I, for one, would not want public confidence in our Police Force to be eroded or its integrity questioned. Even if the Commissioner is, indeed, impartial, with this new responsibility, he or she may have to make seemingly subjective decisions that favour certain groups and displease others. It would be hard to avoid accusations of political non-partisanship once the Commissioner has to make such difficult decisions outside of his or her institutional competence. Furthermore, under POA, there is no requirement for the Commissioner to provide any detailed reasons for the rejection of a permit application.[+3 sentences] This means that the Commissioner's decision would effectively be free from public scrutiny. Yet, without transparency in the decision-making process, the public has little option but to resort to speculation and conjecture. Instead of building our citizens' trust in the Police Force, the Bill could potentially cause an erosion of public confidence, which is something we do not want to see happen. Given that the proposed amendments are problematic on numerous levels, as well as the potential of undermining public confidence and trust in the impartiality of our Police Force, I believe that a closer scrutiny of the Bill is required.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Gan Thiam Poh.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio)448 words
[+4 sentences]Mdm Speaker, the introduction of this Bill is a sad indicator of the environment we live in. Singapore has been relatively safe so far, thanks to the vigilance of our security personnel as well as cooperation from the private sector. Our years of effort at promoting mutual understanding and building tolerance and harmony amongst different racial, religious and community groups also play an important role. Nevertheless, the threat of a terrorist attack is high and we must take pre-emptive measures to ensure the safety of Singapore and all our residents and visitors. The Bill will require organisers of public events which expect more than 5,000 participants to consult the Police on security measures.[+2 sentences] I would like to ask if the Minister can share how the number of 5,000 was arrived at. I also seek clarifications about whether this limit also applies to the Speakers' Corner, election rallies and events organised by grassroots organisations. Security measures would include deploying more security officers, bag checks and installing anti-vehicle barricades.[+1 sentence] Would the Minister elaborate on the minimum necessary security measures that an organiser must implement and how would the Government assist with the sharing of costs? What happens if an organiser decides to set the number at 4,999 instead of 5,000 or split the crowd into two at venues in close proximity to each other?[+1 sentence] Or split events into two successive sessions, one immediately after the other with less than 5,000 within the venue while having less than 5,000 or just fall short of 5,000 waiting outside the venue, making a total of 5,000 at any point of time. Will the 5,000 include organisers and performers and supporting staff because, at some events, in fact, the performers and the supporting staff added up together could be more than 5,000 together with the participants? As there are limited choices of venues which can hold 5,000 people, will the Ministry consider designating such areas so that permanent security installations and measures can be set up in these areas to leverage the economies of scale and help organisers reduce costs?[+5 sentences] I am also curious about whether the use of electronic and personal communication devices will be restricted at these events since they can be used by terrorists, as reported recently in the US and the European Union (EU). Finally, regarding manpower requirements at such events, will the volunteers helping out be required to be trained volunteers? The support of volunteer staff will help to reduce the cost of organising such events. In addition, will the Ministry consider constantly updating and equipping all NS personnel and reservists with skills and knowledge to combat terrorism? I would like to conclude with my support for the Bill.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon)701 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, these amendments have the important function of strengthening our security framework to protect the public against terror threats and I stand in full support of them. However, I would like to seek some clarifications that will hopefully address the concerns of civil society groups, in particular, their concern that this Bill might have the unintended consequence of making it more difficult for civil society groups to responsibly and legitimately exercise their freedom of expression. The new section 6A requires organisers to give special notice to the Commissioner if they expect more than the prescribed number of participants.[+5 sentences] The Minister had covered this earlier, but how will organisers determine that it is for free and non-ticketed events? It is very possible for an event to attract a greater turnout than expected. I personally experienced this when the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) held events at the Speakers' Corner when, at times, the turnout was twice of what we expected and catered for. How will the Commissioner respond and how will security measures be implemented to ensure security in such a case? Also, and more importantly, is there a possible loophole that organisers might simply report a lower number of the expected turnout? Next, the new section 7(3)(f) defines an assembly or procession "directed towards a political end" as one that influences or seeks to influence public opinion on a matter of "public controversy".[+4 sentences] With society evolving, topics that were once deemed contentious or taboo have, with time, become necessary conversations. Who decides when a matter becomes a matter of public controversy? Will it be an independent panel set up to make these decisions? Efforts to promote such conversations should not be penalised, and peaceful and constructive public gatherings are necessary ingredients for critical thinking, for active citizenry and for active participation in the Singapore story. Section 7(2)(h) will also require the Commissioner to be the judge of whether a certain political procession or assembly should be denied a permit because of its political nature.[+3 sentences] This may not be a matter of public order or security, and it is not clear whether the Commissioner or the Singapore Police Force will have the institutional competence to make such a decision. In order to enforce the law properly, there must be public confidence in the Police Force which can only come if the Police are recognised to be politically neutral. Unfortunately, there is potential for the Police's political neutrality to be compromised when they are required to make political decisions. Again, should an independent body be set up instead to make these decisions? Also, the Commissioner has no obligation to provide any reasons for the rejection of a permit application.[+8 sentences] Without detailed reasons, decisions by the Commissioner may lead to speculation which does not build public confidence. Can the Commissioner be required to provide organisers with reasons if their applications are rejected? Many civil society groups are also concerned about the financial costs. I note that the Commissioner may direct organisers to implement security measures and traffic control under section 30(2)(f). This will affect events held at the Speakers' Corner. It is important to consider if the affected group has the ability to pay for such security and traffic control measures. NGOs and individuals acting on their own initiative may not be able to pay for enhanced security and traffic control measures. While I am fully supportive of the need for additional security measures, I am concerned about the ability of Singaporeans to hold events if they are going to be charged for being too popular. Is the Ministry considering any form of support to organisers, especially civil society groups, who may not be able to afford enhanced security measures?[+5 sentences] Like grants available for many programmes, is it possible to set up a grant to assist civil society groups with these costs? Lastly, Madam, can the Minister clarify if public consultations have been done with all relevant stakeholders, including civil society groups, with regard to this Bill? Madam, I am fully supportive of the Bill's goal of strengthening our national security. However, we must involve all stakeholders in this fight. Our unity as a nation is our greatest weapon against security threats.
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Minister Shanmugam.
Mr K Shanmugam3567 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I wish to thank the Members who have participated in this debate, and I will respond to the points on the amendments as best as I can. Mr Louis Ng asked how organisers would predict the crowd turnout at free, non-ticketed events. When you organise an event, the organisers will plan with a certain turnout in mind, and they will have to notify the Police within the prescribed period and to give their best assessment of what they reasonably expect the crowd turnout to be.[+1 sentence] We had recognised that this will be a subjective exercise because they will have to plan for the venue, they will have to plan for logistics and, therefore, they will have an idea of what the crowd size will be. If the crowd size has exceeded, but they had exercised due diligence in their assessment, then that will not be an offence, obviously.[+24 sentences] But a deliberate under-assessment, if that can be shown − of course, it has got to be shown by the prosecution − that is a different matter. So, the example where you expect 4,999, I think all of us have some experience in organising events. I would be surprised if the Police are not surprised that someone comes up and says "I expect 4,999". I think that person can expect a more detailed assessment from the Police. Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan asked if the different classes of events we prescribe will be sufficiently clear and distinguished. If I may refer to the specific clause, I think the Member was concerned about clause 3 in the new section 6A, "for the purposes of subsection 1, the Minister may prescribe the number of individuals for different classes of events". I think the concern is, would there be good faith exercised? Really, I would like to say to Members, we are trying to prescribe security for different types of events. Standing here today, you and I know different events will have different types of security signature. An event relating to a concert will be very different from a public event that, say, intends to deal with issues of race or religion. These are matters that can only be decided based on the nature of the event, based also on international and regional events and surroundings, and then make an assessment, which is why it is difficult to prescribe upfront in the legislation, and which is why discretion has to be given to the Commissioner and the Executive. But the underlying rationale and principle of that particular clause is for the Commissioner to direct taking of specific security steps. It is not to say: do not hold the event. It is to say, "Well, I think this event is going to require barricades, this event is going to require this kind of security, I think you better check the bags". I do not think it can be suggested that that exercise is going to be handled in bad faith. And the Police will give the guidelines to the event organisers on what measures to be implemented, how the framework is to be implemented, and they will give examples, too. What is the "reasonable" expectation of the size of the crowd? It is again a question of fact. I talked about it. You look at past events, similar events, you look at what is the logistical planning for the event, and you look at the venue, as I have said. So, predicting the turnout accurately may be difficult and no one is saying that you have to be accurate, but you are required to make the best efforts to estimate the crowd size. We are all in this situation because of international events. We do not want what happened in Berlin, Nice or Istanbul to happen here, and so, everyone has got to play a part. The vast majority of events at the Speakers' Corner will not attract this kind of threshold crowds. Mr Louis Ng asked if organisers may deliberately under-report expected turnout to avoid being declared a "special event". I think I have made it clear: deliberate under-reporting will be an offence, and if the investigations reveal that the organisers planned for a much larger crowd size but failed to notify the Police, that will be an offence.[+2 sentences] Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan asked about the costs involved where the organisers do not implement security and the Police step in to put in those measures. In the end, the Government is incurring the cost on behalf of the taxpayers of Singapore or, in fact, all citizens of Singapore. If the Commissioner or the Police put in those security measures and have to pay for it, then that, as I said, will be recovered as a civil debt.[+8 sentences] Separately, non-compliance with the Commissioner's directions would be a criminal offence. But really, we do not want to get there. We want events to succeed, we want event organisers to work with the Police and to make sure that it is secure. Everyone will have a great event, with as reasonable a framework as possible, and at as reasonable a cost as possible. Mr Louis Ng asked if grants can be provided for civil society groups to pay for security measures. I have made the point that taxpayers are bearing a huge part of this cost already, in terms of what the Police have to do, in terms of providing for security. This is now time for everyone in society to step up and bear different parts of the cost. So, the question is how much should the taxpayer pay and how much should the event organiser pay? Where it is a very substantive event, it is only fair that the event organiser pays a part of the cost for additional security measures that have to be implemented because of the expected crowd size, such as bag checking, barricades and so on.[+3 sentences] It is unfair to expect the general average citizen of Singapore to pay for every event 100% of the cost. The citizens of Singapore are paying a very substantial part of the cost anyway. Mr Melvin Yong asked about the need to ensure that security officers are well-trained to carry out their duties. Licensed security officers will need to be trained before they can carry out specific tasks. For example, how do you do security screening for individuals?[+2 sentences] How do you use walk-through metal detectors? How do you use hand-held metal detectors? We will require the training to meet the standards of the Singapore WSQ System for Security (Security WSQ), and training providers will need to be accredited.[+11 sentences] So, this is something that needs to be done. My Ministry is working closely with the security industry. We hope to develop an ITM. What we need to achieve is for the industry to offer high-quality services which offer the right quality and are sustainable from a manpower perspective. We will consider Mr Melvyn Yong's suggestions on PWM and promoting greater use of technology. Greater use of technology is a no-brainer and we will obviously have to work on these things. That was on event security. There is a second part which I said on the amendments which relates to foreigners using Singapore to promote political causes. Here, we have to bear in mind that the Act was first put in place several years ago in 2009. What we sought to do was to strike a balance between adequate space for political expression and society's need for order and stability. And by and large, that has been achieved and we have worked the Act quite successfully all these years. The thrust of the amendments today relates to foreign participation.[+18 sentences] It is not about local participation. So, I sat listening to the very passionate speech by Nominated Member of Parliament Mr Kok Heng Leun but I wonder if we are moving like ships in the dark in the sea. The Bill says one thing and Mr Kok's speech pretty much has nothing to do with the Bill. Let me explain why. Mr Kok said, "we have made positive steps to engage citizens in policymaking. I believe this strategy should be encouraged. Actively engaged citizenry is possible only with political discourse, involvement of the people. And this, in turn, allows us to develop deeper understanding and our citizens' trust and confidence in the political system grow, they will feel invested in the country's development in strategic direction." Mr Kok also said it should not always be top-down and bottom-up; we have to trust our citizenry. All of that, I do not think I disagree with and it would make a very good political speech at some point. But what does that have to do with the amendments? If you look at the amendments, in particular clause 4, and I do not know whether the Member has actually gone through clause 4. Section 7(1) deals with the Commissioner receiving notice of the application and deciding whether to grant the permit or refuse to grant the permit. That is not being changed. That is not being amended. Clause 2, which shows that the Commissioner has the discretion to refuse to grant a permit, may refuse to grant a permit, if the assembly or procession may occasion public disorder or damage to public property and so on − (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g) − all of that is not being amended. I think Mr Kok has had no problems with any of those up to now; at least that has been the law. And then (h) is new. So, we need to focus on (h) and not have a broad general political speech. So, if you look at (h), it says "it is directed towards a political end and to be organised by or involve the participation of any of the following persons: an entity that is not a Singapore entity or an individual who is not a citizen of Singapore." And sub-clause 3 then relates back to this − what "directed towards a political end" means.[+36 sentences] The key condition is that this event is not being organised by a Singapore entity or individuals who are not citizens of Singapore. Essentially, foreign involvement. Now, what has that got to do with bottom-up, top-down trust in citizenry, empowered citizenship? In fact, I would say, have more faith in our citizens. Do not just hope for foreign involvement in organising events. Why do we not have confidence that our people can organise and take part in civic activities? Look at Pink Dot. Last year, my Ministry made it clear that we will not agree to foreign participation. As a Government, we do not take a position for or against Pink Dot. But we do take a position against foreign involvement in events like Pink Dot. That is not new; that has always been the law. We made that clear last year that, this year, we do not want to see foreign participation. If you look at the media, newspaper reports, Singapore companies have stepped up. Again, I take no position, but the point is, this is a matter for Singaporeans, Singapore companies, Singapore entities to discuss without the involvement of foreign culture wars. And that is the purpose of the amendment. The purpose of the amendment, therefore, actually fits in with what the Member said. Which is why I listened with some degree of perplexity as to what the thrust of the speech was. So, all these other points, the Member's question then is, for the ordinary Singaporean, is the amended POA going to deter him or her from good solid political engagement? As you can see from the amendments, none of that is really germane. So, Mr Kok, if you do not mind, I would not deal with all other points that you have made along the same lines about local citizenry and active participation because that is not what this Bill deals with. You might say some of those points may potentially be relevant for the first part where there might be some increased costs, but that, I have explained, is necessary from a hard security perspective. But from the perspective of foreign involvement, I think I stand on very good grounds. Let me give Members some illustrations. I have said it is something that we need to bear in mind that foreign involvement may not just be the relatively innocent types where foreigners come in and take part or organise, but also directed by foreign state agencies. And I do not think you will support that. I do not think any Singaporean will support that. How do you distinguish between the one and the other? I think it is a cleaner rule to say foreigners, "Do not engage". It is not a hard rule. I told Members the Commissioner "may". So, the Commissioner has a discretion. As to whether that makes the Commissioner political, I will come back to it in a minute. The kind of events, even with a political dimension, if it does not involve foreigners, then it is not affected by these particular amendments. So, let us be clear about that. Why are we making this amendment? The balance between public space for political expression and social order and stability is really different when it comes to foreigners. Foreigners must not take our public space for granted to advocate a political cause, whether in Singapore, relating to Singapore, or outside of Singapore.[+15 sentences] The Member mentioned the context of, say, animal welfare. Let me give the Member four examples as to how this might impact. Let us say you have an event. Malaysians finance an event in Singapore and take part in an event in Singapore and encourage Singaporeans to come and take part in an event in Singapore which says that Syariah law should be imposed. Do you think we should agree to Malaysians taking part and financing the event? The answer is obvious, is it not? Let me give Members a second example. Let us say foreign Christian groups, say, financed from America, come here, want to organise an event combined with locals, and they want to call it an anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rally. Do you think we should agree to that? Answer is clear, is it not? Let me give Members a third example, because this cuts across all religions and races. Let us take the Myanmarese Buddhists. They want to organise an event in Singapore and combine with our Buddhists, and they want to protest against the Rohingyas. Do you think we should agree? Our Singaporeans organising protests is one thing. Foreign-financed, foreign-participated protests are a completely different ball game.[+2 sentences] We have been successful by being very firm about that. Let us not change the rules. The current amendments keep to that philosophy and that rule.[+14 sentences] Let me give Members a specific example on animals and animal welfare. You would have read in the newspapers. In India, there are states which now ban the slaughter of cows. Hindus, particularly, targeted at Muslim sellers of meat. Supposing under the rubric of animal welfare, Hindus from India want to finance an animal welfare event in Singapore protesting against the selling of beef in Singapore and they want to involve Singapore Hindus, and it is targeted at groups along the lines of people who sell or eat such meat. And they say that this whole thing is animal welfare. Do you think we should allow it? So, you see, this has shades of complexity and any attempt to define upfront political event and a non-political event will run into these shades of complexity. All you will end up doing is creating many alley ways and bye ways in which your definition would be made useless and you would be made a laughing stock. I can understand the desire for clarity. But in this field, to define this with absolute clarity in the way that you want, first, the reasons for wanting them, I assure you, is not quite what the Bill seeks to do. It does not seek to cut back on Singaporean rights in the context of these amendments. But the absolute clarity that you seek, if we try to define it, it is not going to achieve what we want to achieve. So, really, then it becomes a question of philosophy which then touches on a little bit on what Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan talked about as well. What you would have to do is then give that discretion to the Executive, in this case, the Commissioner of Police. That is why the word is "may", and that word has been there since 2009.[+27 sentences] And you have to trust the Commissioner of Police. Ninety percent of Singaporeans trust the Police, as I read from another survey to this House a few weeks ago. The alternative is then to run to Court each time somebody is not happy. That is not the way you can run a proper Government. The way we have run the Government, successfully and cleanly with the right outcomes, has been to vest the discretion in many areas in the Executive, with the knowledge that a highly-educated population will hold the Executive to account if there is abuse of that power. In the context here, we are specifically dealing with a Commissioner looking at an event and saying that it is political, political ends, involving foreigners. I do not think Singaporeans will argue with this, of giving the Commissioner the discretion to make that assessment. One that deals with the welfare of dogs and kittens may pass muster. One that deals with the welfare of cows, specifically in terms of slaughter or eating its meat, may not pass muster. It depends, may or may not pass muster. Depends on who is involved, depends on what is the purpose and depends on who is financing it. Which foreigner? Which foreign group? So, the basic question: in the absence of the possibility of being able to define it without becoming ridiculous, then you have to vest that discretion. You vest that discretion, you give that framework, and it works. That is the way we have worked. For the rest for that section, that is the way that section is now re-worked in respect of foreign participation. If the Commissioner declares an event to be a political event, that does not make him political. He is not deciding in favour of one conclusion or another. He has to make an assessment based on the provisions as to whether it is directed towards political ends, regardless of how that question is to be answered, as in it may go in favour of this political end or that political end. That is not his question. His is a threshold question: does it involve politics or political ends? Also, Mr Kok Heng Leun was concerned that the amendments somehow restrict civil society's access to foreign expertise and knowledge. Most of the avenues for civil society to tap on the foreign expertise and knowledge are untouched. We are now only dealing with public assemblies and processions. What may amount to public assemblies? So, there continues to be plenty of avenues for civil society to learn from others. We are talking about people marching, public assemblies, advocating specific causes and change. I agree that the way that the definition is, it is broad and it can cover many aspects. So, you can have the Commissioner looking at it and say "is this something that will cause public disorder; is that a threat; what sort of foreign involvement is this and how does it impact on us?[+9 sentences] Those are assessments that he has got to make. There were also questions on what might be a matter of public controversy. It is not a new definition. It is contained and also considered in the Films Act as to what is a political matter. Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan made the specific point as to whether this will stifle free speech by reference to clause 3, which gives the discretion for different numbers and different events. And I have dealt with that. On the Commissioner's discretion under clause 4 and his powers to modify, I have explained how it works. People have to make an assessment as to what numbers they expect and they come to the Commissioner within the prescribed period. And then the Commissioner makes an assessment that tells them that these are the measures I want you to put in place. What we do not want is a long bargaining session with the Commissioner where they say "I will put up barricades but I do not want to put Auxiliary Police Officers" and that sort of arguments. A simple, clean, neat, effective way to give power to the Commissioner to decide what security measures he/she thinks is the best way to go.[+4 sentences] As to whether there is a recourse from the Commissioner's decision to not grant a permit for an assembly or procession, the existing section 11 allows a person who is aggrieved by a Commissioner's decision to appeal to the Minister. So, there is that appeal process and the Minister can allow the appeal either in whole or in part. Mdm Speaker, I think I have covered all the points. And, if I have not, I am sure Members will let me know.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Koh Heng Leun.
Mr Kok Heng Leun171 words
[+7 sentences]I thank the Minister for responding to my speech. First, I want to make a clarification that in my speech, my concern was about what if local NGOs would sometimes, because of capacity-building purpose, need foreign participation, in terms of foreign speakers in their public assembly. I think that is my main concern. I share the Minister's position that we should not have foreign entities organising such events here. On that point, I will agree with the Minister. So, I think my question here is that, as long as there is enough clarification so that civil society can feel that they can still continue with what they are doing, I think that would be really very good. I just want to check with the Minister, in a particular case whereby, for example, an NGO, which already has a staff member who is a foreigner and he is working full-time with the NGO and they happen to be organising a particular event, would that actually be a problem under this new amendment?
Mr K Shanmugam605 words
[+2 sentences]Well, Mr Kok, it is a bit difficult to answer that question in a vacuum. It depends on what role that foreigner plays. If he is a key person and he is going to be organising everything, and really, it is his influence that impacts on the way the event is organised, the panel is chosen, towards specific political ends, then I think there is foreign interference. But there can be many other situations, and this is not intended to be illustrative. And it will not come as a surprise to you that NGOs are a favourite route of foreign agencies to channel funds and pressure governments.[+5 sentences] A lot of foreign agencies − when I say agencies, you know what type of agencies I am referring to − if they are going to put up their hand and have a signature, it will be through NGOs. So, we need to be very careful. But you will see I have taken some trouble to take you through the amendments that, and as I have said, I think the Bill that is presented and your speech pass each other by, like ships in the night, because they are not engaging with each other. Because your speech was about Singaporeans, Singaporean civil society, we should not have top-down; we should have bottom-up; we should encourage Singaporeans; we should make sure that our people participate and I said that I agree entirely with you. But that has nothing to do with clause 4. Clause 4 specifically is targeted at foreign participation.[+14 sentences] In fact, the best example I can give you, as I gave in my wrap-up speech, is again Pink Dot. Last year, when my Ministry said no foreign participation, there was considerable concern. There were these arguments about what amounts to politics because my Ministry issued a statement saying that we have always taken the position that foreigners cannot engage in political activities. In our view, LGBT issues are for Singaporeans. There were these, what I would call, issues around the definition of politics. Second, there was concern that when we say no to foreign sponsorship, for example, for Pink Dot, it will impact on the event. But actually, as you see, based on media reports, Singaporeans are stepping up. Again, the Government is neutral on this point. I have made that clear last year. I made that clear this year. But whether it is pro-LGBT or opposing LGBT, it is a matter for Singaporeans to decide. And Singapore companies, Singaporean sponsors are stepping up. So, I would say, tell your friends, the civic society, have some confidence in themselves and have confidence in Singaporeans to step up. This Bill is not aimed at that. Do not think that you can only do well by getting money from foreigners and getting foreign participation. Now, that is quite separate from having a foreign speaker or two in panels, getting their expertise and, by and large, those sorts of activities, it is going to be assessed case by case what is the nature of the event, what is the issue at hand.[+3 sentences] It will be difficult to stand here and give you a clear black line that it applies to this and it does not apply to that. Apart from anything else, a particular event held in one set of circumstances, domestic and regional and international, may take a completely different complexion when the regional and international circumstances change and domestic situations change, which is why these are matters where you will have to give the power to the Executive and let the Executive decide. Yes, you want another clarification?
Mdm Speaker7 words
[+1 sentence]Yes, Mr Kok, please keep it short.
Mr Kok Heng Leun88 words
[+6 sentences]Thank you. I thank the Minister for the clarifications again. Yes, I am actually very happy that the Pink Dot has been able to get all the support locally. And I also want to reiterate, which is one of our fellow Members' points, that it is important that Singaporeans organise it and we have our say. But I think here the concern is with regard to how the Commissioner is going to make the decision. Members have actually suggested would they have an independent committee to help them?
Mr K Shanmugam422 words
Mr Kok, let us follow this analysis through. I have explained why it does not make sense to have this go to a judge, in terms of what is a political end, in terms of what is the potential impact on society, in terms of whether there can be a public order incident, whether this is a particular case for foreigners to be involved, to be allowed to be involved, to be not allowed to be involved.[+3 sentences] These are all matters of governance. A weak government without the desire to decide these things will pass it on to a judge. And it will result in the matters constantly being mitigated. Our position is that we will make that decision. If we are wrong, we will take it on the chin.[+22 sentences] Our people will know whether the decision is being exercised properly or improperly. And if we keep making decisions improperly, any government will face the consequences. So, that is the framework. What I say is subject to some applicable principles on judicial review. You say why should it be the Commissioner of Police? Why not somebody else? Another panel, an independent panel, something that is independent of the Police, I presume, advising the Commissioner. What is that panel going to do that you think the Commissioner is not able to do himself? And really, all of these are suggestions to dilute the exercise of power or the authority of the Commissioner of Police which the Bill seeks to vest. I have said our approach to governance has been to vest to that authority and say that person will be responsible. Sometimes, and there plenty of examples, where you have panels which either outside of the Statutory Board or Executive, which either advise or sometimes, actually make a decision. But that relate usually to matters of morality, taste, what the public might find acceptable or not acceptable in terms of social mores. Those sorts of things I can understand. But this is a matter of governance. Is this a security event? Is this an event that may have security implications? Is this an event where I should allow foreigners to take part? That is why the people elect us − to make those decisions. If we get it wrong, the people will tell us. So, I am not saying no to public advising the Executive, but I think there is a range of areas. There are some where clearly the public panel should advise. I do not think this is one of those.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Yes, Mr Kok.
Mr Kok Heng Leun66 words
[+4 sentences]I am sorry but just one last point to reiterate. Minister, I think a lot of civil societies also want to build their trust with the Government. I think it goes a long way for both sides to work together. And with regard to this Bill, I hope that, if there were actually more consultations in the process, that would actually clarify a lot of things.
Mr K Shanmugam402 words
[+7 sentences]Well, what I can hope is that you, with your contacts with the civil society, will explain to them what I have explained to you. I think it is absolutely important to have that trust between citizens and the Government, and also civil society and the Government. Thankfully, Singapore, in the context of the overall plunge in trust in government in the rest of the world, we are in a fairly, in fact, quite healthy position in terms of how much the people trust the Government. We have to make sure that we work very hard to maintain that trust, because trust cannot be demanded. It has to be constantly worked for. And you have got to continue to prove that you are worthy of the trust. This Bill, our own view, looking at it is that when people see clause 4, first of all we did not think there was any issue of trust when it came to the Commissioner of Police directing that an event shall include extra security measures. If we did not do it, people will say, "Why did you not put in those security measures?" The second other major change, as I was speaking with you, is on events, and I read straight from clause 4(2)(h), "directed towards a political end and be organised by or involved a participation of any of the following persons, an entity that is not a Singapore entity or an individual that is not a Singapore Citizen" and then it goes on to talk about what is a political end.[+7 sentences] It did not strike me at all that this would raise any questions of trust with Singaporeans. Why should it? We are saying this about foreigners. It may affect − now that I have listened to you − the people who misunderstand the scope of the Bill and so I think it is the Government's duty to go out and explain what this Bill covers. To that extent, thank you for helping us. I now understand it better. (proc text)]
Mdm Speaker39 words
[+5 sentences]Order. I propose to take the break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 5.10 pm. Sitting accordingly suspended at 4.51 pm until 5.10 pm. Sitting resumed at 5.10 pm
The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M)1638 words
[+4 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill (EC Bill) seeks to introduce a new set of initiatives to improve industrial energy efficiency, enhance our greenhouse gas reporting requirements and revise the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS). Mdm Speaker, the Paris Agreement came into force last year, less than a year after it was concluded. This was a significant milestone in our global fight against climate change and for all who seek a sustainable future for our children. To date, 134 countries accounting for over 80% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions have ratified the Agreement.[+13 sentences] When we strip away its legalities, the heart of this pact is really about energy use and conservation. The International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook 2016 projected in its "main scenario" that global energy demand would rise by 30% from now to 2040, with accompanying increases in greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing energy use is thus key to address global warming. Faced with an increasingly carbon-constrained future, countries and businesses have no choice but to transform the way we produce and use energy. At the same time, this has given rise to new opportunities to grow a greener and more sustainable economy. For example, China is embracing renewables in a big way, while India plans to have nearly 60% of its electricity capacity come from non-fossil fuels by 2027. Leading companies have also come on board. Google has committed to power 100% of its operations with renewables. I visited Shell's "Make the Future" exhibition last month which showcased innovative ideas to harness energy without emitting more carbon. One such example was a wind turbine that could capture wind energy produced by cars travelling along a highway. While innovative technologies can supplement our energy needs, Singapore will still have to depend on imported energy, primarily natural gas, which is cleaner than oil and coal, to meet the bulk of our demand. Our energy demand is projected to increase at a compounded annual growth rate of between 1.2% and 1.8% over the next decade. Given our limited land space, we are disadvantaged in our ability to use alternative energy. Nonetheless, we are committed to do our part to protect the environment and have pledged to improve our emissions intensity by 36% from 2005 levels in 2030, and to peak around the same time under the Paris Agreement.[+1 sentence] Mdm Speaker, the Climate Action Plan, which was launched last year, lays out four key strategies to fulfil this commitment, namely: (a) improving energy and carbon efficiency; (b) reducing emissions from power generation; (c) developing and deploying low-carbon technology; and (d) encouraging collective climate action. In Singapore, the industry sector is the largest energy user, consuming about two-thirds of our total energy consumption and contributing about 60% of our carbon emissions in 2014.[+6 sentences] Improving energy efficiency (EE) in the industrial sector is thus key to achieving our climate change goals. In 2012, we introduced the Energy Conservation Act (ECA). Our main objective was to put in place the building blocks to help the industry develop its capabilities in EE. Under ECA, 180 energy-intensive companies, accounting for the lion's share of industrial energy use, are required to implement basic energy management practices, such as regular monitoring of energy use and to appoint qualified energy managers, to oversee EE improvements. I am happy to report that the preliminary results are encouraging. ECA companies have reported an overall EE improvement rate of 0.4% and 0.6% in 2014 and 2015 respectively. This upward trend is in the right direction. However, in order to meet our climate pledge, we need to double or triple the current improvement rates and achieve 1% to 2% annually, similar to that attained by leading jurisdictions, such as Belgium and the Netherlands.[+23 sentences] It is timely to bring our efforts to the next level. The EC Bill that my Ministry is proposing aims to introduce three sets of enhancements to the original ECA. The first, and where the bulk of enhancements are, is on measures to improve our industrial EE. The second set seeks to improve greenhouse gas emissions reporting, and the third deals with the new Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES). Let me elaborate. We will introduce three enhancements to strengthen EE practices among ECA companies. They are: one, the adoption of structured Energy Management Systems (EnMSs); two, to conduct regular EE opportunities assessments; and three, to conduct design reviews. Our analysis of ECA data in 2014 and 2015 showed several areas for improvement. In particular, we found that many companies did not adopt a structured framework to manage their energy use and guide their EE efforts. In addition, EE ambition amongst companies continued to be low. The proposed amendments to the EC Bill will thus require ECA companies to adopt a structured EnMS. EnMS institutes a "plan, do, check, act" framework for companies to constantly re-examine and improve their EE efforts. Senior management will be responsible for setting energy policy and targets, evaluating them and developing action plans. Studies have shown that having a structured EnMS can help companies achieve energy savings of at least 10% to 15% in the first few years. Countries like Japan and those in the EU have already incorporated this practice in their regulations. With this amendment, companies will be required to put in place an EnMS by 2021 or 2022, depending on the size of their facility's energy consumption. ECA companies will also be required to conduct regular Energy Efficiency Opportunities Assessments (EEOAs). Also known as energy audits, EEOAs involve systematic assessments of energy consumption and the identification and quantification of potential improvement opportunities. Large companies in the EU, South Korea and India are already required to conduct such assessments regularly. Under the enhanced ECA, companies will be required to submit their first EEOA by 2021. Many companies have given feedback that the lifespan of industrial equipment can be very long of 30 years or more. Thus, it is challenging to introduce new technologies midway as it disrupts their operations. Instead, it is better to identify and incorporate EE opportunities at the start of the project. With this in mind, from 2018, we will require new industrial facilities and major expansion projects to undergo design reviews to incorporate EE measures.[+6 sentences] The three key enhancements that I have just detailed are intended to help ingrain good EE practices among companies. Thus far, ECA data also showed that many companies have focused on harvesting "low-hanging fruits", or EE measures that have short pay-back periods that provide only low energy savings. Undertaking EE improvements for larger systems, such as boilers, chillers and compressed air systems, would significantly enhance the savings reaped. The data also showed much room for improvement in the EE of common industrial equipment like motors. Hence, the Bill will aim to increase the adoption of more energy-efficient commonly used industrial equipment and systems. An existing measure under ECA is the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS). MEPS currently covers household appliances and has been successful in raising the EE of these household products. We will revise and extend MEPS to industrial equipment and systems, starting with motors in 2018. We expect MEPS for motors to translate to some 0.4 megatonnes in carbon abatement by 2030.[+9 sentences] Mdm Speaker, as a result of these enhancements, we will be raising penalties for several non-compliances to reflect the higher value of industrial goods and to bring them in line with other legislation. However, I would like to point out that the overall benefits of the ECA measures to companies are by far more attractive, including helping them to achieve long-term cost savings and increased competitiveness. The second set of enhancements that will be made to ECA concerns the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. These enhancements aim to strengthen the Quality Assurance and Quality Control processes within our Measurement and Reporting (M&R) requirements, to provide a robust foundation for the future carbon pricing regime. Large industrial emitters will be required to submit a monitoring plan and an enhanced greenhouse gas emissions report based on the approved monitoring plan. Companies will also have to compute their emissions data according to standard methodologies determined by the National Environment Agency (NEA). These will bring our M&R standards in line with international best practices and ensure accurate and robust accounting of their emissions. This will also help companies to better understand and manage their emissions. The third set of revisions to ECA concerns the VES. As I have announced during the recent Committee of Supply (COS) debate, VES will replace the current CEVS.[+10 sentences] Under CEVS, only carbon dioxide is taken into consideration in determining the emissions level in a vehicle. VES, which replaces it, will now consider other harmful pollutant emissions in addition to carbon dioxide. Any label on any motor vehicle model displayed for sale-end related promotional materials and advertisements must now include information of the vehicular emissions of the motor vehicle, including information on the fuel economy of the motor vehicle. The EC Bill proposes to amend the ECA to extend the labelling and information disclosure requirements related to VES and to make the relevant amendments to the Road Traffic Act to give effect to the new scheme. Mdm Speaker, let me conclude. The proposed enhancements to the ECA are forward-looking and aim to guide how we view and conserve precious energy resources. The ECA provides a framework to shape positive choices in the industry, transport and household sectors to achieve a carbon-efficient and sustainable future. It will also catalyse demand for EE and clean energy services, which could become the seeds of future growth. I encourage all stakeholders to work with us on efforts to conserve energy, as we seek a sustainable future together. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move.
Mdm Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon)1427 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, in the next decade, our energy demand is expected to grow at a projected compounded annual growth rate of approximately 1.2% to 1.8%. Our industrial sector is the largest consumer of energy. It is thus important that this sector improves its EE. We pledged a 36% emissions intensity improvement by 2030 under the Paris Agreement.[+1 sentence] From now until then, we will require a consistent improvement rate of 1% to 2% each year. In January this year, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli had shared that Singapore-based companies achieved an annual EE improvement rate of 0.6% in 2015, and 0.4% in 2014.[+19 sentences] We certainly have work cut out for us and we absolutely must take a tougher stance on EE. I would like to ask Minister what if we do not meet what we pledged in the Paris Agreement. What will be the consequences? Certainly, to improve the current situation, it is vital that we must have a clear understanding of what is expected. This means accurately monitoring energy usage, and then using the results, analyse how and how much one can reduce, if necessary. In South Korea and the EU, companies are required to conduct regular energy audits, usually every three to five years. In place of conducting energy assessments, large companies in the EU can also choose to adopt internationally-certified EnMS, such as ISO 5001. The proposed enhancements to the ECA are thus a move in the right direction. It is wise to mandate that large industrial facilities are to submit a monitoring plan and, subsequently, an improved emissions report to NEA. By making it compulsory for these facilities to adopt methodologies that are in line with internationally recognised protocols, this brings us yet another step further towards international standards for climate-friendly nations. In the meantime, energy-intensive companies in Singapore have been reporting their energy usage since the introduction of the ECA in 2013. Can the Minister share some insights from these reports, and how the ECA amendments will help to raise the bar for energy-efficient standards of common industrial equipment? I would also propose more encouragement and incentives for companies to adopt EnMS and software approved by NEA. Rather than adopt a sit-and-wait approach, reacting to the results from monitoring energy usage, it would be more efficient and productive to get companies started on a good energy management plan. As the need for these EnMSs becomes more prominent, I foresee great potential in this industry and I hope the relevant Government agencies will do more to promote the quality and capability of local EnMSs. Last year, global energy service provider ENGlE officially opened its first laboratory in Asia in Singapore with support from the Economic Development Board. This laboratory is part of an international research and development (R&D) network, supported by 1,100 researchers and experts worldwide. It focuses on smart energy systems for cities and islands, industrial EE and gas technologies. Are there plans to collaborate with and tap on this network? Data from NEA shows that a large number of industrial equipment are inefficient. Hence, companies, when deploying new facilities, will now have to ensure that they meet the newly introduced MEPS.[+12 sentences] This will first apply to motors, gradually extending to include other systems and equipment. I am pleased to note that this new standard is being implemented gradually. While I think it is a good policy to have, it requires a significant amount of change on top of other existing restructuring efforts. I would like to ask how the ECA amendments can help companies to raise the bar for energy-efficient standards of common industrial equipment. Certainly, in the long run, businesses will gain through savings from improved EE. But in the short term, in trying to kickstart the new systems and auditing processes, this could be a burden for companies, especially in the current economic climate. I have spoken with some business owners, who expressed their concerns about the startup costs of implementing and maintaining the new systems. I would like to ask the Minister if any consultation has been done to obtain feedback from affected companies on the proposed amendments. Moreover, how does the Ministry intend to support them? I think this is important, especially in the initial years, to get companies on the right track. The first and early steps are always the hardest. As we say in Chinese, "万事起". I am pleased to note that the EE Fund will be redesigned to better support companies to identify and undertake EE retrofitting. This Fund will co-fund up to 30% of investments in more efficient technologies.[+10 sentences] First of all, I commend this move, as earlier on, the various overlapping schemes and incentives had made it confusing and time-consuming for businesses to tap on them. Hopefully, with this new Fund in place, the take-up rate will become considerably higher. My next concern is how accessible the funds are, whether the release of funds will be done at the start of the project or after it is completed, with justification of evidence of expenses. I would like to bring to attention the Brussels' zero-interest Green Loan. It is applicable to households, and that is because residential buildings are responsible for the majority of energy consumed in the city. The Brussels Green Loan is available to Brussels households with a limited income and it will eventually be extended to all households. I hope the Government will consider something similar for businesses, as sometimes it is challenging for businesses to kickstart something without sufficient capital. Energy storage should be another major component in a comprehensive far-sighted strategy for energy sufficiency. Considering our small geographical size, energy storage would be vital in supporting greater deployment of photovoltaic systems or solar power systems. It could potentially be a game changer for our electricity market in the near future. More can be done to attract investors through incentives and a certain climate to encourage them to invest in energy storage applications and technology. I understand that under our Energy Storage Programme, the Energy Storage System Testbed is one of the initiatives to explore energy storage feasibility and technology in Singapore. This is a fairly new initiative, and the Request-for-Proposal was launched last year.[+9 sentences] I would like to ask the Minister for an update on it. It is clear that there is a globally shared understanding on the importance of energy management in combating climate change. So, energy services in facilities management will certainly continue to be in demand in the years to come. To make the entire framework sustainable, there needs to be continuity and this means a long-sighted approach, nurturing talents of tomorrow. We must not only focus on energy management within industries but also on the provision of these energy services management. In recent years, several courses have been developed by the local universities and polytechnics, offering degrees and diplomas in energy management and the like. What is the take-up rate of these courses, and how many students eventually graduate to work in a related field of their studies? Will there be opportunities for mid-career switches? Singapore's efforts to maximise EE may be intrusive for businesses but should be embraced for the potential positive impact it would have, not just on the environment but on the economy. Germany recently commissioned a study to analyse the potential impacts of the Paris Agreement, and the report revealed that efforts to slow climate change could boost the world's economy by $19 trillion. Investments in renewable power and EE will add about 0.8% to global gross domestic product by 2050.[+13 sentences] But in any country, this will require a multiple-pronged approach that involves the government, businesses and individuals. Certainly, we should not be left behind. Let me to summarise in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): This amendment will require many companies to improve their EE. This is for the sake of the earth. However, the current economic situation is not looking good, many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are worried about the cost. I hope that the Government can pay attention and help them. I also hope that the Government can pay attention to EE in households. Can we do what Belgium has done and help households improve their EE? With countries promising to reduce their emission under the Paris Agreement, the world economy could see business opportunities worth $19 trillion in areas, such as energy management. Does Singapore have sufficient talents in this area? And how is the Government going to help our enterprises to seize these business opportunities? Can the Minister share with us?
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Leon Perera.
Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member)554 words
[+4 sentences]Mdm Speaker, the EC Bill seeks to update and improve the law that governs energy use among energy-intensive companies, so as to better position us to meet our greenhouse gas emission targets under the Paris Climate Change accord. Meeting these obligations is a matter of being responsible global citizens. But this is also about serving the national interest of Singapore, since we have the interest in managing sea level, ensuring clean air for our citizens and so on and so forth. I do not object to the thrust of the Bill, but I do have some queries and suggestions. The Bill moves us from CEVS to a VES that takes other harmful pollutant emissions into consideration, in addition to carbon dioxide.[+1 sentence] I agree that this is generally a good move, as it means that adopting a broader and more relevant definition of pollutant emissions, now in encompassing hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter. It is good that it will be a requirement to label the vehicular emissions instead of just the fuel economy of vehicles, given that we are not meeting our 2020 target for PM10, PM2.5 and ozone. However, under both CEVS and the new VES, rebates and surcharges are not given based on actual carbon or pollutant emissions.[+1 sentence] Rather, the rebates and surcharges are based on the vehicles' capacity to emit carbon or pollutants. Hence, the system incentives purchase of more energy-efficient vehicles, which is a good thing, but it does not incentive less mileage and, hence, less actual emission. I suggest that in future, we consider shifting towards an incentive system that incentivises the reduction of actual emissions, in addition to the purchase of less pollutive vehicles.[+6 sentences] Can this be considered post-2020, with the introduction of the ERP2.0 system? If this is introduced, it should be revenue-neutral with additional surcharges for mileage offset against other cost borne by motorists. Next, I would like to query the provisions relating to conducting an EEOA, so as to obtain a clearance certificate for a new venture, which is contained in a newly inserted section 26A. Existing businesses are also required to conduct such assessments for prescribed activities and premises under the new section 27(B). In the new section 27(B), an is defined as a systematic procedure by which adequate knowledge of energy consumption profile of any business activities or premises and cost-effective EE opportunities are identified and quantified. Madam, I would like to ask if the Ministry or NEA will be prescribing the format for such reports and also to recommend the standard, or perhaps several standards, of accreditation for organisations to provide such assessments, since some organisations would opt to work with third party consultants to generate such a report. Since this new legal requirement may trigger a growth in third party consultants producing such assessments, efforts should be undertaken in concert with industry bodies to ensure that consultants offering their services in this field to generate these reports are suitably qualified.[+2 sentences] The Ministry should also provide more guidance to those producing such assessments, whether they are done in-house or by third parties, to ensure that these assessments can be done in a focused and, hence, cost-effective way that meets the requirements of the law. Minimising the risk of over-reporting, and hence of consultancies over-charging, or of internal resources being wasted.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang640 words
[+4 sentences]Madam, I am heartened by this Bill as a signal of the Government's firm commitment towards an economic model that considers not just raw growth in numbers, but also growth that is responsible to both society and the environment. This is not the first in our series of bold commitments towards environmental protection, following on from the recent announcement of the carbon tax and, last year, in requiring sustainability reporting from all listed companies. Since the ECA was brought into effect in 2013, it appears that companies have been able to fulfil the Act's requirements to implement certain basic energy management practices. These include appointing at least one certified energy manager and reporting their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Singapore's Climate Action Plan released in July 2016 revealed our intention to encourage the manufacturing sector to achieve EE improvement rates of 1% to 2% a year between 2020 and 2030.[+7 sentences] Thus, it seems like a natural next step to enhance the Act by requiring industrial facilities to submit a monitoring plan and emissions report in line with international standards. Madam, during the COS debates, Minister Masagos compared Singapore's EE improvement rates to that of other countries like Belgium and the Netherlands. He mentioned that operational and capability constraints and inefficient common industrial equipment could be the reason for lower EE rates in Singapore. I believe that another reason could also be the highly specialised and integrated nature of Singapore's industrial sector, which leaves little room for downtime. Improving EE often requires equipment upgrades, but such upgrades are likely to cause disruptions to operations and come at a cost. Furthermore, companies operating on thin margins may avoid proposing improvements to EE, as this often involves high capital costs and adds pressure to their bottom line. Management often approves projects that meet the dual criteria of low investment cost and short pay-back periods, and projects on EE may not meet this mark. I believe the Government has spotted these barriers and is planning to conduct reviews of incentive schemes to support companies in this transition. This includes piloting an EE financing programme and providing investment allowance for EE.[+1 sentence] Can the Minister provide more details about this and on when we can expect to receive updates on these revised incentive schemes? I understand as well that we have implemented previous energy-related incentives and grant schemes. This includes the Design for Efficiency (DfE) Scheme, Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe), Grant for Energy-Efficient Technologies (GREET), and the Singapore Certified Energy Manager (SCEM) Training Grant.[+4 sentences] As an indication of how receptive the industry is towards Government support for EE, can the Minister share information on the take-up rate of the key schemes that I have listed? Was there a slow take-up rate and could slow take-up rates have contributed to low EE improvement rates? I also note that EE grants are being consolidated under the Energy Efficiency Fund (E2F). Does the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) believe that consolidation will lead to better take-up rates? Given that the Bill's enhanced requirements will come into effect from 2018 onwards, will MEWR or NEA make available the E2F so that companies affected will have time to apply for the grants?[+4 sentences] What measures can be taken to improve the take-up rate of E2F as well? Madam, the Government must continue to support the industry in our goal to leapfrog from our current 0.2% to 0.6% towards the 1% to 2% goal for our EE improvement rates. I raise these points to ask for further clarity on how we are providing that support, beyond strengthened requirements for monitoring and reporting, as proposed by this Bill. That said, I applaud this Bill for announcing bold steps in ensuring that Singapore meets its Conference of the Parties (COP21) commitments and I stand in support of the Bill.
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Minister Masagos.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M1501 words
[+9 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Members of this House for their support and comments on this Bill. Globally, we see a shift towards a carbon-constrained economy. This momentum is partly driven by countries working towards meeting their commitments under the Paris Agreement. But there is also an increasing realisation that we all, as individuals and corporations alike, cannot continue with business as usual. Climate change is happening. The impacts can be devastating as some countries and cities are already feeling this impact. So, even as we strengthen our resilience to deal with the unexpected, we all have a responsibility to take action now to reduce our carbon footprint. The challenge then is whether we are prepared to make decisive moves, to take difficult decisions today and seize new opportunities as they arise, so that our nation can continue to grow and prosper in a very carbon-constrained world. Status quo is, therefore, not an option, if we are not to be left behind. [restates an earlier point]As mentioned in my speech, China is making big moves in renewables. They will be investing 2.5 trillion yuan, about S$506 billion, into renewable power generation by 2020 as they set their eye on becoming a green energy superpower.[+13 sentences] Global companies, such as Apple and Unilever, have also set ambitious goals to "green" their practices. These are just a few of the many developments around the world. We must not delude ourselves into thinking that we can stay where we are. To maintain Singapore's international competitiveness in the long run, we need to ready ourselves for a carbon-light future. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked what will happen if we do not meet our Paris Agreement commitments. Singapore has a strong international reputation to uphold and, as a responsible global citizen, we are committed to fulfilling the pledge. To achieve this, we will have to implement tough mitigation measures in all key sectors, not just in the industrial sector, but also in the transport, building, power and household sectors. Everyone will have to make adjustments. Er Dr Lee also asked for insights from the Energy Use Reports reported under ECA. In addition to companies having low ambition, we found that the majority of companies − 60% − did not have EE improvement plans beyond the first two years. A significant proportion of the common utility systems, such as boilers, chillers and compressed air systems, were operating inefficiently. Hence, the enhancements in this Bill aim to help companies improve their energy practices and raise the bar for EE performance standards in Singapore, starting with motors. To illustrate, motors collectively account for 80% of the total electricity consumed by the industry. With the introduction of MEPS for motors, we expect to achieve annual savings of 1,100 GWh (gigawatt hours) or around 2% of Singapore's electricity consumption by 2035, as companies replace their less efficient motors. Collectively, the enhancements in this Bill are expected to contribute to at least 7% of our greenhouse gas emissions reductions.[+5 sentences] Let me now move on to the issue of helping businesses to seize new growth opportunities in clean energy and energy management. Unfortunately, Singapore is an alternative energy disadvantaged country because of our physical size. Solar energy remains our best option, but even this is not without its challenges. We have been exploring innovative ways to overcome our constraints. For example, in 2016, Singapore embarked on the world's largest floating solar testbed at Tengeh Reservoir. Under the SolarNova programme, solar systems will be pervasively installed on the rooftops of about 6,000 Government buildings, such as public housing, schools, army camps and utilities, by 2020.[+20 sentences] All these initiatives open up new business opportunities for our companies. To keep pace with the growing share of solar energy in Singapore's electricity generation mix, we are also taking proactive steps to address the issue of intermittency and to ensure grid stability. In May 2016, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Singapore Power embarked on the national Energy Storage System testbed (ESS testbed), to evaluate the performance of grid-level energy storage systems for different power applications. Er Dr Lee asked for an update of the project. There was strong interest from consortiums comprising notable local and international companies when the Request for Proposal (RFP) closed in August 2016. An international evaluation panel, comprising Singapore Power, relevant Government agencies and technical experts, is currently reviewing the various proposals. A decision on the eventual award winners will likely be made by end 2017. Given the challenges we face with renewable energy today, improving our EE thus remains a key strategy for Singapore. I would like to assure Members of the House that we have had extensive consultations with the industry on these enhancements and have taken on board the companies' feedback to ensure that the measures are not overly onerous, but without compromising on ambition. Companies understand the need for EE improvement and are generally agreeable with our proposals. I am heartened by their commitment to keep working at improving EE. Er Dr Lee and Mr Leon Perera raised the issue of compliance costs. In the short term, companies under ECA will face an increase in compliance costs. However, in the long run, these enhanced EE measures will help companies reap lifetime energy and cost savings. We are also not imposing any standards. Many of these big companies already have inhouse systems and standards and the reporting systems that we can rely on, and we will use this first. Hopefully, this can be used for our verification purposes and not impose standards that will be too onerous. Hence, companies need to adopt a long-term view as these measures will put them on a stronger footing to compete in the carbon-constrained world that we will be operating in. In my dialogues with the companies, some of them sought funding support to implement related EE-measures and asked whether the Government can help to improve the supporting EE ecosystem. I would like to thank Er Dr Lee and Mr Louis Ng for highlighting NEA's E2F. NEA decided to review and consolidate the existing EE grants into the E2F, given the low take-up rates noted by Mr Louis Ng and in response to feedback from companies on the need to improve the financial support and accessibility to the grants.[+2 sentences] Under E2F, companies no longer have to navigate through different incentive schemes to find one that suits their needs. The grant application process has also been streamlined to minimise paperwork. E2F will place greater emphasis on SMEs and there will be 50% support given to eligible companies to co-fund design reviews and energy audits.[+5 sentences] E2F will be launched today and I encourage companies to tap on it. Mr Louis Ng also asked for details of the EE Financing Programme and Investment Allowance Scheme for EE administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB). The EE Financing Programme is in the pilot stage. Essentially, companies which are not able to afford the upfront costs of EE projects can apply for loans through a third-party financier. The potential benefits of such a scheme include an off balance sheet solution, where industrial facilities are not required to pay for the upfront costs of the EE projects, but still enjoy part of the energy savings. The Investment Allowance Scheme for EE is a tax incentive that allows up to an additional 30% investment allowance against taxable income on capital expenditure related to eligible projects by companies.[+7 sentences] These two schemes provide alternative financing options for companies which want to pursue EE efforts but need more financial support. As the EE Financing Programme is still in the pilot stage, more updates will be provided in due course. Aside from financial support, we will study how we can improve the supporting EE ecosystem. This includes enabling more sharing of best practices amongst companies, building up the capabilities of energy managers to identify EE opportunities, and developing the energy services sub-sector, such as consultancies for specialised industry processes. We will also continue to leverage research and technology to improve EE and are open to working with interested partners and stakeholders. Lastly, developing talent in this sector is important, too. As Er Dr Lee highlighted, local polytechnics and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) offer diploma programmes related to energy management. The annual intake for these programmes is about 350 students.[+6 sentences] NEA and the Institution of Engineers also administer the Singapore Certified Energy Manager Professional Level programme. Individuals who wish to pursue a career in energy management, including those making mid-career switches, can apply for this programme. There are currently 622 certified energy managers. Many of them take on energy management roles in about 230 energy-intensive industrial facilities that are regulated under ECA. To conclude, the amendments to this Bill are an important step forward not only in encouraging industry and consumers to play their part in addressing climate change, but also in preparing us for a carbon-constrained global economy. Therefore, I call on Members of the House to give their support to this Bill.
Mdm Speaker72 words
[+2 sentences]Are there any clarifications? No. (proc text)]
The Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital (Transfer of Undertaking and Dissolution) Bill›Second Reading Bills1 turns · 181w
· 3 highlighted
bill-302
The Minister of State for Health (Dr Lam Pin Min)181 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Third time." Madam, at the Second Reading in January this year, the House committed The Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital (Transfer of Undertaking and Dissolution) Bill to a Select Committee. The Select Committee received one written representation, which was assessed not to directly concern the subject matter of the Bill.[+1 sentence] The Kwong-Wai-Shiu Free Hospital has also expressed its support for the Bill. The Select Committee has considered the Bill and has only made textual alterations to the Bill to reflect the change in citation year from 2016 to 2017. The Committee's Report was presented to Members of the House on 15 February 2017.[+2 sentences] In conclusion, the passing of the Bill will enable Kwong Wai Shiu to modernise its corporate structure and place the hospital in a stronger position, with greater flexibility to provide quality healthcare services to Singaporeans while ensuring transparency and accountability. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move.
[+2 sentences][(proc text) "to give effect to the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007, to make provisions generally for matters connected therewith and to make related amendments to the Merchant Shipping Act (Chapter 179 of the 1996 Revised Edition)", (proc text)] [(proc text) presented by the Senior Minister of State for Transport (Mrs Josephine Teo); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
Prevention of Pollution of the Sea (Amendment) Bill›Bills Introduced1 turns · 58w
· 0 highlighted
bill-intro-251
Speaker not recorded58 words
[+2 sentences][(proc text) presented by the Senior Minister of State for Transport (Mrs Josephine Teo); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
Terrorism (Suppression of Misuse of Radioactive Material) Bill›Bills Introduced1 turns · 63w
· 0 highlighted
bill-intro-252
Speaker not recorded63 words
[+2 sentences][(proc text) presented by the Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Mr Desmond Lee); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
Public Entertainments and Meetings (Amendment) Bill›Bills Introduced1 turns · 69w
· 0 highlighted
bill-intro-253
Speaker not recorded69 words
[+2 sentences][(proc text) presented by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Amrin Amin); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
[+2 sentences][(proc text) presented by the Senior Minister of State for Law (Ms Indranee Rajah); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
Singapore University of Social Sciences Bill›Bills Introduced1 turns · 72w
· 0 highlighted
bill-intro-255
Speaker not recorded72 words
[+2 sentences][(proc text) "to provide for certain matters relating to the operation of a university known as the Singapore University of Social Sciences and to make consequential amendments to certain other Acts", (proc text)] [(proc text) presented by the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (Mr Ong Ye Kung); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available Sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. (proc text)]
Aspirations of Singapore Women›Motions5 turns · 6,512w
· 41 highlighted
motion-959
Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson)3532 words
[+6 sentences]Madam, I beg to move*, "That this House affirms the familial, social and economic contributions of Singapore women and its support for them to fulfil their family and career aspirations and to be future-ready." Singapore women play an important role in building families, communities and the economy of Singapore. Their contributions, past and present, helped to make us who we are today. All over the world, women build families and keep families together. Women also tend to contribute more to their families if they work and add to their families' financial well-being. Evidence from a range of countries shows that increasing the share of household income controlled by women, either through their own earnings or transfers, changes spending in ways that benefit children. The "Girl Effect" that was highlighted in the World Economic Forum 2009, for instance, noted that women and girls with income reinvest 90% of it into their families, as compared to about 30% to 40% for men.[+17 sentences] While this statistic referred more to developing countries, we know from our own experiences that, in Singapore, women play a pivotal role in ensuring the holistic well-being of our families. Women create social capital in communities through building strong families, caring for the young and old, and supporting fellow women through job opportunities and networks. Women often quietly drive community programmes that benefit residents and rally for resources and help through their own social networks to serve community needs. Those of us who have been active on the ground would have seen the aunty-networks and the mommy-networks in action, for instance. Women drive economic growth. An increase in female labour force participation results in faster economic growth since growth is typically driven by manpower and productivity. The World Economic Forum, in its 2016 Future of Jobs report, noted that "Net job growth and skills instability result in most businesses currently facing major recruitment challenges and talent shortages, a pattern already evident in the results and set to get worse over the next five years." Hence, as Singapore seeks to cultivate new growth engines, we should look to our women as a significant source of untapped talent and entrepreneurial dynamism. In summary, women help to increase social capital and economic prosperity and contribute to Singapore's long-term success. Singapore has generally done well in recognising and promoting the aspirations of women. First, our laws protect women from violence, harassment and discrimination. Under the law, women have control over our own bodies. Law enforcement authorities do not turn a blind eye to crimes against women, as they tend to in some countries, but actively investigate and prosecute the perpetrators. Second, we have good healthcare and support systems for women and children. Our record of safe births for both mother and child is the best in the world. In fact, we are the best country in Asia to be a mother, according to an annual index released by international aid agency Save the Children. Third, Singapore girls enjoy a world-class education and emerge as confident, knowledgeable women, with our own ideas, opinions and aspirations. More than 50% of undergraduates in Singapore are women.[+2 sentences] Fourth, we have a modern and vibrant economy, providing more interesting job opportunities for both men and women alike. We should acknowledge these strengths even as we aspire to do better. But we also need to acknowledge the gaps and weaknesses in our system. We need to take action to accelerate our progression towards gender parity, or we will have to wait at least 50 years according to Accenture, or 170 years according to the World Economic Forum, if we are to leave things to evolve naturally. One key gap is the gender imbalance in our workforce, where women tend to be under-represented at the higher levels.[+40 sentences] For example, the depressingly low board representation, the dearth of female chief executive officers (CEOs) and lower proportions in certain professions. This is not because men are inherently more capable or more driven than women. After all, in our schools, girls perform just as well as boys. Rather, it is because our society does not fully provide the support that women need to achieve our aspirations in the family, community and workplace at the same time. This is why the People's Action Party's (PAP's) Women's Wing put up several position papers over the years, lobbying the Government to take tangible action. Some of these recommendations will be reiterated today. Supporting Singapore women to fulfil their familial and career aspirations and to help them to be future-ready require a whole-of-society approach, but it is important that we start in this House. My hope is to take a positive and progressive stance in moving this Motion. Women are not asking for special treatment or privileges. Nonetheless, there are pragmatic, concrete steps that the nation can take in various areas to help women to achieve their aspirations. I would also emphasise that many of the recommendations that my colleagues and I are putting forth in this Motion apply to Singaporeans regardless of gender. Our support for women − and men − to balance their multiple roles should help them reach greater heights, in our economy, in various professions, in social work, in the arts and in sports and in many diverse frontiers. Our recommendations are organised along four strategies: first, create capacity; second, provide options; third, remove barriers; and fourth, to be future-ready. I will introduce these areas and describe some specific ideas under each of them. My fellow colleagues who support this Motion will provide further elaboration and explanation. First, on create capacity. First of all, we need to recognise that most people do not journey through life in a straight line and neither do we assume only one role at any one point in time. It is not a simple case of simply going to school, then work and then retire. Often, we are sons and daughters as well as fathers and mothers. Both men and women do take time out now and then, for our children, parents, school, training and other worthy pursuits. However, while men and women both have to juggle our many obligations at work and at home, women face particular challenges. Women have traditionally been and still are the primary caregivers at home. Being nurturers at heart, it is little wonder why women care so much for our loved ones. But women also have career aspirations, and it is fair for women to want to work and give their best shot at fulfilling their ambitions. Our nation and economy also benefit with more women working, as articulated earlier. With an ageing population, smaller families and evolving expectations, we need to make available adequate care options and strengthen our support for caregivers so that their capacity can be freed up to pursue their careers as well. We need to rethink how the childcare and eldercare facilities are designed and situated. The key consideration must be to ensure availability and easy access to such care facilities. To help women to return to work, care facilities for the young and old need to be near workplaces as well so that working women, and men, can quickly respond to emergencies. Retrofitting existing workplaces to accommodate care facilities will take time and will be costly, too. However, this concept should be incorporated as a requirement when new parcels of land are sold or when redevelopment is on the cards. One challenge with centre-based care is the limited operating hours of the centres. In many jobs, workers often need to work overtime or stay back late to deal with emergencies. Hence, could the operating hours of care facilities be extended so that working adults, especially those who have little control over their working hours, can be assured that their children and elderly are safe and cared for? A complementary measure is to help establish a network of caregivers comprising full-time homemakers or retirees who can help working mothers fetch or take care of their children during times of need. I am heartened by the introduction of the Allied Infant Educarer (AIE) initiative this year but these are tied to centres with formal operating hours. Could we help by making available AIEs who have spare capacity outside of centre operating hours? An online directory can be created to help match demand with supply. Interested parents who cannot secure a placement at the infant care or childcare centre can look to this platform for potential caregivers within the neighbourhood. Basic profile and credential of these caregivers can be published in the directory. The same can, of course, be extended to those who need eldercare help and services, for instance, a network of retired nurses engaged and deployed to conduct home care for our elders. We need to develop a SkillsFuture package dedicated to help "back-to-work women", to rebuild confidence, to refresh skills or acquire new ones, and facilitate their transition back to the workforce. I would suggest three components critical to the success of this package, namely, capability development, job matching and interim financial support.[+10 sentences] These are services already provided for by the Government, but a concerted effort is needed to help women hoping to return to work. In developing the capabilities of women, the courses should aim to refresh existing professional skills; acquire new skills to re-enter the workforce or enter new industries of growth potential; develop entrepreneurial capacity, for example, through e-commerce; and cultivate digital fluency, a point that I will further elaborate later. Courses should also incorporate modules that help in confidence-building, personal grooming and information technology. Next, the package should help those who have acquired new skills and qualifications to embark on a career by matching them to suitable opportunities. Some stay-at-home mothers I spoke with agreed that an effective package must take a holistic approach and have tangible follow-ups. They are keenly interested in post-course support. Everyone can take courses, subsidised or not. But the difference is in whether, after completing the courses, this will lead to real opportunities. And for those who may not immediately secure a job after training, the package could offer a period of internship for employers and potential employees to adjust and ensure better fit of industry needs and skills to get that foot in the door. Such assistance should also apply to men who wish to return to work as well. Many caregivers have sacrificed their prime years and savings to care for their loved ones. Hence, even as they get trained for prospective employment, they might need some help with living expenses. Therefore, the package should also provide subsistence allowances or training grants to see them through their training.[+1 sentence] Second, provide options. We also need to accelerate implementation of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) so that Singaporeans have the option to achieve both family and career aspirations without having to trade off one for the other.[+5 sentences] We must recognise the aspirations of the younger generation of workers who desire greater work-life balance. They want to be able to give their families and careers their 100%. As societal norms shift, we also see more fathers and sons sharing the duty of care at home. Hence, making FWA more pervasive benefits all Singaporeans. I understand that it is challenging to apply FWA across all industries and sectors in one broad stroke, because the nature of jobs is not homogenous. As such, building on to our PAP Women's Wing recommendation last year, I would like to call on the Ministry for Manpower (MOM) to implement industry- or sector-specific FWA standards to complement the existing employment laws, tripartite guidelines and advisories.[+25 sentences] Each standard will specify a set of progressive practices that are verifiable and are also industry- or sector-specific. Upon meeting the standards, MOM can recognise the employer with an "FWA mark" because standards without audit would be quite futile. Taken together, laws, guidelines, standards and advisories will form a comprehensive map to help employers build fair and progressive workplaces. Employers can then make public their adoption of these standards through the Jobs Bank and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) website. Jobseekers would then be able to identify these companies as their employers of choice. One tangible way of encouraging employers to institutionalise FWA is to adapt current standards, schemes and awards, such as the Singapore Quality Class (Niche Business Excellence Standard for People) and TAFEP Exemplary Employer Award, to require fulfilment of FWA standards as a minimum criterion. Employers should also be encouraged to update their appraisal system and criteria. Many employers still appraise employees based on facetime, regardless of the quality of their work produced or the positive peer reviews and customer reviews that they receive. Therefore, a holistic approach is needed when implementing industry-specific FWA standards. Another option to enable women to work while caring for their young and old at home is to help them become entrepreneurs. As entrepreneurs, they can stay economically active and have better control of their schedule at the same time. We have a favourable environment for womenpreneurs. Mastercard Women's Entrepreneurial Index 2016, for instance, ranked Singapore at fifth position, citing strong enabling conditions for womenpreneurs, such as high opportunity to attain advanced knowledge assets and access to mainstream financial services. We should take advantage of this and encourage women who wish to take the path of entrepreneurship to do so. We could also dedicate support to help them set up shop online and link them up with fellow womenpreneurs, so that they can exchange business ideas and opportunities, collaborate in partnerships, and help and mentor one another. Third, remove barriers. To empower women to achieve meaningful progress, we need to also remove the barriers that constrain women. An invisible but critical obstacle is how women are being perceived and pigeon-holed. We, therefore, need to challenge the stereotypes of and reshape the attitude towards women. At home, fathers and sons are integral family members and have equal responsibilities in ensuring the well-being of loved ones. The Government has, in recent years, been signaling the need for shared family responsibilities by increasing paternity leave and shared parental care leave. These changes also help to correct the perception of women being a greater liability than men at work. On the ground, we have also observed more hands-on fathers and sons. So, things are changing, and we must continue to build on this momentum to encourage a more equal share of care responsibilities at home. Women tend to fall off as they progress up the career track. Women in Singapore start off well, comprising half of the workforce at the entry level but this proportion dwindles drastically as they journey up the career ladder, with women comprising a mere 9.7% at the board level.[+4 sentences] Surely, we have many more women who have the competence and calibre to sit on boards! Women also tend to concentrate in certain sectors and roles. These realities highlight the invisible walls and ceilings that women face. Therefore, we must work to improve women's access to opportunities. Recently, Minister Grace Fu, on behalf of the PAP Women's Wing and BoardAgender, called for at least 20% female directors on boards by the year 2020.[+6 sentences] This is a positive move and an aspiration that is highly achievable. Setting such a 2020 target is certainly not about asking for special treatment. However, we should be conscious of our unconscious bias and avoid a biased selection that disadvantages women right from the start. Fourth, be future-ready, having smart women for a smart nation. As we look to the future and move towards a Smart Nation, we must also embrace technology which is a critical enabler to the above goals. Digital fluency can help to close the gender gap and level the playing field for women at work. According to a 2016 study report by Accenture, the time needed to close gender gaps can be halved if women are digitally fluent.[+10 sentences] Yet, the digital fluency gap between men and women is one of the largest in Singapore compared to the other countries surveyed. Digital fluency not only opens up new career opportunities for women in the digital age but also enables women to exploit smart solutions that help to create capacity and options. With the right smart solutions, women, and men, can remotely manage situations and monitor their young and old at home while they are at work. Smart solutions can allow women to work productively and respond efficiently even if they have to be away from their offices, thereby enabling flexible work. Technology can also act as a networking tool for women in their aspirational pursuits. Digital platforms can allow women to exchange useful information and create job opportunities. E-commerce platforms, for example, can help stay-at-home caregivers monetise their skills or overcome resource constraints in starting their businesses and, in the process, maintain financial independence, stay plugged in while continuing to care for their loved ones. Women can also make use of these platforms to raise funds, find mentors and network with other women entrepreneurs. Therefore, there is a strong case for cultivating and strengthening digital fluency amongst women. Education in schools builds the digital foundation for our next generation. But for now, we should also help our stay-at-home mothers and daughters to be digitally fluent. And we can start with the SkillsFuture package for Back-to-Work Women encompassing modules in IT literacy and basic programming.[+7 sentences] Sir, I would like to speak in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): Deputy Speaker, today's Motion is unprecedented in the history of this Parliament. This is not a feminist Motion; instead, it hopes to strengthen Singapore's foundation and help Singaporeans, be they men or women, to achieve their full potentials and prepare for our common future. We can all see that Singaporean women have made great contributions towards the family, the society and the country. In recent years, many studies have shown that women in the labour force can help improve the family's well-being, increase social cohesion and promote economic growth. Although Singapore has made outstanding achievements in many areas, women need to catch up in certain aspects of life. It is particularly obvious in the workplace. Women comprise half of the workforce at the entry level but this proportion dwindles drastically as they journey up the career ladder, with women comprising a mere 9.7% at the board level.[+8 sentences] Singaporean women have good education. Among citizens who have a tertiary education, more than half are women. Hence, capability and motivation are not the main impediment. Looking at the current situation, it is not difficult for us to guess that women still are the primary caregivers at home, and it is a challenge for them to have spare time and energy to do other things. We are an Asian society, looking after our parents and children is an undeniable duty. However, be they sons or daughters, fathers or mothers, they must carry this duty of caring for one's family equally. Fortunately, more and more fathers and sons are willingly taking up the responsibility to look after the young and old in the family. In addition, modern Singaporean women enjoy good education and, naturally, they would have dreams and aspirations. Every Singaporean should have the opportunity to enjoy family and career life at the same time. Therefore, we must help Singaporean women from four angles: first, establish and strengthen infrastructure and services to lighten the caregivers' burden, so that they can have time and better manage their multiple roles; second, promote FWA so that they can look after the family without sacrificing their career; third, encourage the society and the companies to value women's economic potentials and contributions; and fourth, encourage women to undergo technology and skills training and be prepared for the new digital era and the future economy.[+5 sentences] Of course, the above does not just apply to women only. My Parliamentary colleagues and I hope that through this Motion, we can win more concrete support for Singapore women, so that they can fly high and fulfil their family and career aspirations. (In English): Sir, this is the first time this House is debating on a Motion concerning the aspirations of women in Singapore. My colleagues and I moved this Motion not to lobby for affirmative action, but to build on the strengths of women, to recognise and close the gaps. But most importantly, we desire to make Singapore the best home for everyone − a home where regardless of background or gender, Singaporeans have the capability, opportunity and courage to pursue our aspirations and lead a full and happy life. We believe that now is the best time as Singapore is transforming to be future-ready. There are many things we can do to support Singapore women, but even as we continue to co-create these solutions, I believe that it is important that this House affirms the familial, social and economic contributions of Singapore women and our support for them to fulfil their family and career aspirations and be future-ready.[+1 sentence] Question proposed.
Mr Deputy Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Jessica Tan.
Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo2089 words
[+28 sentences]Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion. The world we live, work and play in is an exciting one, undergoing unprecedented changes. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is affecting all industries and jobs. This digital disruption is changing the landscape not only of work, but also of how work is done. We should take the opportunity to reflect on what this could mean for both men and women. Leveraging digital technology and mobility can make things more accessible and inclusive by enabling FWA and enabling people to work when and wherever they wish to. However, FWAs alone are not sufficient. There must also be supporting policies and an organisational culture around how work is done and rewarded. FWAs must be part of the work culture and how work is done. Otherwise, what it will only serve to do is highlight the differences between men and women in the workforce and may be seen as concessions given to women. FWAs must be accepted as the way work is done and not special arrangements made for women. For example, collaborating virtually and working anywhere should be and is increasingly becoming a norm for employees and not seen as an exception. This will allow more effective communications and collaboration for workers. Having supporting policies will indirectly encourage and enable men to participate and have a more equal share of the family and duties in the home. For sustained impact and greater participation and success of women in the workplace, companies and leaders in organisations must also champion the value of tapping the female talent base, developing women for good jobs as well as be committed to tracking progress and retaining women. With female university undergraduates outnumbering male undergraduates in Singapore, women are increasingly likely to be equally or better educated than men. Two-thirds of the jobs that will be available in 2020, as we all have seen in studies to date, have said that these jobs do not even exist today. What this means is that when we learn, we need to prepare ourselves for careers that may not yet exist. With growing digitalisation, we need to build new skills and be comfortable with technology to successfully navigate this multifaceted and global environment. Technology and engineering skills are growing in importance across industries. Although we are seeing an increasing trend of females opting for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Singapore, women and girls remain significantly under-represented in both education settings for engineering science and IT as well as in the workforce for these fields. These are jobs that are expected to have the most growth in the next five years. This would mean that there will be a large portion of our population missing out on critical skills to further their careers and this could mean that they could also risk missing out on the next disruptive trend that could improve Singapore. Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, in his keynote speech at the Internet of Things (IoT) Asia last week, said that "There is a disruption going on. People are worried about jobs and people are worried about wages. This is real and no politician can afford to ignore this." He also said that "the most important political challenge is to prepare our people for this revolution." He stressed the need to build the skills and capabilities to enable our people to leverage this digital disruption, thereby generating good jobs with good wages which is at the heart of what a Smart Nation is about. Just as the Minister had outlined a plan over the next few years for the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS), to train 10,000 public officers in data science, with the current gap of women in technology in the workforce and in STEM education, we also need to drive a plan to enable women and girls to build the skills to be able to have the ability to ride this digital revolution.[+5 sentences] We need to ensure that girls at a young age are exposed to education, both formal and informal, on digital technologies, with opportunities to have hands-on learning and experiences. Both the Government and businesses must take an active role and commit resources to attract more women in tertiary education to STEM education and training. These could include scholarships, internships and career coaching. We must set goals to increase the number of women in technology roles and take action and track the progress. Many will agree that, in Singapore, we have made good progress in the workforce participation of women. Although still lagging male workforce participation at 76.2%, female workforce participation has increased from 57.7% in 2012 to 60.4% now in 2016.[+3 sentences] And this should be attributed to more accessible and quality childcare as well as the introduction of the family care and paternity leave. But we should not just track the percentage of women in the workforce. We must also look at how women are doing. Based on the World Economic Forum Global Gender Report, pay for women still lags behind that of men for similar work in Singapore at a ratio of 0.81.[+3 sentences] But I must stress that this is fourth in the world, which is a very strong achievement. To achieve gender pay parity, employers should make it a point to understand and address the gap and pay for comparable work done by both men and women. I think the Government should also focus on ensuring and encouraging employers to do that. Pay should be based on contributions and not gender. It is encouraging that the proportion of senior business roles held by women in Singapore has also risen to 30% this year, up from 26% last year.[+2 sentences] This is above the average among countries in the Asia Pacific region, shown in the survey by global consultancy firm, Grant Thornton. But if we look into the numbers across C-Suite positions, this has been falling for that same group, meaning, for CEOs, chief financial officers (CFOs) and chief operating officers (COOs), the numbers have dropped from 2016 to 2017. Progress of the number of women, not just on boards, but on C-Suite positions, need attention. And as Ms Tin Pei Ling had shared, the progress of women on boards listed in Singapore has been slow at only 9.7% in 2016, lagging many advanced countries and even behind countries in Asia like China, Hong Kong and India. Two weeks ago, the PAP Women's Wing and BoardAgender have called for a revision to the Code of Corporate Governance to include a "comply or explain" disclosure policy for companies on their board diversity, including gender, in their annual reports and setting a target of at least of having 20% female directors on boards by 2020.[+14 sentences] This is timely as, despite a highly educated female population, greater workforce participation by women and an increasing proportion of women in senior business leadership roles above the average amongst countries even in the Asia Pacific region, not enough attention is paid to those rules. What we are seeing is slow progress for women in senior leadership positions in C-Suite positions as well as on boards. And we have to ask ourselves why this is so, in order to come up with the right actions. Possible areas for change criteria would apply around decision-making principles for selection and the expansion of networks or talent pools that organisations are sourcing for board talent. Beyond mentoring and cultivating the pipeline of women for boards, we should be putting women in the roles that build the skills and experiences required for board roles, including C-Suite positions. Unless women have the relevant leadership and scope of business leadership experience, even if we dictate a number, even if we set a goal, that is not going to happen unless we allow women to get the experiences that they require to qualify for the board positions. To prepare women for board positions, we should also be deliberate in efforts to support women in senior business roles to develop for these roles. Can executive leadership education programmes to equip senior leaders with board skills be included as part of their eligible courses for SkillsFuture Credit? This will allow women in senior business roles to take ownership of their training for skills required of board members. I would like to conclude by talking about unconscious bias. I believe that this is one of the factors that is causing the slow progress of women in senior leadership roles as well as in participation on boards despite a highly educated women talent base and a pipeline of women in senior business roles in Singapore. Are we biased? Some of us may think that we are not. Unconscious biases are pervasive in most societies and often people are unaware of our own unconscious biases. According to a global online research study done by Implicit Association Test with over 200,000 participants, 64% of participants demonstrated a strong or moderate preference for young people as compared to old people; 75% of participants associated male with career, and female with family.[+19 sentences] So, although this is going to be quite embarrassing for me, I thought I would just share a personal story and an "Aha!" moment that I had to illustrate the point about unconscious biases. Sometime last year, I had a very important client meeting, and we were preparing for speakers for that meeting and my colleague assured me that we had the best speakers lined up. We had one topic on quantum computing, a fairly exciting and interesting topic but requiring a good amount of knowledge and skills to be able to explain that well and to cover the topic well. Of course, I was looking around for the speaker and then I realised who the speaker was, so I turned to my colleague and said, "Are you sure you did your homework?" And he said, "Yes." I said, "Are you sure?" And I was not quite sure. Anyway, the speaker spoke and for the next one hour, I was extremely engaged, inspired and the speaker did a very good job. But let me share with you. I was totally embarrassed after that because it was an "Aha!" moment for me because I had just completed my unconscious bias training, and that is why it made an impact on me of my own unconscious bias because, guess what? The reason why I thought she was not the best speaker for this, is not because she was a female, but it was because she looked young and she was also extremely good looking. And I said to myself, "Gosh!" this is extremely embarrassing, because I do pride myself on feeling fairly open and I am a champion of diversity in the workforce. But it was not her gender; it was age and my assumption of experience and know-how at the same time. Each of us has unconscious biases. I think if I look at all the statistics and the facts that are supporting us in having female talent in key positions, clearly, something is blocking that. We need to boldly ask ourselves why and face that and be able then to do something about it. I would recommend that we have training for unconscious biases both in schools and in the workplace. I am passionate about having more women in both public and private organisations, because it makes perfect business sense and social and economic sense when you consider that women make up 50% of our population. Globally, they represent a growth market more than twice the size of China and India combined. According to EY (previously Ernst & Young), women are the new emerging market with a combined global income that will grow to approximately $18 trillion by 2018. But research also reveals that although most companies look at women for end-users, they do not tap their female talent base to understand what women need. So, imagine this: if only males were making decisions on what innovations that companies will invest in, based on a thought process of their experience and on what products that they can use themselves, then, we have a serious problem. Not having gender diversity at all levels will see us missing out on huge opportunities; opportunities that could slow down both societal development and the economy.[+2 sentences] So, it will take both men and women to make the difference and enable us all to do our best work and to be our aspirations, both men and women. I support the Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Joan Pereira.
Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar)885 words
[+10 sentences]Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion because I hope to see more measures to enable our women to achieve their aspirations and reach their fullest potential. Although Singapore women have similar opportunities for education, training and work as men, our society still expects them to fulfill their traditional roles as mothers, daughters and daughters-in-law. As a result, women continue to shoulder the bulk of housework and caregiving duties. Even if their workloads are as demanding as those of their husbands', women are expected to take care of domestic affairs. In many cases, when it becomes too difficult to meet both the demands of work and home, women would always put their families first, sacrifice themselves and take a step down their career ladders or stop working. Personally, I would like to see greater support and recognition of the caregiving and nurturing role of stay-at-home mothers, and also greater empowerment for those who choose to contribute in the workforce. With an ageing population, we can expect to see even more women shouldering caregiving responsibilities for parents, in-laws and relatives. Our women are a precious resource and should be fully supported in their careers. To remain competitive as a nation, we need to secure the contribution of every qualified man and woman in our labour force. For families to be able to entrust the important responsibility of caregiving to professionals, we should continue to seek to boost the capability and capacity of our professional caregiving sector. A segment that we can tap on is that of the retired nurses, who can be re-engaged on a "casual hours" basis.[+7 sentences] The current system can be enhanced such that, upon retirement, retired nurses can give consent to sharing their contact details for future re-engagement opportunities. This would help to alleviate the shortage of healthcare workers and at the same time the community can continue to benefit from their wealth of experience. They can also, through the course of their work, share tips on how they can take care of their family members better. Building up this network of retired medical professionals will complement what the community can offer. Therefore, by augmenting our professional caregiving sector, we will help women stay in the workforce while providing them and their family members peace of mind, knowing that their elderly family members are being taken care of. We must continue to step up the recruitment and training of manpower for the caregiving sector. This group of professionals will play an important role in enabling the females in our labour force to achieve a higher participation rate. Services at more of our eldercare centres can be augmented to include places for short-term accommodation for the elderly who need to stay there temporarily when their caregivers have to travel overseas. I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal again to the Government to legislate at least two days of eldercare leave per annum.[+1 sentence] This would be very much appreciated for family emergencies involving the elderly. Next, I would like to reiterate my request for additional course subsidies, on top of the SkillsFuture Credit, for women who wish to return to work after being out of the workforce for a number of years.[+2 sentences] As I had said during the Budget Debate, many of them do not have much savings and would hesitate to ask for money from their husbands or children to attend classes. By helping them with the costs of the courses, we will enable more women to pick up skills and return to work more quickly. As a practical way of recognising the contributions of our homemakers, I would like to propose mechanisms to encourage up to 50% of their husbands' Central Provident Fund (CPF) monthly contributions be transferred to them.[+10 sentences] These monthly transfers will provide acknowledgement and greater long-term financial assurance and is a meaningful way of recognising the great value of all the unpaid work and services that homemakers render to nurture their children and care for their parents. Last but not least, I appeal to the Government to treat a single mother and her children as a "family nucleus" for Housing and Development Board (HDB) applications. Single parents face enormous struggles caring and providing for children. We should help them by providing a stable and safe environment for the children to grow up in. Accommodation is a basic necessity to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable children. Research has shown that stress in children has a negative impact on their developing brains, "with consequences, including cognitive deficits and emotional disorders, which, in turn, help perpetuate disadvantage." It is very unhealthy for these disadvantaged children to have to stay in overcrowded homes of their parents' friends or relatives, where they may not feel that they truly belong or embarrassed at having to do so. At the very least, with a roof over their heads, mothers will have one less worry and be able to focus more of their energies on their work to finance the expenses of the families. Deputy Speaker, Sir, supporting and empowering our women will enable them to contribute more to their families, communities and country, and achieve their full potential. With women holding up half the sky, supporting the aspirations of our women is the most effective way to be future-ready.
[+1 sentence][(proc text) Resolved, "That the proceedings on the business set down on the Order Paper for today be exempted at this day's Sitting from the provisions of Standing Order No 2." − (proc text)]
Aspirations of Singapore Women›Motions14 turns · 11,179w
· 73 highlighted
motion-961
Mr Deputy Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Desmond Choo.
Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines)1025 words
[+7 sentences]Deputy Speaker, Sir, for some of our Singapore women, building successful careers and closely-knit families, are closely intertwined. Their aspirations are inextricably linked by a relationship of trade-offs. Some find that the demands of work prevent them from settling down earlier. Others, while they enjoy parenthood, find balancing work and family a struggle and hope for better support. Still for others, the demands of motherhood and career meant the decision is binary. These trade-offs are difficult to make because, for most people, careers and families define us to a large extent. While it is unlikely that we can have our cake and eat it, can we do better for our Singaporean women? A report by the Department of Statistics released about two weeks ago stated that the median age in the first marriage for brides rose from 26.9 years in 2005, to 28.2 years in 2015.[+4 sentences] The need to find careers, success and financial stability before marriage is probably a significant reason for this phenomenon. The knock-on effect of later marriages is having children later. And with it, lower fertility rates. Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) is increasingly being used by couples. While there are generous subsidies for ART, only women below 40 years old can benefit from it and, even then, the subsidies only apply for procedures at public hospitals. While the chances of conceiving drop after 40 and we should ensure public subsidies are well-targeted, there is a case to be made in having a reduced subsidy rate for those who are between 41 years old and 42 years old.[+37 sentences] The reduced subsidies rate commensurates with the lowered chances which are graduated after 40 years old to 42 years old, and not a precipitous decline. Second, we need to review expanding the subsidised options for our couples. Currently, there are approximately 14 certified AR doctors in the restructured hospitals and about 33 in private practice. Opening up subsidies to both public and private hospitals give our couples more options and shorter waiting time. For couples with narrower windows, time is of the essence. The worry that doctors in private practice will raise prices because of the subsidies is not trivial. But we have similarly been using a system of audits and checks for community healthcare subsidies. The AR fees are now comparable between the private and public sectors. And the smaller group of AR practitioners meant checks should be easier. Opening up the market also introduces greater contestability for competitiveness. The issue of AR is less critical if a woman marries earlier and have children earlier. We are unlikely to reverse the trend of later marriages. But we can give women chances of giving birth to healthy babies even when they are older. The hon Member Miss Cheng Li Hui raised in 2016 if the Ministry of Health (MOH) can consider allowing for egg-freezing. A key consideration then was whether egg-freezing was effective. According to a Straits Times report on 18 September 2016, "In 2012, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine removed the 'experimental' label from egg freezing. It found that advances in techniques led to pregnancy rates comparable to IVF cycles that use fresh eggs." Even in IVF, eggs are extracted and then frozen before thawing for fertilisation, although for a shorter period of time. In the same report, it said, "Doctors note that a woman is born with a finite number of eggs, with the number and quality of eggs declining as she ages. By age 40, she has only 3% of the up to two million eggs that she was born with. This was from a study by the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh. Hence, freezing the eggs at a younger age preserves her fertility." Now, the concern that allowing for egg-freezing might delay marriage and parenthood is also not trivial. However, sourcing for donor eggs is already allowed in Singapore anyway. And for many women, it is not just a matter of work delaying marriage but finding Mr Right. We should grant our women that right to choose without denying them the option of having healthier children. We can, in fact, support the aspirations of our Singaporean women by giving them a better chance of raising healthy children and having a good career. Turning to the workplace, many women with children find their career options limited by inflexible workplaces. The recently-announced initiatives by the Government on the pilot in the Civil Service and Standard Chartered's 20 weeks of paid maternity leave are clarion calls to help our mothers manage their balancing act better. Standard Chartered stated it had done so because it "recognise the dual roles many of them have to play and want them to succeed both at work and at home." And we need more of such trailblazers. I hope that the Government can consider piloting the right to request for FWA. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me continue in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): Deputy Speaker, after giving birth, many women need some time to get used to managing the dual roles of childcare and work. For many new mothers, the first year after childbirth can be exhausting. They hope that their work can be flexible so that they can better cope with the role of a mother. However, they also realise that they already have the 16-week maternity leave and asking for FWA might affect their career prospect. They are in a dilemma and are not sure what to do.[+1 sentence] Some even choose to leave the workforce. I hope the Government can give the new mothers the statutory right of FWA within the first year of childbirth. This has been implemented in the UK for many years and was welcomed by women and employers alike. This can promote pro-family practices and work arrangements and is a booster for women who are currently agonising over balancing work and family. Singaporean women need comprehensive support to fulfil their aspirations in family and career life. The measures outlined in the Motion can help Singaporean women achieve their dreams and aspirations.[+1 sentence] Hence, I support this Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Miss Cheryl Chan.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling (Fengshan)2416 words
[+3 sentences]Mr Deputy Speaker, success is perceived differently depending on one's values and how a society communally defines it. While success and recognition are not only the defining factors of what every woman aspires to have, many women do find satisfaction and a sense of achievement when they can manage a good balance between their careers and families. In Singapore, with equal access to quality education and jobs, we have seen a rise in the labour force participation rate (LFPR) of women. Based on Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) statistics, LFPR of women in 2016 was 60.4%. That is an increase compared to 54.3% in 2006.[+20 sentences] But with an ageing population, human capital remains one of our most valuable resources. Thus, it is worth looking at what more we can do to encourage more women in returning to the workforce. From various focus group discussions, many women attributed their challenges in returning to the workforce to three things. One, education system; two, Asian culture with an overbearing societal behaviour and mindset that caregiving is primarily women's responsibility; three, weak transition support back to the workforce First, on education. This is a broad topic and we know it is important. But what level of emphasis we place on our future generation matters. After a generation, the school curricula have significantly changed. Today, many parents in their 30s and 40s found that they are unable to provide homework guidance to their children in school unless they are also trained in the same methodology that is being taught in school. Additionally, there seems to be an unspoken assumption that children will or should have external tuition classes if they are unable to catch up in classes. How much truth this assumption holds remains to be proven. But an obvious trend is the extensive amount of tuition classes that our Singapore students have to undertake in order to cope with the daily homework assigned, much less the hope to excel in the subject or the sport that they desire. Some blame the universal top-down education system that expects the students of different capability to learn at the same pace being unrealistic. Others claim this is the result of the school not teaching sufficiently. Another camp laments that this is the result of poor resource distribution in public schools and teachers having an enormous burden to cope with many aspects apart from teaching. Whatever the reason may be, it has certainly created an industry in its own right − tuition. Those who can afford or have aced it with the help of tuition would say there is nothing wrong with this trend. After all, it is one of demand and supply. However, there are larger implicating issues we must deliberate on. Has this created more stress on our parents in thinking that having tuition is a prerequisite and without which their children cannot keep up at school? Will this lead to higher cost of raising children and less quality time for the family? Does this contradict the efforts to drive a mindset change of enabling our children to learn broadly, discover and pursue their passion? I urge the Ministry to begin reviewing the tuition industry before it becomes counter intuitive to our broader efforts in making fundamental changes in our education system. Also, to consider whether resources from this tuition industry can be diverted to our public schools − enrichment classes in the school by private tutors to supplement the school teachers in catering for students weaker in specific subjects or guidance for their homework.[+16 sentences] This will provide some relief for school teachers, more accessibility to families that have lesser means and also to focus the tuition only for those who really need it. Mr Deputy Speaker, the impact of education has lasting influence through our lives. It not only drives our choices but, more importantly, the culture of a society. We have increasingly seen younger Singaporeans who are willing to take the unbeaten path to pursue their dreams. As we encourage more entrepreneurs, their success depends largely on whether they are passionate, resourceful, have the grit to overcome the challenges. But before that, will we have a supportive culture that enables them to succeed, a culture that accepts failures as part of business endeavours and embraces different definitions of success? I think that is what we look forward to. Next, let me raise six areas in which I think we can continue to advance women's representation in the workforce while we continue to encourage procreation. We must recognise that these efforts cannot be solely achieved through advocacy unless all parties involved take concrete steps towards the same goal. First, continuous improvement in company policies and human resource (HR) practices. As we have heard from the previous few speakers, FWAs. To me, this is not a terminology that can be implemented without trust and adjustments to the work processes and also a company culture. Employers and employees have mutual roles to play in understanding the issues at hand and jointly build the mutual trust that is required in a working relationship over a long period of time. Employers, who traditionally feel that the physical presence of the employees are critical in an office as it relates to effective work time, should progressively take a different view of this. They have to empower and equip their staff to work and deliver in different contexts. Likewise, the employees must demonstrate a strong ownership in delivering results and effective work and time management to give their employers adequate assurance. The public sector and some private sector companies of different industries can take the lead in enabling FWAs for some of the functions. Those like the service-related, the backend office operations that can accommodate work location flexibility, shorter training cycles, leverage on technology; they should consider leveraging an existing pool of women and assist them to return to the workforce.[+4 sentences] This would help alleviate our manpower crunch and provide vocational opportunities for women who are keen to continue actively contributing in our workforce. Some multinational companies (MNCs) have male champions who advocate the cause and actually give recognition to fathers for playing an equal and prominent role in supporting their wives at work and also at home. In such situations, when both parents are able to strike a balance and achieve well at their work, and find their work meaningful, they are likely to strike a better balance and remain involved in their children's lives and in raising their children together to strengthen their family units. Further, unfair employment practices are still observed unfortunately in terms of salary and benefits that discriminate both gender and age. A tougher stance, I would urge, is for MOM to take against such employment, including those outsourcing companies, particularly the ones that hire our part-time older workers.[+30 sentences] Without a clear signal on fair hiring, progress in this area will continue to remain slow and many part-time jobs remain unattractive despite the fact that some of our older workers will gain financial independence. Second, targeted SkillsFuture package for those who plan to return to the workforce. Women who had extended breaks from work during childbearing years need assistance to return to the workforce. Having left the working environment, they become unfamiliar with what it feels like to be back in the workforce. Their self-perception of their own abilities and also what relevant work skills they may have, are lacking and this will prevent them from wanting to return to the workforce. I encourage SkillsFuture SG to consider having a structured programme that does two things. One, provide a tailored skills training or courses that are relevant to areas for workers who have been out of the workforce for more than two years, for example, in confidence-building and the IT-related courses. And second, to support their job placement. This is very critical, whether it is through our Place and Train Programme or even the Adapt and Grow schemes. Assist them with matching the job opportunities. There are some women who have left the workforce for a while. They have found that they have passion in new areas and they hope to switch careers after they have delivered. And I think they need to embark on this career switch that will better suit their capabilities. With these, women will be kept relevant professionally and they have confidence that they are also well supported in their career development. Empowering women to pursue careers in which they can balance their family life and continue contributing to the economy, in the long run will only be a positive move. This will ensure that during their old age they will also have some amount of financial independence. Three, mentoring programmes. Encourage our companies and the public sector to have mentoring programmes for promising female employees as they progress in their career. Mentorship enables women to understand and also share their challenges. They need to have a ready network to confide in. And above all, an aspirational motivation, when they see that other similar females have achieved in life and they are also equally capable of achieving those goals. Four, caregiver training, subsidies and eldercare leave. During the Committee of Supply (COS) this year, I have raised about the need for preventive care and community caregiving as there is a limit to the number of elderly care centres that we can build and we hope to enable our elderly to succeed in ageing successfully at home. With the responsibility of caring for the elderly falling on the shoulders of a smaller pool of individuals, we need to provide and encourage more options for caregiving. I feel that caregivers should be given courses on how and what it takes to care for the elderly. I have asked this at the COS and I will raise it again: whether the Ministry will consider providing these family caregivers the basic options of training on how to do caregiving for the elderly. Also, whether the Ministry can work with healthcare providers to develop an information kit of proven digital gadgets that can be installed at home so that the caregivers are better facilitated to take care of their elderly. And are there any application platforms that can be created to link the caregivers with sources of help provision or even for them to be networked with retired medical professionals to supplement the healthcare sector? On subsidies and care leave, there are two areas I recommend be reviewed. First, for non-working mothers − the current subsidies that the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has for infant care, childcare or kindergarten for these non-working mothers are actually lower compared to those of working mothers. But we understand the reason why it is so.[+1 sentence] It seems to be a chicken-and-egg problem. So, I would like to ask the Ministry to consider giving equal subsidised rate for the non-working mothers who are going to be gainfully employed after six months of placing their children at the childcare services. Second, for the singles − to provide the eldercare leave or to allow them to convert the unused medical leave to care for their elderly at home.[+1 sentence] As the duty of caring for the elderly still primarily falls on the children, for those who are singles or come from a single child family, they would face even more difficulties with the weaker support. They do not have additional care leave to cater for the caring of their elderly at home.[+1 sentence] I would like to ask the Ministry to consider whether they can help to remove the differential in tax relief for those parents who stay or do not stay with the taxpayer. There are many reasons why people do not live under the same roof but living apart does not indicate that they provide less care for their parents.[+3 sentences] Fifth, provide enhanced support networks for single parents. We spoke about this extensively during the COS this year. For single parents, such networks and extended support are very critical as many would have fewer choices and even less help available. Most of them would be working and, being single, inherently means they just have fewer resources, whether it is in terms of leave, childcare support and so on. Thus, providing them with coaching on caregiving and any form of interim support for the first six years of their children's lives would be invaluable.[+5 sentences] Assistance and support from counsellors, volunteers and having the knowledge of where to access this information are very critical. With such support, they will be better equipped to manage their time and financial resources. Their children would also benefit from adults who can act as mentors like bigger brothers or sisters to them, whom they can turn to. And lastly, encourage freelance work. There are two aspects of it. First, establish the startup spaces in neighbourhoods to enable women to work closer to home or even on a part-time basis.[+4 sentences] For example, in Korea, where the startup scene is more vibrant, women are actually more involved in the customer service-oriented and consumer industries. One possibility is to convert the heartland shops to house such entrepreneurial businesses. Micro-franchise concepts like social enterprises should also be considered, especially if they can provide the vocational opportunities for the elderly. And next, availability of shared platforms for local entrepreneurs to create an industry of their own. Some of the basic services that can be created very close to home could include essential caregiving that offer meals catering, minding of the old folks at home, nanny services, home cleaning, laundry and so on.[+8 sentences] All these services that are offered would provide the flexibility not only for the worker but because it can be catered on demand. With proximity and also reliable supply of services, this can help ease the burdens of working parents who cannot afford to have FWAs or who have to work on shifts. To end off, Mr Deputy Speaker, women's aspirations can only be effectively fulfilled with the support of our broader society. As much as women want to continue working to be active contributors for as long as they could, their dreams cannot be fulfilled on their own. The society has to embrace and support their journey. There is always that X factor that makes or breaks a dream. I hope Singapore continues to be progressive and lead the way to push our boundaries for shared and equal responsibilities among every Singaporean − men or women. And with this, I rise in support of the Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Leon Perera.
Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member)1785 words
[+4 sentences]Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Party Chairman, the hon Ms Sylvia Lim, is away on a Parliamentary trip in Bangladesh. But, like Sylvia, the eight male members of the Workers' Party (WP) in the Chamber today wish to affirm our strong support for the aspirations of Singapore women. Sir, it is said that women hold up half the sky. But I think, at present, they hold up even more than half. Men need to step up and hold their fair share.[+37 sentences] Women bear the lion's share of homemaking and childcare in our families. They are, for the most part, the most critical role models for our children during their precious formative years. Their care and their example shape the quality of the next generation of Singaporeans, thus setting the tone and the course for the future of this country. But all too often, Singapore women become the stressed tuition teacher-in-chief, fielding incessant almost day-to-day communications with their children's school administrators and teachers, coaching the kids in the evening, managing tuition classes, ferrying children to and from these classes. Singapore mothers are at the frontlines of an academic system that places a huge burden of academic content mastery on our children while layering ever more non-academic demands on top. Women also still bear the brunt of keeping the home clean − our homes. Women who work very often have to cook and clean after they return home from work. Singaporeans put in among the longest working hours in the world. The norm of long working hours, which does not equate with high impact if productivity is low, places many women in the hardest of positions: stay longer at work and have to work at housekeeping and coaching children till late into the night, sacrificing sleep and health, or leave the workplace early and risk their promotion. Again, Singapore women are at the frontlines, this time of the issues of productivity and long working hours that Singapore is grappling with. Can men do more in the home? Yes, they can. In saying that, I do not downplay the contributions of the small number of stay-at-home fathers in Singapore. Nor do I want to downplay the role of the many, many husbands and fathers who play their part, a meaningful part in raising the children and keeping the home clean. But on the whole, Singapore men are no different from men all over the world. They can and they should do more in the home. Men can do more to be with their children. They can do more to guide their children's academic and character development. They can do more to form strong, close, trusting relationships with their children, relationships that will last till the end of our lives. For our children are among our most important companions in life's journey. Those relationships should be an immensely important part of what make a meaningful life. And those relationships are the touchstones of emotional stability, self-mastery and character, for both parents and children. For me, being a part of my children's lives as they are growing up has been not only emotionally rewarding but has been a huge source of wisdom and learning. Men can do more to keep the home clean. Domestic helpers play their part, but they can only do so much and they are another category of women who need to be treated with respect. And most Singaporeans do not employ domestic helpers. Machines like the "irobot" floor cleaner can only do so much. Whatever work that is left over needs to be shared more equally. Yes, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, men can and should do more. I myself can and should do more. And the cornerstone of men doing more is to respect women as equal human beings. When that respect is practised beyond lip service and words but in day-to-day actions and thoughts, that respect will inevitably spill over to all social institutions. That respect will help eliminate the vestiges of inequality that women still face inside and outside our homes. Social norms are created every single day by our behaviour as individuals. We need to reflect on those behaviours which include our speech and our habits. No one should refer to a grown woman as a "girl" any more than we refer to grown men as "boys." More can be done by our companies. From corporate boardrooms to the cockpits of airlines, companies should take concrete steps to advance greater gender diversity in all roles, including management roles.[+9 sentences] There is a growing body of research that shows that gender diversity is not only correlated with better business performance but that there may be an actual causal connection between the two. Companies can, for example, promote mentorship programmes for older and more senior female employees to coach and counsel younger female employees. Gender diversity cuts both ways. Some professions tend to be dominated by women, like teaching, social work and nursing. More can be done in these professions to attract men and create male role models so that these industries, too, will gain the benefits of gender diversity. And finally, the state plays a huge role and a much bigger role in Singapore than in most developed countries relative to civil society and the private sector. The role of the state in Singapore is crucial in fostering the kind of gender equality of opportunity, choice and respect that should characterise Singapore. Is there more that the state can do? Yes. While progress has undoubtedly been made, the state can do more to promote greater flexibility in part-time work, job sharing and re-entry into the workforce for women who have taken a break for childcare. In this regard, I note the reply to my Parliamentary Question a few months ago on job sharing and part-time work in the Civil Service that those on such arrangements increased from about 1,500 in 2011 to about 2,000 in 2015.[+5 sentences] But this is still a small number and I suspect that even more civil servants would take this option if there was better assurance that career prospects would not be set back from a spell of part-time work and that it is easy to transition back to full-time work. Singapore's Civil Service is not only Singapore's biggest employer but an employer that often sets labour market norms by the power of its example. Having more civil servants on part-time and job sharing would set a powerful example to the private sector. This could, in turn, enable more women to join the workforce and also exit and re-enter more easily. The state should also step up efforts to root out discrimination based on gender, alongside any other kind of unworthy discrimination on anything other than performance. My colleague Mr Faisal Manap last year called for a voluntary Fair Employment Contribution Fund to be created to promote fair employment practices as a precursor to possibly legislating anti-discrimination laws under a broader National Employment Framework.[+3 sentences] I repeat this call here. The time has come to regularly survey and publish perceptions of discrimination and seek to find patterns that can be addressed by MOM and TAFEP to ensure a fair workplace. As a society, we are mature enough to have these conversations. One area that needs to be addressed is whether women are being paid less for doing the same work as men. The published data is inconclusive and a further study should be done.[+13 sentences] The state can do more to facilitate women re-entering the workforce. I would like to suggest a programme that enables homemakers to stay in touch with the industry they have left. MOM could work with the Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) in various industries to allow homemakers to keep abreast of industry developments and attend ad hoc events and training, through email, newsletters and other online resources. This would better prepare women who choose to re-enter the workforce at some point. The state should also catalyse mentorship programmes for women in large companies, as I referred to earlier. A good place to start would be the Civil Service. Would the Ministry of Education (MOE) consider a structured system for inviting women from different professions to give talks at our schools about what they have accomplished? Role models make a huge difference in life. Female students need more tangible examples that whatever obstacles they face in their future workplace can be overcome. Sexist attitudes can be formed and hardened during National Service. By the same token, National Service can be a powerful platform to reinforce positive ideas. Can the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) organise talks and programmes to educate National Servicemen about the evils of domestic violence and sexual harassment? Lastly, if women hold up more than half the sky, a single parent, man or woman, is holding together the entire world for their family. More still can be done to enhance benefits and, in particular, access to housing for single parents, including unwed mothers, as WP Members have long argued for.[+12 sentences] It is time for us to stop brushing aside this idea with the broom of the moral hazard argument. Hardly anyone chooses to become a single parent as a lifestyle choice. Granting equal benefits will not provoke a rash of people wanting to become single parents, with all the financial and emotional challenges that that entails. Once we recognise just how outrageous this idea is, we start to see that there are no sound objections to equalising benefits to single parents and thus not punishing their children. In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, when more is done on all these fronts, what is the end game? What are the aspirations of Singapore women that we will be affirming and advancing? As a man, I am in no position to speak for women. I can only share my view, which is that Singapore women should have what all human beings should have − choices, the choice to strike the balance they want to in the workplace and in the home; the choice to strive and achieve their dreams in any line of work they apply themselves to; the choice to be an amazing homemaker who enables her family to fulfil their deep potential and, in so doing, enables herself to do the same. To make Singapore a home where all women have these choices, we need institutional equality of opportunity. Here, the state and private sector can and should do more. We need men to step up and play a greater role in the home. And most of all, we need to continually reinforce that glue that binds men and women together in families, in the community and as a nation, and that glue is, quite simply, respect.
Mr Deputy Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon)1093 words
[+7 sentences]Deputy Speaker, Sir, what are the aspirations of Singapore women? Many would want to be a caring mother, loving wife, filial daughter and dutiful daughter-in-law, plus a successful career woman. To be very honest, women are, in general, still shouldering more family care responsibilities. So, FWAs, or flexi-work, will be especially important to their careers. The recent Conditions of Employment survey showed some improvement in the number of workers who can access flexi-work, especially ad hoc flexi-work, like unplanned time-off and ad hoc teleworking. But worryingly, the momentum seems to have slackened. The proportion of firms offering formal flexi-work, like flexible hours and working from home, has not increased. In fact, only 6.2% of firms allow their workers to work from home permanently.[+8 sentences] This is much less than many countries. For example, in the United States (US), around 45% of the working population works from home. I have also heard that the tendency is for employers to offer flexi-work to older workers, particularly to those holding lower positions, whose work they feel are more dispensable or less important to the company. But flexi-work is essential to everyone, especially young parents who are juggling the care of children or those who are taking care of aged parents. Can the Government look into the profile of workers with flexi-work and see if we can do more to expand it? Many firms do not offer long-term flexi-work because they are scared it will affect their productivity or they do not trust their staff. They are afraid "working from home" will turn into "shirking from home". But studies show that this is not the case. In one Stanford study, call centre workers increased their productivity by 13% when they worked from home.[+2 sentences] They worked longer hours but, simultaneously, were happier. That is in the short term. In the long term, firms with more flexi-work have lower turnover, as noted by MOM's report.[+21 sentences] Specifically, firms can retain more female talent with flexi-work. Unfortunately, many women choose to leave the workforce when they cannot balance work and family responsibilities. When more people in the family have flexi-work options, they can also help out with family responsibilities more, so that the women do not have to leave the workforce altogether. The lack of flexi-work is part of a bigger problem, which is the culture of facetime in local offices. Some bosses like to see employees spending long hours at their desks, even if studies show that such employees are not more productive. If flexi-work takes off, then bosses will have to adapt to a culture where they do not see their employees at their desks for long hours. They will learn to assess employees only on their work, not on the amount of facetime. Hopefully, this will help even employees who do not take up flexi-work to cut down on unproductive facetime. I hope employers will seriously relook at their operations and HR practices to accommodate more flexi-work. In fact, when there is more flexi-work, it may also encourage more married couples to have more children. In fact, when I talked to my younger residents, they told me that the Government has given them a lot of monetary incentives. They said, unfortunately, it will not sway their decision. They said that every day, they have to rush from their workplace to childcare centres to pick up their children. And that process, that journey itself, is always very stressful because they have to rush. Just now I talked about women who are in the workforce. I would like to turn now to another group of women − women who have left the workforce to take care of their families. Many full-time homemakers do not have adequate CPF savings, even though women live longer than men and need even more retirement savings. There are two main ways to address this. First, to encourage lifelong learning and paths back into the workforce for younger homemakers, so that they can re-enter the workforce when they want to. Give them more SkillsFuture credits or enable the transfer of unused credits from family members. Sourcing for more effective e-learning courses and putting them in the list of courses applicable for SkillsFuture subsidies would make them more accessible for homemakers. Second, for older homemakers who cannot work much anymore, the Government can allow auto transfer from spouse's CPF when her spouse's CPF saving has reached full retirement sum unless her spouse opts out.[+14 sentences] If the Budget allows, the Government can give dollar-for-dollar matching, up to a certain maximum sum. Inertia will ensure that a significant amount gets transferred to these women, who have given their whole lives to build their families and country. Allow me to summarise in Chinese.here1 (In Mandarin): What do Singaporean women want? I think most women want to be a loving wife, a caring mother, a filial daughter, a dutiful daughter-in-law and a successful career woman. Honestly speaking, in most Singaporean families, family responsibilities fall mostly on the women. Therefore, in order to achieve these goals, FWA is very critical. According to the latest statistics, the percentage of companies that offer FWA seems to have hit a bottleneck. Perhaps, it is because many companies feel that with FWA, their staff will become lazy. However, studies have shown that staff who are on FWA not only have higher productivity but are also less likely to resign. Hence, I would like to ask the Government to study how to encourage companies to offer more types of FWAs and longer periods of FWAs. FWAs should not only be offered to low-income workers, but also to all the staff. We should study how to change the mindset of local employers and let them know that a good employee is not necessarily someone who stays in the office every day. At the same time, we should not neglect women who have left the workforce. We should encourage housewives to undergo lifelong learning and give them opportunities to go back to the workforce. The Government can give them more SkillsFuture credits or offer more home-based courses.[+1 sentence] For some housewives, not having enough CPF savings is a big problem. Perhaps CPF Board can transfer a certain amount of money from their family members who have sufficient CPF savings.[+1 sentence] Although family members can opt out, I believe this will benefit quite a number of housewives. If the Budget allows, the Government can consider offering dollar-for-dollar matching, so that housewives do not have to worry about their livelihood in old age.[+1 sentence] (In English): I support this Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Darryl David.
Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio)1577 words
[+5 sentences]Deputy Speaker, Sir, one of Singapore's founding principles is the creation of an egalitarian society that is based on meritocracy and justice. Everyone, regardless of race, language, religion or gender, has an equal place in our society and we, as a nation, have been progressive in supporting diversity. Women in Singapore have made, and continue to make, steady progress over the years. In business, we find more women in senior management roles. In the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), for example, a third of its group executive committee is female, and, in Singtel, women made up one third of its board of directors. In politics, the number of women who have been successfully elected into Parliament has risen from 3% in the First Parliament of 1965 to 23% in the current 13th Parliament.[+10 sentences] Indeed, although she is not currently in the Chair, the fact that our Speaker is addressed as "Madam," is a testament to this. While women in Singapore continue to make advancements in their career advancement, we must remain cognisant that the playing field is sometimes not level for women. Gender parity can be achieved only if we make a conscious effort to foster an environment that facilitates opportunities and mobility for women, and I will speak on three areas that I think will help bring us closer to parity. First, how to enhance the working and corporate environment for women. Gender diversity at workplaces today is one of the top of mind concerns for companies. Although women, in general, have made good career advancements at work, the number of women in senior leadership roles is still far lower than that of men. And that was mentioned by Member Ms Jessica Tan in her speech earlier. In my opinion, this can be attributed to at least two plausible reasons. First, biasness might have unconsciously crept into organisational processes, such as performance evaluation and even promotion decisions. Secondly, companies might lack effective policies to manage the career pathways of women, especially during their maternity years that coincide with the important mid-career stage. Research by McKinsey & Co and Lean-In has suggested that while there is an almost equal representation of women and men at entry-level jobs, women "leak" out of the promotion pipeline during the mid-career stage and the career gaps between women and men widen as one progresses further up the organisational hierarchy.[+4 sentences] Organisations, have in recent years, put in place many pro-family policies to support flexi and part-time work, as well as Women Initiatives Networks (WIN) to raise awareness around gender issues at work. The results of these policies, however, are mixed. It is not uncommon to hear anecdotal stories of how women and men are evaluated using different yardsticks, and this is especially so when women take on flexi-work or during the period when they go on maternity leave. I feel that the way that we appraise and evaluate employees for promotion must also change. HR departments need to play the role of an advocate and arbitrator during promotion decisions and ensure that women are evaluated fairly and duly considered for promotion based on the merit of their performance. I agree with Ms Tin Pei Ling that we need to move from an input model where the emphasis is placed on facetime in an office to an output model where the emphasis is placed on the quality of one's job performance.[+14 sentences] The adoption of electronic work platforms, such as project management software and collaboration platforms, will enhance the ability of women to work from home and allow them to make equal contributions at work regardless of whether they are physically present in the office or not. Companies, both in the public and private sectors, should accelerate the pace that these technologies are adopted and help their organisations to move towards a flexible workforce where both women and, indeed, men as well can continue to contribute to the company's success, regardless of whether they are working from home or working on-the-go. We can also do more to help and support families and couples holistically; this is my second point. One of the biggest hurdles that working mothers face is the need to juggle both work and home responsibilities. This challenge stems from the fact that societies, especially those in Asia, tend to ascribe gender-specific roles to men and women. Men are typically assumed to be the primary breadwinner and women's careers are thought to be of secondary importance to men's. These attitudes have led to the "sacrifice" mindset that is common among both men and women where women are often expected to "sacrifice" their career goals and aspirations to support their family, so that their husbands can pursue their careers wholeheartedly and undistracted. Despite the voluntary career slowdown, it has not been easy for these working moms. They often have to work three shifts a day − a day shift in office as an employee, an evening mommy or wife shift where they need to fulfil their family responsibilities, and a night shift where they would check their emails and prepare for the next day's work after they have gone through homework with their kids and put the kids to bed. Most of the corporate solutions that we have to support working moms tend to revolve around FWAs. While this is useful, I believe it is clearly insufficient because we need to also support working dads so that they can be empowered to support their wives with the family responsibilities. I believe that the support for working dads can come on three fronts. First, how can companies adopt a pro-family mindset and implement progressive HR practices that support both men and women, so that they can better fulfil their family obligations without fear that they will be penalised at work or worry about their career being derailed? Second, from a policy perspective, what can the Government do to facilitate working dads who wish to take on more family responsibilities? The recent changes to shared parental leave and paternity leave are a positive move in the right direction but can we go a little bit beyond leave provisions?[+8 sentences] Can we provide more support for men who decide, for example, to be stay-home dads? Third, as a society, we need to collectively destigmatise stay-home dads and see stay-home dads as fulfilling just as important a duty as stay-home moms. Individuals, companies and the Government must celebrate and recognise the contributions of mothers and fathers, regardless of whether they chose to work or to stay at home because they are fulfilling an important and sacred duty that deserves our collective and unwavering support. My final point, Deputy Speaker, Sir, is doing more to help full-time homemaking moms return to the workforce in either a part-time or full time capacity and calibrating this with the SkillsFuture initiative. As we try to move towards a manpower-lean workforce that relies on technology to boost our employees' productivity, we will inevitably face a skills-gap issue, especially among full-time moms who wish to return to work. In the present climate, back-to-work moms already find it difficult to reintegrate back to the workforce because they might have lost the business networks that they used to have, and they have to deal with the fact that what they knew is obsolete. This problem is compounded by the adoption of workplace technology that back-to-work moms could be unfamiliar with. We need to help our back-to-work moms transit smoothly back into the workforce by ensuring that they have the right level of skills and knowledge to reintegrate into the labour market. Can SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce SG consider creating dedicated programmes to help back-to-work moms upskill and reskill themselves so that they can be relevant to the needs of the labour market? Can we enhance the SkillFuture credit scheme for moms so that they can take more market-relevant courses when they choose to return to work?[+2 sentences] Can we even have more credit for the stay-at-home moms who are willing to return to the workforce either in a part-time or full-time capacity? And other than ensuring that back-to-work moms must have market relevant skills, job matching market placement is also crucial. Would the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC's) Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) consider having a dedicated placement programme to help pair back-to-work moms with progressive companies that are willing to offer opportunities to these ladies?[+6 sentences] Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have said before that everything I am today, I owe to four amazing women: my grandmother, my mother, my wife and my sister. What inspires me to continue to make our society a more inclusive and gender equal one is the fifth amazing woman in my life, my five-year-old daughter Kelly Anne. I want Kelly Anne to grow up in a society where she has more positive female role-models like our all-women Everest team, top corporate leader Olivia Lum, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Zuraidah Abdullah and the Republic of Singapore Air Force fighter pilot Khoo Teh Lynn. I want her to grow up in an environment that will empower her to be successful both in her career and in her family life, without having to compromise either. I want her to grow up feeling proud to be a Singaporean woman and proud because she lives in a country that provides her with multiple opportunities for success, regardless of race, language, religion or gender. With that, Sir, I conclude my speech in firm support of the Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker6 words
[+1 sentence]Minister of State Lam Pin Min.
The Minister of State for Health (Dr Lam Pin Min)1658 words
[+6 sentences]Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join in the debate. First and foremost, I would like to thank Ms Tin Pei Ling and the Members for raising the need to recognise and support Singapore women, many of whom have made personal sacrifices to care for their loved ones. Caregiving is no easy feat. It is an important responsibility, which will only grow heavier with Singapore's ageing population. The Government is strengthening efforts in a number of areas so that caregivers feel more supported in caring for their loved ones. First, we are enhancing accessibility to eldercare services in the community. Ms Tin Pei Ling and Ms Joan Pereira asked that we provide more eldercare services and locate them in convenient locations. We have expanded our home care capacity from 3,800 places in 2011 to around 7,500 home care places today. We have also increased our day care places from 2,100 in 2011 to 4,000 today. We are on target to grow this to 10,000 home care and 6,200 day care places by 2020.[+9 sentences] We are building our eldercare centres across Singapore and ramping up transport services so that it is more convenient for seniors to travel to the centres. New centres will operate minimally from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm so that it is more convenient for working caregivers. Some centres now operate on weekends. We are also encouraging more centres to extend their operating hours and establishing home care services at their centres to make care more accessible. We will need more manpower to support this expansion and are enhancing schemes, such as the Return to Nursing scheme, which aims to attract retired and home practising nurses to return to work in the healthcare sector. We also have Professional Conversion Programmes to attract mid-career Singaporeans to be trained as nurses and allied health professionals and organise job fairs as well as put in place the Community Care Traineeship Programme to attract Singaporeans to be trained as support care staff for the aged care sector. Second, we are expanding our respite services so that caregivers can rest and recharge and working caregivers can travel for overseas trips. Other than weekend respite services at our eldercare centres, more than 40 nursing homes now provide residential respite services ranging from a few days to a month. Caregivers of seniors with dementia can also tap on the Eldersit and Home-Based Intervention Programme which offers home-based respite aimed at keeping the seniors engaged in activities in a familiar environment while their caregivers take a break. Third, we are equipping our caregivers to provide better care for their loved ones. We currently provide subsidies of up to $200 per annum from the Caregivers' Training Grant (CTG) for caregivers who are caring for seniors or those with a disability, including foreign domestic workers (FDWs), to attend training courses on caregiving or self-care skills.[+20 sentences] Caregivers co-pay as little as $10 after taking into account training subsidies. To date, more than 35,000 caregivers have utilised the grant. In October last year, we started piloting an eldercare training scheme for our FDWs to better care for seniors. These FDWs undergo a comprehensive training before deployment. As of last month, about 60 FDWs have been trained, of which 50 have been placed with families. Fourth, we are increasing the touchpoints in the community to help caregivers navigate the social and healthcare systems. In 2014, we launched the Singapore Silver Line which is a one-stop call centre to help seniors and their caregivers with information on care services and schemes in the community. The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has also set up AICareLinks centres at five hospitals and at its office in Maxwell Road. These are one-stop counters where caregivers can receive advice on services and schemes. To facilitate easier access to information, AIC will set up information booths at selected polyclinics. We now have booths in three polyclinics at Chua Chu Kang, Marine Parade and Yishun. AIC will roll this out to another six polyclinics by early next year. Many Members suggested that employers provide FWAs to allow employees to better manage work demands with family and caregiving needs. Today, more employers are adopting FWAs. In 2016, about 67% of the employees worked in firms that offer formal FWAs, up from 56% in 2011. More than eight in 10 employees worked in firms that offer unplanned time-off or ad hoc teleworking for their employees to attend to personal matters, up from seven in 10 in 2011. Miss Cheryl Chan has suggested that the public sector take the lead in enabling FWAs. We agree with the suggestion and would like to update the House that all our public healthcare clusters have done so to help staff balance work and personal demands. For instance, more than 4,200 nurses are benefiting from FWAs, such as having more flexible rosters enabled by e-scheduling systems. Miss Cheryl Chan and Ms Joan Pereira also suggested to provide more eldercare leave for working caregivers to take care of the seniors. We have been studying the issue in consultation with unions and employers. We are not ready to legislate eldercare leave at this time because we need to strike a balance between employers' concern on business costs and manpower constraints, and caregivers' need for more leave for eldercare purposes.[+4 sentences] Existing leave provisions can be used for this purpose today. We encourage more employers to provide family-related leave benefits which can be used for different purposes, as well as FWAs, such as time-off to look after their elderly parents. Public Service agencies currently provide two days of parent care leave annually. Some private companies have also done so. For example, the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) offers two days of family leave for employees who are not entitled to childcare leave.[+18 sentences] This would include caregivers who are singles and taking care of their elderly parents. We encourage more employers to do likewise. We will continue to review the need to legislate eldercare leave as our socio-economic circumstances change over time. Ms Tin Pei Ling suggested to leverage technology for remote monitoring of our seniors while caregivers are at work. I am happy to share with Ms Tin that we are piloting the use of technology to find an effective and sustainable model which can be scaled up. As part of HDB's Smart Homes Trial, we are testing elderly monitoring systems which can send out alerts to their caregivers if the seniors are in distress. This will allow caregivers greater peace of mind. For example, in Yuhua, residents can install solutions, such as the Smart Elderly Monitoring and Alert System (SEMAS). The system can provide alerts to caregivers when the seniors trigger the distress buttons. It can also send automated notifications if the system detects an anomaly in the seniors' behaviour, such as lack of movement over a prolonged duration. Ultimately, supporting our caregivers is a collective responsibility. We need to build a community support system where our seniors and their caregivers are supported and cared for. Under the Community Networks for Seniors pilot programme, we are partnering community stakeholders to reach out, befriend and support seniors living in each community. We are also promoting dementia-friendly communities by encouraging the community-at-large to be trained to help seniors with dementia. In these "dementia-friendly communities", seniors with dementia can stay active and caregivers do not have to be afraid of them going out, because there will be people around to help them home. Together, we hope to foster a more inclusive and compassionate society where caregivers are well-supported in their caregiving roles. The Government will also continue to study new ways to support our caregivers. We agree with Mr Desmond Choo that we need to support women's aspiration to raise healthy children. He suggested measures, such as extending subsidies for ART, and allowing egg freezing. We have no plans to extend ART subsidies to private centres at this point in time.[+2 sentences] There is sufficient capacity at ART facilities in our public hospitals. Clinical data in Singapore also shows that public and private centres' success rates are comparable. From 2011 to 2015, the average live birth rate from ART was 20.7% at public centres, compared to 19.8% at private centres.[+9 sentences] Nevertheless, couples seeking treatment at private ART centres may tap on their MediSave to defray the cost of ART treatment. On egg freezing, licensed Assisted Reproduction (AR) centres in Singapore are allowed to do this when there are medical needs. For example, egg freezing can be performed on women who need to undergo medical treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, that may adversely affect their fertility. We would also like to highlight that egg freezing carries some risks to the woman. The process of stimulating production and collecting a woman's eggs for freezing can result in complications, such as over-stimulation of the ovaries, bleeding and infection. In addition, the issue of allowing egg freezing for non-medical or social reasons is a complex one due to various ethical and social implications. First, egg freezing is not a guaranteed solution to delaying parenthood. Second, the risks of developing certain age-related complications during pregnancies are not mitigated by egg freezing. For this reason, the Government still encourages couples to have more children when they are relatively young and healthy. Nevertheless, we are currently studying the feasibility of allowing social egg freezing.[+5 sentences] We are weighing the social, ethical and religious concerns very carefully. Should social egg freezing be allowed, we will need to build a robust regulatory framework with adequate controls not just to ensure the safety and welfare of the women undergoing social egg freezing, but to also mitigate the potential social, ethical and religious considerations. Mr Deputy Speaker, we recognise the many important roles women play in our lives. Through various measures, we hope that women can be better supported to fulfil their aspirations as well as their many essential roles in our society. With that, I support the Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Minister Ong Ye Kung.
The Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Second Minister for Defence (Mr Ong Ye Kung)1598 words
[+3 sentences]Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for having me join this discussion and also to respond to some of the questions and suggestions that were raised earlier. I agree with the thrust of what Ms Tin Pei Ling and Members who have taken to the floor before me have said, that we have a duty to support women in their individual aspirations. We have made great strides towards gender equality over the years, but much can be done. In 1965, the literacy rate for women was a dismal 43%, far behind men at 76%.[+10 sentences] Today, we have closed the gap significantly. In 2016, literacy rate for women is at 95% and that for males is close to 99%. This gap, I believe, will disappear in several years' time. In fact, from my generation onwards, there is practically no education gap between men and women. And as mentioned by Ms Tin Pei Ling and Ms Jessica Tan, female undergraduates make up the majority of students in university. In fact, it has been so for the last five years. Latest year, it was 51%. Women now are also well represented in lifelong learning. Of all Singaporeans who utilised their SkillsFuture Credit last year, 55% were women. Despite this, there is room to grow and to further narrow the gap between men and women, and one area for us to do so is the gap in employment rate. The employment rate for women aged 25-54 is currently 78%, a 10-percentage point increase from a decade ago, and high by international standards, but still lower than that of men at 92%.[+3 sentences] So, it is between 78% and 92%. A key reason is because the employment rate for women shows a drop after the 25-29 age bracket when many start their families and never quite return to match the participation rate of men. Similarly, while the wage differential between men and women is narrowing, and the rate of income growth for women has outpaced that for men over the past five years, there is still a significant wage disparity. Today, the median wage for women is 85% that of men.[+13 sentences] I heard Ms Jessica Tan mentioning 81%. I think it depends on whether we include CPF and whether the employer's CPF is included. What then should we do to further close the gap? Many helpful suggestions have been raised, such as skills training, job matching services, encouraging freelance work, financial support and so on. These are certainly relevant forms of assistance. We need to recognise that there are challenges unique to back-to-work women. While mindsets may be slowly shifting, there remain significant societal and familial expectations of women to be the ones to take care of the household, look after young children or elderly parents. As they seek to return to work, they will need more understanding and support to help them juggle or move between their various roles in the family, community and at the workplace. They may have been out of the workforce for some time while caring for their families. Several Members have highlighted that predicament. Some of them may want to take the opportunity to start their careers afresh in a different industry and will need advice and support. Some may be out of touch with the latest technology or developments in the industries they were from and, hence, they lack confidence. We need to address these unique challenges, even while we tap on programmes and assistance that are generally available to all workers. Later this year, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will be launching a nationwide effort called SkillFuture Engage, where it will partner the People's Association (PA), the Community Development Councils (CDCs), Workforce Singapore, and NTUC's e2i to reach out to the community and guide individuals on career planning and identifying the right training programmes to acquire the relevant skills for employment.[+21 sentences] In the process of planning and implementing this initiative, we will build in a plan to reach out to back-to-work women. We can have outreach and engagement workshops specifically catered to back-to-work women, to engender peer support and address emotional, psychological and other issues that they face. We will point them towards the key programmes that will assist them in their return to the workforce. In this regard, I think several Members have raised the possibility of a package of programmes. That is a useful suggestion. Today, having 18,000 SkillsFuture Credit-approved programmes in our directory is overwhelming. For certain segments, we need to draw out what are the few 10, 20, 50 programmes that may be especially useful for them. Some of these, for example, IT programmes, as suggested by Ms Jessica Tan, can be part of this package. For others, such as back-to-work women who used to hold more senior positions, this can include programmes to help prepare them to sit on boards, for example. And still others who have been out of work for a few years and may be lacking in confidence, we can point them towards programmes, such as those on employability skills, that can help them regain their confidence or meet other people in the same shoes and have the peer support. In fact, such employability programmes are what the tripartite partners have been doing for some time. The needs are actually quite diverse. So, I think it will be quite a big package. But there are two points I would like to specifically mention. First, a few Members − I think Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and also Mr Darryl David − have talked about giving more SkillsFuture Credits to women in this position. We went through the COS debate where I went to great lengths explaining support from the supply end and support from the demand end. SkillsFuture Credit is a support from the demand end. Last year, we spent about $40 million supporting SkillsFuture Credit. But on the supply end − this is when we support and fund programmes to lower their course fees to make them accessible − we funded $400 million worth of subsidies. So, $40 million SkillsFuture Credit and $400 million on programmes at the supply end. And the difference is this. On the demand end, SkillsFuture Credit is a fairly modest amount given to every Singaporean to access a huge gamut of courses. But on the supply end is the $400 million of subsidies going to a few thousand programmes more sharply focused towards helping you get the skills to enter industry.[+7 sentences] It is a much more focused assistance. In the situation of a back-to-work woman, we should make use of the subsidies and assistance on the supply end where the focus is much sharper to help them enter industries. So, that is one area I would like to point out. The second area I would like to point out is that most of our programmes are actually well-subsidised and accessible to all, regardless of gender, a point emphatically made by Ms Tin Pei Ling earlier. Take, for example, digital literacy. It is a skill that many of us − young and old, men and women, employed and unemployed − need to pick up. It may not be helpful to have a special programme for any specific segment which may give the impression that it is a deficiency faced by this particular segment. When we over-customise, we run the risk of inadvertently stigmatising the very group that we are trying to help.[+6 sentences] Likewise, in organising job placement services, I always have a preference for inclusive job fairs that cater to everybody. Then employers who participate are more likely to be open-minded to all segments of jobseekers − young workers, mature workers, retrenched professionals, managers and executives (PMEs), back-to-work women, ex-offenders and so on. And then we will have a higher chance to ensure a better job fit for both employer and employee. Having said that, I keep a totally open mind and I will consider whatever is most effective in ensuring that vulnerable workers can gain the right skills and gain jobs. So, we must be mindful that we have a broad range of training programmes and interventions at our disposal. We can customise in one of two ways. One, by the Government, to cater to specific groups or demography; or, two, by the jobseeker himself or herself, with the right guidance and support. So, within our dedicated effort to reach out to back-to-work women, we can identify and recommend a package of programmes which may be useful to jobseekers in their circumstances.[+8 sentences] But I suggest that we also offer guidance and support to let women decide on their own customised line of courses and training. If I were to draw an analogy, it is like YouTube. YouTube is an inclusive depository of videos catering to all demographics and all segments in all kinds of interests. But based on your searches and interests, it recommends you the videos that might interest you. There is no YouTube for one segment and YouTube for another segment. There is only one YouTube but different searches. So, we customise our assistance on the searching process. As with many outreach programmes, it is always the last mile that is the most important. This is where all of us in this House have a role to play. We can all help to spread the message of SkillsFuture, looking out for individuals who could better benefit from our programmes and schemes, and guiding them to the right channels.[+1 sentence] Together, I am confident that we will be able to build the scaffold for women to pursue their aspirations in a more equal society.
Adjournment of Debate›Motions4 turns · 44w
· 0 highlighted
motion-962
The Leader of the House (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien)30 words
[+2 sentences]Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, "That the debate be now adjourned". (proc text)]
Mr Deputy Speaker9 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Tin Pei Ling, resumption of debate, what day?
Ms Tin Pei Ling2 words
[+1 sentence]Tomorrow, Sir.
Mr Deputy Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]So be it.
Adjournment›Motions1 turns · 21w
· 0 highlighted
motion-963
Speaker not recorded21 words
[+1 sentence](proc text)] Adjourned accordingly at 8.03 pm.
Investigations into Cyberattack on MINDEF's Systems›Oral Answers to Questions11 turns · 1,037w
· 8 highlighted
oral-answer-1675
Dr Lim Wee Kiak59 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Defence (a) in the past three years, from which countries did most of the cyberattacks on the Ministry's military data systems originate; (b) how long did it take the Ministry to detect the breach of its system in the February 2017 attack; and (c) what steps have been taken to strengthen the Ministry's IT systems.
Mr Vikram Nair54 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Defence (a) if he can provide an update on the Ministry's investigations into the cyberattack on its IT system that took place in February 2017; (b) whether the perpetrators have been uncovered; and (c) what steps may be taken to prevent or minimise the risk from such attacks in future.
The Second Minister for Defence (Mr Ong Ye Kung) (for the Minister for Defence)11 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, may I take Question Nos 1 and 2 together?
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Yes, please.
Mr Ong Ye Kung535 words
[+19 sentences]Because computer systems are designed to facilitate connectivity, they are inherently vulnerable to cyberattackers from any location motivated by mischief, criminal theft or national interest, at varying levels of sophistication. This is a global phenomenon. Symantec, a global cybersecurity company, recently reported more than 430 million new pieces of malware in just one year. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) systems are no different and, on a daily level, experience hundreds of thousands of cyber intrusion attempts ranging from simple probes to sophisticated cyber espionage efforts. The latter include covert attacks by highly-skilled operators who mask or obfuscate their actions by routing through multiple countries to hide their real point of origin. MINDEF/SAF adopts a multi-layered, risk-based approach to cyber defence, which balances between connectivity and speed on one hand, and security on the other. On one extreme are networks which contain sensitive military information, which are physically separated from the Internet and further protected with encryption and access controls. On the other extreme are systems, like I-net, aimed to facilitate connectivity and ease of use with limited security features which require some personal information of users for access. The I-net system contains no classified information and is designed to allow National Service (NS)men on In-Camp Training to access the Internet for civilian work and personal matters when in camp. However, across all MINDEF/SAF networks, multiple sensors, intrusion detection systems and firewalls are placed at critical nodes to detect intrusion attempts and activities. Computer systems globally are updated consistently with new applications. Each new change can potentially introduce vulnerabilities. It takes about 120 days, on average, for industry players to develop a patch. Cyberattackers exploit this window of vulnerability by evading the most commonly used commercial sensors and anti-virus signatures. Industry reports cite an average of about 150 days, five months, before a breach is discovered in any computer system. For example, the hacking into the US Government's Office of Personnel Management began in November 2013 but was only discovered in March 2014. That is about a four-month lapse. This breach resulted in the loss of up to 18 million personal data records. More recently, hackers breached the email servers of the Democratic National Committee in mid-2015 and this was detected only in April 2016, almost a year later and, by which time, all of their emails and chats had been stolen. The breach of MINDEF's I-net system was detected on 1 February 2017 and the affected server was taken offline. Forensic investigations on the I-net system showed that the breach had occurred weeks before detection.[+2 sentences] The modus operandi was consistent with a covert attack, with means used to mask the perpetrator's actions and intent. Our investigations are ongoing but findings will be kept confidential for security reasons. Other relevant Government agencies were also informed about the breach, and the 854 personnel, whose personal information was stolen, were contacted to take the necessary precautions. As part of ongoing initiatives to strengthen our cyber systems, MINDEF/SAF will develop better assessment tools, data analytics and content scanning engines to enhance our response to cyberattacks.[+1 sentence] We will also review the storage of personal data on our Internet systems to minimise risks of cybertheft.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Dr Lim Wee Kiak.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang)55 words
[+3 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask the Second Minister this: with so many intrusions and so many cyberattacks on our systems, what are the current measures or laws that protect MINDEF? Are we investigating and prosecuting some of them? With these intrusions, how many of these investigations lead to successful prosecution of the perpetrators?
Mr Ong Ye Kung174 words
[+12 sentences]If the perpetrators can be identified and are locally situated, we will make sure that we take them through the process of law. Often, they are not. Having said that, prosecution and punishment are just one way. We have to do a lot of other things. Technologically, as I have mentioned, various sensors can be put at critical nodes which will help us detect such intrusions. The system architecture is important, which is why MINDEF had separated the I-net system from the more confidential systems. That helped a great deal. In this case, the perpetrator went through the window but could not access the house because the house is separated. The Civil Service is doing likewise. More importantly, the weakest link is often the human factor. A lot more education is needed because we can have the most sophisticated cyber defence system, but if we do not have the discipline and we plug an external device into our office network, it can be infected. All these are things that we would have to do.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Dennis Tan.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member)66 words
[+4 sentences]I thank the Second Minister for his answer. I just have two supplementary questions. First, have the perpetrators who were responsible for the recent attack on MINDEF been identified? Two, will the hackers be able to make use of the personal information that they have obtained from the recent attack for future hacking or other cybercrimes? If so, has MINDEF taken any steps to mitigate this?
Mr Ong Ye Kung74 words
I have to seek the Member's understanding that because this concerns a security issue, I would rather not comment about how we have identified the perpetrator and who it can be or who it is. For the second question, the information lost is basic, which are National Registration Identity Card, telephone numbers and dates of birth. No passwords were lost and I do not think that with this information, they can conduct further hacking.
Objective Assessment of SkillsFuture Courses›Oral Answers to Questions8 turns · 905w
· 11 highlighted
oral-answer-1676
Ms Sun Xueling74 words
asked the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) whether courses allowed under SkillsFuture are objectively assessed by the authorities as to how much they should cost and whether there is a negotiation process with training providers to keep course fees reasonable; and (b) whether there is an assessment of the courses to ensure that there are sufficient courses that can lead to tangible economic value-add for individuals rather than simply satisfying hobbies.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Education (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills))308 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, SkillsFuture is a national movement to encourage the pursuit of skills mastery. It involves building up multiple pathways of progression, starting from schools and extending to our Post-secondary Education Institutes (PSEIs); developing new ways of education and training, including blended learning, extended internships and cooperation with industries; scaling up lifelong learning opportunities by expanding course offerings at every stage of a person's life. We are also planning on a major outreach programme called SkillsFuture Engage.[+2 sentences] The SkillsFuture Credit is one part of the SkillsFuture movement to empower individuals to take ownership of their skills development and lifelong learning journey. So, while training programmes offered by the Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centres and PSEIs are developed in close collaboration with industries with a strong focus on employment outcomes, the SkillsFuture Credit covers a much larger range of courses because part of its purpose is also to raise awareness of the importance of lifelong learning and skills mastery. Nonetheless, as part of the approval process to include a course under SkillsFuture Credit, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) examines proposed course fees, using industry benchmarks and funding caps to ensure that they are reasonable relative to other similar courses. SSG, together with various supporting public agencies, also assess that SkillsFuture Credit courses are skills-based and relevant to industry or an individual's professional development. Many of these courses, such as those offered under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework, go through a structured and rigorous industry-validation process. But given that we take a deliberately inclusive approach for courses under SkillsFuture Credit in view of its promotional objective, and we reach out to all Singaporeans − young, mature, retired − it is inevitable that some Singaporeans will go for training not related to their careers.[+1 sentence] However, that is part of the outcome of the empowerment of individuals and their holistic development.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Sun Xueling.
Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol)97 words
[+5 sentences]I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for her answer. I took a look at the SkillsFuture portal. Of the top eight most popular courses, six deal with health and fitness, baking, Korean language, sewing and photography. They appear to be courses for the pursuit of hobbies, even though they can be counted as part of lifelong learning. My question in the Parliamentary Question is more that, given that Government monies are being used for SkillsFuture Credit, can more be done to ensure that the courses being provided are ultimately bound to our pursuit of economic value-add for society?
Ms Low Yen Ling309 words
[+4 sentences]Madam, I want to thank Ms Sun Xueling for her supplementary question. I want to reassure her and Members that when approving SkillsFuture Credit courses, we take into careful consideration whether it is skills-based and relevant to industry needs. The Member cited some courses. Madam, allow me to list out the top 10 areas of training in February 2017 by number of claims. The first was information and communications; second, food and beverages, third, language skills; fourth, service excellence; fifth, security and investigation; sixth, personal development; seventh, productivity and innovation; eighth, advertising, sales and marketing; ninth, leadership and people management; tenth, business management.[+9 sentences] There are more than 50 areas of training and we will stop at the top 10. Sharing the list is to assure Members that when we select these courses, together in partnership with the supporting public agencies, we look closely at whether it is skills-based and whether it is relevant to industry. That being said, earlier, I mentioned that SkillsFuture Credit courses also serve to empower Singaporeans in their lifelong learning journey and holistic development. Singaporeans are able to opt for approved courses that are not directly related to their vocations or careers. But they are perhaps learning it as they are planning to move into adjacent growth areas or they are learning it because they would like to whet their appetite before they start up their own bakery shop, for example. I want to assure Ms Sun Xueling and Members that as part of the evaluation process, we look at industry relevance, and SkillsFuture Credit eligible courses also undergo an industry validation process. As I had mentioned earlier, courses under the WSQ framework are pegged to industry needs and standards. SSG does not do this in isolation. SSG involves industry representatives who identify the skill needs in the respective sector and validate the skill standards.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Sun Xueling.
Ms Sun Xueling54 words
[+1 sentence]Just one additional clarification question. Of the top eight courses that I had mentioned, one data analytics course costs $1,326.[+1 sentence] I was thinking that, specifically for some courses that have a particular pertinence given the Committee on the Future Economy's recommendations, can more be done to subsidise such courses beyond the $500 SkillsFuture Credit?
Ms Low Yen Ling57 words
I want to thank Ms Sun for her supplementary question. I want to assure her and Members that many of the courses are already highly subsidised by the Government to ensure that education and training courses are affordable and accessible.[+1 sentence] The $500 Credit can be used, on top of the course fee subsidies provided by the Government.
Review of Outcomes of SkillsFuture›Oral Answers to Questions8 turns · 731w
· 7 highlighted
oral-answer-1677
Ms Sun Xueling44 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (a) whether a comprehensive review of the outcomes of SkillsFuture will be undertaken before the next tranche of SkillsFuture credits is announced; and (b) if so, what will be the parameters of such a review.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Education (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills))202 words
[+6 sentences]Mdm Speaker, the SkillsFuture movement is a long-term endeavour to develop and deepen skills and to develop Singaporeans holistically. It is also about inculcating professional pride and greater depth of expertise in every field. As we move away from relentless pursuit of academic qualifications for their own sake, we are nurturing essential traits that will be future-proofing our people, such as curiosity to learn, resilience and entrepreneurial dare. Most of all, the SkillsFuture initiative enhances our workers' employability, sharpens our industry competitiveness and opens up new opportunities. As our schools and higher education system move in this direction, we are also boosting the skills deepening initiatives, not just in industries, but also in our training institutions. We are monitoring the progress and outcomes of all these initiatives. SkillsFuture Credit, which was introduced in January last year, is part of this overall movement.[+1 sentence] We are keeping a close watch on the scheme. Key factors, such as utilisation rate and the Government's fiscal position, are part of our review for the next tranche of SkillsFuture Credit. In addition, we are also considering broader trends, such as the types of training that Singaporeans are using their Credits for, and the training participation rate for Singaporeans.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Sun Xueling.
Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol)97 words
[+4 sentences]I thank the Parliamentary Secretary. As there was no timeline provided for when the next tranche of SkillsFuture Credits will be provided, could the Parliamentary Secretary further share when that is likely to take place? Because if I look at the annual Budget Debate as well as the release, quite of lot, that is, $500 billion, is being set aside every year for productivity and SkillsFuture-related special transfers. I would like to enquire when that assessment will be, so we can take note of the parameters to look out for and the outcomes we should be expecting.
Ms Low Yen Ling164 words
[+3 sentences]Madam, I want to thank Ms Sun Xueling for her supplementary question. The review is an ongoing process and I shared the four considerations earlier. I want to assure Ms Sun that many of the courses are highly subsidised by the Government to ensure affordability. Members will recall that, in a recent update as at end-2016, 12 months after we introduced the $500 SkillsFuture Credit, 126,000 Singaporeans, that means 5% of Singaporeans, have already used their credits to take up courses. We are now focused on outreach, which is why SSG is currently planning a major outreach exercise called SkillsFuture Engage where SSG will work very closely with the five Community Development Councils to help Singaporeans navigate the training landscape, the SkillsFuture credit directory and so on.[+2 sentences] There are more than 50 areas. We want to better understand what is the area of training that is suited for their learning and development, with a view to strengthening Singaporeans' ownership of their lifelong learning journey.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Patrick Tay.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (West Coast)71 words
[+2 sentences]On behalf of the workers who have benefited immensely from the SkillsFuture Credit and also those who are constantly embracing lifelong learning, I urge the Ministry of Education to consider top-ups every three to five years. I just want to reiterate my call and also the fact that this has benefited quite a number of people who have had to fork out from their pockets in terms of the unfunded portions.
Ms Low Yen Ling147 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, I want to thank Mr Patrick Tay for his suggestions, which we will certainly look into. Allow me to reassure Mr Patrick Tay and Members that in addition to the SkillsFuture Credit of $500, we have also put in place different schemes to assist and encourage employers to develop their workers, especially older workers and low-income workers.[+1 sentence] Allow me to just cite an example, the enhanced training support scheme for small and medium enterprises and the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme. If we recall, based on this scheme, the employers are eligible for subsidies ranging from up to 50% or even up to 90% of the course fees for SSG-supported courses.[+1 sentence] So, we want to reassure Members that as long as Singaporeans are prepared to have a strong ownership of their lifelong learning journey and go for deepening of their skillsets, help will be available.
Actions against Publication of Fake News›Oral Answers to Questions5 turns · 1,465w
· 9 highlighted
oral-answer-1678
Mr Yee Chia Hsing27 words
asked the Minister for Law whether the existing laws can be strengthened to increase the penalties against the author or publisher of fake news on the Internet.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad68 words
asked the Minister for Law (a) whether the Ministry will consider setting up an agency to look into the proliferation of fake news on the Internet; (b) what are the Ministry's plans to correct false information in a timely manner; and (c) what is the Ministry's assessment on the likelihood that such news can be manipulated by foreign parties to influence society, including election outcomes and social cohesion.
The Minister for Law (Mr K Shanmugam)11 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, may I take Question Nos 5 and 6 together?
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Yes, please.
Mr K Shanmugam1357 words
[+26 sentences]I thank the hon Members for raising this. Fake news is a global phenomenon and it can result in serious consequences for individuals and society. Fake news can be circulated easily, speedily, widely on social media. Therefore, the circulation of fake news has to be taken seriously. It is a problem that needs to be dealt with quickly. To put it in perspective, we are not talking about trivial factual inaccuracies, but falsehoods that can cause real harm. If you look internationally, one fake news story last year claimed that Mrs Hillary Clinton was running a paedophilia ring operating out of a pizza restaurant. People believed it. One man turned up with an assault rifle and opened fire in the restaurant. Commentators have generally concluded that fake news can also be used as a powerful tool to interfere in domestic politics and domestic affairs. For example, before the United States (US) presidential elections, there were several fake news stories, huge numbers, claiming that Mrs Clinton sold weapons to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Before the "Brexit" referendum, misleading stories were published to fuel xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment. News articles published by foreign-controlled websites were said to be skewed and intended to influence a crucial referendum in Italy last year. These are not isolated incidents and countries are beginning to grapple with them. Media reports have suggested that there were serious attempts to influence the US presidential elections, and perhaps they indeed were influenced, such as the "Brexit" referendum, the referendum in Italy, and there are attempts to influence the upcoming elections in Germany and France as well. Again, there are suggestions that many of the fake news stories during the US elections were created by teenagers from a small town in Macedonia. They had no interest in the US elections. They were driven solely by money. Of course, countries may well be involved as well, organised to attack and destabilise other countries during elections, and at other times. The whole idea is to spread sensational news, sensational headlines, influence the population, and arrive at the outcome that is wanted by a certain country outside. Often also it makes money, because the more people access their fake news, the more advertising revenue the originators earn. It is really easy money for the fake news factories. Many countries have called for a tough stance to be taken against fake news, including the US, the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany, or to put in place more effective measures to counter fake news. Germany, for example, is considering a draft law that will require social networks, websites, including Facebook, to remove fake news which amounts to illegal content from their platforms. So, make the network itself responsible. Social networks which fail to comply with such a request could face very stiff fines. In Germany, it is being suggested that they will face fines of up to €50 million, which is a lot of money, under the draft legislation.[+10 sentences] The UK has also been reported to have launched a parliamentary probe into fake news, calling it a threat to democracy. Fake news has been a problem in Singapore, not quite at the level that I have listed in other countries, but we see the phenomenon. It has not had that much of an impact yet, but you can predict that the same sequence of actors, foreign countries, foreign agencies, people sitting outside of Singapore using it to either destabilise our society or not caring whether it destabilises but doing it to make a lot of money. Both are problematic. One example of a site that regularly purveyed fake news was, of course, "The Real Singapore". It generated fake news for profit. It is impossible to list all the fake news they published but I can give some examples. In 2015, Thaipusam, it claimed that there was a commotion between the Police and participants, and that this was sparked off by a complaint by a Filipino family. There was no such complaint. One of the editors altered an article from a reader and then inserted falsehoods into the article and passed it off as facts. One of the editors was also charged for writing another false article, on puppy mills, which she passed off as being written by a Malay Singaporean. "The Real Singapore" owners made more than $500,000 in advertising revenues by publishing these completely false articles.[+2 sentences] Yang Kaiheng, one of the owners who went to jail, boasted about earning $4,000 to $5,000 a month. Easy money! Evidence showed that the couple had paid off most of their A$190,000 (S$191,768) 30-year home loan in just 11 months. So, it is very attractive. "The Real Singapore" has ceased operations, but one of its former editors and co-founder, Alex Tan Zhixiang, has since registered another website called the "States Times Review" which continues to publish completely false, fake news from outside Singapore.[+6 sentences] Last August, it claimed that there was near-zero turnout for the late former President SR Nathan's funeral, and that kindergarten children were forced to attend. It was an attempt to paint him as an unpopular President. As I said, it has not reached the levels of what is happening elsewhere, but this is an example. There is a table that we have prepared which sets out some of the falsehoods from the "States Times Review" and my Ministry will load that together with my answer to the Parliamentary Question on our website. Even when the articles are not totally fake, they are highly misleading, and the whole purpose is to purvey falsehoods and mislead the public. We have incidents of online hoaxes going viral in Singapore. In November last year, "All Singapore Stuff" published a letter supposed to have been written by someone called "Fernandez" with the headline, "Singapore new citizen feels cheated, now wants his old citizenship back".[+5 sentences] The headline was accompanied by a completely unrelated photograph of an innocent Singaporean, Mr Prakash Hetamsaria. You can imagine what happened. Mr Hetamsaria was subjected to online abuse and xenophobic racist comments. They enjoy this, "All Singapore Stuff". Truth is completely irrelevant. Another article, again in November 2016 last year, again in "All Singapore Stuff", said the rooftop of Punggol Waterway Terraces had collapsed.[+17 sentences] I think Members would remember this. The Police and Singapore Civil Defence Force had to be mobilised and deployed to investigate the claim. Taxpayers pay the cost for all of this. Another anonymous post widely circulated on social media falsely claimed that a childcare centre at River Valley Road made their children sleep on the floor and eat rotten fruits, suggesting child neglect. Of course, there was a public outcry, but you can imagine the impact on the childcare operator. Hoaxes like these, articles like these, can have real-world consequences, if not quickly corrected. They can cause harm to Singaporeans, alarm to the public, emergency resources will have to be diverted, and the reputation of businesses and people can be completely, unreasonably, unfairly damaged. All because some nasty people seek to profit from this. As I said, there is a much more serious dimension to all of this because fake news today, we must assume, can be used as an offensive weapon by foreign agencies and foreign countries. We have already seen examples of that − to get into your public's mind, to destabilise your public, to psychologically weaken them and impact your agencies. That is a very serious threat and it will be naive for us to believe that governments or state agencies do not engage in this. There is enough evidence that they do. Under our current law, there are limited remedies to deal with these falsehoods. For example, it is an offence under the Telecommunications Act to transmit a message knowing that it is false. But these remedies are ineffective; they were really looking at a time before the new age as it were. The circulation of falsehoods can go viral very quickly today. So, we need to do more. The Government is seriously considering how to address this fake news issue.[+1 sentence] We will announce our position once we have completed our review.
Strengthening Legislation for Crime against Children›Oral Answers to Questions14 turns · 813w
· 12 highlighted
oral-answer-1679
Ms Tin Pei Ling36 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will review the relevant legislation to enhance the sentences for all types of sexual offences, with or without penetration and with or without violence, committed on minors.
Mr Alex Yam26 words
asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will consider tabling new legislation or amending the Penal Code to introduce specific laws on child pornography.
The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr K Shanmugam)10 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, can I take Question Nos 7 and 8, together?
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Yes, please.
Mr K Shanmugam97 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is working with other Ministries to review the laws relating to child pornography and sexual offences committed on minors, including whether the sentences need to be enhanced or whether even new laws need to be drafted. We have started the review, covering whether existing approaches need to be looked at or whether additional laws need to be put in or whether punishments need to be enhanced. It is quite a comprehensive review looking at the situation of minors and we will make an announcement when the review is completed.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Ms Tin Pei Ling.
Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson)44 words
[+3 sentences]Madam, I thank the Minister. I would like to ask broadly, when would we be able to expect the completion of the review? Secondly, can we reasonably expect the legislation and the penalties to be toughened and, if not, why might it be so?
Mr K Shanmugam369 words
[+6 sentences]Ms Tin is asking me to prejudge the review before the review takes place. There would not be a review asked if we felt that everything was okay as it is. But I should not jump in and say it is definitely going to go in a certain direction because, as I had said, we need to look at it. Perhaps, in some situations, the laws may be adequate but some processes, in terms of which charges to prefer or which charges to look at, that is not within the control of the Government. Which charges to prefer and how to proceed is an independent decision by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC). But as a matter of policy, we may need to have discussions with AGC without having to deal with individual cases. And there may be areas where there may be a lacuna as well. We expect the review to be completed before the end of the year.[+10 sentences] I speak personally here, without having to prejudge the issue. I think that, in two areas, in the context of vulnerable victims, very young children who are subjected to sexual abuse, who are preyed upon, or who otherwise would have had. And there is a separate class of vulnerable victims, and by no means is this comprehensive; domestic helpers. They are human beings. They come here and do the work because we do not have enough people. But they have to be treated with a certain dignity and a certain respect for the law. They are not slaves. And if they are ill-treated to the extent where they suffer physical and mental torture, I think we also look at that. The laws already provide for punishments to be enhanced in the context of some vulnerable victims. So, we have to look at this. My own personal view is that there is certainly a reasonable basis for taking the view that the punishments have to be stiffer.[+1 sentence] How that is to be arrived at, like I said, whether you have to necessarily legislate or you have to relook at some of the processes, policies, that is something that is part of the review. Speaking personally, I think they need to be stiffened.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon)37 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, I just want to ask the Minister, he mentioned that they are going to include other vulnerable victims in the review as well. Could I check whether they will be including the mentally disabled as well?
Mr K Shanmugam58 words
Before that we are undertaking a review of the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).[+3 sentences] We would be looking at many of these issues. I am not going to comment as to whether we will specifically be looking at the mentally disabled. But I think Members can assume that we are doing quite a comprehensive review.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Alex Yam.
Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee)24 words
[+3 sentences]Madam, I thank the Minister and welcome the review. Just a single clarification. Will the Ministry be considering any public consultation for this process?
Mr K Shanmugam100 words
[+2 sentences]Specifically for the vulnerable victims and the children. We will do an internal review. We have started that for some time now. I certainly intend that there will be public consultation for many of the Penal Code types of changes that they are thinking of.[+1 sentence] I do not want to commit my officials before we have crossed the bridge, but public consultation is something that we do quite frequently when it comes to these sorts of laws. If we do not do it, we will explain in Parliament why. But I think it is likely that we will do it.
Availability of 2-room BTO Flats›Oral Answers to Questions5 turns · 538w
· 9 highlighted
oral-answer-1680
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah74 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the availability ratio of 2-room BTO flats to the number of applicants; (b) whether there are plans to increase the number of BTO flats for singles; (c) whether priority can be given to applicants who have applied at least three times but were unsuccessful; and (d) whether more 2-room flexi flats can be reserved for singles as they have fewer affordable options compared to others.
The Minister for National Development (Mr Lawrence Wong)200 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, in 2016, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) received an average of 2.7 applications from families, elderly and singles for every 2-room flexi Built-To-Order (BTO) flat that was offered. Singles were allowed to buy 2-room flexi flats in non-mature estates from July 2013. And to address the strong demand, HDB has increased the 2-room flexi flat supply in non-mature estates from 320 units in 2012 to an average of 4,000 units per year between 2014 and 2016. Forty percent of 2-room flexi flats are set aside for elderly applicants, including singles aged 55 and above.[+1 sentence] These applicants enjoy priority allocation if they apply under the Senior Priority Scheme to age-in-place or move nearer to their parents. The remaining flat supply is divided equally between non-elderly singles and families.[+2 sentences] In addition, any balance of flats not taken up by the elderly or families will be offered to singles. Singles can also consider the option of buying a resale flat on the open market. With housing grants totaling up to $55,000, resale flats have become more affordable for singles. First-timer singles buying resale flats jointly can enjoy the same amount of housing grants as first-timer families, which means up to $110,000.
Mdm Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon)70 words
[+4 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask one supplementary question. I have come across several cases of singles as well as retirees who want to right-size. They have tried six or seven times for 2-room flats but are not successful. So, in cases like that, where they have tried five times, six times, seven times, can the Ministry look into ways to help them, instead of letting them keep trying?
Mr Lawrence Wong189 words
[+4 sentences]Madam, as I have mentioned earlier, if you look at the overall picture, the situation for elderly singles is getting better because if we look at the application rates for the elderly group as a whole, the success rate and the application rates, are not too bad. The one group where the application rates are still very high are the non-elderly singles because 2-room flexi flats can go to the elderly, non-elderly singles and the families. So, non-elderly singles, because we have opened up to allow them to buy 2-room flats in 2013, there is still a backlog to clear. We are still clearing the backlog. Today, the application rate for this particular group is 6.6.[+2 sentences] This was in 2016. So, it is about seven. And at an application rate of seven, this means that you have to try several times before you are successful in getting a 2-room flat for the non-elderly singles group. So, the way to resolve this is really to try and ramp up the supply of 2-room flats, which we are doing, and we hope to clear the backlog over the next two years.
Enforcement Actions against Illegal Subletting or Overcrowding in HDB Flats›Oral Answers to Questions11 turns · 541w
· 11 highlighted
oral-answer-1681
Mr Gan Thiam Poh55 words
asked the Minister for National Development (a) in the past three years, how many enforcement actions have been taken by HDB on illegal subletting and/or overcrowding in HDB flats; and (b) what are the measures that the Ministry is taking to ensure that all HDB flat owners comply with the regulation, including inter-Ministry joint collaboration.
The Minister for National Development (Mr Lawrence Wong)215 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats are meant for occupation by the flat owners and family members. However, HDB flat owners can sublet their flat after meeting the required minimum occupation period (MOP) and obtaining HDB's prior approval. HDB takes a serious view of unauthorised subletting and/or overcrowding. When letting out the flat, flat owners have to ensure that the number of sub-tenants does not exceed the allowable maximum, which varies with flat type. Failure to obtain prior approval or observe the maximum number of sub-tenants allowed is a breach of the Lease Agreement, and action can and will be taken against the errant flat owners. In the last three years, there were 70 cases where enforcement action was taken against errant flat owners for unauthorised subletting and/or overcrowding.[+1 sentence] HDB conducts checks and investigations on flats suspected of unauthorised subletting and/or overcrowding based on feedback from the public. HDB itself also conducts its own random checks on flats, and works with agencies like the Police, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) or the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), when there are suspected infringements under the Penal Code or relevant Acts under these agencies.[+1 sentence] To educate the public about subletting rules, HDB also publicises actions taken against flat owners in cases of unauthorised subletting or overcrowding.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Gan Thiam Poh.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio)31 words
[+2 sentences]I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. I would just like to ask how often do HDB officers carry out surprise checks on all the owners who sublet HDB flats.
Mr Lawrence Wong57 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, these are part of HDB's operations and I would rather not say how often HDB does it, in case people try to second guess HDB's operations. Suffice to say HDB will do regular random checks by itself but, on top of that, whenever HDB receives feedback, HDB will also do a check on the particular unit.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Cedric Foo.
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng (Pioneer)40 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, can I ask the Minister whether it also makes sense, on top of the number of tenants, to review the length of tenancy that HDB will allow, because a high turnover of tenants also creates a lot of disamenities?
Mr Lawrence Wong29 words
[+3 sentences]Madam, there is already a regulation around short-term stays. That already exists today. So, I am not sure whether the Member is asking for even tighter rules around that.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Cedric Foo.
Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng15 words
[+1 sentence]Can the Minister advise on the length the short-term stays and whether it is adequate?
Mr Lawrence Wong89 words
[+2 sentences]Meaning you want it to be longer? We will study it. That is something that we continue to review. So, whether or not we should review the number of occupants, which is something that we are reviewing already. This follows from the earlier discussion we had in this House on the Planning Act changes and several Members had suggested that the numbers in the HDB flats ought to be reduced further. We are studying that and we can take into consideration the Member's suggestion also on duration of lease.
Action to Protect Reputation of Police Force›Oral Answers to Questions5 turns · 791w
· 11 highlighted
oral-answer-1682
Mr Lim Biow Chuan27 words
asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Police will consider taking action to protect its reputation when persons make false and malicious allegations against the Police.
The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr K Shanmugam)470 words
[+2 sentences]I thank the Member for asking this question. Madam, my Ministry takes a serious view of false and malicious allegations against the Police. I refer Members to a recent Public Perception Survey where 91% of Singaporeans had said that Police had demonstrated the core values of courage, loyalty, integrity and fairness when interacting with them.[+4 sentences] We will always have some people who are not happy but 91% said this. Over the years, through the consistent upholding and exemplification of these values, the Police have built an enormous reservoir of trust and confidence with the public. That is a huge benefit, not just to the Police but also to Singaporeans as a whole. Whenever any allegation is received, the first task of the Police is to investigate the allegation quite carefully and thoroughly. If the conclusion of the investigation is that the allegation is false or unwarranted, then the first thing the Police will do after making an assessment, if necessary, is to issue a public response to say that this is untrue.[+3 sentences] They will correct and rebut the falsehoods. For example, The Online Citizen (TOC) glorifies in running the Police down with a series of untrue stories. I referred to some stories last year on their untruths. In a recent case, TOC alleged that Police officers had accused a wheelchair-bound man of motorcycle theft.[+1 sentence] It was designed to make people angry: falsehood. The Police corrected the allegation within a day.[+1 sentence] The man was never accused of being involved in any motor vehicle theft, nor was he asked to provide any statement at a Police station. The Member has asked what actions the Police can take. We are considering the adequacy of our laws to ensure sufficient protection against unfounded attacks on the reputation and integrity of our public institutions, like the Police.[+11 sentences] Do not get me wrong. It is not to say that the Police do not make mistakes. It is not to say that some policemen do not commit offences. They do; they are also human. Therefore, there can be no objection to comments, feedback, fair criticism, complaints. And all of them will be looked at. This is Singapore. You read of Police Officers, other public servants, being charged in Court where criminal action is warranted and they face the consequences. That is why people have faith in the system. It will not be covered up. What is objectionable are deliberate falsehoods. If there is no wrongdoing or misconduct and you deliberately accuse, to pull down the institution by manufacturing lies, and if public trust in Police is eroded and you can no longer enforce the rule of law effectively, all of us will be the worse for it.[+1 sentence] So, we have to take the question of fake news about Police and other agencies seriously and deal with it.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Lim Biow Chuan.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten)116 words
[+4 sentences]I notice that over the past few months when people made false and malicious allegations against the Police, the Police issue a correction. Unless the Government takes action to protect the integrity of Government institutions, I am concerned that the trust and faith in Government institutions will be undermined. May I ask the Minister whether the Ministry of Home Affairs would consider implementing or taking stern action to make it a punishable offence, make it a jailable offence, for people to make false and malicious allegations, which are not the same as what the Minister earlier said, which is, that when officers are investigated. But I am referring to false and malicious allegations against the Police.
Mr K Shanmugam174 words
[+9 sentences]I thank the Member for the points he made. I will distinguish between three types of situations. First, genuine feedback. It could be in error where the person could have made a mistake, but genuine, well-intentioned feedback or complaints because there is a difference of viewpoints, allegations based on an honest belief in certain facts. That is one category. That is understandable. Generally, there should be no consequences for that. The second category where the complaint is justified, feedback is justified, and we must take action. The third category is what the Member is focused on, which is, false, deliberate, malicious allegations. We are not talking about errors, we are talking about deliberate falsehoods, malice. I agree with the Member, it has to be taken seriously, and I think the time has come for us not to simply rebut but to actually actively deal with it, so that the people who seek to profit from such conduct will actually feel the pain of it. We are looking at it and something will be done.
Proposal to Undo Privatisation of Postal Service›Oral Answers to Questions6 turns · 601w
· 8 highlighted
oral-answer-1683
Speaker not recorded60 words
[+1 sentence]The following question stood in the name of Dr Chia Shi-Lu – 12 To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) how will the Ministry ensure that SingPost improves its service quality; (b) what are the underlying causes for the numerous changes in its senior management team; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider deprivatising this essential public service.
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar)4 words
[+1 sentence]Question No 12, Madam.
The Minister for Communications and Information (Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim)401 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, SingPost operates a diverse business, offering domestic and international postal services, as well as logistics and e-commerce services. SingPost's Basic Mail Services are subjected to one of the most stringent Quality of Service standards in the world − SingPost must deliver 99% of local basic letters destined for the Central Business District (CBD), and 98% for those destined for non-CBD areas, by the next working day. Since 2014, SingPost has invested in new machines and enhanced its staff training programme to improve mail sorting and delivery of letters.[+1 sentence] SingPost has also engaged an independent third-party auditor to conduct regular audits on its service and standards. As a result of these measures, the incidents of feedback received by SingPost concerning mis-deliveries of local basic letters have dropped from 279 in 2013 to 50 in 2016.[+6 sentences] The Member also asked about the changes to SingPost's senior management team. Mdm Speaker, as a publicly-listed company, SingPost is responsible for putting together the best management team it needs to deliver on its commercial mission. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), as the regulator, focuses on ensuring that SingPost fulfils its obligations as a Public Postal Licensee with regard to meeting the postal needs of the public. The Member also asked whether my Ministry will consider deprivatising public postal services. Mdm Speaker, Singapore fully liberalised the postal market in 2007 to build an open economy, strengthen Singapore's position as a business hub, and catalyse growth. Regulatory frameworks, such as the postal Quality of service (QoS), ensure that the public postal system remains good and reliable. Today, four companies, including SingPost, have been licensed to deliver letters in Singapore. Our postal rates continue to be among the lowest among economies, such as the United States, Hong Kong and Norway.[+2 sentences] For parcel delivery, which does not require a licence from IMDA, it is fully open and competitive, and many local and international players provide services in Singapore today. As such, SingPost has every commercial incentive to improve its services. The rationale behind our decision to liberalise the postal market still remains relevant today, and we have no reason to believe that deprivatisation will necessarily result in better outcomes and service quality for the postal sector in general.[+1 sentence] Mdm Speaker, I would like to assure the House that IMDA will continue to safeguard consumer interests and ensure that SingPost provides reliable and quality postal services for Singapore.
Mdm Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon)51 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, I have one question. Over the last few months, I have been receiving feedback from residents that letters were delivered to the wrong address or they are expecting letters but never received them.[+1 sentence] So, upon receiving such feedback, what action is being taken and how are investigations being done?
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim80 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, it depends on whether the feedback is sent to SingPost or IMDA. If it is sent to IMDA, we will look into it seriously because, as I said earlier, we hold SingPost to the quality standards as part of the licensee agreement.[+1 sentence] I would like to assure the Member that if there is any feedback on any mis-delivered letter or a letter did not arrive, we will look into it seriously to ensure that they conform to the standards.
Secondment of Public Officers to Trade Associations›Oral Answers to Questions2 turns · 372w
· 9 highlighted
oral-answer-1684
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng63 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) if he can provide a progress update on (i) the plan to second up to 20 public officers to interested Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) under the Local Enterprise and Association Development-Plus programme and (ii) the status of the $30 million that was set aside in Budget 2016 to support TACs to develop their capabilities.
The Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Sim Ann) (for the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry))309 words
The Local Enterprise and Association Development-Plus (LEAD+) programme was introduced at Budget 2016 to help Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) raise their internal competencies.[+2 sentences] Through LEAD+ projects, TACs can strengthen their leadership and secretariat teams, improve organisational processes, and deliver new and value-added services to their members. The LEAD+ programme is an expansion of the existing LEAD programme, which supports TACs in implementing industry initiatives. As of March 2017, the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING) has approved eight LEAD+ projects, at up to $8.1 million in total funding. These projects are spearheaded by the Federation of Merchants' Associations, Singapore (FMAS), Singapore Food Manufacturers' Association (SFMA), Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), Singapore Logistics Association (SLA), Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), Singapore Precision Engineering and Technology Association (SPETA), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) and Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS).[+1 sentence] We expect more TACs to be coming on board over the next few years. Under LEAD+, support is available for the secondment of public officers to TACs to help strengthen their management and processes as well as drive industry transformation.[+2 sentences] Efforts to second public officers to TACs are not new. Over the past five years, SPRING has been active in seconding officers to TACs on a project basis, to drive implementation of key programmes, such as the small and medium enterprises (SME) Talent Programme and SME Centres. Under this arrangement, 13 officers have been seconded since 2013. Since the launch of LEAD+ in 2016, two more officers have confirmed their secondment with TACs. For example, one officer from SPRING has been seconded to SFMA to assist them in strengthening their internal management capabilities. This includes developing a succession plan for leadership renewal, putting in place systems to better engage and manage members, and enhancing the existing governance framework. We will continue to facilitate more of such win-win secondment arrangements for interested TACs.
Convening of Anti-profiteering Task Force in Light of Water Price Increases›Oral Answers to Questions26 turns · 1,915w
· 12 highlighted
oral-answer-1685
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah72 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) whether the Ministry will set up a committee to look into any attempts against profiteering with the rise in water and electricity rates; (b) whether the Ministry will look into setting up a mobile app to get feedback on profiteering; and (c) whether there are plans to guide and assist businesses to cope with the increase in business costs due to such rises.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa33 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) whether the Ministry intends to reactivate the anti-profiteering task force to step up surveillance against possible profiteering activities due to recently announced water price hikes.
The Minister of State for Trade and Industry (Dr Koh Poh Koon) (for the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry))15 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, can I have your permission to take Question Nos 14 and 15 together, please?
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Yes, please.
Dr Koh Poh Koon391 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, the measures on water tariffs, diesel and carbon tax announced at Budget 2017 are targeted and are expected to have a moderate impact on overall business costs, with the impact differentiated across different industries. Utilities cost, which includes water and electricity costs, accounts for a relatively small share of business costs for firms in the services sector, at less than 1%, on average, for most services industries.[+7 sentences] Electricity prices are revised every quarter according to prevailing gas prices, which are indexed to global oil prices. There has been a general decline in our electricity tariffs over the past three years due to the low global oil price. The current electricity tariff is around 16.9% lower than that in the second quarter of 2014. The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) will step up its education efforts to encourage consumers to exercise their choice and make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers can opt to buy from businesses which continue to offer competitive prices and products that cater to their consumption preferences. CASE will also keep watch on price increases and look into feedback on alleged profiteering. Consumers who wish to provide feedback can go through CASE's hotline, website or mobile app. They can also do so through Government feedback channels, such as the feedback unit Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home (REACH). Hence, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) does not see the need to set up a committee to look into profiteering at this point.[+3 sentences] Madam, the Government will continue to monitor the impact of the Budget 2017 measures on industries and calibrate our economic support policies as appropriate. The most sustainable strategy for businesses to manage cost increases and stay competitive is to transform by upgrading capabilities for higher levels of productivity and innovation. Our SMEs can approach any of the 12 SME Centres for customised service and advice on business development and how they can tap on Government assistance to strengthen their businesses. In particular, SPRING's Capability Development Grant (CDG) provides support for SMEs in building capabilities to grow their businesses by defraying up to 70% of the qualifying project costs.[+1 sentence] Through the Local Enterprise and the Association Development (LEAD) scheme, SPRING also works with our Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) to strengthen their internal capabilities and the roles they can play in driving industry transformation and growth.
Mdm Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon)96 words
[+5 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I have one supplementary question. With the impending increase in water price in July, a lot of the fear among residents is that the price of a cup of coffee may go up. One dollar may become $1.15, and then next, it may become $1.30. I would like to ask the Minister of State because he mentioned earlier that if there is feedback, to report it to CASE. Do they have to go down personally or just a phone call will do, or will it be made easier for residents to give their feedback?
Dr Koh Poh Koon34 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, I thank the Member for her clarification question. As I had said earlier in my reply, there are various avenues to feed back to CASE, either through their hotline, mobile app or website.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Liang Eng Hwa.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah)80 words
[+3 sentences]Madam, from the Minister of State's reply, it seems that CASE will be the agency that will be the watchdog for anti-profiteering. I would like to ask the Minister of State whether CASE does have the resources and the regulatory power, as well as the investigative resources, to do that because there are cases all around the neighbourhood and sometimes you may just want to report, and whether they have that ability to do that. I think that is important.
Dr Koh Poh Koon217 words
[+8 sentences]Madam, pertaining to the issue of coffee price increase which I think both Members are asking about in the neighbourhood shops, it is quite easy to understand that the cost of coffee is not just on water alone. There are other issues that businesses cope with, like rental costs, workers' cost, as well as their pricing strategy. Price increases can happen with or without an increase in water price, and businesses do make their calculated decisions on how to price their product. In that sense, this is where education on consumers' rights and choices is also important. Coffee can range from a simple 3-in-1 that you buy as a packet or it can be as expensive as a latte. So, in between, the price range is quite huge and businesses do make their decisions on how to price the price of a cup of coffee. Consumers, therefore, have to make a choice to also encourage businesses to price the product to be sustainable in terms of getting the right customers. If there is a need to feedback, they can send it to CASE, and if CASE feels that there is sufficient indication that there is a consistent amount of complaints coming in about one particular retailer, then we can look at how best to facilitate further investigations.
Mdm Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah73 words
[+5 sentences]I would like to ask the Minister of State, for coffee shops in the neighbourhood, when one coffee shop increases by, say, 10 cents, very soon, the rest will follow suit. So, how is CASE going to handle cases like this? For example, will hawker centres set the standard of the price of drinks? Actually, the residents have no choice. Once the price goes up in one shop, the rest will follow suit.
Dr Koh Poh Koon149 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, I would like to say that sweeping statements like this saying that all coffee shops will raise prices just because one shop raises it, is not fair to all retailers because I think there are also retailers that came out and said that they would not increase their prices. For example, in an article published in TODAY newspaper on 23 February 2017, in response to the increase in water prices, several coffee chains here, including Toast Box and Ya Kun Toast, have said that they would not increase their prices in the near term.[+3 sentences] So, I think there are different pricing strategies by retailers. We should not make sweeping statements here to say that just because one coffee shop increases its price, every other coffee shop would necessarily follow suit. And if they do so, then I think consumers should make their choices and decide whom to patronise.
Mdm Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah120 words
[+7 sentences]Mdm Speaker, if I remember, I read in the newspapers that the association for coffee shops said that they would not increase the price in July. But from now to July, there is no increase in water price, of course, there is no price increase justifiable from now until July. But what will happen after July, nobody knows. And from observations in the past, it is quite true that when the price in one goes up, the rest, one by one, will go up. So, that is the concern. That is why the residents are so upset about the increase in the water price. It is because they worry about the increase subsequently in the prices of food and drinks.
Dr Koh Poh Koon58 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, I think we are making an assumption that the price will increase after July, which is in the future. At this point in time, let us not prejudge the businesses' behaviour. And if it so happens then, then I think this is where CASE's hotline, website and mobile apps will be available for feedback to be received.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Liang Eng Hwa.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa44 words
[+1 sentence]Madam, I just want to find out from the Minister of State why do we not consider setting up an anti-profiteering task force like what we did some years back or perhaps consider having the Competition Commission to look into this task of anti-profiteering.
Dr Koh Poh Koon213 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, I think the previous committee on profiteering was set up in response to a more broad-based increase in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which affects all goods and services where it can then lead to a very broad-based impact on overall costs. This water price increase is very targeted. It affects business segments more than others, and even in the retail services sector, as I have said earlier, the cost increase is not expected to be more than 1% or 2%. So, we do not expect a broad-based impact on the actual costs of businesses. We will continue to keep a watchful eye on how this will impact, say, after the price goes up in July.[+4 sentences] Secondly, the Competition Commission looks at anti-competitive behaviour, not necessarily to look at profiteering. Businesses all need to make profits, and it is very hard to prove what exactly is over-profiteering because businesses must take into account the cost of their business as well. Rental price will increase over these few months and that leads businesses to increase the price of their products and services. If we were to impose certain restrictions on that, then we are going to make it difficult for businesses to price their products accordingly, to take their costs into account.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Lim Biow Chuan.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten)153 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, if I may just further address some of the concerns since CASE has been mentioned a couple of times. I wanted to request consumers to also exercise their right of choice, because if all consumers do not exercise their right of choice and just pay whatever a coffee shop demands, then, of course, you will be supporting the price increases arbitrarily. From CASE's point of view, we will continue to monitor prices of drinks in coffee shops and in the event that one coffee shop raises its price more than others, we will be happy to publicise coffee shops which have not raised the price of their coffee and other drinks.[+2 sentences] Basically, this is to create a more competitive situation where consumers then have a choice. I would urge consumers also to refer feedback to CASE and we will follow up with MTI if there is a need to do so.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon)46 words
I just want to ask why exactly are we diverting the feedback towards CASE, which is a non-Government organisation, instead of MTI taking the feedback and investigating; and, secondly, whether MTI feels that CASE has sufficient manpower and resources to take up the additional caseload now.
Dr Koh Poh Koon83 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, in my reply, I did not say that the consumer cannot feedback to MTI or any of the Government agencies, even through the REACH portal, for example. They can do so. But CASE, as an organisation that helps to educate consumers, plays an important role here in helping consumers to understand their purchasing power as consumers and to be able to exercise that.[+1 sentence] That, in itself, is a good signal to the business community to price their products in a reasonable way.
Temporary Jobs for Hawkers and Their Assistants when Hawker Centres Close for Renovation and Repair›Oral Answers to Questions2 turns · 220w
· 5 highlighted
oral-answer-1686
Assoc Prof Randolph Tan42 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether there are schemes targeted for hawker stall operators and their workers to get temporary job placement or training when their hawker centres are closed for extended periods for repairs and renovation works.
The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M)178 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, as part of the maintenance of hawker centres, cyclical repairs and redecorations (R&R) works are carried out by the National Environment Agency (NEA) or the respective Town Councils every five to seven years. During such works, the centres may be closed for up to three months. Stallholders who are unable to operate their stalls due to the closure of the centres are usually granted rental remission for the duration of the closure due to the R&R works. Stallholders who wish to take the opportunity to attend training can apply for courses and training grants through SkillsFuture Singapore. Those who wish to explore temporary employment may also visit Workforce Singapore's career centres or its online job matching portal, Jobs Bank, for employment assistance. NEA will set up a one-stop Information and Service Centre for hawkers in the second half of this year.[+2 sentences] The centre will, among other services, provide information on training courses on the hawker trade. Hawkers and their hawker assistants who are interested in attending such courses may visit the centre to obtain more information.
Assistance for Sungei Road Flea Market Vendors›Oral Answers to Questions8 turns · 1,046w
· 8 highlighted
oral-answer-1687
Mr Kok Heng Leun56 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources in light of the permanent closure of the Sungei Road flea market (a) how many of the vendors have been offered assistance and what kind of assistance has been rendered; and (b) how many vendors are not receiving these assistance and why are they not receiving them.
The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M)273 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, the site where the Sungei Road Hawking Zone (SRHZ) is located will be used for ground preparation works to facilitate future residential development, and the last day of operation of the SRHZ will be 10 July 2017. When the Government resettled street hawkers into markets and hawker centres in the early years, 31 rag-and-bone men were excluded from the resettlement due to their trade and were issued with permits to continue operating at the Sungei Road site. Of these 31 original permit holders, only 11 operate at SRHZ today. My Ministry has offered the 11 original permit holders the option of operating lock-up stalls at selected hawker centres in the city area at subsidised rental rates after the closure of SRHZ. Rental will be waived for the first year and a 50% rebate off the subsidised rent will be given for the second year on a goodwill basis. Five of them have so far indicated interest to take up the offer. The Social Service Offices (SSOs) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) have also offered to facilitate financial assistance and provide employment services to the 11 original permit holders should they wish to exit the trade. So far, one of them has been granted financial assistance.[+1 sentence] Further engagements between the SSOs and some of the remaining permit holders are ongoing. The Government will also reach out to the other users at SRHZ who are not original permit holders in the coming months to share information on the financial and employment assistance available under existing Government schemes, as well as channels through which they can continue their trade should they wish to do so.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Kok Heng Leun.
Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member)102 words
[+5 sentences]I thank the Minister for the detailed answers. May I know which agencies will be coordinating all this assistance to those who are not part of the original permit holders because, at the moment, I understand that no one has actually approached them? Secondly, I also understand that the Association for the Recycling of Second Hand Goods had wanted to engage in a dialogue with the National Environment Agency (NEA) on alternative sites. However, there is no such dialogue at this moment. May I know why there is no such dialogue, and would NEA or the Ministry consider having conversations with them?
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M342 words
[+15 sentences]For the first question, Mdm Speaker, NEA will be the lead agency to coordinate with the other agencies, the Mayors, and also ask other Advisers who may be the Advisers in the constituencies where these hawkers live, so that if they approach them, they will know where to refer them to. For this, the lead agency will be NEA. For the second question, I think we have to note that SRHZ does have a long history, from the 1930s. And for some Singaporeans, they hold strong memories. But, again, we must recognise there were really many places that have moved on and where street hawking was quite popular and even a common sight in the past. Over the years, in the 1970s and 1980s, many of them have moved on. They are now housed in our hawker centres as well as markets and I believe many of them have also done well. Despite all these, we have retained SRHZ so that the original 31 rag-and-bone permit holders can continue their trade. But over the years, we have seen a fair number of others who have come to SRHZ. They were not the original 31. In fact, after so many years, only 11 are still operating there. Now, despite all the disamenities and even the residents accommodating the hawkers for these many, many years, for example, the obstruction of public roads, storage of goods in public places, sometimes people sleeping around in the residential estates, we have continued to accommodate these until such time when the place would be required for development. I am surprised that the Association for the Recycling of Second Hand Goods is surprised that we are moving on because we have been engaging everybody since 2012. We have already told them that when the time comes, notice would be given and we have to move on. So, the time has come and we have engaged enough and I think to meet them again is to almost promise that we will change our stance and that redevelopment would not start.
Mdm Speaker4 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Kok Heng Leun.
Mr Kok Heng Leun123 words
[+6 sentences]I thank the Minister for the clarification. I think the Association understood that the SRHZ would be removed. What the Minister has spoken seems to show that such micro economy is actually a livelihood for some other people who have since joined. So, I think they are really looking for an alternative site which can be managed in such a way that all the disamenities that the Minister was talking about can be mitigated. I would urge the Ministry to consider engaging with them so that we can look at such possibilities, especially since such outdoor markets, as the Minister said, we have been losing them and this is probably the last one. Having one would actually be good for our cultural landscape.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M142 words
[+7 sentences]I empathise with the pleading of our Member. I think we may stand to lose something which is very important or memorable for some of us. But then, again, we also have to balance this with the needs of our country and to be fair to the many, many other hawkers who have moved on, gone to markets. And for those who need to peddle their wares occasionally, they have also been able to do well in trade fairs where they pay for the rents and are well-managed so that the disamenities mentioned do not exist. So, if the question is: are there alternatives? There are alternatives. But should we put up another site like this which is deemed to be like Sungei Road but not at Sungei Road, I do not think this is something we want to dwell on further.
Regular Information Collection and Publication of Freelance and Contract Work Data›Oral Answers to Questions5 turns · 748w
· 11 highlighted
oral-answer-1688
Mr Leon Perera41 words
asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry can regularly collect and publish data on the percentage of the workforce who are engaged in freelance work or employed in contract positions and who are seeking employment in a permanent full-time job.
The Minister for Manpower (Mr Lim Swee Say)272 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been publishing data on the number and percentage of the workforce who are engaged in own account work, commonly known as freelancers, since 1991, and term contract work since 2006. This data is collected and released on an annual basis as part of the Labour Force in Singapore report. For term contract employees, we do not collect data on the proportion who are seeking permanent employment.[+4 sentences] Both permanent and term contract workers are in employer-employee relationships which are governed by various employment laws, such as the Employment Act, the Employment Claims Act, Central Provident Fund (CPF) Act and Work Injury Compensation Act. Having both options for both permanent and contract employment helps to keep the labour market flexible and responsive. Employers may wish to employ employees on term contracts when, for example, the job is available on a short-term or project basis. At the same time, some employees prefer to enter into term contracts to meet their own needs for flexibility. As explained during the Committee of Supply debate in March, for own account workers, meaning the freelancers, we have started collecting data on the proportion who are not freelancing as their preferred choice since last year, and will do so and publish this on an annual basis. This additional information is useful to better understand how to support own account workers, who face unique issues different from those in employer-employee relationships. Those who prefer permanent employment, both contract workers and freelancers, can tap on the Adapt and Grow initiatives, where we will work with them to facilitate their pursuit of preferred employment options.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Leon Perera.
Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member)162 words
[+9 sentences]I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive reply. Just two supplementary questions. Firstly, a clarification or confirmation, if you like. Am I correct to say the Minister has said that this data on freelancers, the proportion of freelancers who would prefer to have permanent appointment, would be collected and published from next year onwards? I just wanted to confirm that. My second question is on the fixed term contract workers. Will the Ministry consider collecting data on how many of them are currently on fixed term contracts but would prefer or are seeking to move to permanent employment? Would the Ministry consider collecting and publishing that data on a regular basis? That may be helpful to assess our effectiveness in generating permanent employment for the economy as a whole. I believe for part-time employment, there is a similar metric that is currently collected and published on part-time workers who would like to work more hours or would like to work full-time.
Mr Lim Swee Say270 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, let me repeat what I said in my reply. It is that, for freelancers, we have started collecting the information since last year. I released the data in the Committee of Supply this year as far as freelancers are concerned, meaning we do release the proportion of freelancers who are freelancing not as their preferred choice. That data has been made available for 2016 as I had released that in this House in the Committee of Supply.[+5 sentences] The Member asked whether MOM would collect similar data for those on term contract, meaning that for those on contract, how many of them would prefer to have permanent contract. In my reply, I have explained that having both the permanent and the contract employment is important for both the employers as well as for the employees because it is important to keep both options available to keep our labour market flexible, responsive. But the main point which I have highlighted in my reply is that whether they are on permanent employment or term contract, both enjoy the employer-employee relationship. So, in other words, as long as they are on contract, whether it is permanent or short-term, both are employees of the employers. Therefore, they are protected under all the employment laws. With that in mind, we have no intention to collect additional data, in terms of how many of those on term contract would prefer to have full-time employment.[+1 sentence] If they want to have permanent employment, they can always tap on our Adapt and Grow initiatives, where we will work with them to pursue the employment options of their choice.
Breakdown of Foreign Domestic Worker Numbers by Nationality›Oral Answers to Questions5 turns · 311w
· 7 highlighted
oral-answer-1689
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong28 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Manpower what is the rationale for the Ministry's reluctance to provide a breakdown of the number of foreign domestic workers in Singapore by nationality.
The Minister of State for Manpower (Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong) (for the Minister for Manpower)54 words
[+1 sentence]Mdm Speaker, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not provide a breakdown of the number of foreign workers, including foreign domestic workers, by nationality as it is not in Singapore's interest to do so. Disclosing such detailed data may create sensitivities among certain groups of people here and also in the countries of origin.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Dennis Tan.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member)66 words
[+2 sentences]I thank the Minister of State for the answer. Just a quick clarification. In countries, such as Australia, they publish data on a quarterly basis on the numbers of work visa holders, broken down by countries of origin and, with respect, I do not see how sensitive this can be.[+1 sentence] Perhaps, the Minister of State can clarify this further and would the Ministry reconsider this position?
Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong160 words
[+3 sentences]I thank the Member for the interest in this topic. I remember at the last Sitting, the Member also asked the same question. With regard to the population's statistics in Australia, I remember the Deputy Prime Minister, in one of his Committee of Supply speeches, had addressed that. I would not want to delve into the details. But suffice to say that Australia and Singapore are quite different in terms of population size and also in terms of the domestic workers and the foreign workers.[+1 sentence] In Australia, you hardly see any foreign domestic workers. Coming back to addressing the Member's question, why we do not disclose this piece of data is because of the sensitivity involved. Because of the sensitivity, I would rather not go into the details of why the data cannot be disclosed. But I hope the Member would understand that this is done for the national interest and also for the interest of protecting the Singaporean households.
Ensuring Good Governance at Private Clinic Groups›Oral Answers to Questions3 turns · 307w
· 5 highlighted
oral-answer-1690
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong54 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Health (a) what powers does the Ministry have to ensure good governance at private clinic groups to prevent the disruption of primary care services, and (b) whether the payment of medical claims by third party administrators to private clinics should be regulated to safeguard the financial viability of private clinics.
The Minister of State for Health (Dr Lam Pin Min) (for the Minister for Health)203 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, under the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA), the Ministry regulates clinics to ensure that they provide a safe and good standard of care to their patients. This includes the continuity of care for patients. Where a licensed operator intends to cease operating, or let, sell or in any way dispose of its medical clinic, it is required to notify the Ministry of Health (MOH) of its intention in writing not less than 30 days before he takes such an action. In order to ensure continuity of care for the clinic's patients, the operator must properly transfer its patients' medical information to another licensed clinic of the patients' choice. Third Party Administrators (TPAs) provide a range of intermediary services to healthcare providers, such as helping them participate in employer medical benefit programmes, processing of medical claims and concierge services. These are private contractual arrangements between the TPA and healthcare providers which MOH does not directly intervene in. However, the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) has provided guidance to doctors on appropriate fee arrangements through its Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines (ECEG) that emphasise on the ethical practice and appropriate care so that the well-being of the patients will not be compromised.
Mdm Speaker50 words
[+2 sentences]Order. End of Question Time. [Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]
Waiver of Non-transferability of COE for Categories A and B Vehicles›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 93w
· 0 highlighted
written-answer-3498
Ms Sylvia Lim32 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Transport under what circumstances has LTA waived the policy of non-transferability and permitted a transfer of COEs for Category A or B vehicles from one individual to another.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan61 words
[+2 sentences]The Land Transport Authority allows the Temporary Certificate of Entitlement (COE) for Categories A and B vehicles to be transferred only if there are very serious and unforeseen changes in the COE holder’s circumstances which are beyond his or her control, such as when the COE holder has passed away. The Temporary COE can only be transferred to immediate family members.
Employers' Attitudes towards Hiring of Older Workers›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 427w
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written-answer-3499
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah64 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether any study has been done to look into local employers' attitudes towards hiring older workers, especially in the IT sector; (b) how many complaints has the Ministry received in the past three years on employment practices against older workers; and (c) what is being done to actively engage employers to encourage them to accept qualified older hires.
Mr Lim Swee Say363 words
[+17 sentences]From a 2016 survey conducted by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), about seven in 10 employers were willing to redesign job scopes to accommodate older workers. This is also evident from the employment rate of older residents aged 55-64 which has steadily increased over the last five years, from 64% in 2012 to 67.3% in 2016. We are already among the top in terms of employment rate of older workers aged 55-64, compared to other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Specifically for the information and communications technology sector, which Er Dr Lee asked about, the share of older workers remained stable over the same period. In the last three years, TAFEP and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have, on average, received less than 80 age discrimination complaints against employers per year. This constituted about 10% of the total complaints received by TAFEP and MOM each year. Age discrimination complaints involving workers from the information technology sector form around 7% of all age discrimination complaints. For cases with clear evidence of age discrimination, MOM had further investigated and taken action against the errant employers, including curtailment of their work pass privileges. TAFEP had also engaged these employers to help them rectify their employment practices. Older workers are assets to the workforce. To change mindsets, TAFEP runs campaigns to raise awareness of the value that older workers bring to the workforce. However, some employers may still be concerned about the suitability of older jobseekers. To help overcome this, the Career Support Programme under the Adapt and Grow initiative provides greater wage support to employers who hire mature professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). We have also increased the salary support for mature PMETs who participate in Professional Conversion Programmes so as to encourage employers to tap on the pool of experienced and skilled PMETs. Older workers must also play their part to continually upskill, reskill and deep-skill to enhance their employability. Skills upgrading is the best safeguard for older workers during this period of economic and job transformation. We encourage older workers to take advantage of the various Government training schemes, such as SkillsFuture and Adapt and Grow.
Inspections Conducted on Accommodation for Foreign Workers›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 257w
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written-answer-3500
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong54 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Manpower (a) in the past three years, how many housing inspections have been conducted and how many employers have been found to have provided unacceptable accommodation for foreign workers; and (b) whether follow-up actions have been undertaken for all errant employers to ensure compliance with the regulations for acceptable accommodation.
Mr Lim Swee Say203 words
[+8 sentences]From 2014 to 2016, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) conducted close to 4,000 foreign worker housing inspections. Over this period, MOM ramped up our housing inspections from 700 in 2014 to 1,800 in 2016, to proactively inspect all larger dormitories and other smaller housing types suspected to be in poor conditions as well as respond to complaints. The foreign worker housing landscape has improved in recent years, with the stepping up of enforcement and raising of regulatory standards. We have seen a decline in the number of public complaints related to foreign worker housing, from close to 600 in 2014 to 500 in 2016. Most of the cases found with poor living conditions were private residential units, typically with multiple employers housing workers in a single unit. The larger foreign worker housing, such as purpose-built dormitories and factory converted dormitories, are in better condition. Where infringements were found, MOM has ensured that employers or dormitory operators take immediate rectification action, such as making improvements to the housing condition for minor breaches or relocating the workers to other approved accommodation altogether for severe breaches. In total, about 4,000 employers and/or dormitory operators were issued with warnings, composition fines or prosecuted arising from these inspections.
New Jobs Created for University Degree Holders›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 106w
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written-answer-3501
Mr Leon Perera25 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Manpower what is the proportion of new jobs created in each of the last five years which requires a university degree.
Mr Lim Swee Say81 words
[+3 sentences]The Ministry of Manpower does not collect data on new jobs created by specific qualification requirements, including university degrees. This is because such data may not meaningfully reflect the quality of a job or the responsibilities associated with it. In line with the Committee on the Future Economy's recommendations, the Ministry encourages companies to adopt progressive human resource practices and focus on skills and competencies as the key yardstick in the recruitment and development of workers, beyond academic grades or qualifications.
Driving Lessons to Navigate Traffic Roundabouts›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 54w
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written-answer-3502
Mr Lim Biow Chuan28 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Home Affairs how many traffic roundabouts there are in Singapore and whether students taking their driving lessons are taught how to navigate traffic roundabouts.
Mr K Shanmugam26 words
[+2 sentences]There are 46 traffic roundabouts on our public roads. The curriculum for learner drivers as well as the driving theory tests cover the navigation of roundabouts.
Police-to-population Ratio Including and Excluding Auxiliary Police Officers›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 55w
· 0 highlighted
written-answer-3503
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap22 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Home Affairs what is the current Police-to-population ratio in terms of including and excluding Auxiliary Police Officers respectively.
Mr K Shanmugam33 words
[+2 sentences]There are about 170 regular Police Officers in the Singapore Police Force per 100,000 population. Including the Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs), there are about 300 regular Police Officers and APOs per 100,000 population.
New Features and Utilisation Rate of HealthHub Portal›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 218w
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written-answer-3505
Miss Cheng Li Hui18 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Health what are the new features of the HealthHub portal and its utilisation rate.
Mr Gan Kim Yong200 words
[+11 sentences]HealthHub is a one-stop portal and mobile application developed by the Health Promotion Board (HPB). It provides a range of health-related content, e-services and incentives that encourage Singaporeans to stay healthy. It also enables Singaporeans to access some of their personal health information. As of end January 2017, more than 84,000 Singaporeans have downloaded the HealthHub application. The HealthHub portal has an average of 530,000 page views per month. A new Caregiver Access module was introduced in 2016 to allow authorised caregivers to access the medical appointments and records of those whom they are taking care of. This assists caregivers in keeping records and tracking appointments for their loved ones, who can decide on the level of access granted to the caregivers. In April 2017, HPB will introduce a new Personal Health Management module, known as the HealthHub Track. This provides users with digital tools, including action plans, to monitor and manage their health. HPB will also introduce personalised and localised content to support pregnant women in their pregnancy journey. In September 2017, HPB will introduce a new Diabetes Risk Assessment tool that helps adults, especially younger ones aged 18 to 39 years, to assess their risk for undiagnosed diabetes.
Areas of Focus Identified by Future Nursing Career Review Committee›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 375w
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written-answer-3507
Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef37 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Health whether the principles of inter-professional education and practice will be incorporated into the three strategic areas of focus identified by the Future Nursing Career Review Committee in developing a future-ready nursing workforce.
Mr Gan Kim Yong338 words
[+15 sentences]Inter-professional education and practice are integral to our education and training of nurses. For example, degree nursing students at the National University of Singapore have joint learning and training sessions with medical and pharmacy undergraduates on inter-professional communication and teamwork. They are also taught advance care planning with social work students. Nanyang Polytechnic organises an annual "Inter-professional Day" where students from health science disciplines, including nursing and social work, form teams to work on case scenarios and projects together. At our Institutes of Technical Education, students in nursing undergo simulations of team-based care comprising doctors and nurses. All nursing students will also experience team-based care during their clinical attachments in our public healthcare institutions. As part of continuing education and training efforts, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals in our public healthcare institutions will undergo joint training on areas, such as crisis management, patient safety and emergency resuscitation. In addition, the Ministry of Health has been sponsoring close to 50 in-employment nurses every year to undergo team-based skills training overseas. Going forward, the principles of inter-professional education and practice will be incorporated into the implementation of the three strategic areas of focus identified by the Future Nursing Career Review Committee. The first area of focus is care, which is about enabling nurses to focus more on patient care through job and process redesign. This will entail a streamlining of inter-professional and team-based processes to achieve better care and nursing productivity. The second area of focus is community, which is about strengthening community nursing. Community nurses will be equipped with nursing care competencies to meet patients’ needs by working with inter-professional teams at the primary, transitional, home, as well as long-term care settings. The third area of focus is competency, which is about developing broad-based nursing competencies and preparing nurses to practise team-based care across different settings. This work will be undertaken by a committee involving representatives from various professional groups in order to incorporate an inter-professional perspective in the review of the nursing education and training framework.
Update on Space Crunch for Subsidised Dialysis for Kidney Failure Patients›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 386w
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written-answer-3508
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong64 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Health (a) how serious is the space crunch for subsidised dialysis for patients with kidney failure; (b) how is the Ministry planning ahead for the increasing number of dialysis patients; (c) what is the current percentage of patients opting for home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis; and (d) what programmes are there to subsidise and support home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
Mr Gan Kim Yong322 words
[+16 sentences]The number of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients requiring dialysis has risen from 5,200 in 2012 to 6,400 in 2016. This is likely to increase further, due to the burden of diabetes and ageing population. Currently, 92% of dialysis patients are on haemodialysis (HD) while 8% are on peritoneal dialysis (PD). The Ministry of Health (MOH) provides subsidies for patients on PD as well as those receiving outpatient HD at 35 dialysis centres operated by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Kidney Dialysis Foundation (KDF) and People’s Dialysis Centre (PDC). At the national level, there are still available HD places, although there may be some geographical mismatch between demand and supply. Compared to HD, PD offers greater convenience and independence to patients as it can be administered at home by the patients themselves. PD also offers greater flexibility for patients as they are not restricted by the HD centres’ schedules4. Hence, MOH has embarked on initiatives to promote PD as an alternative dialysis modality to patients who are medically suitable. This is done in a few ways. First, MOH subsidises PD at higher levels to keep PD costs affordable for lower-income patients. Second, MOH is strengthening education programmes in public hospitals to raise patient awareness and acceptance of PD. Third, MOH has worked with NKF and public hospitals to develop and expand home support programmes for PD patients, where PD nurses will visit the patients to guide and assist them in carrying out PD at home. At the same time, HD capacity will be increased to serve an additional 1,300 subsidised patients by 2020. Four new HD centres will be opened later this year to serve an additional 500 subsidised patients. Besides promoting PD and expanding subsidised HD capacity, it is important that we strengthen upstream prevention of ESRD. MOH has recently announced new screening, detection and early intervention as well as more effective treatment efforts as part of the War on Diabetes.
Plans to Enhance Productivity in the Tourism Sector›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 394w
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written-answer-3510
Mr Desmond Choo47 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) what is the progress in uplifting the productivity of the hotel industry; (b) how has the Business Improvement Fund helped companies in the tourism sector; and (c) what are the other plans to enhance productivity in the sector.
Mr S Iswaran347 words
[+12 sentences]The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched the 1st Hotel Productivity Plan in 2011 to enhance productivity in the sector through initiatives, such as driving hotels' adoption of manpower-lean technology, encouraging sharing of best practices amongst hotels and redesigning of back-of-house processes. From 2011 to 2015, the nominal value-add per worker in the hotel industry increased at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.14%, which exceeded the national average CAGR of 0.95%.5 Building on this plan, the Hotel Industry Transformation Map was launched in November 2016. One key strategy is to build manpower-lean business models through productivity. STB has made good progress in collaborating with other Government agencies, as well as the industry associations, such as the Singapore Hotel Association, unions and workers, to implement initiatives under this strategy. For example, STB has worked closely with Workforce Singapore and McKinsey and Company to develop the Lean Hotel Initiative (LHI), a four-month programme to guide hotels in identifying and implementing productivity measures. From April 2017 onwards, hotels participating in LHI will undergo training in lean operations, as well as on-the-job coaching by McKinsey consultants. The Business Improvement Fund (BIF) was enhanced in April 2015 and aims to support tourism companies in areas, such as technology adoption and enhancement of business processes, to boost operational efficiency and improve competitiveness. Since 2015, the enhanced BIF has supported 93 projects across different industries. For instance, the hotel industry has tapped on BIF to implement Radio Frequency Identification technology for inventory management and robotic deployment in housekeeping functions to reduce the reliance on manpower. Similarly, the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions industry has used BIF to develop event management solutions for better operational effectiveness. There are several ongoing plans to enhance productivity across the tourism sector, such as the launch of a Travel Agent Roadmap in August 2016, which seeks to enable the travel agent industry to overcome manpower constraints and low technology adoption through various initiatives. As different tourism industry partners have different needs, STB will continue to work closely with them to build their capabilities to achieve better productivity gains.
Impact of 2% Budget Cut on Ministries and Agencies from Financial Year 2017›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 237w
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written-answer-3511
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang33 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Finance whether the 2% cut in the budget caps for all Ministries and agencies from FY2017 onwards will result in hiring freezes or headcount reductions in the Public Service.
Mr Heng Swee Keat204 words
[+10 sentences]The 2% downward adjustment is applied on the budget caps of Ministries and Organs of State to reinforce the importance of spending prudently and effectively. Ministries and Organs of State are provided with (a) budget caps for ongoing functions under the block budget, and (b) budget for specific projects on top of the block budget. The budget adjustment applies to the budget caps. Even with the budget adjustment, the total budget of Ministries and Organs of States will continue to grow partly due to the budget for specific projects funded on top of the block budget. Some savings from the budget adjustment will be channeled to projects that enhance service delivery to citizens and businesses. Agencies can decide for themselves how best to meet their objectives under the adjusted budget. The Ministry of Finance does not prescribe specific measures, such as cutting particular programmes, hiring freezes or headcount reductions, because each agency faces a different operating context. Agencies are expected to prioritise and deliver their programmes and projects in the most effective manner. To manage the budget adjustment, some agencies may expand certain programmes while phasing out programmes which are no longer relevant. Other agencies may maintain the same programmes but use less resources.
Classification of Revenue Earned from Government Land Leases›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 192w
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written-answer-3512
Ms Sylvia Lim52 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Finance in respect of the revenue earned from leases of Government land, what is the cut-off lease duration (in months or years) that is used to distinguish between revenue that is classified as operating revenue and revenue that is classified as a capital receipt under Sales of Land.
Mr Heng Swee Keat140 words
[+5 sentences]Under the Protection of Reserves Framework in the Constitution, revenue from the disposal of State land is protected as part of Singapore’s Past Reserves and not available to the Government for spending as operating revenue. State land is deemed to be disposed of when the Government issues freehold titles, or issues leasehold titles for a total period of 10 years or more. Our approach of protecting State land and revenue from land sales as Past Reserves is fiscally prudent and responsible. It ensures that all budgeting and spending decisions by the Government are based on sustainable, regular revenue sources, including the Net Investment Returns Contribution from our Past Reserves. In this way, we guard against the possibility of a government attempting to sell land quickly, especially when there is a property boom, just to raise immediate revenues to spend more.
Plans to Redevelop Katong Swimming Complex›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 62w
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written-answer-3513
Mr Lim Biow Chuan18 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether there are any plans to redevelop Katong Swimming Complex.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien44 words
[+2 sentences]The full redevelopment of the Katong Swimming Complex will be considered under later phases of Sport Singapore’s (SportSG’s) Sports Facilities Master Plan. However, SportSG plans to carry out rejuvenation works to enhance the user experience at the swimming complex within the next few years.
Criteria for Classification of HDB Estates as Mature or Non-mature›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 88w
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written-answer-3514
Mr Darryl David28 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development what criteria does HDB use when classifying estates as "mature" or "non-mature" and whether these criteria are made known to the public.
Mr Lawrence Wong60 words
[+2 sentences]Non-mature towns/estates refer to those where there is more land available for public housing development, whereas mature towns/estates are usually those with limited land for public housing development. To guide applicants in Build-To-Order and Sale of Balance Flats exercises, the estate classifications of the flats on offer are stated in the Housing and Development Board’s press releases and e-sales brochures.
Estimate of Five-year-old Private Non-landed Properties not Subject to Seller's Stamp Duty›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 118w
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written-answer-3515
Mr Gan Thiam Poh57 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the projected number of five-year-old private non-landed properties in 2017 and in the next three years whereby sellers will not be subjected to the seller's stamp duty; and (b) how many of these properties are in the Core Central Region and outside of the Core Central Region respectively.
Mr Lawrence Wong61 words
[+2 sentences]From 2017 to 2020, the estimated total number of private non-landed properties that were purchased five years ago, whereby sellers will not be subject to Seller's Stamp Duty, is about 12,000 in the Core Central Region and 67,000 outside of the Core Central Region. Property transaction data can be obtained via the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Real Estate Information System at https//spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/index.cfm.
HDB Flats Reaching Minimum Occupation Period of Five Years from 2017 to 2020›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 111w
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written-answer-3516
Mr Gan Thiam Poh27 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development how many HDB flats will reach their Minimum Occupation Period of five years in 2017 and in the next three years.
Mr Lawrence Wong84 words
[+3 sentences]Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat owners are required to fulfil a Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) before they are eligible to sell their flats on the open market. For flats bought directly from HDB, about 12,000 of them will fulfil their five-year MOP in 2017 and another 56,000 flats will fulfil their MOP from 2018 to 2020. For flats bought from the resale market, about 22,000 will fulfil their MOP this year and another 56,000 flats will fulfil their MOP from 2018 to 2020.
Applications from Single Unwed Mothers Aged 35 and Below to Purchase or Rent an HDB Flat›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 144w
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written-answer-3517
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang56 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development for each of the years in the past three years (a) how many single unwed mothers under the age of 35 have applied together with their children and without other family members to purchase or rent a flat from HDB; and (b) how many of such applications have been approved.
Mr Lawrence Wong88 words
[+4 sentences]From 2014 to 2016, about 100 single unwed parents under the age of 35 appealed to buy a flat with their children and without other family members. Over the same period, about 300 single unwed parents under the age of 35 appealed to rent a flat from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) with their children. For both types of appeals, HDB approved about one-fifth of the cases. The remainder could continue living with their parents, could afford other housing options or were already co-owners of a flat.
Sectoral Statistics on Waste Management and Recycling from 2014 to 2016›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 471w
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written-answer-3518
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah58 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) in the last three years, what percentage of companies in our industrial and commercial sectors are actively engaged in waste management and recycling; (b) what percentage of households are engaged in recycling; and (c) what measures are in place to improve the recycling rates for companies and households.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M413 words
[+22 sentences]The recycling performance of the domestic and non-domestic sectors are key indicators which are tracked by my Ministry. In 2016, the non-domestic sector, comprising industrial and commercial premises, recycled 76% of its waste while the domestic sector, comprising households and trade premises, recycled 21% of its waste. We have set ambitious recycling targets to be achieved by 2030. In addition to an overall recycling rate of 70%, we aim to reach a non-domestic recycling rate of 81% and a domestic recycling rate of 30%. The non-domestic sector has shown consistently higher recycling rates. The National Environment Agency (NEA) works closely with companies to implement waste reduction and recycling programmes. For example, under the mandatory waste reporting initiative, large hotels with more than 200 rooms, and shopping malls with net lettable areas of more than 50,000 square feet are required to submit annual waste data and waste reduction plans. Based on the reports received, NEA engages the building managers of these premises on how to better manage their waste streams. NEA also works with stakeholders to develop and update Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R) guidebooks for different industry sectors. These step-by-step guidebooks are accessible on the NEA website. Regular engagement is also done with the industry to promote adoption of 3R practices. Our domestic recycling rate has remained at around 20% in the last few years. Our approach to improve the recycling rate for households is to make recycling more convenient and to raise awareness on recycling. Currently, every Housing and Development Board (HDB) block and private landed property is provided with a recycling bin while condominiums are mandated to provide recycling receptacles. To further enhance the recycling infrastructure, all new HDB Build-to-Order flats launched since 2014 are installed with dual chutes for refuse and recyclables. As announced earlier, the provision of recycling chutes will be extended to private residential developments. Buildings taller than four storeys in all new non-landed private residential developments will be required to install dual chutes for refuse and recyclables from 1 April 2018. This will make recycling as convenient as refuse disposal for households. However, infrastructure provision alone is not enough, and we need everyone to make recycling a habit. To raise awareness on recycling, NEA provides information on proper recycling habits on its website and the myENV mobile app. A 3R video for households is also available on YouTube. NEA also works with schools and other community partners on public education programmes to promote recycling habits in households.
Building a Wet Market and Hawker Centre at Upper Serangoon Crescent›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 188w
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written-answer-3519
Ms Sylvia Lim37 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Government will build a wet market and hawker centre at Upper Serangoon Crescent or its vicinity in view of the new housing developments in the area.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M151 words
[+6 sentences]The National Environment Agency (NEA) takes into account several factors in the siting of new hawker centres and markets, such as the location of existing facilities, the availability of suitable land for new sites, and the population of the town. There are currently eating establishments and commercial facilities in the vicinity of Upper Serangoon Crescent. In particular, there are wet markets in Rivervale Plaza and market produce shops in Hougang Central. There are also two hawker centres with wet markets located at Block 209 Hougang Street 21 (Kovan Market and Food Centre), and Block 105 Hougang Avenue 1, as well as a hawker centre located at 51 Hougang Avenue 9 (Ci Yuan Hawker Centre) which was opened in 2015. There are no plans to build a hawker centre nor wet market in Upper Serangoon Crescent. Notwithstanding this, we review the need for new hawker centres to serve new housing developments regularly.
Statistics on Students Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder from 2012 to 2016›Written Answers to Questions2 turns · 61w
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written-answer-3520
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong26 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Education (Schools) how many students in Singapore have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in each year over the past five years.
Mr Ng Chee Meng35 words
[+1 sentence]Based on data reported by both mainstream and Special Education schools, the number of students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder enrolled in these schools range from about 3,500 in 2012 to about 5,000 in 2016.
Diversity HR Management Policy at Healthcare Institutions›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 142w
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written-answer-na-3466
Ms K Thanaletchimi52 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Health (a) whether healthcare institutions have a diversity management policy; (b) whether the staff are provided training to handle diversity issues; and (c) whether human resource personnel are well trained to manage workplace diversity practices in areas relating to age, race/culture, gender, nationality, religion and people with disabilities.
Mr Gan Kim Yong90 words
[+5 sentences]With their diverse groups of employees, public healthcare institutions (PHIs) recognise the importance of building inclusive and harmonious workplaces. PHIs provide training to human resource staff and supervisors to work with employees from diverse backgrounds. Orientation programmes are organised for new employees which include modules on workplace culture and diversity. Social activities are also organised to encourage bonding amongst different groups of staff. Our institutions will continue to work with the union and employees to regularly obtain feedback on how we can work together to further improve workplace diversity practices.
Number of Events Held at National Stadium and Indoor Stadium›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 197w
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written-answer-na-3467
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap75 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how many events have been held at the National Stadium and Indoor Stadium respectively in 2016; (b) how many events are expected to be held at the National Stadium and Indoor Stadium respectively in 2017; and (c) whether the number of event days at the National Stadium and Indoor Stadium meets the number promised by the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium when they were granted the contract.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien122 words
[+4 sentences]In 2016, 24 events were hosted at the National Stadium and 27 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, while 2015 saw 18 and 31 events hosted at the two venues respectively. As discussions on the use of the venues are ongoing, we are unable to provide the numbers for 2017 now. More can and should be done by SportsHub Pte Ltd (SHPL) to enhance the vibrancy of the Sports Hub and improve the quality of its calendar of events and programming. To this end, SportSG is closely monitoring SHPL's performance and is in regular communication with SHPL's top management to ensure that they remain accountable for the goals of the project and seek to maximise the value of the Sports Hub for Singaporeans.
Rain Shelters for Motorcyclists›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 118w
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written-answer-na-3469
Mr Zainal Sapari62 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the total number of dedicated rain shelters for motorcyclists along our expressways; (b) what measures are in place to ensure that these places are safe for motorcyclists when they seek shelter during rain; and (c) whether the Ministry can consider building more dedicated rain shelters for motorcyclists other than those found below overhead bridges.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan56 words
[+4 sentences]There are 80 dedicated rain shelters for motorcyclists along expressways. They are located under flyovers and are segregated from the main carriageway by vehicle impact guardrails, concrete safety barriers or spring-loaded poles. There are also warning signs about 40 metres before each shelter to alert drivers and motorcyclists. We will provide more rain shelters where feasible.
Crimes Committed by Foreigners›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 335w
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written-answer-na-3470
Mr Darryl David75 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many foreigners have committed criminal offences in the last year that have required them to be imprisoned; (b) how is this number compared with the previous years; and (c) what criminal offences will be deemed serious or heinous enough for the Government to revoke the immigration status of an offender, deport him from the country and bar him from re-entry, either indefinitely or for a specified period.
Mr K Shanmugam260 words
[+13 sentences]Foreigners visiting or living in Singapore must abide by our laws. The Government takes a serious view against those who run afoul of our laws and will not hesitate to take them to task. The number of foreigners imprisoned for criminal convictions over the last five years has declined, from about 4,550 in 2012 to 2,750 in 2016. Of the foreigners sentenced to imprisonment in 2016, over a third were convicted of immigration-related offences. Foreigners made up 26.9% of all persons sentenced to imprisonment for criminal convictions in 2016. This proportion is less than the 30% of foreigners in our population. The number of foreigners imprisoned for offences, other than immigration offences, was 1,809. That is 17.7% of the total number of people sentenced to prison terms, compared with the 30% of foreigners in our population. The Immigration Act allows the Controller of Immigration to deem any foreigner who has been sentenced to imprisonment as an undesirable immigrant and cancel his immigration pass. Similarly, the Ministry of Manpower will revoke the work passes of foreigners who commit serious offences and ban them permanently from employment in Singapore. These foreigners will be repatriated after they have served their sentences. The Immigration Act allows the Minister for Home Affairs to prohibit the entry and re-entry of a foreigner in the interests of public security. Foreigners who reoffended or are convicted of serious offences, such as drug trafficking, violent crime, organised or syndicated crime, and immigration offences, and do not have family roots in Singapore will typically be prohibited from re-entry into Singapore.
Ensuring Sufficient Sleep for Students›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 183w
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written-answer-na-3471
Dr Lim Wee Kiak51 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) how do schools monitor whether the primary and secondary school students are overloaded with homework which may deprive them of sufficient rest; and (b) how is the Ministry working with schools to encourage students to get sufficient sleep as recommended by the NurtureSG Taskforce.
Mr Ng Chee Meng132 words
[+7 sentences]Every school has put in place a homework policy articulating the objectives of homework and how homework load is regulated. This policy is communicated to parents and students. Schools have implemented processes to monitor and coordinate homework load. One approach commonly used is to designate a homework board in every class that lists all the homework, tests and projects assigned. This helps teachers to be aware of the spread of homework given to the class, so that they can coordinate and adjust the workload and assignment deadlines where appropriate. To help students understand the importance of having sufficient sleep, primary schools teach good self-management and time management skills through the Form Teacher Guidance Period, and good sleep habits through the Physical Education curriculum. This is also reinforced through the secondary school curriculum.
Implementation of Additional Breaks between Lessons for Students›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 197w
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written-answer-na-3472
Dr Lim Wee Kiak45 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) how many schools have yet to implement the additional breaks between lessons for students; (b) what is the Ministry doing to assess the effectiveness of these breaks; and (c) whether any tweaking is required to get better results.
Mr Ng Chee Meng152 words
[+7 sentences]Ninety-five percent of all schools have implemented the additional break on top of recess. Students who have to stay back in school for afternoon programmes also have lunch breaks reasonably spaced from the recess break. The remaining 5% of schools have not implemented the meal breaks because their school days end by 1.30pm. As part of their ongoing review process, schools gather feedback regularly from teachers, students and parents, and make changes to ensure that the additional break is beneficial. For example, based on feedback, some schools play music through the public address system to signal the start of the additional break for the entire school. Examples of healthy snacks are shared during assembly so that students know what they can bring for the additional break. The Ministry of Education headquarters and schools will continue to monitor the implementation of the snack breaks and ensure that student well-being is taken care of.
Motor Insurance Payouts from Accidents Involving Foreign Motorists›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 78w
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written-answer-na-3473
Dr Tan Wu Meng36 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Transport in the last three years, how many local motorists have successfully claimed insurance payouts from foreign motorists for (i) personal injury and (ii) vehicle damage arising from vehicle accidents within Singapore.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan42 words
[+3 sentences]Insurance claims are private transactions and we do not have access to the data. We understand that the General Insurance Association of Singapore will assist local motorists in claims against Malaysian insurance companies. We have received very few complaints on this issue.
Government Support for Efforts to Enhance Women Representation at Leadership Positions›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 385w
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written-answer-na-3474
Ms Sun Xueling39 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Social and Family Development how can the Government better support the work of the Diversity Action Committee which looks at enabling women leadership and increasing the representation of women directors on boards of Singapore companies.
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin346 words
[+16 sentences]In recent years, many people have spoken about the importance and benefits of having more women on boards and in senior management. They include key private sector players, regulators, as well as senior Government leaders like Madam Speaker, Minister Grace Fu and Minister Shanmugam. Indeed, it is already widely known that having more women on boards adds to the board’s diversity in skillsets, experiences and perspectives, leading to better decisions. However, while there has been some progress on this front, more needs to be done to quicken the pace of change. I would thus like to thank Ms Sun Xueling for her timely question on how the Government can better support the work of the Diversity Action Committee (DAC). The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) set up DAC in August 2014 to build up women's representation on boards of companies in Singapore. It comprises illustrious business leaders and professionals from the private, people and public sectors. I received DAC's end-of-term report and next step recommendations in October last year. One of the recommendations was to strengthen the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS') Code of Corporate Governance (CG Code) to require listed companies to disclose their diversity policy, including gender, and their progress towards achieving the objectives. MAS has formed a Corporate Governance Council to review the CG Code. The Council will consider DAC's recommendation as part of its review. While the Government continues to encourage the inclusion of qualified women in executive development pipelines, companies have an equally important role to play. We urge companies to rely less on personal networks when searching for board candidates and look at widening their board search criteria. Companies must adopt best practices for board nomination and appointments, and also proactively incorporate board training in their talent development programmes. Private sector leaders should volunteer to mentor and sponsor aspiring women leaders, who should be encouraged to step up and take up available board positions. The Government and private sector have to work hand in hand with DAC to build up women’s representation on the boards of Singapore companies.
Deployment of Technicians to HDB Car Parks During Breakdown of Electronic Parking System›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 192w
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written-answer-na-3475
Mr Ang Hin Kee66 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the response time for the deployment of technicians to the incident site where there is a system breakdown at HDB car parks which implement the electronic parking system (EPS); (b) how reliable is the existing centralised response system; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider decentralising the response system as more HDB car parks have implemented EPS.
Mr Lawrence Wong126 words
[+5 sentences]The management of the Housing and Development Board's (HDB's) electronic parking system (EPS) car parks are decentralised to 10 different EPS service providers. Each service provider has a 24-hour call centre to provide assistance to motorists via the intercom installed at the entrance/exit gate of the car park. When feedback is received through the intercom, staff at the call centre will assess the situation and a response officer will be deployed to the affected site if the system-related issue cannot be resolved remotely. For system-related issues, HDB's contract agreements with the service providers stipulate that the response officer should reach the affected site within 10 minutes, under normal traffic and weather conditions. HDB can impose liquidated damages on service providers who fail to meet this requirement.
Causes for Popping or Cracking Tiles in HDB Flats›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 294w
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written-answer-na-3476
Mr Liang Eng Hwa45 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development (a) in the last two years, what has been the number of reports received on floor tiles popping up or cracking; (b) what are its causes; and (c) how can HDB assist flat owners to deal with the situation.
Mr Lawrence Wong249 words
[+12 sentences]Tiles, like all fittings, fixtures and finishes in a flat, are subject to wear and tear over time. They may dislodge due to various reasons, such as differential thermal expansion and contraction of tiles, or the natural deterioration of the bond between the tiles and the screed surface. All these can cause a loss of adhesion between the tiles and the screed surface, and the dislodgement of tiles. In the past two years, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) received about 2,000 cases of dislodged floor tiles per year. This works out to a nationwide yearly average of about two cases per 1,000 dwelling units, or 0.2% per year. Flat owners are responsible for the maintenance of their flats, including repairs for general wear and tear. In private developments, developers generally only rectify dislodged tiles during the one-year Defects Liability Period (DLP). Some developers may offer repair for dislodged tiles for a slightly longer period, for example, three years, but those are generally done on a goodwill basis. HDB's practice has been more generous. Besides helping flat owners repair dislodged tiles originally provided by HDB during the one-year DLP, it also offers goodwill repairs for dislodged tiles for up to 15 years. For flats that are older than 15 years, HDB will help carry out inspections and assist the owners to remove and dispose of the affected tiles. HDB can also provide owners with a list of registered repair contractors whom they can then engage on a private basis.
Lifts in Schools›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 89w
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written-answer-na-3477
Mr Zainal Sapari41 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) what is the current number of Government primary and secondary schools with lifts; and (b) whether there are plans to install lifts in all schools for barrier-free access for staff, outsourced workers and vendors.
Mr Ng Chee Meng48 words
[+3 sentences]The Ministry of Education includes barrier-free accessibility enhancements, including lifts, whenever new schools are built or existing schools undergo major upgrading. About 70% of our Government primary and secondary schools are currently fitted with lifts. The remaining schools will be provided with lifts when they undergo major upgrading.
Extension of No-pay Infant Care Leave to Public Healthcare Institutions›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 145w
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written-answer-na-3478
Ms K Thanaletchimi46 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Health whether the option of the additional four weeks of no-pay infant care leave that will be introduced for public sector employees will be extended to all public healthcare institutions and, if not, when will this be rolled out to these institutions.
Mr Gan Kim Yong99 words
[+4 sentences]From July 2017, Government Ministries and Statutory Boards will conduct a three-year pilot to test the viability of providing an additional four weeks of unpaid infant care leave to their employees who wish to apply for such leave. The purpose of the pilot is to assess whether it is feasible to extend this arrangement to other organisations in future. As public healthcare institutions are separate from Government Ministries and Statutory Boards, they are not part of the pilot. We encourage our public healthcare institutions to discuss with the unions on the feasibility of having this arrangement for their employees.
Non-compliance with Approved Operating Procedures at SMRT›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 394w
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written-answer-na-3479
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong56 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Manpower with regard to SMRT's non-compliance with approved operating procedures since 2002 and till the fatal accident in March 2016 (a) whether the Ministry had inspected SMRT for workplace safety during this period; and (b) why did the system failures in management of workplace safety go undetected and uncorrected for so long.
Mr Lim Swee Say338 words
[+18 sentences]Every worker has the right to a safe and healthy workplace. We enacted the Workplace Safety and Health Act to ensure that safety and health risks to workers are eliminated or mitigated to as low as reasonably practicable. It holds employers and occupiers responsible for putting in place effective safety systems to ensure the safety and health of their workers. To enforce the Act, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) takes a proactive and risk-based approach in our inspections. We focus on sectors with a high likelihood of an accident occurring, or where an accident could result in severe consequences. We target workplaces with activities that have recorded a high number of injuries nationally. These inspections serve as deterrence against non-compliance and educate companies on the preventive measures. When an incident occurs, MOM investigates to determine the root causes and culpability of the companies and/or individuals involved. We take appropriate prosecution actions, depending on the culpability of the offender and the extent of harm. In the case of Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT), MOM conducted 10 workplace safety inspections at various train depots from 2002 to 2015. Our inspections focused on work-at-height activities and falling object hazards, which were the main causes of workplace fatalities during that period. Following the March 2016 fatal accident, our investigation established that SMRT's employees failed to comply with the established work procedures. We were also of the view that such failures could have been detected and remedied internally by SMRT if there was an effective system of safety checks and audits. This is why the Public Prosecutor pressed for a sentence commensurate with the seriousness of the case, and the Court fined SMRT $400,000. This is the highest fine ever imposed for a Workplace Safety and Health violation. Safeguarding the safety and health of our workers must be the top priority of all businesses. Both employers and workers must take collective ownership of safety and health outcomes. Together, we can ensure our workers return home from work safe and healthy every single day.
Challenges in Applying for Assistance under Lean Enterprise Development Scheme›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 307w
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written-answer-na-3480
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng33 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what are the key challenges encountered by companies in applying for assistance under the Lean Enterprise Development Scheme (LEDS); and (b) how can these issues be addressed.
Mr Lim Swee Say274 words
[+15 sentences]The three main challenges faced by firms in applying for the Lean Enterprise Development Scheme (LEDS) assistance are lack of solutions, lack of scale and lack of impact. First, lack of solutions. Some firms can identify their problems but have not found the solutions. We will help such firms by identifying and promoting more prequalified, ready-to-go solutions that can be quickly adopted to help companies become more productive. As shared in the Ministry of Manpower's Committee of Supply debate this year, there are 71 prequalified, ready-to-go solutions which can drive productivity improvement, skills development and innovation across various industries. Subsidies are made certain upfront for any firm adopting these ready-to-go solutions. The LED Taskforce will spread awareness of the prequalified solutions through the small and medium enterprises (SME) Centres and industry associations to showcase their solutions to companies. Second, lack of scale Some firms have a solution in mind, but they are unable to implement them as they lack the scale or volume. The LED agencies will help bring different firms that face similar issues together and help them find a common solution to transform as a cluster. Third, lack of impact. Some firms have solutions but their solutions lack impact. Their proposed plan only results in marginal improvements in productivity and strengthening the Singaporean Core. As these firms are committed to change, the LED agencies will guide and handhold them to improve their plan to achieve stronger outcomes. The LED taskforce will then help with funding support and, if necessary, transitional manpower support, to implement their plans. Companies can get more information from industry associations, the SME Portal or from any SME centre.
Use of Industrial Premises for Religious Activities›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 132w
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written-answer-na-3481
Mr Gan Thiam Poh28 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development if he will provide an update on the take-up rate of the non-exclusive and limited use of industrial premises for religious activities.
Mr Lawrence Wong104 words
[+3 sentences]In response to requests from religious organisations to allow some flexibility in the use of industrial space for religious purposes during factory downtime, the Urban Redevelopment Authority introduced a set of guidelines allowing religious organisations to use industrial premises zoned Business 1 on a limited and non-exclusive basis. The predominant use of the premises must remain that of industrial activities, and the religious use must not alter the primary character and function of the industrial premises. Since the introduction of the guidelines in June 2012, 17 churches and two Taoist temples have been approved non-exclusive and limited use of industrial premises for religious activities.
Proposed Hawker Centre in Choa Chu Kang›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 78w
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written-answer-na-3482
Mr Alex Yam34 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) when will plans for the proposed hawker centre in Choa Chu Kang town be finalised; and (b) where is it likely to be located.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M44 words
[+2 sentences]Choa Chu Kang is one of the towns identified for a new hawker centre by 2027. My Ministry is at the early stages of planning for this centre and we will provide more details of the location and timeline when the plans are ready.
Complaints of Dog Owners Failing to Pick Up after Their Pets›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 249w
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written-answer-na-3483
Mr Saktiandi Supaat75 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) in the past three years, how many complaints have there been of dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets had defecated in public areas; (b) how can dog owners be encouraged not to let their pets urinate at the pillars in the void decks or the public park furniture; and (c) whether there was any enforcement action taken against these dog owners.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M174 words
[+8 sentences]All pet owners should clean up after their pets in public places. Members of the public who fail to clean up after their pets defecate in public areas can be fined up to $1,000 for the first offence under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations. Over the past three years, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has received more than 1,300 cases of feedback concerning faeces from pet dogs and stray dogs in public areas. As enforcement is challenging due to the transient nature of the offence, actions were only taken in four cases. NEA, together with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, have been working with the Town Councils to undertake road shows and community events as well as distribute educational materials to educate pet owners to clean up after their pets. Standees are also placed at prominent locations where animal waste is an issue. Not cleaning up after one's pet is irresponsible behaviour that dirties our environment. I urge all pet owners to be considerate and play their part in keeping Singapore clean.
Provision of Natural Gas Supply to Industrial Estates›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 308w
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written-answer-na-3484
Mr Gan Thiam Poh29 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) what is the progress in the provision of natural gas supply to all industrial estates to help industries reduce carbon emission.
Mr S Iswaran279 words
[+12 sentences]Since large-scale natural gas imports began in 2001, our natural and town gas networks have been expanding to meet growing demands from power plants and industry. Over the past 10 years, PowerGas has extended our pipeline network by about 650 kilometres, or about 23% of the entire network. The natural gas network today covers our industrial estates in western and northern Singapore, while the town gas network spans much of the island, including most of the remaining industrial estates. This will benefit industries that presently use more carbon-intensive fuels, such as diesel. Only the Seletar industrial estate is not presently connected to either the natural gas or town gas networks. This is because the companies sited there are in the aviation and supporting industries and presently do not require sufficient volumes of gas to justify extending the gas network there. As the development of the pipeline network is capital-intensive, the Energy Market Authority will continue to extend the natural gas and town gas networks to serve areas where there is sustained gas demand growth. JTC will also factor in the utility needs of the industry, that is, power, water and gas, when planning for new industrial sites. This will assist to lower the last-mile connectivity cost as a whole for companies. Besides switching to cleaner fuels, such as natural gas, to reduce their carbon emissions, companies can also utilise renewable energy, such as solar power or implement energy efficiency measures. For instance, Apple had signed an agreement with local solar company Sunseap in 2015 to provide clean energy to power its entire Singapore operations. Companies can also tap on various energy efficiency grant schemes to improve their energy efficiency.
Tunnelling Works that Led to Cave-in at Bukit Brown Tomb›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 167w
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written-answer-na-3485
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong58 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Transport with regard to the ground cave-in at a historic tomb within Greater Bukit Brown (a) whether the contractor had knowledge of ground conditions and exercised adequate supervision of tunnelling operations; and (b) how does LTA ensure that machine operators are adequately trained and experienced to handle tunnelling in historic, ecologically-sensitive and built-up areas.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan109 words
[+8 sentences]The localised depression was caused by a combination of mixed ground conditions and poor judgement on the part of the machine operator. The correct protocol, which the operator failed to follow, is to stop tunnelling and consult the on-site Tunnel Manager or Senior Tunnel Engineer. The errant operator has been replaced. Tunnel boring requires specialist skills. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) only appoints machine operators with at least five years of experience. LTA also requires the contractor to conduct soil investigation before tunnelling to understand the ground conditions. Thus, depressions of such scale and magnitude are rare. Nevertheless, LTA will be enforcing even stricter controls and supervision going forward.
Eradicating Gang-related Activities›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 285w
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written-answer-na-3486
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah52 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past three years, how many people have been arrested for gang-related activities; (b) what are the authorities doing to outlaw gangsterism; and (c) in light of gangs using social media to recruit youths, what is being done to identify and educate at-risk youths.
Mr K Shanmugam233 words
[+9 sentences]The Singapore Police Force (SPF) closely monitors and controls the gang situation in Singapore through tough laws and strict enforcement. The number of rioting cases with secret society connotations is an indicator of the gang situation in Singapore. In the last three years, these rioting cases have declined from 62 cases in 2014 to 55 cases in 2015 and 52 cases in 2016. The number of gang-related rioting cases involving youths has also declined, from 21 cases in 2014 to 16 cases per year in 2015 and 2016. Beyond enforcement, SPF also works closely with the Singapore Prison Service, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social and Family Development and voluntary welfare organisations to implement a range of preventive intervention and rehabilitative initiatives targeting at-risk youths. One key preventive initiative is the conduct of anti-gang talks, especially targeted at secondary school students, to discourage them from getting involved in street gang activities. Since 2008, SPF has also been conducting training camps for youths to steer them away from crime or gang-related activities through team-based activities, self-reflection and sharing sessions by former gang members. In addition, youths detected to be involved in gang activities may also be diverted to the Streetwise Programme, which includes curfew hours and counselling sessions involving the youths and their parents. We will continue to keep a tight rein on gang activities in Singapore, including closely monitoring gang-related activities online.
Equipment for Fitness Corners at HDB Estates›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 188w
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written-answer-na-3487
Mr Leon Perera60 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the criteria to determine what type of fitness corners and equipment are built in an HDB estate; (b) how many of the existing fitness corners are catered for National Servicemen for their IPPT training; and (c) whether these equipment also cater to other residents, such as the elderly, teenagers and children.
Mr Lawrence Wong128 words
[+7 sentences]Since mid-2000s, new Housing and Development Board (HDB) developments have been provided with 3-Generation (3G) Family Playgrounds. Apart from play stations for children, these playgrounds also include a wide range of fitness stations which cater to adults and the elderly. For the adult fitness stations, HDB's appointed consultants select equipment suitable for muscular and strength development. For the elderly fitness stations, the focus is on equipment which emphasise aerobic fitness and flexibility. All the equipment must comply with Singapore Standard 5342007, which specifies safety requirements for outdoor fitness equipment. As for the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), it currently comprises only the push-ups, sit-ups and a 2.4-kilometre run. These exercises do not require any special equipment and can be done at the fitness corners or even at home.
Noise Pollution Summonses Issued to Malaysian Motorcycles Entering Singapore›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 290w
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written-answer-na-3488
Mr Liang Eng Hwa81 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) in the last two years, how many motorcycles entering Singapore from Malaysia have been issued summonses for emitting vehicle noise beyond permissible levels; (b) whether there are plans to step up enforcement actions, especially at BKE areas, for vehicles that emit loud vehicular noise and causing disturbances to housing estates near the expressway; and (c) whether there are plans to review and lower the level of permissible noise emitted by vehicles.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M209 words
[+10 sentences]The National Environment Agency (NEA) regulates noise emission standards for new and existing vehicles. These standards are internationally benchmarked and are regularly reviewed. Vehicles to be registered for use on roads in Singapore are required to comply with the noise emission standards prescribed in the Environmental Protection and Management (Vehicular Emissions) Regulations. Existing vehicles undergo mandatory periodic inspections, which include ensuring that the vehicles comply with the in-use noise emission standards. Passing the periodic inspection is needed for the renewal of the road tax. NEA and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) conduct joint enforcement blitzes against noisy vehicles. LTA takes action against the owners of motorcycles with illegal exhaust modifications, which are one of the main causes of excessive noise emissions. Since the beginning of 2016, 38 foreign motorcycles have been stopped by LTA for suspected illegal exhaust modifications. The owners of such foreign vehicles are referred to the Department of Environment in Malaysia, which will then notify them to send their vehicles for inspection and to rectify any illegal modifications before they are allowed to use their vehicles on the road. NEA and LTA take into account public feedback when deciding on the locations for enforcement blitzes, and they will look into the areas suggested by the Member.
Industry Knowledge for Public Officers Negotiating Free Trade Agreements›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 306w
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written-answer-na-3489
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng41 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) whether public officers in charge of free trade agreements can be specialised in targeted industry sectors so that companies can directly approach them to get practical assistance for information and to resolve issues.
Mr Lim Hng Kiang265 words
[+10 sentences]The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) works with our economic agencies, such as the Economic Development Board (EDB) and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore to raise awareness of our free trade agreements (FTAs) and to ensure that our companies can benefit from our FTAs. Trade negotiators from the Ministry and IE Singapore's FTA promotion and advisory team regularly engage Trade Associations and Chambers to help companies use FTAs. To illustrate, IE Singapore had conducted industry-specific workshops on the benefits of FTAs with the Textiles and Apparel Fashion Federation for the garment manufacturing industry, and with the Singapore Food Manufacturers' Association and Singapore Manufacturers Association for the food and beverage and manufacturing industries in 2016. This year, IE Singapore plans to conduct industry-specific workshops for companies in the services sector. In addition, IE Singapore also conducts customised, one-to-one FTA consultations with companies. Over the last five years, around 3,500 companies have benefited from workshops and seminars aimed at building greater awareness and knowledge of how FTAs can be utilised. An additional 2,000 companies have benefited from one-to-one FTA consultations with IE Singapore. The beneficiaries of these efforts include local small and medium enterprises in diverse sectors that wish to capitalise on FTAs in penetrating export markets. Company feedback is integral to trade agreements, which are intended to help our businesses access foreign markets. MTI and our economic agencies will continue to engage our companies prior to the start of new FTAs, during negotiations and when we review existing FTAs, to ensure that these agreements stay relevant to the needs of our businesses in the various industries.
Personal Mobility Devices on Buses and Trains›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 177w
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written-answer-na-3490
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye54 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether personal mobility devices will be allowed on buses and trains permanently; (b) whether there have been any cases of denied access and what are the reasons for such cases; and (c) how can the first- and last-mile experience be further improved for users of personal mobility devices.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan123 words
[+5 sentences]The trial to allow foldable bicycles and personal mobility devices (PMDs) on buses and trains at all hours began last December. This has been welcomed by cyclists and PMD users and, so far, there have not been significant negative reactions from other commuters. We will decide whether to make this arrangement permanent when the trial ends in May this year. In the last four months, there were about 70 reported instances where foldable bicycles or PMDs were not permitted to board the train or bus, largely because they exceeded the allowable dimensions. To improve the first- and last-mile experience for cyclists and PMD users, we will continue to widen footpaths where possible, and build more covered linkways, cycling paths and bicycle parking facilities.
Regulation of Use and Storage of Bicycles Operated by Bicycle-sharing Companies›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 271w
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written-answer-na-3491
Miss Cheng Li Hui54 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the measures regulating the use and storage of bicycles operated by commercial bicycle-sharing companies; (b) what recourse do cyclists have when these bicycles take up their parking places; and (c) what recourse do residents and commercial entities have when such bicycles are left on their premises.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan217 words
[+12 sentences]In public spaces, shared bicycles are subject to the same parking rules as all other bicycles. They cannot be parked outside of bicycle parking racks and demarcated parking areas, as this may cause obstruction or inconvenience to the public. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has set up a feedback channel with bicycle-sharing operators to inform them to remove illegally-parked bicycles expeditiously. Members of the public who come across illegally-parked bicycles in public places can inform LTA or the bicycle-sharing operators directly. LTA, together with other Government agencies, will strictly enforce against illegal parking. Enforcement action will include the impounding of bicycles and fines. The Government is also working to provide more bicycle parking in areas where there is a shortfall. We have already begun introducing bicycle parking zones at seven Mass Rapid Transit stations2. These are demarcated by yellow painted boxes on the ground and are open to both privately-owned and shared bicycles. We intend to implement more such zones and also more bicycle parking racks at other public areas. As for private spaces, including commercial and residential developments, the owners have the right to remove objects left on their property without permission. We would suggest that bicycle-sharing companies engage private development owners before operating bicycle-sharing services on their premises or making use of their bicycle parking.
Incidents of Public Disorder at Night Entertainment Clubs›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 302w
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written-answer-na-3492
Assoc Prof Randolph Tan30 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether Police powers can be increased to enable more stringent enforcement to prevent incidents of public disorder at night clubs, bars and similar establishments.
Mr K Shanmugam272 words
[+13 sentences]Nightclubs, bars and similar nightlife establishments are regulated and licensed by the Police under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PEMA). A key objective of the regulation is to maintain law and order and public safety at public entertainment establishments. Licensing conditions may include the installation of closed-circuit television cameras, prevention of overcrowding in the premises and obligations on operators to run the establishments responsibly. For example, operators are required to take all appropriate steps to prevent acts of violence and other crimes committed on their premises. Police conduct compliance checks to enforce these licensing conditions. Licensees who breach the conditions can be charged under PEMA and face a fine of up to $10,000 for each infringement. In addition, demerit points are awarded for these infringements. Licensees who accumulate a high number of demerit points will have their licences suspended or revoked. To enforce against errant public entertainment establishments, Police Officers are empowered under the Act to enter and inspect establishments, conduct investigations and make arrests. The Ministry of Home Affairs has completed a review of PEMA, and the Public Entertainments and Meetings (Amendment) Bill was introduced earlier today. The amendments will enhance Police’s regulatory levers and powers. We will increase the penalty for providing public entertainment without a licence, strengthen the power to immediately suspend a licence where the licensee has been charged for serious offences committed on the premises, and empower Police Officers to use force to enter establishments where they are prevented from entering. These amendments will enable the Police to take even more targeted and calibrated enforcement actions to manage the risk of public disorder in such establishments.
Improving Safety of Motorcyclists and Pillion Riders›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 338w
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written-answer-na-3493
Mr Murali Pillai29 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for Home Affairs what further measures do the Traffic Police intend to implement to enhance the safety of motorcyclists and their pillion riders using our roads.
Mr K Shanmugam309 words
[+20 sentences]The Traffic Police (TP) will continue to adopt a three-pronged approach of Enforcement, Education and Engagement to enhance road safety for motorcyclists. On enforcement, TP will continue to detect and deter offences, such as dangerous driving or riding, red-light running and speeding. Over the next two to three years, it will grow its network of traffic cameras, with additional red-light cameras to be installed at accident-prone junctions. Next year, TP will deploy Average Speed Cameras. These cameras are able to compute the average speed of a vehicle as it enters and exits an enforcement zone. They will ensure that motorists drive at safe speeds along entire stretches of roads. However, enforcement is not enough. Motorcyclists must also be alert to the dangers on the roads, ride safely and look out for their own safety. TP will continue to educate and engage them to raise awareness. Learner motorcyclists are taught safe defensive riding techniques at driving schools. This helps them to avoid accidents and injuries. TP has stepped up its efforts to raise awareness of road safety amongst the motorcycling community. Such outreach efforts need to be sustained and will remain a key priority for TP in the years ahead. TP has made use of engagement platforms, such as "Singapore Ride Safe", to encourage motorcyclists to wear personal protective equipment when they ride. In 2016, food delivery companies, such as Food Panda and Domino’s Pizza, purchased riding jackets for their delivery riders. TP has also collaborated with other companies, such as PSA Corporation, to provide safe-riding advisories to their riders. TP will continue its efforts to enhance safety on our roads. All road users have a part to play. Drivers must follow traffic rules and actively look out for motorcyclists. Motorcyclists must do likewise, exercise care and take responsibility for their own safety and the safety of their pillion riders.
Baseline Functionalities in Design of HDB Estates›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 339w
· 0 highlighted
written-answer-na-3494
Mr Png Eng Huat88 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development (a) in the design of new HDB estates, whether there are any baseline functionalities defined to ensure adequate sheltered linkways; (b) whether HDB undertakes the design of new estates in-house or subcontracts the work to a panel of architects and consultants; (c) whether HDB has any system to track design compliance similar to the comprehensive management system to track the construction process of BTO projects; and (d) whether HDB assigns design works to architects and consultants based on cost or design considerations.
Mr Lawrence Wong251 words
[+11 sentences]In all new public housing developments, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) provides a network of covered linkways to connect the residential blocks with precinct amenities, such as multi-storey car parks, nearby bus stops and precinct pavilions. Where the adjacent precinct has existing commercial or community facilities, HDB will also extend the network to link the new precinct with the existing developments. However, the covered linkway network may not always adopt the most direct route as there is a need to balance the provision of sheltered linkways with the aesthetics of the estate. HDB engages private consultants to design and supervise the construction of the majority of its housing projects. This includes the design and construction of estate facilities, such as linkways. To do so, HDB adopts the Quality-Fee Method (QFM), which is an established competitive selection method for tendering of consultancy services in the public sector. Apart from price, the QFM also takes into consideration quality of the consultants, including track record of consultants, quality of the design proposals where required, and the consultants' productivity records. These quality criteria are weighted more heavily than price during tender evaluation. Thereafter, HDB has a quality management system in place to ensure that consultants comply with HDB's design guidelines. HDB also carries out reviews and technical audits at various design stages before launching the projects for construction. Upon construction, if there is a need to rectify any serious design shortfalls, HDB will work with its consultants and contractors to undertake the necessary works.
Community Improvement Projects Committee Funding for Town Councils›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time3 turns · 262w
· 0 highlighted
written-answer-na-3495
Mr Pritam Singh30 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development how much Community Improvement Projects Committee funding has been extended to each Town Council via their respective Citizens' Consultative Committees in financial year 2015/2016.
Mr Pritam Singh46 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development in the presentation of gazetted annual estimates by all Town Councils, whether there is a standardised way to present the quantum of Community Improvement Projects Committee funding for each Town Council under the head of Town Improvement and Project Funds.
Mr Lawrence Wong186 words
[+10 sentences]The Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC) provides funding support for improvement projects in Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates for the benefit of local residents. Such facilities include covered walkways, footpaths and playgrounds. CIPC funding is disbursed through the Citizens' Consultative Committees (CCCs). This is because the CCCs are close to the ground and can identify projects which will be most useful for the residents to improve the living environment and strengthen bonds within the community. CIPC allocates its budget to the CCCs each year based on the number of HDB residential units. CCCs have the flexibility to prioritise projects based on local needs. Town Councils may approach their respective CCCs if they have any enquiries or proposals. As CCCs comprise community volunteers, they generally engage implementing agents to carry out the project works on their behalf. These agents can include the Town Councils, which are then reimbursed by the CCC for the cost of the works. Currently, the Ministry of National Development does not prescribe any standardised way for Town Councils to present the quantum of funds received from the CCCs in their annual estimates.
Investigation into Accident in Botanic Gardens where Tembusu Tree Fell and Killed a Park Visitor›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 414w
· 0 highlighted
written-answer-na-3496
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye76 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the progress of investigation by NParks on the incident at Botanic Gardens whereby a giant Tembusu tree fell and killed a park visitor and injuring several others; (b) whether NParks will consider increasing the frequency of inspection for trees above a certain age; and (c) what measures will be taken to prevent such similar incidents as Botanic Gardens is a popular outing place for locals and tourists.
Mr Lawrence Wong338 words
[+21 sentences]The investigation into the Botanic Gardens incident is ongoing. There will be a Coroner's Inquiry and the National Parks Board (NParks) is providing the Police with the necessary information. In the meantime, NParks has completed detailed checks on all trees in and near the location of the incident, as well as on large trees and other Heritage Trees throughout the Gardens as a precautionary measure. All these trees were found to be safe. All trees that NParks manages are regularly inspected. NParks continually strives to improve its inspection regime. Since 2012, they have inspected trees more frequently to adapt to increasingly unpredictable and severe weather conditions. Heritage trees are now inspected once in six months as opposed to once a year previously. For trees in areas with constant road or pedestrian traffic, they are now inspected once in six to 12 months, as opposed to once in 12-18 months previously. NParks further enhanced its inspection regime in November 2016 by instituting new second-level inspections for old and large3 trees. These detailed second-level inspections are conducted yearly with diagnostic equipment. To support its inspection regime, NParks has built up a pool of qualified arborists. Today, about 200 of the 500 Certified Arborists in Singapore are NParks' staff. In addition to inspections, NParks has enhanced its tree maintenance regime to improve the resilience of its trees. First, regular application of fertilisers is now supplemented with routine mulching. This helps to conserve moisture and improve the fertility of the soil. Second, NParks has strengthened its tree pruning techniques to improve the structure and balance of its trees to help them withstand severe weather conditions. Crown reduction and pruning are undertaken prior to periods of severe weather. These measures have proven effective as the number of tree failure incidents have decreased more than three-fold, from around 3,000 in 2001 to 847 last year. That said, NParks will continue to improve its tree management measures. For example, NParks is developing modelling techniques to better understand the behaviour of trees under varying environmental conditions.
Contractors Penalised for Poor Quality of Home Improvement Programme Works›Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered by End of Question Time2 turns · 135w
· 0 highlighted
written-answer-na-3497
Dr Tan Wu Meng36 words
[+1 sentence]asked the Minister for National Development over the past three years, how many contractors have been penalised as a result of complaints received on the quality and workmanship of works done under the Home Improvement Programme.
Mr Lawrence Wong99 words
[+5 sentences]The Housing and Development Board (HDB) sets quality and service standards for contractors in the execution of Home Improvement Programme (HIP) projects. Based on surveys of precincts which have undergone HIP, at least 90% of residents express satisfaction with the works completed. Nonetheless, should there be any service or quality lapse, HDB will take enforcement action against the contractor. In the past three years, 19 contractors were penalised with demerit points. In addition, five of these contractors had an administrative charge imposed on them, and three contractors were restricted from tendering for HDB projects for a period of time.
Aspirations of Singapore Women›Motions35 turns · 28,444w
· 178 highlighted
motion-964recorded 2017-04-04
Speaker not recorded57 words
[+2 sentences][(proc text) "That this House affirms the familial, social and economic contributions of Singapore women and its support for them to fulfil their family and career aspirations and to be future-ready." − (Ms Tin Pei Ling). (proc text)]
Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member)1903 words
[+8 sentences]Thank you, Mdm Speaker. I stand in full support for this Motion put up by Ms Tin Pei Ling and the other Members of the House. There has been much ongoing debate about women's rights all over the world and through the decades. Women have been held back from full and equal participation in their societies because of narrow definitions of gender roles that have not evolved with the times. Even today, the global movement for women's rights and gender equality continues the struggle to make progress. In Singapore, we have, indeed, made some progress. We can be proud of our own notable women politicians, such as Chan Choy Siong, an activist for women's rights who was key to the creation of the Women's Charter, and Dr Kanwaljit Soin, the first female NMP. Today, young girls − just like young boys − must attend school, because of our longstanding commitment to compulsory education. Today, women take up 45.8% of our total labour force, based on MOM's report in 2016.[+4 sentences] Clearly, their importance as economic contributors of this country cannot be under-estimated. Because of these achievements, there are people who believe that gender equality is no longer an issue here. Yale Prof Deborah Rhodes described this as the "no-problem problem", that is, the erroneous perception that the problem of women's rights has been solved because there is evidence of growing opportunities for women. The fact is, women continue to be constrained by discriminatory attitudes and practices, preventing them from participating in public life as full equals. In 2015, the World Economic Forum predicted that it would take 117 years for women to completely fill the gender gap.[+1 sentence] Let that figure sink in − 117 years. In that same year, YouGov released a report that saw Singapore ranking 12th in gender equality amongst 24 countries − behind China and Hong Kong.[+12 sentences] In the last two general elections, female candidates for Parliament faced sexist scrutiny. An example to demonstrate the pervasiveness of this bias is this: a newspaper introducing several candidates on the same day, described three men in its headlines as "banking executive, engineer and professor", while a woman entrepreneur became "mother of two". Being a mother is undeniably very important and deserves recognition. Yet, putting women in the same frame implies that women only belong at home and are defined only by their family. Now, some may say that these choices of words are merely turns of phrases by the media. But words are never merely words. Our language reflects our socio-cultural mores, attitudes and relationships. How we describe women has a direct impact on how gender relations are socially constructed. When we resort to terminology about gender stereotypes, we entrench these same stereotypes into society; in short, we normalise them. The media play a crucial part in promoting positive gender roles and eradicating gender stereotypes. We should not assume that gender stereotypes will automatically go away over time. One survey from AWARE spoke to over 1,300 respondents. Of those aged 18-29, 66% of men believed that men should be heads of households, compared to only 43% of women in that age group.[+28 sentences] Similarly, 58% of men in this age group believed that women should take care of household chores and caregiving, compared to only 38% of women. It seems that young women have much more equitable views than young men. What are we going to do to inculcate fairer and more progressive views in young men and not just in young women? We often hear of "traditional values" being passed down from one generation to the next. These "values", however, are often rooted in patriarchal constructs. And despite most family units now being dual-income ones, there remains an inequality of roles in housekeeping and caregiving, which women are expected to take charge of. In Singapore, because many families engage foreign female domestic help, men are further excused from doing household chores or tending to their children or elderly parents. There is also an unwillingness to let go of these "traditional values" because they are "how things are meant to be", or they are "natural". They are how things have always been, as dictated by religious and cultural beliefs. It is in the "nature" of men to be breadwinners and head of households, and of women to bear and raise children. I work in Drama Box Ltd, a theatre company, and I am the only man in this company. The rest, all seven of them, are very capable women. At this moment, all the seven women are in Rotterdam, as the company has been invited to participate in the International Community Arts Festival, showcasing our work. Leading the team is a woman, Associate Artistic Director Koh Hui Ling and then, at the same time, she brought along her young toddler, three-year-old Eunice, with her. And the rest of the team would be there to help her to take care of Eunice whenever she is busy. And then, I wonder how many of us men here, who travel a lot, would bring our toddlers along? There is, of course, no biological or behavioural science that can back up the assumption of gender stereotypes. Nobody "naturally" knows how to operate a washing machine, soothe a cranky newborn or help an elderly relative take medication at the correct time, or clean and shower them. These activities, like many, many others, transcend gender. But the sad fact is, we educate girls and boys very differently, with gender stereotyping already taking place at the earliest age. Little boys are told how strong they are and little girls are told how sweet they are. They are told stories where their whole lives and fates are bound up in their gender, instead of being allowed to develop as individuals. I have heard anecdotes from a parent, who shared that her child's preschool teacher had bought presents at the end of the school term. The boys in the class received books about superheroes. The girls received presents, too − books on how to become a princess. How can we change the education system, so that every child, whatever their gender, can develop in the way that is best for them? Can our pedagogical materials explicitly include gender equality, rather than imply stereotypes and biases, both wittingly and otherwise? We see this sort of reductive stereotyping in state policy- and decision-making as well. One clear example is how there is much less paternity leave than maternity leave. This extends even to adoption leave being available only to adoptive mothers and not adoptive fathers, though there is no biological argument about recovery from pregnancy and childbirth or breastfeeding which can justify this.[+8 sentences] In addition, the lifetime income and CPF accumulation of women are lower than that of men − despite women having longer lifespans. This means women actually have a higher risk of experiencing poverty at old age than men. In a greying society like Singapore, this, in itself, should be cause for great concern. Greater strides must be made to bridge this gender divide to ensure the well-being of our female citizens. These policies reflect the gender stereotype that childcare belongs to women. This reinforces the idea that women can, and should, "choose" to "focus on the family", as opposed to furthering their careers. As a result, it entrenches a discriminatory attitude that rationalises income disparity between men and women, hiring policies and even promotion prospects. Is it any wonder then that Singapore's female labour force participation rate is lower than that of countries of similar income levels? Is it also any surprise that women are under-represented on company boards, at only a mere 9.5% of directorships in all Singapore Exchange (SGX) listed companies as of 2015?[+13 sentences] One of the markers of a first world nation is gender equality and, by that, I mean equality not just in economic terms, but also in social ones. In our efforts to galvanise national economic growth, how can we better harness the potential of over 50% of our population? Statistics from MOM show that women still earn less than men, never mind that they have the same working hours and qualifications. How can we strive towards parity, so that we can reward our best workers according to achievements, rather than their gender? We celebrate when women are appointed to new positions of leadership – the first female Speaker of Parliament, Madam, the first female full Minister. We call this "historical", using phrases like "big strides for women". However, such a mindset is archaic. As it stands, only 24% of people in Parliament are women. Some say it is better than a decade ago. But equality should not be granted based on time. It should be expected right here and right now. A society that truly embraces gender equality is one that offers protection from harm towards men and women alike. Yet, today, we allow for contentious legislation that permits domestic violence. By that, I mean our laws that exempt marital rape from the criminal offence of rape unless certain conditions are met.[+19 sentences] How can we turn a blind eye towards a brutal act of violence like rape simply because it is committed by a family member? How can we, as a society, or as policymakers, protect vulnerable members of our society? Our conversation has not even begun to address the rights of the transgender community. It may be an uncomfortable topic for some but, nevertheless, an urgent one. Our stand as leaders and our actions as lawmakers impact how society views and treats the transgender community. The more we talk about these issues, the more embracing and positive we are about their rights, the better they will be treated in school, at work and in their own families. I bring this up because, at some point, we should go beyond gender altogether and just look at human rights the rights of all humans, the equality of all humans. As a forward-looking society, we must take active steps towards a strategy of "gender mainstreaming". This term, established by the United Nations (UN), as a strategy for promoting gender equality, involves "ensuring that gender perspectives and attention to the goal of gender equality are central to all activities − policy development, research, advocacy/dialogue, legislation, resource allocation, planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes and projects." In short, the state must take on a proactive approach in establishing policies, be they in terms of education, employment or social welfare that promotes a mindset shift towards gender equality. In doing so, we not only strengthen our economy, but also ensure that we help citizens, regardless of gender, to achieve their aspirations, develop a positive sense of self-worth, as well as ensure their long-term well-being. We, as policymakers, must advocate for change and take firm steps to eliminate this discrimination for the betterment of our nation. Virginia Woolf wrote this thought-provoking line in chapter 1 of A Room of One's Own, "Call me Mary Beton, call me Mary Seton, call me Mary Carmichael or any other names you, please. It is not a matter of importance". Yes, women have many different identities, multiple voices and perspectives and cannot be seen only through work, one lens. In the same way, we men have to do that. We have different identities and we can assume many, many different roles. Then, we have a much more enriched human experience. With that, I thank you, Madam.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong)1479 words
[+22 sentences]Mdm Speaker, a woman living in this era, in this country, is very fortunate, compared to a woman living in another time or place. Here, a woman has access to education, healthcare and can make various choices. The fact that we have this opportunity today to speak about the aspirations of Singapore women, and are joined by the men, is a telling sign of our progress. The reality, though, even in a country like Singapore, is that there is much still left to be done to improve the situation for women. My colleagues have addressed various issues. I would like to raise another aspect − financial well-being and retirement adequacy. I was fortunate to have been involved in the drafting of the PAP Women's Wing paper issued in July last year and would like to share some insights. As we looked at some research and reviewed the milestones in a woman's life, we observed that various life circumstances lead women to make significant decisions and commitments which impact on her current and future financial well-being. For example, as highlighted by several Members, women tend to be the primary caregivers for their family members. If she is working and she has children, there will, inevitably, be some impact on her career as she takes some time away for child birth, recovery and caring for the child. She would have to decide on the commitment she puts into her work versus the time she would spend with the child. There may also be those who fall into the category of vulnerable women because of unfortunate life events like divorced women with children and single mothers. We also see that the current generation of retired elderly women tend to depend on their spouses and children for financial sustenance. The fact is that women generally live longer than men and may outlive her spouse. The children tend to have their own financial commitments. Therefore, some women may not be able to retire and need to continue working to earn income to sustain their expenses. Yes, we have seen many women overcome these challenges and do well to balance their career and family life. The reality though is that various life circumstances result in many women being unable to fully exploit career opportunities. This takes a toll on her ability to work towards financial well-being and building her nest egg. Further, if a woman decides to stay home to care for her family, she should not be penalised and be financially disadvantaged because the work she does at home is equally significant to what she does in the office. It is important for us, therefore, to look at certain measures to safeguard a woman's financial well-being and improve her retirement adequacy in the long run. There are three recommendations. One, we should promote financial literacy and do this early.[+7 sentences] Financial education should be institutionalised and implemented as a core life skill to students. In this regard, we should look at embracing this life skill in MOE's 21st Century Competencies and integrate this into the teaching of other subjects, with increasing levels of sophistication as our students progress. There is a slew of financial planning courses, mostly for adults. This is insufficient. MoneySENSE is a good platform and its efforts should be developed further. Outreach needs to be enhanced and more collaboration should be developed to implement more target-specific programmes. Further, adding to the wish list for SkillsFuture, I believe we should also use the SkillsFuture platform to create intensive and meaningful financial literacy programmes which can help people plan their finances throughout life and to navigate difficult times. Two, there is a need to promote retirement adequacy and this could be done through the CPF scheme.[+1 sentence] I note that there are already top-up schemes in place and, in this regard, I support the proposal made by Er Dr Lee Bee Wah yesterday. A woman and her family members should be further incentivised to top up her CPF account up to the Basic Retirement Sum by offering a certain amount of dollar matching for the top-ups made.[+2 sentences] This would nudge women to work towards a target and, hopefully, develop a saving habit. In reviewing this, we should also look at how to further encourage and incentivise family members to recognise the efforts of unpaid caregivers or homemakers who are not in the workforce and to help them build on their retirement monies. Three, a specific SkillsFuture package to be designed for mature or retired women who are seeking to return to work and in acquiring skill certification.[+12 sentences] In this regard, I echo the sentiments made by other Members and note that Minister Ong Ye Kung had yesterday touched on this in his speech. I would like to highlight that many of these women may not have been engaged in any formal work and their expertise lies in caregiving. Typical situations we see are of homemakers whose children have grown up or long-term caregivers whose loved ones have passed on. Recognition should be given to their experience in long-term caregiving, household management and related skillsets. Back-to-work preparatory, conversion or certification programmes should be developed to help them monetise their skills and meet the national demands for caregivers. Mdm Speaker, allow me to say a few words in Malay. (In Malay): Women in Singapore today are fortunate. Life in our country is so much better, compared to life in the past and in other countries. Our rights are protected and we have many choices to improve our lives and the lives of our families. However, women must possess a sense of self-responsibility, the motivation to continue improving their capabilities and be informed about programmes and assistance that are available, as well as of opportunities to upgrade themselves. On this matter, one aspect that I feel we should pay attention to is the financial situation of a woman and her retirement adequacy. The ups and downs in a woman's life often compel her to make decisions that will have an impact on her financial situation, not only in the short-term, but also for the long run. For instance, if a woman chooses to stop working to take care of her children or parents, her ability to be financially independent and prepare for retirement will be affected.[+5 sentences] We can also find elderly women who are dependent on her husbands and children. The situation is quite worrying, especially if their husbands are no longer around and their children cannot afford to take care of their elderly mother. Therefore, I feel that it is important that we try to increase awareness and put in place certain mechanisms to safeguard the financial health of women in Singapore. Amongst other things, I have proposed that financial education begins at an early age. The principle and awareness on the importance of taking care of our financial health should be inculcated in schools. This is important, especially in an increasingly challenging world. I also suggest that incentives should be given to women and their family members for topping up the women's CPF account. If the top-up is supplemented by the Government, it will encourage women to want to reach a certain amount in their CPF accounts and this will at least ensure that she has money for her retirement, especially if she is not working and could not receive CPF contributions from an employer. In addition, I also hope for SkillsFuture programmes tailored specifically for women who have not worked for a while to take care of family members who do not require their care any longer, perhaps, because their parents have passed on and their children have all grown up.[+8 sentences] These are the things that I feel can help improve a woman's financial situation as well as her retirement adequacy. However, what is more important is a woman's awareness and desire to continue improving and to take care of herself so that she will not suffer when she faces challenges or when she is in her golden years. I would like to take this opportunity to call upon the men within our community to also pay attention to this matter and support women to achieve their aspirations together. A woman who has confidence and skills will improve the lives of her family and the community around her. (In English): Mdm Speaker, I am very privileged to have this opportunity to speak in this House, before you, a woman Speaker, and be amongst intelligent and inspiring women and men, doing our best to lend our voices to those whom we represent. We have made much progress in supporting the aspirations of Singapore women over the years. We should continue in this effort so that women, regardless of their age, family circumstances and challenges, may continue to contribute towards the development of this nation. I stand in support of this Motion.
Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee)1729 words
[+8 sentences]"Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country." These were words uttered in 1979 on the campaign trail by the late Margaret Thatcher, a trail that led to her election as Prime Minister of the UK and a trail that she then blazed as The Iron Lady. The actress Meryl Streep who played The Iron Lady summed up her legacy as "(having) given women and girls around the world reason to supplant fantasies of just being princesses with a different dream: the real-life option and possibility of leading their nation; this was ground-breaking and admirable." The immediate past Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, said recently that, "Countries with higher levels of gender equality have higher economic growth. Companies with more women on their boards have higher returns. Peace agreements that include women are also more successful. Parliaments with more women take up a wider range of issues, including health, education, anti-discrimination and child support." In our own local political sphere, we have many more women actively participating and contributing to the growth of our nation in recent years. Today, we have 21 female Members of Parliament and, amongst them, we have a Minister, four Senior Ministers of State and one Parliamentary Secretary, not to mention two Mayors, a Chairman of an opposition party and, of course, an enlightened and capable Speaker.[+5 sentences] We can and should have more in this august Chamber, but we are getting there. Outside of this Chamber, the world is changing as well, but perhaps not as fast as we should. We live in a world almost evenly split between men and women, but women worldwide have been fighting for equal rights, equal opportunities and equal pay for long, and yet, regrettably, their efforts have yet to bear abundant fruit in many countries. Why is this so? I would like to make reference to the recent position papers put up by the PAP Women's Wing titled "Strengthening Gender Diversity in Corporate leadership", which was submitted to the kind attention of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Only one in 10 on our corporate boards is a woman.[+3 sentences] Even China, India and Hong Kong register a healthier growth in this index. And our female board members get less than half the remuneration of their male counterparts. This is deplorable, especially here in Singapore. In fact, recruitment specialist, Robert Walters, in a report that was published last year, stated that 75% of working women in Singapore feel that they are inadequately represented in leadership positions.[+15 sentences] Mdm Speaker, 50 years ago, when this little red dot of a nation was formed, its people were its source and strength. It is still relevant today. However, it should sadden us that half of our population are not getting their just dues. Women in Singapore are an inspired lot. They know what they want − as chief executives, as businesswomen, working women and also not forgetting some as homemakers and mothers. They aspire for the best and will not stop at anything lesser than that. In this House we have many capable and inspirational women, talented in different fields and, in the course of the debate on this worthy Motion, much will be said about and suggested on how we can achieve better gender parity on corporate boards as we journey towards achieving the aspirations of Singapore women. So, I shall not attempt to make a weak attempt at claiming to have any solutions that are better than those already put on the table. Instead, I hope to raise three related points that need to be said amidst this debate. Firstly, stay-at-home mothers and caregivers, mentioned by a number of speakers already. As we work on the top end of the ladder, strengthening the diversity of talent at the mid-level and also open doors at the entry level, we must not forget that there is one group that has decided not to be on the ladder, either temporarily or permanently. These are our stay-at-home mothers as well as family caregivers. Some make conscious decisions to take on a role that they feel very passionate about; others, perhaps through circumstance, have had to take on the roles and also put their hearts into being the best in their unique areas and responsibilities. Their roles are, therefore, no less important in society, but the challenges that they face are also no less worthy of our solutions. Many make sacrifices on income, healthcare, personal aspirations, all so that those they are closest to can either have a good start or a comfortable end. Often, it is women who are expected to take on these roles. So, firstly, I repeat my call made in previous speeches and echoed by many Members of this House for stay-at-home-mothers and caregivers to be provided the same grants and tax reliefs that working women are granted.[+17 sentences] We are a society today that is fast consumed by productivity and even our policies towards women are somewhat driven by that same desire. Thus, it is unfortunate that it appears that a working mother seemingly becomes more highly valued than a stay-at-home-mother or caregiver. It is not easy for working mothers and they should rightfully be supported. But the converse, that stay-at-home-mothers or caregivers have it easier, is a fallacy. If we can all acknowledge that mothers in general have an important role to play in their children's development, so why should mothers be differentiated between those who are working and those who are not? We have come to the realisation that fathers, too, play an important role in parenting and we have made moves for fathers to be more involved. But again, if we do not make a distinction for them, why skew it for women? Secondly, encourage husbands to top up their wives' CPF accounts so that they have retirement adequacy even if they are just stopping work for a short period. To encourage this, I urge MOM to consider raising the interest rate returns for voluntary top-ups and increase the CPF Cash Top-up relief from spouse to spouse, or from child to parent. There have been suggestions for a mandatory system of contributions but I think we should encourage a voluntary system first. Thirdly, for those who wish to return to the workforce when their children are older or when their caregiving roles have evolved, then they should be provided sufficient support to reintegrate them into the workforce. It does not have to be only about re-entry into full employment as the transition can sometimes be very difficult. Promoting more flexi-work arrangements, part-time work, targeted at stay-at-home-mothers and returning caregivers, will make the transition easier. On a separate topic, on mindsets. Even as we urge for greater meritocracy so that women have better representation in the workplace and leadership positions and in society, what is perhaps missing in the statistical equation at the moment is that we do not have a lot of concrete studies on current perception of gender equality in Singapore, especially amongst younger Singaporeans. In the maelstrom of information out there, the UN Human Development Report ranks Singapore at the top in Asia for gender equality in 2015. Yet, we are also one of the worst performing when it comes to gender equality in the boardroom. Just last month, recruitment firm Hays conducted a survey and released the result on workplace gender equality. This report also pointed out a very large perception gap − 83% of Singapore men think that there is pay equality between men and women at their workplace, but only 63% of women in the same companies shared that view. Seventy-nine percent, in the same survey, of men believed that meritocracy already exists in career opportunities regardless of gender; for women, only 65% believed so.[+3 sentences] While there is not a lot of available perception surveys for young Singaporeans, the just released findings of the Gender and Millennials Symposium on Gender Equality perhaps is telling. Prof David Cotter and Dr Joanna Peppin looked at 40 years of gender surveys and since the 1990s, 17- to 18-year-olds have overwhelmingly endorsed the idea that men and women should be equal at work and in politics − 90% and higher − that is, 17- to 18-years-olds believed that gender equality is important. Yet, the same study found that the idea of gender equality at home had conversely slipped. Close to 60% of those who were surveyed believed that the best family arrangement is where the man was provider and a woman was the carer. This contrasts with only 40% of respondents holding this view in the early 1990s.[+15 sentences] Therefore, addressing this perception gap is an important step towards better understanding of gender equality. We cannot talk ourselves into a vacuum. There needs to be better studies on gender perceptions in Singapore because this will allow us to make better decisions and also address the root causes of the lack of gender equality at the workplace. And perhaps also educate younger Singaporeans on the importance of gender equality. On a lighter note, the last point I wish to make is that we also need to acknowledge that stereotypes do not just affect women. They affect men as well. When we fight gender stereotypes levelled against women, we also need to be conscious that we do not end up confirming male stereotypes. We move rightfully away from the perception that women are not the weaker sex. I think it is important for us to also realise that men are often boxed into needing to appear to be tough, to always have no emotions, to be stoic and always not express their feelings. Former US First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt famously remarked, "A woman is like a tea bag − you cannot tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." Today, we have showned that women are strong and can rise to the challenge and excel above even men. Men on the other hand should be free to express their feelings and not just feelings of hunger! Mdm Speaker, Singapore women, if accorded the opportunities, have risen to the top, as you yourself so worthily personify. Therefore, we, both men and women, must ensure the aspirations of Singapore women, as well as men, should be met. Mdm Speaker, I support the Motion.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied)1278 words
[+11 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I will deliver my speech in Malay. (In Malay): Madam, in discussing the Motion that is being tabled, that is, "Aspirations of Singapore Women", various integrated and collective efforts must be made to support Singapore women in achieving these aspirations. The Government, community, family and every individual must play their respective roles. Madam, in my speech, I would like to discuss three matters on the efforts to empower Singapore women so that they will be able to fulfil their familial and career aspirations and be more prepared for the future. Firstly, I would like to touch on several policy changes which the Government should embark upon to help women who are categorised the "vulnerable group" or the single mothers facing life's trials and tribulations. Secondly, the role of husbands in nurturing a more favourable and supportive cultural value at home so that their wives are able to balance their familial and career responsibilities, and, lastly, regarding the aspirations of Singapore Muslim women. Madam, as many are aware, the lives of single mothers are extremely challenging. They are both the caregivers and the breadwinners. The difficulties faced by single mothers should receive concern from all quarters, including the Government. Government policies should be more directed towards alleviating the burden shouldered by this group. Madam, in April last year, the Government made two positive policy changes to assist and alleviate the challenges and burden of single unwed mothers. The Child Development Account (CDA) scheme was extended to children born out of wedlock and the 16-week maternity leave was also extended to these single mothers, similar to other mothers.[+5 sentences] This is a very encouraging change and is well-received by Singaporeans who are very concerned about single mothers. I hope that these policy changes made last year do not end there but instead represent an initial step for the Government to continue helping this group. Madam, apart from alleviating their financial burden, many of these single unwed mothers also hope for a change to HDB's housing policy. A home is one of the basic requirements for every person. The lack of a proper dwelling will affect the quality of life and human development as well as the family's development. For this group of people, they are not allowed to buy a house under the family nucleus scheme as children born out of wedlock are not regarded as part of a family nucleus.[+1 sentence] They are only eligible to buy a house under the "single" scheme, which has an age limit of 35 years and above. Unfortunately, a majority of these single unwed mothers are not even 35 years old, and, hence, do not fulfil this age requirement.[+19 sentences] They are also not allowed to rent a flat under the Public Rental Scheme based on the same reason, that is, their children are not regarded as part of a family nucleus. Madam, one of the conditions under the Public Rental Scheme is that renting of flats is not allowed for a period of 30 months following the sale of a flat, which then becomes a barrier to divorced single mothers seeking proper and affordable dwellings. Lamentations of "misfortunes seldom come alone" are often heard amongst these single mothers. Not only do they have to bear mental and emotional stress while undergoing divorce and being abandoned by their husbands, they now have to strive relentlessly to fulfil their responsibilities as their family's caregivers and breadwinners. Stranded in these situations, single mothers should not be further burdened with difficulties to seek out proper and affordable homes. Madam, many Members of this House, past and present, have voiced their concern on the impact of this criterion imposed under the public rental scheme and I believe this concern has prevailed for years. I shall not belabour this point as I believe that the HDB is aware of it. Many hope that this criterion will be revoked and exemptions given to single mothers who have gone through divorce. It is also hoped that HDB will outline policies that are more inclined to help and empower single mothers in their efforts to meet their basic living needs, that is, a conducive and affordable home, especially while they and their children struggle through this challenging time. A more positive support from HDB will enable single mothers to fulfil their familial and career aspirations. Madam, the second matter I would like to touch upon is the role of husbands in nurturing a more favourable and supportive cultural value at home for their wives so that they can balance their familial responsibilities and careers. I will share this perspective based on my experience as a family and marriage counsellor and also as a husband. Madam, marriage is a life partnership where husbands and wives are partners looking to achieve a harmonious and strong family. The values that should be inculcated in order to achieve such a family comprises mutual respect, trust in one another and understanding. These values have to be nurtured, practised and instilled within a family. In facing a hectic and challenging life, couples must be prepared to help one another in bringing up their children, household chores and also personal development, for instance, pursuing further education, as well as advancement in their respective careers. Married couples, especially husbands as the head of the household, should fashion themselves as a counselling and motivational expert to their spouses so that they will be able to provide moral, emotional and spiritual support and be the motivator for their partners to strive with perseverance and confidence. Such husbands will help their wives become more motivated and positive in balancing and fulfilling their familial and career aspirations. Madam, the last matter I would like to bring up is the aspirations of Singapore Muslim women. We have heard spirited speeches from hon Members to convince the House to unanimously support the Motion that is being tabled, that is, to affirm and support Singapore women in fulfilling their familial and career aspirations. I hope that Members in this House will not exclude Muslim women who wish to fulfil their career aspirations in line with their religious obligations, that is, allowing the use of the headscarf or tudung in the nursing and uniformed vocations, such as the Home Team and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).[+9 sentences] Madam, many countries like Australia, UK and the US allow the use of the headscarf for Muslim women in their uniformed organisations so as to allow their Muslim women to fulfil their religious obligations whilst fulfilling their career aspirations. My question is, when will Singapore take a similar step? Madam, this House has repeatedly discussed about building an inclusive society in Singapore, where every community, despite living in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, are able to feel that their concerns and aspirations are given due attention. As a Singapore Muslim, a husband as well as a father to a daughter, I appeal to the Government to make into reality this call for inclusiveness that is often heard in this Chamber. My hope is that the Government will reconsider the Muslim community's request for Singapore Muslim women to be given the chance to fulfil their career aspirations and, at the same time, meet their religious obligations. Madam, I would like to end my speech with these words of wisdom: "Women are the pillars of a nation. If the pillars are strong, so will be the nation. And if the pillars are weak, so, too, the nation." Madam, a country where family, social and cultural values, as well as Government policies are inclined towards empowering women, will produce a nation strong in every aspect − family, social and economy.
Ms K Thanaletchimi (Nominated Member)1185 words
[+4 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion. In Singapore, human capital is our mainstay in attracting foreign investment and growing our economy in this first world era. Given that female enrolment at local Polytechnics is 89% of male enrolment and at university level for first degree is at 95% of male enrolment, the Government has been spending almost an equal amount on educating our young women as our young men. Therefore, it is critical that investment in our people see good returns, that is, having its people remain in the workforce, remain economically active and contributing to civil society. With women labour force participation rate at 60.4%, 40% of women are not working, with family care being the main reason for dropping out of the workforce.[+17 sentences] I think it has been quite well-established that, given a choice, women want to have a career and still be able to fulfil their roles as caregivers in the family. The Government has done much in supporting working parents through the Baby Bonus package, which comprehensively includes parental tax rebates, parental leave and cash support. The introduction of paternity leave is a bold step in the right direction in inculcating the culture of shared parenting. However, more can and needs to be done to level the playing field for women. Until we have a pervasive family- and women-friendly work culture, two groups of women need to be supported if we are serious about tapping on the 40% of women who are currently out of the workforce − the working women in danger of dropping out of the workforce due to family-care reasons and the women who would like to return to the workforce after a period of intensive caregiving. We need to do more creatively to enable women to remain at work. Now, I touch on flexible work arrangements to support women in the workforce as well as women returnees. We need to decisively plug the leak of experience out of Singapore's labour market by enabling women to remain in the workforce. This can be done through the implementation of flexible work arrangements (FWAs). Flexible work arrangements are becoming an increasingly viable option for both businesses as well as employees as we move into the digital age and grow our pool of knowledge workers. With more workers in professional, managers and executives (PME) roles, job-sharing, where one full role is shared among two to three employees, is a viable role especially suited for PMEs who wish to scale up on their family-care roles while their children are young. Young working parents, especially mothers, can still have a meaningful career and contribute to the economy. On a lighter note, the last point I wish to make is that we also need to acknowledge that stereotypes do not just affect women. They affect men as well. When we fight gender stereotypes levelled against women, we also need to be conscious that we do not end up confirming male stereotypes while nurturing our young. However, employers have been reluctant to offer such options, citing increased manpower costs when taking into consideration the whole salary package, for example, employees' insurance costs. Until they experience the tangible benefits of retaining their female talents, there will be inertia to move. Is the Government able to defray part of the increased cost of rolling out flexible work arrangements, such as job-sharing, so that businesses are more willing to embark on exploring the viability of such working arrangements on a more permanent basis?[+5 sentences] This is more than Work Pro that is provided for FWAs. Other than stopping the leak of experience, such flexible work arrangements, like job-sharing, can also attract women back into the workforce. After spending some time away from the labour market for family care, these women may want to step up gradually to help their families as well as themselves transit back into the working world. If the women can work in meaningful part-time or job-sharing roles, they will have more opportunity to reskill or update their skills while contributing economically. We need to support women to return to work. Earlier this year, the National Trades Union Congress made a call for the Government to support women PMEs who wish to return to the workforce after a period of absence through a returnship programme where companies take in women PMEs with work experience for three to six months to help them to assimilate back into the working world.[+1 sentence] At the end of the returnship period, employers may choose to offer these women a position in the company and the women can decide if they would like to be part of the company. Can the Government support enlightened employers who are willing to embark on the returnship programme through funding and recognition, and handhold them in guiding these women returnees?[+9 sentences] FWAs should not be seen as a privilege or entitlement for working women, but for all employees with responsibilities and aspirations outside of work. Perhaps it is timely for MOE to look into incorporating education on gender equality and shared caregiving between genders. At the heart of the unlevel playing field is the issue of unequal caregiving roles between genders. Women may be better caregivers by nature. I am confident that men can also rise to the occasion if they were properly nurtured into the role and given the right support. This is especially important as our population ages and more working adults are called to provide caregiving to their elderly. Whether parenting or eldercare, it cannot be seen as a woman's job just because we are good at it. Setting targets to enable more women to take on leadership roles is equally important. Finally, I would like to touch on the topic of target-setting to improve women representation on boards. On 24 March 2017, BoardAgender and People's Action Party Women's Wing called for the 2020 target setting of working towards having at least 20% of women on boards of directors by 2020 as an aspirational goal.[+3 sentences] Looking at the lack of progress in getting women on board, I would urge the Government to adopt the recommendation. Equally important is how we can adopt similar target-setting at different levels of the career ladder. This is to ensure that we will have a continuous stream of women talent being nurtured at different levels of leadership so that we will not be at a loss while finding women directors to make up 20% of the board. What can the Government do to encourage a more systematic inclusion of women at various levels of leadership so that more women may take on top leadership positions or boards of director than the current 9.7%? One way is to include programmes or curriculum in tertiary institutions that will allow women to have a mock experience. While they are in employment, under talent management programmes, these women can be further identified and put through programmes that will enable them to further shine in their roles. We need to have deliberate means of providing women with these opportunities if we want to see real progress in the next 50 years.
Mdm Speaker9 words
[+1 sentence]Dr Tan Wu Meng, do you have a clarification?
Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong)101 words
[+6 sentences]Mdm Speaker, just one clarification. I listened to Mr Faisal Manap's heartfelt speech. As a fellow Singaporean, I would like to understand his views better and learn more. I was wondering whether Mr Faisal Manap feels that the tudung issue is the most important issue faced by women in the Muslim community today, in particular, whether it is a very significant and most important issue. Secondly, I am also wondering what the Workers' Party's collective view on the tudung issue might be. I am hoping I could learn more about the Workers' Party's views and Mr Faisal Manap's views as well.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap102 words
[+2 sentences]Madam, I thank the Member for his clarification. First, I would like to answer his point on my personal view. As a Muslim husband and a father to a daughter, yes, it is an obligation for Muslim women to don hijab in whatever circumstances. In terms of the Party's stance on this, the Workers' Party had actually issued a statement sometime in November 2013. The gist of the statement is that Workers' Party does not oppose wearing of tudung, but we call for more dialogues amongst the stakeholders as well as the larger community and it should be based on mutual understanding.
The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M)1340 words
[+22 sentences]I would like to start by applauding the unity of the women in our Parliament in coming together to move the Motion on Aspirations of Singapore Women. This is important because only in unity do we find strength. I am heartened that our men, too, have stood up to help lend their voice in support of this Motion, which is a positive and forward-looking Motion. The speeches affirm the importance of the role of women in our multi-racial society and our economy. It is a far, far different cry from what we have heard maybe 50 years ago. They gave many practical suggestions to the Government on how to support all women in Singapore comprehensively: in leadership and social impact, employment and entrepreneurship, family and caregiving and financial well-being. However, I find the approach of Mr Faisal Manap worrisome. He has used this Motion, which is focused on the aspirations of all women in Singapore, to raise again the issue of the tudung, to focus on differences instead of rallying people to be united. He dwells on issues that can injure or hurt the feelings of the community rather than to inspire them. In fact, Mr Faisal Manap has used many occasions to raise potentially discordant issues in this House. I sat listening to him many times, championing divisive issues many times, like the need for halal kitchens in our naval ships and his perceived discrimination of the Malays in the army. Is it his or his party's position that these issues are the top concerns of the community? There are real socio-economic problems we have to deal with in our community − education, housing, jobs. Mr Faisal Manap spent some time on these issues but he does not fail to leave behind a semblance, trails of these divisive issues relating to the community, everything from halal kitchens on ships to the issue of Palestine. He leaves behind to linger in the minds of our community not only to make them feel different, even to make them feel unjustifiably treated unequally. The Government has responded to Mr Faisal Manap's queries on the tudung issue and other issues, and I will not elaborate today, except to emphasise that we are a multiracial society. And we all have a role to play to enlarge our common space. This is not to say that religious aspirations are not important. In fact, they must never be set aside. Religion is, indeed, important to many of us. I assure Members that I, too, want to see progress on the tudung issue and religious matters that are dear to Muslims. I am also a father of a daughter. I am also a husband of my wife. That is why Government leaders and community leaders of all races and religions have been actively discussing such sensitive and deeply emotive matters in a number of closed-door platforms. It is not easily resolved, considering all the moving parts on this matter, but I am glad it continues to be under review.[+5 sentences] The process entails understanding workplace requirements and operational needs in the wider scheme of things. I caution the Member against making this a state-versus-religion issue. All these years, our approach has been to win people over slowly but surely, through mutual exchange and meaningful interaction to help Singaporeans understand one another, to understand every community's aspirations. We do this in the spirit of mutual respect, recognising that other communities, too, come with their own perspectives on how they want to live in these common spaces. And this will take time to accept. There is a right time, a right place and a right way to discuss this. This approach has achieved for the community progress in recent years, which includes the extension of Edusave to madrasah students in 2013, waiving national examination fees for secular subjects taken by madrasah students in 2015 and better supporting madrasah teachers who teach secular subjects from this year.[+9 sentences] Likewise, the community can trust the Government and Muslim leaders to work together on the matter of the tudung. The community and its religious leaders know that this is a religious matter best resolved and progressed naturally with the acceptance of our larger society. Our religious leaders do not choose to be strident on this matter. I wonder why the Member chooses to be so. Mdm Speaker, the fundamental priority of this Government is to build harmony and trust among the races and religions and to protect this progress we have made so far. The issues of Malays in the SAF, tudung, even halal kitchen that the Member has talked about, are not issues of religion only. Even if they are put up that way, they are difficult issues to resolve. But, clearly, the way to make progress is gradually and quietly, working under the radar, to strengthen mutual trust and understanding among Singaporeans, so that we can move forward step by step. Indeed, that is how we have got here. Championing them in a high-profile way, which the Member does once in a while, using them to score political points, will not strengthen trust.[+13 sentences] It will only raise the temperature and actually make the problems harder to solve. Mdm Speaker, we are fortunate because, by far, we have many among us who are clearly level-headed. Many of us, I understand and I believe, do not support the strident way to solve our problems. Indeed, even on the Internet, I have read about people who criticise Mr Faisal Manap for the way he has taken matters forward. However, there are people who support Mr Faisal Manap. I saw a posting where he was posing at the "Wear White" campaign with Mr Zulfikar Shariff, who was arrested for his views and support for the ISIS terrorists in 2016, I think, for the "Wear White" campaign. It makes us wonder if Mr Faisal Manap is supporting Mr Zulfikar or is Mr Zulfikar supporting Mr Faisal Manap, or are they in together because of a common cause? But, indeed, are there common causes they are in together? I would like to bring the discussion back to the core of the Motion. Many Members have spoken on this Motion and focused on how well we have done. Our women have achieved aspirations in education, supporting women at work and taking care of their families. These are things the Government will consider carefully, seriously. And these are matters all of us must work very hard on. Indeed, many of these policies have helped Malay families tangibly. We are putting our efforts in education, raising the levels of achievement, helping to retrain and reskill older Malays, and getting Malay families living in rental flats to own them.[+2 sentences] There is a lot of work to be done but we have made steady progress. Let me end by highlighting the great strides that Singapore Malay/Muslim women have made in a society that allows people of all races, all religions to make progress. One such example is Mdm Zuraidah Bte Abdullah, who is the Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, the highest-ranking Senior Officer in the Police; Chairperson of the Malay Heritage Foundation and a member of the National Library Board.[+1 sentence] She is the Commander of the Training Command. Another is Ms Rahayu Binte Buang, CEO of MENDAKI.[+1 sentence] Prior to this, she served as the Director in the Family Education and Support Division and Office for Women's Development, also took care of probation, family issues before she joined MENDAKI. Yet another is our colleague, Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, a Senior Consultant at SGH Emergency Medicine.[+4 sentences] And let me not forget to mention yourself, Speaker, who has done so well. We are very proud of you, the community is very proud of you. You also led NTUC as the Deputy Secretary-General. Mdm Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to once again thank Ms Tin Pei Ling and all the women present here moving this Motion which, I hope, will help women, regardless of their race, religious beliefs or practices, make a mark in our society.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Faisal Manap.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap307 words
[+12 sentences]Madam, I would like to clarify some of the points made by the Minister who is trying to paint a negative image of myself. Madam, firstly, I disagree with Minister's claim that I am causing discord and divisiveness. My point is that I choose to use Parliament as a platform, an official platform as an elected Member, to voice out the community's concerns. I did not choose or post any kind of comment, negative comment, on social media, even though I have my own Facebook page but I did not choose to do that because I know such matters are better discussed officially. So, I believe that as a Member of Parliament, elected through the GRC system, I do have the right to voice the concern. Some of the concerns that I have voiced out, for example, the halal kitchen issue, was not initiated by me but was mentioned by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. I was just reiterating what he had mentioned and asked him for clarification on whether there would be effort made to address that issue. As for the point that the Minister made on Zulfikar, I was there to support the "Wear White" movement. I just want to repeat one more time: I was there to support the "Wear White" movement. I am not so sure what is behind Minister's mind when he tried to link me to Zulfikar. I am a bit distraught by his effort to paint me negatively when what I was trying to do was to voice out the concerns of the community on an official platform and avoid myself from being entangled in this kind of discussion on the social media platform. So, I believe that I have explained enough and I would appreciate if the Minister would be more positive in his remarks towards me.
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Minister Masagos.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M692 words
[+2 sentences]Mdm Speaker, Mr Faisal Manap is not repentant nor apologetic. He insists his strident approach is the correct way to do what he wants to do, he needs to do. Perhaps, it is the spirit of the first world Parliament. I put to Mr Faisal Manap that his strident approach is putting Singapore's multi-racial harmony at risk.[+4 sentences] What we say about our religious rights, what we say is our right to do things in this multi-racial context may appease a part of our community, maybe it is even because we have to carry it out as a religious responsibility to voice it out. But remember others are listening, too. They are watching us. The Member may have spoken in Malay but everyone else understands the translated version, Members in this House and, later on, maybe he is posting to say that "I spoke about this". Yesterday, the imam who made offensive remarks about Christians and Jews was found guilty by the Court and fined for the offensive remarks. Two others who traded barbs over the new media were given stern warnings.[+17 sentences] But I want to quote what the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore told TODAY newspaper. He said, "Religious teachers must be aware that they are not just addressing their believers but also the world as well, and what they say can be heard by others, so they must be more cautious not to be seen as slighting other religions." This may not be about slighting religions but it also stirs emotions within our community and other communities who also have things and rites and rituals that they may want to do but may not be able to do because we value our common space. So, I believe this applies to all of us, all political leaders, when we raise issues on religion or race or language. In Singapore, we have allowed large doses of freedom in our religious practices, especially those that do not impinge on others. But when we have to do something that is in the common spaces when we are working together, what we do as what we call our religious rights sometimes have push backs, uncomfortable feelings about what we do, by other communities, and we must recognise this. Indeed, if each community pushes its own claims aggressively, there will be pushback, there will be animosity. Can we imagine that here we are campaigning for our Muslim ladies to put on their tudung, what are employers thinking? Do we also compromise the equal opportunity that these employers would have employed them on the basis of their competence, on the basis of their ability, and now they have to also consider whether they should be allowed other religious rights that they claim to be theirs? Thankfully, all of us, most of us, are patient and rational voices and, unlike Mr Faisal Manap, I do not believe things like this should be discussed openly, publicly and then left hanging without answers. I believe that we should call for constructive engagements like he said. But we must not do it at a place that upsets social harmony. We must not do it among people who have other agendas who we may not be able to control and then may have consequences we never thought about. Mdm Speaker, yesterday, like I mentioned, the imam was found guilty by the Court, two other fellows were given stern warnings but, today, there is calm in Singapore. I think if we put diary entries today, we would say "nothing of import happened today". But not so in 1950 when the Court awarded custody of Maria Hertogh against the wishes of the Muslims who consequently rioted. This calm that we have today is not, I believe, the level-headedness of Singaporeans. Yes, it is in a way, but it is because we have tended to our racial and religious harmony fastidiously. And, therefore, I will not take Mr Faisal Manap's tactic lightly and let him needle the community's sensitivity subtly and frequently.[+2 sentences] It leaves a lingering feeling of unsolved, unsolvable and impatience that, one day, I believe, will explode. Is that what Mr Faisal Manap wants?
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Faisal Manap.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap193 words
[+10 sentences]Madam, I would like to clarify the point made by the Minister. Firstly, I am not hiding behind my usage of my national language. It is the Malay language, it is the national language and it is my mother tongue. I am proud to use my national language in my speech. Secondly, I would like to again ask the Minister if he provide to me or explain or share with me or share with the House any specific, particular situation where I tried to cause discord or divisiveness. What I have been asking since I was elected in this House is for the Government to address the issue. I called for a committee to be formed, a commission to be formed to look into the concerns of the Malay community. How does that cause divisiveness and discord? I have not imposed any of my thoughts and I did not mention even for the sake of the Muslim community we have to compromise the national or the social cohesiveness or integration. So, I would like to ask the Minister can he provide, can he explain any examples where I am sowing discord and divisiveness.
Mdm Speaker2 words
[+1 sentence]Minister Masagos.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M144 words
The Member does not need to intend to sow discord. But the practice of subtly and frequently bringing issues that are sensitive to the community, knowing that these are not easy to resolve and cleverly turning it into a state-versus-religion issue.[+4 sentences] These are all very dangerous moves. I actually wonder whether the Workers' Party and its leadership are committed to the racial and religious harmony which underpins the security of this country. Do we want to go back to the politics of race and religion of the 1960s, the politics we wanted to avoid when we left Malaysia? If we do not want that, why do we let a Member constantly raise these issues to stir the community, to tell them "you are different", to subtly suggest to them "we are not able to address your issues now because the Government won't do it"?
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Mr Faisal Manap.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap100 words
[+3 sentences]The Minister has not answered my question of an example of where I have caused discord and divisiveness. On what Minister mentioned earlier about the issue faced by the community being not easy to resolve, hence, I have been asking persistently and consistently for the Government to address the issue. That is the point that I have been making since I was elected and I have even started to make this point after the Suara Musyawarah Report was made public, based on that concern voiced in that report, as a basis for my point that I bring up in Parliament.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M405 words
[+1 sentence]If I have not heard the Member, the Member also has not heard me. The Government does not address this in public forums, in debates, in places like this where sensitive matters can be discussed out of context, emotionally and, sometimes, because they are not easy to resolve, because they cannot be quickly resolved, leaves a lingering, unhappy feeling in a community. It may not be our community, it can be any community. Therefore, the approach of the Government is to address this within closed doors, with the community leaders and people who are responsible to carry the message for us and with us.[+19 sentences] Like I mentioned to Mr Faisal Manap, what is worrying me is not so much about whether he intends to sow discord. The imam did not intend to say anything to hurt the Christians or the Jews. But the Christians and the Jews, now that it is out in the open, do feel insulted. It is not only our intention that matters. It is our action and how people interpret it. I met some students in Mecca at Medina very recently and they were unhappy. They were concerned that many people think people who study in Mecca, Medina would have what they call Salafi thinking, not moderate, very extreme. And they say, "We do not do all these things. We say all the good things. We tell people to do only the right things as a Muslim." But I asked them, "Have you ever checked what people think and what people do after what you said and what you teach them? Have you ever gone to the ground to check the impact of what you teach them?" As an example, I told them there was a divorce that happened after they got the wife to become very religiously observant. The wife, because the husband is not so religiously observant, divorced the husband. And what were they doing? Only telling good things. And, therefore, as responsible Members of this House, I hope the Member just does not do this as a matter of course because it is a responsibility to do so, even if it is your right to do so, but do this responsibly because we have a context, we have a very precious social fabric to preserve. I ask the Workers' Party and everybody here, respect that, preserve that. Because this is something we can leave for our children.
Mdm Speaker13 words
[+2 sentences]Mr Faisal Manap, please keep it short. We are running out of time.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap171 words
[+6 sentences]Thank you, Madam. I just like to address one point that was brought up by the Minister. He mentioned that public consultations, including in this Chamber, are not the right places to discuss such matters. I believe that this is the best platform, an official platform for me as an elected Member of Parliament to bring up the issues. Indeed, last November, we did mention a very sensitive issue regarding having a Malay or minority to be elected as the Head of State. I believe that is a sensitive issue that was discussed openly in Parliament. Again, the result was to proceed with the reserved Elected President based on, to brush aside the perspective that a Malay cannot assume the highest position in the state both by the Malays themselves as well as the non-Malays.[+3 sentences] So, I believe this is the right platform for me to bring up. If not here, where else, can I, as an elected Member of Parliament, voice out the concerns of the community? Thank you, Madam.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M273 words
[+6 sentences]Even when I was not a Member of Parliament, I could talk about this. I remember in 2002 – please look up the reports – when I was involved in discussions with the Government on a similar issue about uniforms in schools. What did I say? What did I do? I have a platform. Yes, I do. Did I have to go out and go and try and create havoc?[+3 sentences] No, I did not. I did not. This is exactly the spirit we want. We do not need a place in Parliament to voice things out when we know that it is sensitive.[+1 sentence] I engaged the Government quietly. I met Ministers, Senior Ministers of State ─ at that time, it was Dr Aline Wong ─ to discuss the issue quietly. We had an agreement that there are things that we discuss here openly and do not share out there because there may be things that may be misunderstood and we have to move on.[+3 sentences] Finally, the outcome of that particular episode was one where the Mufti, knowing very well what is the priority of our community, made a statement to tell us knowledge is more important for us to pursue, not just the covering of our heads. The community moved on. But why did the community move on? Because after that, the community leaders came together to calm the situation down and got everybody to move on.[+3 sentences] I would bet you, a similar situation elsewhere will not happen. It will continue to rile the community. It will continue to make the community upset because nobody will cede what they think is their right.
Mdm Speaker5 words
[+1 sentence]Dr Intan, present your speech.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio)1698 words
[+12 sentences]Thank you, Madam. Mdm Speaker, I stand in support of this Motion. Policies and initiatives to support working women and women in general have been encouraging and have helped women better manage their multiple roles in the home, at work and in the community. However, there is still more that needs to be done. In my speech, I would like to touch on three areas, that of (a) work support for women; (b) shared responsibilities; and (c) financial planning and retirement adequacy, all of which have also been put forward in the PAP Women's Wing position paper published in July last year. Work support. For many women, the desire to work or stay at home is shaped by different reasons − personal goals, family responsibilities or the family's economic situation, among others. The choice is really up to each woman and in consultation with their significant others. However, for women who have decided to stay at home to take care of their children or elderly parents or even family members with special needs, and who, thereafter, decide to return to work, they would need the necessary conditions and provisions to (a) choose between returning to full-time or part-time or flexi-work; (b) have adequate support for their caregiving responsibilities; and (c) learn and re-learn relevant knowledge and skills needed for the work they are returning to. I am glad to see greater support for women for childcare and elderly caregiving, be it in terms of financial, social or emotional support. It is not yet ideal, but we are headed in the right direction. I hope to see more provisions given to our women to have easier access to learn and re-learn relevant knowledge and skills that are needed for the work they are returning to. To elaborate, under the SkillsFuture initiatives, specific course packages can be designed to help women in areas, such as information technology skills, effective use of social media, issues on cybersecurity, or even an overview of financial or social assistance schemes and policies that they need to know and can leverage on to help our women manage their multiple roles and responsibilities.[+1 sentence] I would like to see more employers, including the public sector, design a returnship programme for women to ease back to work after taking some time off for child or elderly caregiving. This returnship programme can provide our back-to-work women with a flexi-work or part-time work arrangement in the first instance for a period of three to six months, before they decide to resume full-time work.[+6 sentences] The returnship programme can also include a work placement support and internship programme for our back-to-work women to have enough time to learn about the company they are joining and the work they will be doing. I hope that our unions also will be able to support such a returnship programme for our back-to-work women. In addition, I would also urge our public sector and private sector employers to make greater provisions for flexi- or part-time work for both mothers and fathers as well. For instance, flexi-work in the form of allowing several weeks of working from home when family exigencies come up, with no disruption to salaries or performance appraisals, would be ideal. Allowing working mothers and working fathers to work as a work-team will make it easier for flexi-work to be implemented and taken up, as teammates can cover office duties when a working mother or father needs to do flexi-work and work from home. Such provisions allow for greater flexibility for couples to decide on child or elderly caregiving arrangements depending on the needs of their families and for them to share such responsibilities, which brings me to my next point on shared responsibilities. Changes to maternity leave provisions, where mothers have 16 weeks of maternity leave, and the introduction of the two-week paternity leave from 1 January this year have been significant in helping young couples share the joy and responsibilities of parenthood. While I hope for greater provision of both maternity and paternity leave in future, as well as eldercare sick leave to be the norm, too, I recognise that shared responsibilities towards parenthood and the family are not just up to the Government to provide.[+10 sentences] Our societal norms and traditions also need to evolve. For instance, we have to change our perceptions of mothers being the main caregiver for children or the home − for mothers to be the one to cook, clean, wash, teach and take care of our children. Fathers have an equally important role to play in caring for our children and in keeping house that extends beyond just putting the children to bed. When our children see their fathers doing housework, lending a hand in changing diapers, or cooking meals at home, we shape our children's perceptions of societal norms and responsibilities and traditions. We broaden their minds and we help them see that both boys and girls have a part to play in keeping the family together and in taking care of the household. Similarly, we also need to change how we perceive elderly caregiving. Traditionally, we expect daughters or grown-up children who are not married to be the ones to take care of our elderly parents. When this is not possible, we expect others to take care of them − this can be in the form of the Government, nursing homes, or even domestic helpers − to fulfil such responsibilities. This also needs to change. Taking care of our elderly parents is a shared responsibility for everyone in the family − daughters or sons, married or otherwise. The Government, geriatric professionals or domestic helpers can be there to lend support and assistance, but not to assume the entire role of caregiving to the elderly. We would need employers to make provisions not just for maternity or paternity leave, but also for eldercare leave.[+4 sentences] Providing for flexi-work or work-teams or shared work in the workplace, would help us fulfil our caregiving responsibilities. I look forward to greater support from our employers, including from the public sector, in this. My third point is on financial planning and retirement adequacy. More of our women are now working − whether full-time, part-time or doing freelancing work to supplement the family income. I am heartened by this, where our women are increasingly more financially independent and are able to earn their keep, without having to depend on their husbands or children or on others. However, with our labour participation rate for women at around 60%, there are many opportunities for our women to be even more economically active.[+3 sentences] At this point, Mdm Speaker, please allow me to continue in Malay. (In Malay): More and more of our women are now working and are able to provide for the family. Compared to our grandparents' time, women today are more highly educated, possess 21st century competencies and skills and have more opportunities to work, to acquire knowledge and global experience and also to pursue their interests further. Having said that, however, the proportion of Malay women who are not working is higher, compared to the other communities in Singapore.[+5 sentences] While the decision to be a homemaker is a personal one, I am, nonetheless, concerned about the ability of our women to, firstly, plan for their long-term financial needs and capacity; and, secondly, ensure their retirement adequacy in old age. I respect the decision of Malay women when they want to be full-time homemakers or to work part-time while their primary responsibility is raising children and taking care of the household. But at the same time, I do hope our women will plan more carefully for their long-term financial needs and capacity. For example, they should plan to save from a young age for their children's education − whether through a savings account in the bank or through an education insurance scheme for their children − as well as engage in financial planning for themselves. Our women should have personal savings for their own needs, too. Furthermore, women should plan for retirement adequacy for the future when they grow old. We have to recognise that, in general, women have longer life expectancies than men and a greater likelihood of having to support themselves and be financially independent even in their silver years. In the six years I have served as a Member of Parliament, I have often encountered our Malay women residents who are quite elderly, that is, more than 65 years, who have no income or savings of their own, no spouse because their husbands have either died or they have divorced and may have also been abandoned by their children.[+12 sentences] They have no family support, alone and helpless, and are dependent on public sympathy and compassion. I feel heartbroken whenever I meet them and I hope I will never see such a situation becoming widespread among our Malay women. With due respect to our men, I urge and make this appeal to our women that they should not be too dependent on their husbands financially and for retirement adequacy in old age. Regardless of whether our women choose to be full-time homemakers or to work part-time or work full-time, I hope they have clear plans that ensure their own financial independence and retirement adequacy. At this point, Mdm Speaker, I would like to close my speech in English. (In English): Over the years, more provisions and support have been given to help women manage our multiple roles and responsibilities − in the family, at work and in the community. While such provisions and support have been encouraging, certainly, more can still be done to ensure that our women can continue to be the best daughters, best wives, best mothers, best employees, best leaders and important members of our community for now and the future. Sometimes, we can ask for changes to be made. But sometimes, we need to make those changes ourselves. It has been said, "There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise". So, rise, mothers, daughters, sisters and let us be the change we want to see in our community and in the world. Mdm Speaker, I support the Motion.
Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol)1301 words
[+4 sentences]Mdm Speaker, it is not uncommon to hear about four generations of women in a Singaporean family living lives and having experiences mirroring Singapore's developments. With grandma doing menial jobs to support her many children, mom having had some form of education and working in an SME or a factory, my current generation with greater access to education options and working in jobs that we desire and, finally, our children, having the possibility to be what they want to be and living lives that are meaningful and fulfilling. At this point, given the progress that women have made in Singapore, what more can be done to ensure that we, the mothers, sisters and daughters of Singapore, can be the best that we can be and, in so doing, give the best to those around us? We aspire for equal opportunity – the opportunity to be recognised fairly for the work that we do, the opportunity to rise up in a corporate or in the community for the efforts that we put in. A statistic that Minister Grace Fu brought up recently is disturbing − only 9.7% of board positions in Singapore corporates are filled by women.[+6 sentences] Given the increasing numbers of women as employees and as consumers, companies may be missing an important perspective on their products and services as well as the management of their company, by not tapping on the perspectives that women bring. The Diversity Action Committee (DAC) has done important work in this area. With their database of suitable women candidates for board positions and a knowledge of the capability requirements to become a board director, corporates facing difficulties identifying suitable women candidates for board positions could interface more with DAC. The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) and Trade Associations, with their network of employers, can also play an active role by putting these employers in touch with DAC. A little step every way can help us narrow this yawning gap in women in corporate leadership. Women also aspire to positions in community leadership. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women community leaders at the Resident's Committee level number about 40% but women community leaders at the Citizens' Consultative Committee level number about 20%, if not less.[+8 sentences] With increasing social spending from the Government on healthcare and childcare needs and a greater call for a whole-of-society approach to dealing with our society's needs, perhaps there can be more targeted recruitment, training and retention activities aimed at women volunteers. Women volunteers can bring in very different strengths and capabilities in community work and address the needs of special groups in the community. At different junctures of our lives, women may have to make decisions to balance competing needs of their careers and their families. If we were to take a life-cycle approach to the decisions that women have to make, it may be easier to identify the pressure points that women face. Firstly, young women leaving the school environment, about to embark on their careers could benefit from having women mentors and learning about business networking. The work of Young Women's Leadership Connection (YWLC) is thus important as its network of women mentors can help support young women leaders in their journey to fulfil their aspirations. Can we further support the work of YWLC? The next juncture where women may face disruptions in their careers could be due to childbearing or the need to care for the elderly in the family. As Minister Ong Ye Kung pointed out yesterday, the employment rate for women shows a sharp drop after 25-29 years, which coincides with peak childbearing years.[+13 sentences] Can we go a step further and identify the industries that show the highest drop-out rate for women and tailor the engagement for these women to encourage them to stay in the workforce? Flexible work arrangements are one way to encourage people to stay in the workforce who might otherwise have dropped out. This benefits both men and women. Just as there are industry transformation maps for technology, there can be industry transformation maps for HR practices. I hope that the tripartite partners can work together to identify which industries and which areas of work can be most easily flexi-ed. Can there be more granular work arrangements so that flexi-work, flexi-place and flexi-load can truly be implementable? Jobs can be shared and, correspondingly, wages can be apportioned. With greater deliberation, we can try to customise work arrangements to bring in workers who otherwise might not be able to participate in the workforce. Lastly, alleviating stress points around childcare can also help women and, in so doing, release constraints that potentially impede them from making optimal choices in their careers and family life. For instance, childcare options in estates with many young families have been a perennial bugbear. It would be helpful if MOE can consider setting up childcare centres, as young parents need full-day childcare facilities to take care of their toddlers while they are at work. Further, the opening hours till 7.00 pm for most childcare operators create a huge stress point for young parents who are not able to reach the school on time to pick up their children. Most working adults I know finish work after 6.00 pm. Can we look at options to keep childcare centres open till 8.00 pm, so that parents have a reasonable amount of time to pick up their children after work?[+11 sentences] A little step of the way can go a long way towards helping our women. We are responsible and stand by the choices we make in our lives. But do ensure that equal opportunities are made available to us. Ensure that our efforts meet just rewards. Help us make the choices we make easier as we are trying our best to be a good wife, a good mother and a useful citizen. By being the best that we can be, we can give our best to you. Mdm Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): At different junctures of our lives, women may have to make decisions to balance the competing needs of their careers and their families. Firstly, young women leaving the school environment, about to embark on their careers could benefit from having women mentors to help them expand their social circle and learn about business networking. The work of Young Women's Leadership Connection is thus very important. The next juncture women may face could be due to childbearing or the need to care for the elderly in the family. In this area, if we could take into consideration their needs and concerns, we will be able to better support them by providing training or flexible work arrangement (FWA), so that companies can retain or re-employ female employees.[+1 sentence] FWA benefits both men and women. Just as we have Industry Transformation Maps for technology, there can be Industry Transformation Maps for HR practices.[+2 sentences] Can we all work together to see which industries and which areas of work can be most easily flexi-ed? Lastly, alleviating stress points around childcare is also important for women. Would it be possible for MOE to consider setting up MOE childcare centres instead of just MOE Kindergartens? When it comes to opening hours, what options are there to keep childcare centres open till 8.00 pm so that parents have a reasonable amount of time to travel to pick up their children?[+5 sentences] A little step forward can go a long way towards helping our women. Please help her by ensuring that equal opportunities are made available to her. Ensure that her efforts meet just rewards. Help her make the choices easier as she is trying her best to be a good wife, a good mother and a useful citizen. Your understanding will be rewarded by her giving her best to you.
Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin (Nominated Member)2821 words
[+7 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I have heard of superstar women who managed to somehow do it all. They manage an amazing career, sew their own buttons, make home-cooked meals, tutor their brilliant children and somehow, still manage to look Instagram-worthy. And yes, these amazing unicorns apparently exist and I do not know how they do it. On weekdays, I still struggle to leave office on time to be at home for my child. And on weekends or weeknights, I have unfinished business to clear, like writing this speech, for instance. I cannot do anything without my husband and domestic helper playing tag-team with me. The year that my father fell ill and my kid was just born was also the first year that I took up the Nominated Member of Parliament position, on top of all my other work. And I could only do what I do because I had supportive teams at work. I had state-subsidised infant care near my home, I had my mum and my sister taking turns being caregiver to my dad, and we could afford external part-time caregivers when my mom needed a break. I love doing my work, but I know I would definitely have had to drop out of the workforce if I did not have access to an equal system of paid and unpaid help supporting me at the home level, as well as at the broader societal level. If we want to see more women keep their families together, keep contributing to the economy and keep rising to represent us on corporate boards and political positions, we do have to design an inclusive ecosystem of caregiving that all women can access and afford.[+34 sentences] A few weeks ago, after Budget season, I received an online message from a woman whom I have never met. She was not asking for any answers and she was not requesting for any favours. She was just hoping for someone to feel her present struggle and care for her future story. She wrote, "I am a mother to four boys, married to a civil servant, but you have no idea how hard life has been for us. We keep on trying and striving and doing our best to survive, not for ourselves, but for our boys. I wake up every day at 4.30 am in the morning to cook because my children cannot eat the food from school, and I have been packing their lunches for more than 10 years. I rush to cook, clean and get my kids ready for school. We live far away, and my husband sends them to school each morning, but I will rush to my office to work. Then, I will fetch my kids home by bus. I cook lunch and sit down with my kids for revision, I check their homework. I am not well-educated, so I also have to engage tutors for the boys. But I can only do so much. My business does not earn very much, but I do it anyway just for the kids, to pay for tuition fees, to help my husband out. And yes, the story is long and boring and tiring, but that is how I feel, too. Sometimes, I will cry myself to sleep, and feel that I have failed as a mum who cannot provide enough for her children and as an only daughter who cannot provide enough for her own mother. Bills and more bills to pay, problems after problems. It gets very frustrating and I wish someone could listen to what I have to say and understand my plight, but sadly no one is there. And we only have our family, just us." I wanted to bring her voice in this House so that we can get a sense of what at least one real woman on the ground might be thinking as she listens to us discuss in theory how to affirm every woman's contributions and support her aspirations. Her story is not representative of every Singapore woman's story, but I believe it does have enough threads within to bind it to a wider tapestry of even tougher tales out there. For many women, it is difficult to aspire about a faraway future, where the demands of the present feel so overwhelming. Planning for the future is a luxury only those of us who have the privilege of time and mental bandwidth can afford. And yes, a woman who has cash to spare in her household budget can have the option of purchasing the spare time and mental bandwidth she needs in the present to improve her future prospects. She can hire a domestic worker to clean the house and cook the meals. She can pay for laundry to be pressed and groceries to be delivered. She can hire school buses to do the fetching and tutors to do the revising. She can engage the best live-in nurses for her parents and all-day preschools for her kids. And she can pay for financial planners to strategise the growth of her savings and investments. So, yes, theoretically, a woman can outsource all the jobs in her extensive portfolio of home-based work to an army of many to do, but many women do not. Many women take on either the full or partial portfolio of caregiving work onto themselves. And for some women, it is a deliberate and happy choice. They may have the wealth to pay for external help and they are personally convicted that some types of domestic work, particularly caregiving for their ageing parents or young children, are too sacred to be outsourced to strangers. They derive great personal satisfaction from being a full-time worker at home, rather than a full-time worker in the office. And they may take a financial hit for their choice, but they have enough financial reserves and social support to feel at peace about their future. But for other women, it is not that simple. They may share similar values as the first group and embrace the meaning of caregiving as well, but their decision to be a caregiver may be driven more out of a lack of financial capital to engage paid help or a lack of social capital to engage alternative sources of unpaid help.[+4 sentences] They may also have done their math and compared the income they would derive from working versus the cost they would pay for external help, and then they sacrifice the job they enjoy to be a caregiver because it is just the more affordable option. They do want to care for their loved ones and they do so either on a full-time or part-time basis, but they are also clear that they want to go back to office work someday, either because they have personal goals to fulfil or because they know they just need the income. My focus today is on how we can better support the aspirations in future of this second group of women. Statistically, women tend to shoulder a significantly larger portion of the burden of unpaid invisible caregiving work, much more so than men. According to MOM Report on the Labour Force in Singapore for 2015, 80,848 women between the ages of 25 and 54 left the labour force due to family responsibilities, compared to just 4,439 men.[+7 sentences] In 2014, it was 70,060 women who left, compared to 3,564 men. The number of women who leave the visible paid labour force to enter the invisible and unpaid labour force of domestic caregiving is a big deal because, firstly, the labour is not free. It comes at great individual cost. Presently, we have many older women today, widows or single unmarried women who currently face financial insecurity because they sacrificed their lifetime earnings and savings to care for dependants at the peak of their working years. Dr Kanwaljit Soin observed in a 2012 interview with the Council for Third Age (C3A) that, usually, because women live longer than men, the women will be looking after her husband through his last illness, spending most of their savings on him. After he dies, she is without a spouse, with little material resources left and there are about five times as many widows than widowers in Singapore. Secondly, there is also a great societal cost, particularly for a small country like Singapore. Our female labour force participation rate of 58.6% in 2014 was lower than in most other first world countries at similar income levels, like Denmark at 75% and Switzerland at 79%.[+6 sentences] In a tight labour market like ours, especially given our low birth rates, we do have to increase our female labour participation rate. But if we want more of our women to stay in the labour force or re-enter it after their time of caregiving, we must provide better systemic support for their work of caregiving. I have three requests. My first request is on behalf of the financial future of full-time home-based caregivers. A 2015/2016 CPF Advisory Panel Recommendations Report expressed worry about the financial vulnerability of our female caregivers who leave the workforce and are completely reliant on their husband's CPF payouts for their retirement. Should these caregivers outlive their husbands, they will have no sustained income. Currently, there is a system of voluntary CPF transfers from income-earners to non-earning caregivers that is incentivised by the Government.[+1 sentence] There were 86,198 top-ups made in 2015. But if we have an estimated 210,000 caregivers here, then it does imply that there are still many caregivers who do not receive CPF retirement savings for their work.[+11 sentences] Member of Parliament Er Dr Lee Bee Wah has suggested having a system of automatic transfers with an opt-out option from an income-earning spouse to a non-income earning caregiver spouse's account under the Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme. If voluntary transfers do not climb significantly, then I think we have to consider this intrusive option. I also wonder if we can encourage income-earning spouses, children, relatives or even friends to contribute to some kind of Caregiver Development Account. It allows the community to practically honour the work of the caregivers that they love as well as encourage the caregivers to take care of their own well-being and development. It could be something like how the Government currently encourages parents to save for their child's future through the Child Development Account. The state can offer a cap of one-for-one matching grant over a fixed time period and the money can similarly only be taken out by the caregiver for a select range of self-care or self-development activities, to ensure that claimants are true caregivers rather than opportunists. Claimants should be required to identify the range of activities of daily living that they do so on behalf of a care recipient. This initiative could also be limited only to claimants or care recipients who do not employ foreign domestic workers. My second request is on behalf of the career aspirations of lower income mothers. It is really difficult to go on job searches or training workshops without first getting access to alternative caregiving help. I echo Member of Parliament Cheryl Chan's call to relook the chicken-and-egg situation some of these mothers are caught in where they need to be employed before receiving state subsidies for childcare. The barrier faced by some of these women in finding a job or keeping a job is, in fact, the lack of affordable childcare. I hope we can help them in their search for employment and removing the requirement of employment for women with household income lower than $2,500.[+5 sentences] We could explore granting jobseekers from lower income households a limited number of months of childcare subsidies upon application. After that, they can show periodic proof that they are on a genuine job search by showing evidence of registration with job-matching agencies like e2i or job applications with potential employers. Such transitional support will be a valuable boost to their morale and motivate the search for stable work within the timeframe of the given childcare subsidies. My third request is a long-term and more drastic one. I appreciate Minister of State Lam Pin Min's sharing yesterday of the Ministry's efforts to improve access to caregiving and respite services but still I believe that as long as we leave caregiving as a problem primarily for individual families to resolve, then we will continue to see individual women become the solution by leaving paid employment. Given how fast our dependency ratio is rising and how much we need our women to stay in the workforce, I believe somewhere down the road, we will have to design a caregiving infrastructure that provides universal access to caregiving services for our elderly, children and people with disabilities.[+4 sentences] A national system of caregiving will not only allow women providing unpaid care at home to return to the workforce with more confidence, it will also be most impactful on the fortunes of the low-income and sandwich-class families who need these resources most. I do not bring this up lightly because I know it is an extremely costly, complex and controversial venture and the staffing cost alone will be huge. I imagine such a system cannot be supported purely by tax dollar-paid professionals alone but by an army of unpaid volunteers as well. At the risk of laying yet another burden of care on us women, there is a controversial solution I have heard before which I believe we will have to debate about in due course. In 2015, Mr Ho Kwon Ping argued in his IPS-Nathan Lecture that we should consider universal female conscription as a solution to the overwhelming flood of future needs we will soon face in community care. He proposed that while Singaporean men serve a two-year military regime, Singaporean women could serve a three- to five-month community conscription during their break between graduation and entering the workforce. He imagined female national service women as a force that could support our civil defence, Home Team community and healthcare institutions. He believed that female national service women could really make a difference in service to their country's oldest, weakest and poorest, providing support in caregiver relief, elder care or even childcare while lessening our dependence on foreign caregivers.[+19 sentences] The possibilities for societal impact could be stunning and so will the personal cost. Young women will have to give up their time and opportunity and freedom but this is the very same price we have asked our young men to pay all these years for military conscription. Universal female conscription may not be a popular idea for now but, in stark contrast, the idea that National Service is noble work and an excellent character-building opportunity for fathers, husbands, boyfriends or sons is. Given that, our men have sacrificed so much over the first 50 years to serve and defend our country. It only seems fair for us women to also keep an open mind and a willing heart for the next 50 years to answer the call to serve and defend the communities we love, should that request ever be made of us. I do not know if female community-based conscription will ever be a reality but I do know that, if it ever does come to pass, I will be very glad to have my own daughter serve the nation that way. If I am not too old by then and this country will still have me, I will be equally glad to serve alongside. I want to close my speech by bringing us back to that first woman's story. It was she who inspired me to speak on this Motion because reading her message, while I felt for her sorrows, I also felt great admiration for her strengths. Women like her wrote the book on hard work and resilience. No matter how hopeless things feel, how tired they are, how many tears they have shed, they know how to get up, wipe the mess and soldier on like the warriors that they are. She is struggling but she is not giving up − not yet. Many women like her are already fighting for their aspirations and their families' futures. They just want to know whether we are in our own trenches fighting for them, too, because just knowing that we are together in this fight makes their fight feel a little easier. I believe that many of us from both sides of the House do share the hope to help our women. We and the rest of this nation can be that larger family beyond their own that they need. There are very real barriers of time, bandwidth, privilege and bureaucracy that stand in their way that are very difficult for them to overcome by themselves. Let us give our fighting women a fighting chance at their dreams of the future by meeting them halfway and breaking down those walls for them a brick at a time. I support this Motion.
Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang)1733 words
[+9 sentences]Mdm Speaker, it may be difficult to imagine, but conceptions of a woman's place in society were very different just one or two generations ago. Both my grandmothers were homemakers and, in their generation, most of their female counterparts would similarly be at home. In my maternal grandmother's case, she came to Singapore from India in order to be educated. However, after Primary 1, World War II broke out and her education was stopped. After the war, her guardian told her that, as a woman, it was not good to be too educated because it would be difficult to get married and that was the end of her education. However, post-Independence Singapore was a very different place. The PAP Government at that time governed on the premise that men and women should have equal opportunities. Education was made universal and compulsory. Both boys and girls had to have Primary education and school fees were nominal. The Women's Charter was passed in 1961, barely two years after the PAP came into power and even before Singapore's Independence.[+17 sentences] My parents' generation saw the benefit of these changes. My mother and all the aunts had full education, unlike their own mothers, and joined the workforce after their education. Indeed, my maternal grandmother, whose own education was cut short, did the reverse with her daughters and would chase them out of the kitchen when they tried to help, telling them they should study instead. These dramatic changes took place in a single generation since Singapore's Independence and have changed Singapore life completely. Women have become economically empowered and educated, which gives them a degree of independence the previous generations never had. Even with these dramatic changes, it gave me some pride actually to read the Women's Wing paper on "Singapore's future − women's perspectives and aspirations". That was what inspired me to come forward and speak for this Motion. Because while we have made great strides to create equality, educational opportunities, there is, I think, still more that can be done. It was with some pride that I read the Women's Wing paper where it started out by saying, "Although Singapore enjoys high female labour force participation, women saw their social impact, not only through contributions at the workplace but also through performing multiple roles in the family, as daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. Though motivated primarily by intrinsic satisfaction, societal recognition of their familial and societal contributions remains important". My reading of the paper is that women's aspirations were really to try and do it all, far greater aspirations that I think many men would have. They want to be the ideal person at home; they also want to be the ideal person at work and have opportunities there; these are difficult to do. There are many things in this paper which I would recommend everyone to read because, from beginning to end, it covers a whole range of areas from leadership and societal impact, employment, entrepreneurship, family and caregiving, financial well-being and the concerns women have towards the end of their life. But I will focus on, perhaps, the two more optimistic areas, the happier ones. What I will call empowering women for the women who really want to try to have it all. What the crux of this boils down to is how women can get help when they come to the difficult part of their life. This tends to happen in their 30s because that is when female workforce participation drops relative to male workforce participation. In the 20s, it is about the same. But in the 30s, male workforce participation spikes from about 89% to 98%, whereas female workforce participation drops.[+8 sentences] This is largely attributed to playing greater roles in the family and at home. Many women do not see this as an imposition but this is a role that they seek to take up on their own. Some of the suggestions in the Women's Wing paper are actually very thoughtful to meet this need. I would just highlight a few of those that I think are particularly useful. The first, of course, is flexible work, which I think has been bandied about quite often in this debate. This includes simple things: creating opportunities for women to work from home, telecommuting and more flexible hours. But, of course, at a theoretical level, this is very easy. To implement it is not always as easy. The Women's Wing had previously taken a stronger position in 2013, saying that flexible work should be mandated; it should be made a legal right that employers have to observe.[+1 sentence] This new paper is more nuanced and recognises that having a legislation to that effect may actually cause problems or may cause fears for employers employing women. What it has actually recommended instead is a tripartite arrangement − a tripartite workgroup to look into creating flexible work arrangements within industries.[+15 sentences] This is important because it has to be a nuanced approach that all parties, employers included, must buy into and agree with. Ultimately, it is my hope that employers will recognise that this is in the long-term interest of their business as well because they keep talented people in the workforce. I should also add that flexible work should be open to both genders, both men and women. In many ways, this will also encourage more men to take up roles at home, if they know that such flexible work arrangements are available for all parties. The second set of areas relate to caregiving facilities that are made available and the network of support that is available for women. Flexible work is certainly an aspiration and one which I think we can start working on a short measure through a tripartite workgroup. But in the meantime, just as I think many speakers have acknowledged, part of the reason women drop out of the workforce is because they take on the caregiving role. One of the suggestions in the paper is also to rethink how childcare and eldercare facilities are designed and situated. The key being that these should be situated in places that are easy for women and actually men as well to drop off children, seniors if necessary. These caregiving places can also not only surely be near where people stay but also near where people work. The next is to develop a network of caregivers or what some other people might have called social capital. This can be done with an online directory created to help match supply and demand. It is a very simple solution but it involves creating awareness of where these caregivers are, whether it is in the neighbourhood, whether it is outside, whether it is near the workplace. As long as credentials of these people are available and somewhat regulated, this could be another alternative for caregiving. Workplace appraisals are also important. There is a tendency observed that workplace appraisals sometimes depend a great deal on face-time. However, a fairer appraisal system should find ways to make sure that people are appraised on the quality of their work and not just the amount of time they spend at the office or the amount of say, childcare leave they take.[+4 sentences] Ultimately, if people are accessed according to their contributions, rather than the amount of time they spend at work, that could lead to fairer appraisal systems. Also, one of our aspirations is to make sure that women are able to stay at work. I think it is also important to give back-to-work support for caregivers. If people take some time out of the workforce, they should be given as much opportunity as possible to come back. The Women's Wing suggestion was for subsidised courses in areas of interest to women where they could develop skills to assimilate themselves back into the workforce.[+4 sentences] Let me just deal with one final issue and this was also mentioned by a number of my female counterparts but I should also give my support to this. This is diversity on corporate boards. There has been an extensive study that diversity, in fact, adds to the value of companies. There was a McKenzie study in 2015, which I believe the paper cited. This study talked about diversity in two respects: gender diversity and ethnic diversity. It was a study of companies in London and what it found was that companies at the top quartile for gender diversity, performed 15% better on a return on equity basis than other companies, while companies with the top quartile for ethnic diversity performed 35% better.[+3 sentences] But the point is this, this is a correlation, it is not really causation but there seems to be strong evidence that diversity creates more perspectives on the board, more viewpoints and more reach for companies. But diversity is sometimes not always easy to achieve because people tend to get onto boards together with others they are more comfortable with and, sometimes, if you take someone who is different from you, either gender or ethnicity, it may be a little unnatural at first. That is why sometimes having some kind of quotas may be helpful. The Women's Wing paper has suggested that the SGX put some kind of requirements in place to ensure we have at least 20% representation of women in all companies by 2020.[+9 sentences] I endorse that. I think that may be a little bit unnatural at first but I think that it is something that will, in the long term, be in the best interests of all companies. As this is also the Tamil Language Festival, let me just end with a little bit of wisdom in Tamil. (In Tamil): She will make butter out of bought buttermilk and pay for her eldest son's wedding. (In English): This is a proverb, which basically says, a mother will make butter from butter milk, which is the alternative to yoghurt and, with that, pay for the wedding of a son. Of course, this is from a different era but the idea of the proverb is the ingenuity of women. And even in that day and age, where there was something important to be done, the women would be able to do the impossible. My own view is, given the amenities of today, they would probably be able to outshine us and do even more impossible things. Mdm Speaker, I support the Motion.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon)1242 words
[+4 sentences]Madam, I support the Motion. I am excited and encouraged by the initiative of the PAP Women's Wing to spearhead a project centred upon the empowerment of women to their fullest potential. While inroads and improvements in this area are evident, building awareness and continued engagement must persist in order to enable our women to aspire without real or perceived inhibitions. On organisational leadership, women remain under-represented. According to the United Nations, although women can vote and run for public office in nearly every country, in 2013, they accounted for only 21% of parliamentarians worldwide and serve as Head of State or Head of Government in only 24 countries. In Singapore, as many of us have said, we only have one woman among 20 full Cabinet Ministers and about 20% of Members of Parliament are women.[+3 sentences] Japan, a mature democracy like Singapore, has a target of women occupying 30% of the Japanese Parliament by 2020 pursuant to their White Paper on Gender Equality 2011. Madam, I am supportive of Singapore setting a similar goal. The figure of 30% is not a figure without any basis. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had stated that, "Research demonstrates that if women's participation reaches 30% to 35%, there is a real impact on political style and the content of decisions, and political life is revitalised." The General Recommendation essentially emphasises that it is not enough to say there is no formal barrier − active measures should be taken to substantially ensure equal participation.[+19 sentences] According to the Diversity Action Committee which was established by MSF, it is increasingly common for women to be leaders in the boardroom, in addition to being a mother, wife and daughter. If the private sector recognises that women are capable enough to take on onerous responsibilities, I believe we should also look out for suitable candidates and nurture them to take on portfolios in the Cabinet. That is not to say the private sector is highly exemplary. According to the same Committee, due to the perceived shortage of qualified women and preferences for qualified directors who are men, progress is hamstrung. The Committee further observed that Singapore lags behind the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia in terms of female representation on boards of directors. Surely, Singapore's number of qualified women should be similar to these countries, given our enviable quality of education coupled with high economic activities for all to participate in and prove their worth. On this note, I would like to indicate my support for the 2020 target announced by Minister Grace. Surely, we can and we have, to have to ensure that at least 20% of female directors on boards by 2020. Boardroom representation is not the only issue of concern. A few weeks ago, NUS released a study showing that female executive directors of Singapore Exchange-listed companies earned just 56.1% of what their male counterparts earned. Madam, the figure given is disappointing at best. I sincerely hope that businesses will examine their remuneration policies and structures, and put forward new remuneration frameworks that better reflect the value women bring to the economy. I strongly encourage businesses and not-for-profit entities, both big and small, to be on the look-out for capable women and provide them with opportunities to prove that they are just as good as, if not better than, their male counterparts. A noteworthy corporate entity is one of Singapore's biggest law firms, WongPartnership, where 43% of the executive committee is made up of women. Ms Rachel Eng, joint Managing Partner of WongPartnership said, "Our firm did not set a target to achieve gender diversity. Yet, by creating a culture that recognises and accepts that our talents, including female talents, may need special support during certain periods of their lives, we were able to create a conducive culture for our talents to thrive." I hope that more corporate entities will create conducive cultures that recognise and accept all talents, regardless of their gender. Besides creating a conducive culture at work, I believe the culture set at home and societal mindset must be reworked, too. It is possible that unequal distribution of care plays a major role in explaining the disparity in representation. According to MOM, over 265,000 women are out of the labour force due to family commitments or responsibilities, versus around 9,000 men.[+14 sentences] In studying the Age-Sex Specific Resident Labour Force Participation Rate, Singapore does not have the "M" curve of other developed economies, where women leave the workforce when children are young but return in significant numbers later in life. In Singapore, it is just a decline with time. Women face barriers to full and equal participation in public life, including employment. The reason might start at home. Between 2012 and 2013, AWARE conducted a survey among 1,322 respondents as part of the We Can! Campaign, which aims to change societal attitudes that perpetuate violence against women. The survey revealed that 52% of men think women are still expected to be in charge of caregiving and household chores. Interestingly, the popularity of this view increased to 58% among men aged 18 and 29. This is worrying and I hope that we can change this mindset. We have to. And perhaps, as many Members of this House have echoed the same view, it is time for us to review our maternity leave and paternity leave. We might be reinforcing the mindset that women are in charge of caregiving when women receive a significantly higher amount of leave as compared to men. Madam, while big strides could still be made, I believe we should recognise those who are making concerted efforts to positively change the landscape. In this regard, I wish to highlight the endeavours made by the Young Women's Leadership Connection that has a variety of programmes to support young women leaders to fulfil their aspirations. I also note the efforts by AWARE which has constantly sought to support women from all walks of life. I urge businesses and organisations to connect with them and the Diversity Action Committee to find out how they may assist their women employees.[+11 sentences] Finally, I am heartened by the initiative by the PAP Women's Wing and I stand in full support of their efforts. Madam, my life has come full circle. I grew up with my sister Lynette and my two female cousins Gail and Grace. I grew up with three girls and playtime usually meant Barbie time. Well, it was either playing with dolls or playing alone and so playing with dolls it was. Ken, the Barbie doll, became my best friend. Fast forward 30 years and playtime now for me is back to playing with dolls with my daughter Ella. I have to stress that she chose playing with dolls, not me. And she is now bringing her dolls to the hospital to introduce them to her sisters. And so, I am sure when my twins Katie and Poppy become bigger, it is going to be more dolls. Ken is already on standby in my drawer. The aspirations of Singapore women are clearly very important to me on a very personal note. I have three daughters and I hope that they will be able to fulfil their family and career aspirations and to be future-ready. But beyond these personal reasons, this is important to me quite simply because it is the right thing to do.[+1 sentence] Madam, I stand in full support of the Motion.
The Minister for Manpower (Mr Lim Swee Say)1510 words
[+16 sentences]Mdm Speaker, I thank the Members for their many constructive views and good suggestions. On behalf of our tripartite partners, I want to assure this House that we share their passion and commitment for Singapore women to fulfil their family and career aspirations. When I was at the NTUC, about 10 years ago, I visited Denmark. I spoke with the union leaders in Denmark. They told me that they were very proud of three achievements of Denmark women. Three high: high education, high employment rate and high TFR of 1.7. But most of all, they enjoyed another high, the fourth high, which is its ranking on the Happiness Index. Denmark has got one of the highest achievements in the world. So, I asked them, "What is your secret to getting these highs?" They said that the women in Denmark receive very strong support from the government, employer, community, as well as from the husband. For example, it is socially unacceptable for husbands not to spend their weekends with the family. Certainly, there is much we can learn from Denmark and we did. Over the last 10 years, through the concerted efforts of the tripartite partners, we have made steady progress. Firstly, in terms of the employment rate for women aged 25 to 64, it has increased steadily from 63% 10 years ago to 67% five years ago, to 72% last year. If you were to compare our women employment with that of the OECD countries 10 years ago, we were ranked 23rd. We were outside the top 20. Last year, we progressed to number 12, just outside the top 10.[+4 sentences] In other words, we have made progress from just outside the top 20, to just outside the top 10. Secondly, the median wage for women has gone up by 5.3% per annum over the last 10 years. This is similar to that for men, which is 5.5%. In other words, the median wage gap between men and women has not widened further over the last 10 years. Thirdly, in terms of retirement adequacy, the average CPF balance for women has grown by 8.3% per year over the last 10 years.[+2 sentences] This is faster than the growth rate of 7.7% for men and closes the gap in terms of average CPF balances between men and women, from 16% 10 years ago, to 11% last year. The gap has narrowed. Fourthly, the proportion of employees who work in companies offering flexible work arrangement has grown from 56% five years ago to 67% last year.[+36 sentences] Eighty-two percent of employees in Singapore also work in firms that offer ad hoc flexible work arrangement, and this is up from 72% five years ago. Madam, building on this steady progress, we will continue to strengthen our support for Singapore women, as expressed by many Members of this House, in at least four key areas. The first area is to improve our female employment rate further. Broadly speaking, the employment rate curve comes in three different shapes − single hump, double hump and no hump. Ours is the single hump. So, our employment rate peaks at the age of 25 to 29, and declines thereafter. So, just one hump. This is unlike the case of Japan and Korea where women re-enter the workforce from their mid-30s and they create a second hump in the employment curve at around age 50. So, Japan and Korea, they have the double hump. This is also unlike the case of the Nordic countries where women stay in employment for most of their adult life. In other words, they do not leave and re-enter. They stay in employment for most of their adult life so forming a very high and broad inverted "U" − so, no hump. Just an inverted "U" employment rate curve. Our challenge is: how can we help more women who are working today to stay in work and, at the same time, for those who have left, to return to work? That is our challenge. We will, therefore, have to increase our efforts to raise the adoption of flexible work arrangement for both employers and employees. In fact, I was told that some employees hesitate to take advantage of FWA for fear of discrimination. And I think we have to change the mindset for both employers and employees. In particular, we will give our strong support to NTUC on its Returnship Programme. We will also encourage companies to offer more part-time and job sharing opportunities for those who are not ready to go back to work on a full-time basis. Secondly, we have to help more women to stay more employable and be more future-ready. Under the Adapt and Grow initiative, we are doing more to help workers to learn new skills, to be more adaptable, so that they can keep pace with changes in the future economy. This is especially important for women who have taken a career break due to family commitment because, by the time they come back to work, the world may have changed due to disruption from technology, for example. Some of them, even if they want to go back to the same career, they need to update their skill. So, there is a lot more that can be done. For some of them, maybe going back to their careers is no longer an option. They have to take on new careers. So, they need to reskill themselves. Therefore, there is a lot more that we need to do to support women, both in terms of helping them to stay in their current employment or to return to the same career or to take on a new career. Members have made many good suggestions and this is certainly something that we will look into. Thirdly, to enhance the retirement adequacy of Singapore women. The transfer of CPF savings between spouses is a personal decision. I think it should be left to the couple to decide. It would be, I think, intrusive for the Government to mandate such transfers. However, we do share Members' concerns about the spouses − whether they have adequate savings in their CPF for their retirement. And what we have done is to relax the rules for spouses' transfers and the response has been positive. Last year, we saw 70% more cases of spouses' transfers totalling $110 million.[+2 sentences] In fact, the amount doubled that of the year before. In other words, more families, more CPF members are taking the step to transfer their CPF savings for their spouses. This will enable more spouses to attain at least the basic Retirement Sum, which is our objective, to encourage more of such transfers so that more women will be able to have at least the basic Retirement Sum in their CPF savings so that they, too, can participate fully in the CPF LIFE scheme. We have also introduced Silver Support last year for the bottom 20% of seniors who had low pay, low wages or no wages throughout their lifetime and currently have little or no family support.[+8 sentences] And this is especially helpful for elderly women who were primary caregivers in their younger days. Fourthly, to strengthen the HR practices for fair and equal treatment, regardless of gender. Indeed, employers should set clear targets, conduct regular performance assessments and appraise employees fairly based on work outcome, regardless of whether these employees are on flexi-load, flexi-time or flexi-place work arrangements. This is advocated in the tripartite advisory on flexible work arrangements and further reinforced in the tripartite guidelines on fair employment practices. Of course, we are aware there are employers who do not observe these guidelines. So, for employees who feel discriminated against, TAFEP will look into their complaints and refer cases to MOM for action to warn them. At the same time, I am happy to say that there are many employers who do provide a conducive and supportive environment for their female employees − from flexi-load at Shell to flexi-place at DBS and flexi-time at KPMG − just to name a few. Our next challenge is to grow this community of progressive employers and make such practices a common sight in Singapore. As announced at MOM's Committee of Supply this year, the tripartite partners will be launching a series of tripartite standards to spread this public adoption of progressive workplace practices and flexible work arrangements will be one of them.[+4 sentences] In conclusion, Madam, overall, with our tripartite efforts, we have come some way in helping Singapore women to better manage their family responsibilities, work aspirations and personal needs. However, there is still much we can do. I thank Members for their many good and constructive suggestions. MOM, together with our tripartite partners, will study them carefully and incorporate them into the tripartite standards where relevant. At the same time, we will also sharpen our focus on supporting women in the implementation of the Adapt and Grow initiative and various CPF schemes. Women should not have to choose between family and career.[+1 sentence] We should support them to fulfil their aspirations in both.
Mdm Speaker3 words
[+1 sentence]Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.
The Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Tan Chuan-Jin)4404 words
[+35 sentences]Mdm Speaker, let me tell the story of 69-year-old Mdm Er Teck Gin who had been described as a woman born at the right time. When Mdm Er reached school-going age, Mr Lee Kuan Yew emerged as the leader of a fledgling nation, then still seeking its independence from the British. He called on families to send their children − both boys and girls − to school, to forge the foundation of an educated and effective workforce. So, unlike her older sister, Mdm Er and her younger sisters went to school with their brothers. It changed the course of their lives. In fact, she is a fine example of lifelong learning because she kept attending classes to improve herself. She got better and better jobs over the years. She was a cold chef preparing non-cooked food in Raffles Hotel and, later, was an executive chef with Singapore Food Industries. Mdm Er shared, and I quote, "I was always financially independent. With my extra money, I could give my four children a comfortable life." Was life easy? I am sure it was not, but she worked hard with the opportunities afforded to her. Mdm Speaker, at the heart of all we have done and have been discussing in this session, it is really about building a fairer and more equal society. Men and women may have different perspectives, insights and instincts, but there is one clear constant. Whatever the differences, we are equal. But, Madam, the fact that we have this Motion in the first place says something. This equality is still work-in-progress, but, thankfully, a work that remains very much alive and that builds on the achievements of our Pioneers. This is a unique opportunity for us to also present an overview of how the Singapore Government values women in our society. My colleagues from MOM, MOE and MOH have also shared in greater detail the efforts being undertaken in their respective Ministries. We believe in helping every woman fulfil her potential and aspirations. To do so, we must ensure that the playing field is even and opportunities are fair between men and women. At the same time, we must also ensure that women have the right to choose and that we should respect those choices. How do we translate this vision into reality? Well, we must, first, believe in the worth and potential of our people − both women and men. Let us start at the beginning more than 50 years ago, when we laid the foundation for our women to progress. The PAP's first election manifesto, "The Tasks Ahead", not only outlined its promises to build homes and schools, to reorganise the Civil Service and build a strong and united trade union movement, it also put across its policy on women's rights. There was a strong desire to uplift our womenfolk in our society. Five women were fielded in that election. Two of them, Chan Choy Siong and Ho Puay Choo, founded the PAP Women's League, the forerunner of today's PAP Women's Wing which is tabling the Motion today. As Mdm Er's story shows, education was a fundamental driver of change. Mr Lee Kuan Yew said, and I quote, "The key is education. Old-fashioned attitudes of teaching women enough to be literate and useful wives have undergone profound changes in the last 20 years. Societies which do not educate and use half their potential because they are women are those which will be worse off." So, we embarked on universal education for all children, regardless of gender. Today, half of our graduates are women. In 1961, we passed the Women's Charter' a seminal legislation to protect and advance the rights of women and girls.[+6 sentences] Many of you would be familiar with this Charter as I had recently tabled amendments to it. Many of us actually take it for granted. What we enjoy today, we forget where we came from. It was never quite like that. But the Women's Charter was a powerful signal on how we viewed women in Singapore and how we were going to recognise and support them. We have also made significant progress on the health and employment front. In a recent dialogue with Chinese journalist Yang Lan in February, I highlighted that our literacy rate for women is 95.4%. Our full-time employment rate for women aged 25 to 64 has increased from 63% 10 years ago to 72% last year.[+4 sentences] This brings us from number 23 previously to number 12 now, compared to other OECD countries. Our infant and maternal mortality rates are among the lowest in the world. Our women also live longer. Life expectancy at birth for females is 84.9 years − more than men. In terms of gender equality, the latest UN 2016 Human Development Report ranked Singapore 11th out of 159 countries on the UN Gender Inequality Index.[+47 sentences] Mdm Speaker, we are not there yet, but it is not bad and we have come a long way. We have established strong foundations but we must build further on them. More can and certainly must be done. I would like to highlight the changes we need on two fronts. First, we must eliminate barriers in the public sphere, be they in the workplace or in the community, to ensure that women reach their full potential. Women have made and can make significant contributions to not only the economy, but also our society at large. So, it is important to remember that it is not just on the economic front and the economic value that we are looking at women. There is also a broader value that women provide, along with men. As a nation, we would be foolish not to value and to nurture them. Second, we need to make changes on the domestic front, in keeping with the changing realities of our modern times, to recognise the evolving roles for both men and women at home and in their personal relationships. Firstly, realising women's full potential in the public sphere. How do we provide more options for our women and, also, men? Like men, women are not a homogenous population with uniform preferences. Some prefer to focus on work, while others prefer to focus on family. Some want to do both. There will always be trade-offs. Our job is to respect these choices and work them within the larger collective aspiration. We aim to put in place an environment that supports our women and men to be able to make these choices. I emphasise that we must never trivialise choices made by fathers and mothers to spend more time with their children. It is invaluable both for the family and for society. For women, the need to balance career and familial commitments is usually more intense because of the way we view them. Some face discrimination in their jobs. Others take a less linear career path to focus on their family. They exit the workforce, they come back again. In doing so, they may find it difficult to return to the workforce. All these are real challenges, especially when you add on the economic uncertainties that we are facing today. Ms Tin Pei Ling, Mr Alex Yam, Miss Cheryl Chan, Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, Mr Louis Ng, Ms Sun Xueling, Ms K Thanaletchmi, Mr Leon Perera and Mr Desmond Choo pointed out that flexible work arrangements are vital. I totally agree. Minister Lim Swee Say has shared the range of efforts. The Government has promoted and implemented flexible work arrangements and progressive work practices over the years and we must continue to keep up these efforts. So, your suggestions and ideas are certainly valuable. This also includes the Tripartite Standards on Flexible Arrangements which MOM has introduced. We want employers to offer these options to their employees. It is not good enough to present them and have them available but they must offer them to employees. Secondly, we need to build capacity to support our women and men. Ms Tin Pei Ling argued for building capacity to help women juggle work and family priorities. Women who have taken a break from work to focus on their families may wish to return to the workforce after their children have grown up. Yet, they may find it difficult to start working again because, sometimes, after they exit the workforce, their skills may have "expired", especially at the rate at which technology is changing; some of us may become irrelevant. Ms Tin Pei Ling, Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, Miss Cheryl Chan, Mr Darryl David and Ms Rahayu Mahzam suggested having a customised SkillsFuture package to help these women update their skills to facilitate their return to the workforce. Minister Ong Ye Kung explained how we can and should offer guidance and support to help all the different groups to sieve out the relevant modules that are available. We need to create more modules that may be applicable to the different segments of society. Indeed, a more user-centric approach would be useful. We will see how to do that better. Working couples who have just started a family may also need support in caring for their young children. On this front, as Members are aware, the Government has endeavoured to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of preschool services. To increase accessibility, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has increased the number of childcare places island-wide, especially in estates with more young families. We work closely with HDB on that. Since 2012, the number of childcare places has increased by more than 40% to about 140,000 places. We will add another 10,000 childcare places by early next year.[+7 sentences] To support parents with childcare and infant care expenses and ensure affordability, all parents receive subsidies. Additional subsidies are also available to the broad majority of lower and middle income families. For non-working mothers who are retrenched, looking for jobs or undergoing training, we will consider their issues on a case-by-case basis, so that these subsidies are available to them as well. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah mentioned that working parents prefer to be near their young children during the work day. To address this, Ms Tin Pei Ling suggested having more care facilities near workplaces. You will be pleased to know that ECDA has worked with URA to set up childcare centres in commercial developments under the Community and Sports Facilities Scheme. Under this Scheme, the developers for selected Government Land Sale sites are also required to provide space for childcare centres. Last year, there were 450 childcare centres located in or near commercial and Government buildings − that is about one-third of all childcare centres.[+15 sentences] Some parents work shifts and may require childcare services in line with their working hours. Ms Tin Pei Ling and Ms Sun Xueling suggested extending the operating hours of childcare centres. Currently, they are required to operate full-day services from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm daily on weekdays to cater to the needs of most working parents. Some centres have chosen to extend their operating hours to better cater to parents' schedules. Currently, there are already 52 centres offering extended operating hours island-wide. Miss Cheryl Chan, Ms Joan Pereira and Ms Tin Pei Ling gave several thoughtful recommendations to better support those who are caring for their elderly family members. Minister of State Lam Pin Min addressed some of these recommendations yesterday. Caring for our elderly is a key focus of MOH in the years to come as we address the issue of ageing in Singapore. Thirdly, how do we facilitate women in terms of leadership positions in industries? Much of the effort I have addressed and elaborated on so far deals with the career progression of our women. However, this is not enough. As a country, and as an economy, we must not under-estimate the contributions that women can make at the apex of our corporates. Mr Louis Ng, Mr Leon Perera, Mr Vikram Nair, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Tin Pei Ling agree that having women in corporate leadership makes good sense for businesses and the economy. This is not about women's rights. Today, our women are well-educated and contribute actively to our economy. The proportion of women in senior management roles in Singapore is about 21% − similar to other countries like Australia, the US and the UK. Yet, women's representation on our boards is about 9.9% as of December 2016, which is really less than half the representation rate in these countries.[+11 sentences] To address this, my Ministry set up a Diversity Action Committee (DAC) in August 2014 to build up women's representation on boards of companies listed on the Singapore Exchange and to expand the pool of board-ready women. It comprises respected business leaders from the private sector like Singtel, CDL, Shell and IBM; entrepreneurial and professional firms; as well as representatives from the people and public sectors. DAC has recommended that we enhance the Code of Corporate Governance (CG Code) to require listed companies to disclose their board diversity policy, including gender, and their progress towards achieving these objectives. PAP Women's Wing and BoardAgender have made a similar joint recommendation to revise the CG Code to require companies to disclose their board diversity, including gender, in their annual reports, on a "comply or explain" basis. BoardAgender is an initiative under the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations, which aims to facilitate greater awareness of the benefits of gender balanced business, as well as the advancement of women into senior leadership positions and the boardroom. MAS has formed a Corporate Governance Council to review the CG Code and we look forward to developments on this front. I dislike the fact that Singapore ranks near the bottom behind other key developed markets like Australia and the UK in terms of women on boards, in fact, even behind our neighbouring countries. Other countries are progressing at a much faster rate. Globally, shareholders and institutional investors increasingly view women on boards as being important for board effectiveness. This is something that Singapore corporates should not ignore anymore. I appreciate the other joint recommendation by PAP Women's Wing and BoardAgender. Minister Grace Fu recently announced a declared ambition for at least 20% of directorships on SGX-listed companies to be held by qualified women by 2020.[+2 sentences] This is timely and I support this target. In fact, DAC discussed the same issue at its recent meeting in February 2017. For SGX-listed companies, DAC is suggesting a multi-tiered target: 20% by 2020, 25% by 2025 and 30% by 2030 because getting women on boards is a journey and not a destination.[+21 sentences] DAC will share more details separately. I want to see more women breaking the "glass ceilings" in the next few years. Beyond business, it is also very important for us to look at the non-profit sector. The Centre for Non-Profit Leadership and the Charities Unit have carried out an inaugural study on non-profit board leadership. The study shows that more women are represented on the boards of charities, compared with businesses. Helen Keller once said, "Life is an exciting business and most exciting when it is lived for others". We have many women who exemplify this. One sterling example is Mrs Leaena Tambyah, who retired as senior adviser to the Asian Women's Welfare Association (AWWA) in 2013 after many years of devoting her time and effort helping others, especially children with special needs. Another example, is Mrs Thung Syn Neo, a social work pioneer, whose key contribution is the concept of the Family Service Centres that we have today. Women leaders in the non-profit sector have shown that a combination of "heart and mind" can go a long way in building up our social capital and help us to become a more caring and inclusive society. While women sitting on the boards of these charities make up about 31%, 13% of the charities still have no female representation. My Ministry and the National Council of Social Service will look into this. I believe we can improve on this figure. While we provide support for women to balance their work-family commitments and excel in the business and non-profit sectors, we must not forget that there are also vulnerable groups of women who require more support. We must also help them to overcome particular barriers so that they, too, can realise their potential. One such group is single mothers, which has been raised by Miss Cheryl Chan, Mr Leon Perera, Mr Faisal Manap and Ms Joan Pereira. Some talked about singles, referred to divorcees, to unwed mothers. For us, we continue to support parenthood within marriage but, whatever the circumstances, we remain child-centric. It is important for us to do that. Single parents' children get the same health and education benefits as any other citizen's child. We have also made policy changes in recent years to provide more support for parents to support their children. For example, we have recently extended the full 16-week maternity leave to unwed mothers and their children are now eligible for a Child Development Account (CDA).[+18 sentences] I have also highlighted several times in this House about KidSTART which will help parents who need support for the development of their children. This is an extensive effort that will not just focus on the children but also link families with community resources if they have other social and financial needs. This programme precisely focuses on the groups that many of us here are concerned about. I believe it will make a significant amount of difference. Ms Joan Pereira appealed to treat a single mother and her children as a "family nucleus" in HDB applications. It is very clear to us that housing is an important institution for children's well-being and development. Our housing policies aim to address the needs of the vulnerable without, at the same time, trying to undermine self-reliance, family support and parity with other families. I would like to assure Ms Joan Pereira that single unwed parents are not without housing options. Depending on their age, they may apply for HDB flats themselves, or jointly with their parents. Let me state this again quite categorically. On a case-by-case basis, HDB makes exceptions to help single parents, whether divorcees or otherwise, with their housing. Do surface their cases to us and we will look at them. While I specifically mentioned the Women's Charter earlier, something we often overlook is how our laws have also made Singapore a safer place for women. This is something we should not take for granted. It is not something that women in other countries necessarily have. At the same time, we need to make sure that we have to shape society's ideas about what is not acceptable. Violence against women is unequivocally wrong. Although married persons have conjugal rights over each other, such rights should be exercised within reasonable behaviour. Married women should have the same access to protection as unmarried women. We are thus actively reviewing the issue of marital immunity for rape and will give an update once the review is completed.[+17 sentences] Mdm Speaker, let me turn to the home front. I believe that this is an important area where we can provide support for women to achieve their true potential. I think it is important for us to remember. The first line of support must surely be the family and that is something that cannot be mandated, that is something that all of us can play a part. Dr Intan Azura, Mr Louis Ng, Mr Leon Perera, Mr Darryl David and Ms Tin Pei Ling reminded us we need to have a cultural shift and a mindset change, especially about the share of care responsibilities. Mr Kok Heng Leun also reminded us that eliminating gender stereotypes starts from young. What we do at home as mothers and fathers, husbands and wives is extremely powerful. By our example, we socialise our daughters and sons into their future roles when they set up their own homes. We can either help them move with the times and evolve more appropriate interpretations, or we can unnecessarily confine and restrict their understanding of the roles and duties of mothers and fathers, and of husbands and wives. Even today, while women in Singapore enjoy equality in many aspects of society, including education and employment, the greater responsibility of caregiving within the family continues to fall on women. We need to change the paradigm relating to the roles men and women play. As husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, we should step up to play our part at home. Parenting responsibilities can and should be shared with our wives. Household chores should not be seen as only the purview of female family members, including the domestic helpers. Otherwise, how can our society progress? If the women around us continue to bear the disproportionate burden of family and caregiving responsibilities, it is less likely that they can achieve all that they are capable of. Mdm Speaker, gender roles are certainly evolving. The 2012 Marriage and Parenthood study showed 99% of respondents, both men and women, either strongly agreed or agreed that "Fathers and mothers are equally important as caregivers for children." However, in terms of division of labour within the household, day-to-day chores and childcare responsibilities mostly still fall on the women's shoulders.[+10 sentences] Only 13% of the respondents said that the role of cooking was shared equally between spouses, while only 23% said that this role of feeding young children was undertaken equally by both parents. We really need to begin walking the talk. Marriage is an equal partnership. As husbands and fathers, it is important for us to share the household and parenting responsibilities with our wives. This would provide working women with the necessary support to alleviate the work-life conflict that they face. Research also shows that this brings about stronger and happier marriages, as both parties better understand and feel supported in managing day-to-day chores and concerns. This means stronger families. Stronger families mean a much better environment for our children to grow up in. Studies have also shown that children with active fathers have better social skills, they do better academically and have less behavioural problems. Fathers, themselves, are more fulfilled as they are no longer the distant breadwinner and they are able to develop close bonds and ties with their children. So, as much as is possible, we should start bonding with our children from birth. So, I urge fathers, please use the two weeks of paternity leave which have been made mandatory from this year and be present in the lives of your children.[+1 sentence] Fathers can also tap on four weeks of shared parental leave, with effect from July this year. During the Committee of Supply debate a few weeks ago, Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo announced that, from July this year, public servants will get an additional four weeks of unpaid infantcare leave per parent, as part of a three-year pilot.[+11 sentences] This is available to both mothers and fathers. Please use it. Mdm Speaker, the Government can legislate these leave provisions to encourage shared parental responsibility and for fathers to play a more active role in their children's lives. But only families can decide what steps to take. We cannot walk that last mile for them. A 2013 survey on Social Attitudes of Singaporeans indicated that men are changing their attitudes. Fifty-eight percent of men in 2013, compared to 44% in 2009, said that their work demands ate into their family time more than they liked. The point that more men are identifying a conflict between work and family commitments is also highlighted in the 2014 Employer Alliance survey, where men indicated an increasing desire to have flexible work arrangements so they can help out with the children and domestic responsibilities. So, that is a good indicator. Businesses must, therefore, realise that employees, including men, do not perform their best when they feel conflicted and are unable to juggle career and home demands. Enlightened businesses know that when they help both fathers and mothers manage their work-life balance, they are the ones that will succeed in retaining talent and recruiting new talent. Of the 500 bosses polled, over 80% said they felt work-life initiatives are important to improve employee satisfaction, raise productivity and retain talent.[+6 sentences] So, again, the survey looks positive but we need to really begin to walk the talk, across the board. Members of this House will be familiar with the Dads for Life movement and the Centre for Fathering. Many have asked me why is there not a Moms for Life movement or a Centre for Mothering. Do they not have a role to play, too? My response is that actually moms are already for life and mothers are already at the centre of everything! Today, the burden is truly uneven. Attitudes are changing and that is encouraging and home responsibilities, unfortunately, are disproportionately borne by women.[+5 sentences] Playing the roles as we should, as husbands and fathers, will help level the playing field for women in so many ways. Mdm Speaker, even as we push for the elimination of gender biases, I hope we remember that this journey to ensure a level playing field for women in Singapore is really an ongoing one and it builds on the remarkable work done by our Pioneers. The lives of women in Singapore have improved significantly over the years through the various Government policies and initiatives, as well as more enlightened societal perspectives and practices. But our work is not done. We must continue to remove the barriers faced by women in the public sphere. In this regard, we will seriously consider the many useful and insightful recommendations that Members have put forth these two days.[+2 sentences] However, the fundamental societal change can never be achieved by the Government alone. The change also needs to take place at home, in our workplaces and in our communities. All of us have a stake, whether as employers or colleagues in the workplace, as civil society or as families. We must remove glass ceilings and give Singaporean women − our mothers or sisters, our wives or daughters − the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential.[+2 sentences] As Dr Aline Wong said in a book entitled "Our Lives to Live", "True equality lies in a woman's ability to realise her full potential and be her true self in whatever she endeavours to achieve." Let us endeavour to make this happen.
Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson)2193 words
[+3 sentences]Madam, this is the first time that this House debates on a Motion focused on the aspirations of Singapore women. I am heartened that many Members of this House have stepped forth to speak passionately on this important cause, and our Ministers and Ministers of State have also given so much of their time to address our concerns, recommendations and, very importantly, echo their support for the aspirations of Singapore women. And I certainly appreciate the interest and support from the Workers' Party and Nominated Members of Parliament in this Motion debate as well. We have had two days of robust debate and it is clear that women have made significant progress over the decades. But that 18 Members of Parliament and five Ministers spoke over two days, it is also clear that there are still areas in which the nation can take pragmatic, concrete steps towards helping women achieve their aspirations, thereby benefiting families, increasing social capital and economic prosperity, and contributing to Singapore's long-term success.[+9 sentences] Through the debate, colleagues and I have articulated and elaborated on the four strategies that we believe are critical to supporting Singapore women in their aspirational pursuits. Let me briefly sum up. The first strategy is to create capacity. As we have all agreed that as of the current reality, the primary caregiving role is undertaken by women. Therefore, there is a need to give more support to our caregivers so as to free up the capacity to pursue their aspirations, whether it is in the social area or the career arena. In this aspect, I am glad that colleagues, such as hon Ms Joan Pereira, Miss Cheryl Chan, Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin and Ms Sun Xueling, have all alluded to it in their speeches. At the same time, we also need to refresh and build new capabilities in our women to help back-to-work women because, with new capabilities or refreshed capabilities, when they skill up, they also build and create new capacity as well. This was very passionately spoken about by hon Members Ms Jessica Tan, Ms Joan Pereira, Mr Darryl David, Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar. The second strategy is to be able to provide options for women to choose. Those with career aspirations do not have to feel that they have to sacrifice or make trade-offs or even feel guilty about having to juggle two different roles and feel inadequate at any one point in time; or even for women who choose to want to focus their energy on their families, where their heart lies. And so, over the course of the two-day debate, we have made several recommendations, one of which is highly supported by almost all our speakers − flexible work arrangements − and this is echoed very passionately by our hon Members Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ms Sun Xueling, Mr Vikram Nair, Miss Cheryl Chan, Mr Louis Ng and a few others.[+3 sentences] We also talked about how this needs to be complemented by having progressive HR policies and practices in place. This had been elaborated on and championed by hon Members Miss Cheryl Chan and Mr Darryl David. For women who wish to focus our energies on family caregiving − to raise children, to take care of the elderly − there is often one thing that weighs very heavily on our minds and, that is, retirement adequacy. So, how can we help women who choose this path to free up their capacity, to free up their minds, so that they can focus on family caregiving a little bit more? This is where several Members, such as Ms Joan Pereira, Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Mr Alex Yam, Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar as well as Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin, have all talked about and, that is, to top up the CPF of women who have given up their careers to stay at home to care for their family members.[+9 sentences] This was also something that our PAP Women's Wing had in the past raised, that is, top up with love. So, these are the key points that our Members of Parliament, my colleagues, have raised very passionately about in terms of providing options for women. The third strategy is to remove barriers, to remove the invisible barriers that are often stereotypical, as well as pigeon-holing women in Singapore. At the leadership level, we talked about how women have been under-represented at the board level, at the executive level, and also how we should also drive up women's participation and leadership within the community. These have all been very passionately talked about by Ms Jessica Tan, Ms Sun Xueling, Mr Vikram Nair, Mr Alex Yam and Mr Louis Ng. But to do so, we also need to acknowledge, recognise the stereotypes, the biases that are constraining women in these different roles. So, it is very heartening to hear that various Members, such as Mr Darryl David, Mr Louis Ng, Dr Intan Azura Moktar, Mr Leon Perera and Mr Kok Heng Leun, talk about the need to shift the care burden, to have a more equal sharing of care duties between men and women, whether it is at the workplace, in the family or even within the social setting. This is something that I believe we need to continue to work on and endeavour to achieve a more equal sharing of care duties. At the same time, as what Ms Jessica Tan had also elaborated on, to be conscious of our unconscious bias so that from recruitment to selection, women will not be inevitably disadvantaged right from the get-go. The fourth strategy is to be future-ready, something that I feel very passionately about, to have smart women for a smart nation.[+4 sentences] As we look to the future, as we move towards a smart nation, as we leverage on digital technology, as we leverage on the smart solutions, we look at a world of great possibilities. For women to also exploit these, we need to look at STEM education to empower them, equip them, get them ready for the job opportunities in these new and exciting areas. These are also what Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Thanaletchimi had talked about at great length yesterday and today. We need to leverage more on technology to provide remote caregiving to enable flexible work arrangements so that we can create the capacity and provide the options that we have been talking about to help women to fulfil their different aspirations. This is something that is echoed by Mr Darryl David. But underlying this, to enable both the future jobs as well as taking on the future jobs and being able to balance the different roles using smart solutions, digital fluency is a very critical success factor and a critical enabler.[+5 sentences] This is something that we must continue to look into, whether it is to prepare our new digital generations through formal education or through SkillsFuture where we encourage and equip our women to take on IT courses so that they can raise their digital fluency skills and close that gender gap. In this arena, it is important that we take a serious look at this. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the various Ministries for the very strong encouraging responses so far. I would like to thank Minister of State Lam Pin Min, who shared on behalf of MOH that there will be increased access to and availability of eldercare services, that there will be more leveraging of retired nurses to help support the caregiving of our elders at home and within the community. One thing that I thought was very encouraging was that the nursing profession had also taken the lead to adopt flexi-work arrangements so that our nurses are able to juggle their different roles in life very well. Of course, I am also heartened that MOH will be looking into social egg freezing, something that has been weighing on the minds of many couples who are concerned about their own future, their own families and wanting to raise healthy children.[+7 sentences] Second, I would also like to thank Minister Ong Ye Kung who spoke on behalf of MOE. Thank you for also acknowledging our recommendations for a SkillsFuture package. We are very heartened that the Ministry will be customising the engagement to engage women more, to have a more user-centric way of engaging our workforce to help them through customised sets of courses and to help them to eventually, hopefully, match with real job opportunities. Third, to Minister Lim Swee Say, for MOM. I am very heartened – and I believe all my colleagues are – that flexi-work arrangement is something that is on top of mind at the Ministry. That there will be strong support through NTUC to offer returnship programme with something very exciting and many women will definitely look forward to it. As well as strengthening HR practices, fair employment, the tripartite standards that the Minister spoke about, I think this is something that we are fully supportive of. In fact, for the PAP Women's Wing last year, in our position paper, we also talked about something very similar in concept, the industry's specific flexi-work arrangement standards.[+1 sentence] So, we definitely look forward to that. And the Minister also mentioned that the Adapt and Grow scheme will be customised for back-to-work women.[+1 sentence] So, these are all very encouraging to us and these are definitely relevant to the recommendations that we have put forth. We thank Minister Tan Chuan-Jin for also taking the lead and talking about how women are equals in this society, that we need to eliminate barriers at work and in the community, that we need to recognise the evolving roles between men and women at home, that we need to also take care of our vulnerable women and that there is a need to look into the changing and reshaping of attitudes towards women. I am definitely very heartened to hear that ECDA will be working with URA to bring childcare facilities nearer to workplaces and that the Minister expressed his explicit support for our aspiration of 2020 − 20% female representation on boards by the year 2020.[+19 sentences] All of these, taken together, demonstrate the willingness of the Government to support the aspirations of Singapore women. I definitely look forward to the Ministries implementing these recommendations and we look forward to the good news very soon. Madam, if I may just speak very briefly in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): Mdm Speaker, I deeply appreciate this opportunity to discuss with my parliamentary colleagues on this Motion, which is to affirm the importance and strategies to support the aspirations of Singapore women. This Motion is unprecedented and meaningful. Members have put forward many good suggestions with regard to the Motion. They are in line with the four strategies described in my speech. First, help free up caregivers so that they can better manage their multiple roles. Second, promote flexible work arrangements so that women can achieve both family and career aspirations without having to trade off one for the other. Third, encourage society and the private sector to value women's economic potentials and contributions. Fourth, encourage women to undergo technology skills training and be prepared for the digital era and the future economy. More importantly, we all agree that we must have concrete actions to support Singapore women to balance their multiple roles and fulfil their familial and career aspirations. I am especially moved by the positive response from the various Ministries. These positive responses affirm women's contributions towards the family, society and country. What is even more encouraging is that the Ministers have responded positively to Members' suggestions. This will undoubtedly strengthen Singapore's foundation and help Singaporean men and women achieve their potential and be future-ready. I hope the Ministries can implement these recommendations soon. (In English): Many, if not all, of the recommendations that my colleagues and I have put forth in this Motion apply to Singaporeans regardless of gender. Our support for women and men to balance their multiple roles should help them reach greater heights in our economy, in various professions and in many diverse frontiers. Again, my colleagues and I have moved this Motion with the aim of building on the strengths of women, to recognise and close the gaps. And most importantly, we desire to make Singapore the best home for everyone − a home where regardless of background or gender, Singaporeans have the capability, the opportunity and the courage to pursue our family and career aspirations and to lead a full and happy life. As Singapore is transforming to be future-ready, we − as Members of this House and certainly the whole of Singapore − should also ride on the momentum and translate our words into real action.[+2 sentences] And for that, thank you, all. [(proc text) Resolved, "That this House affirms the familial, social and economic contributions of Singapore women and its support for them to fulfil their family and career aspirations and to be future-ready." (proc text)]
Mdm Speaker40 words
[+6 sentences]I propose to take the break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 5.55 pm. Order. Order. Sitting accordingly suspended at 5.37 pm until 5.55 pm. Sitting resumed at 5.55 pm