Abdullah Tarmugi
Singapore
“As I have said, in most, if not all cases, we have a multi-disciplinary team to assess. In other words, even the protector himself or herself is subject to the assessment of this team. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.”
“Sir, I think that is a convenient tack to say. But AMP and others must also realise that the new policy applies to all NGOs which are co-located at community buildings, and not only to AMP. TRIPARTITE COMMITTEE ON PORTABLE MEDICAL BENEFITS (Progress report) 5.”
“Sir, this is precisely what we are talking about, ie, it is not just a question about numbers per se, and I would like to refer to what Mr Noris Ong said, about having three or more children, if we can afford it. This means, as I mentioned just now in my speech too, that we do not want children to be a burden.”
“At present, Sir, the policy is we will support up to three children. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Abdullah Tarmugi].”
“My Ministry will continue to look into ways of removing the obstacles couples face in having children. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. Dr S. Vasoo (Tanjong Pagar): Sir, we already have had eight days of long debate. I would be concise and you would be very relieved if all other speakers after me would be concise.”
“So we would leave it as it is and we only pay for working women. It is really to compensate the loss in income. He asked about the provision in the Bill on "lawfully married to the child's natural father". This is, as I said earlier, because we want to encourage child birth within wedlock and the family remains intact.”
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“As I have said, in most, if not all cases, we have a multi-disciplinary team to assess. In other words, even the protector himself or herself is subject to the assessment of this team. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Abdullah Tarmugi]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed. " - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Seven minutes to Five o'clock pm to a date to be fixed.”
“Should the person escape, he or she may be apprehended without warrant and be brought back to the approved school or approved home in which he or she was detained. Clause 40, Sir, will also address the problem of parents, family members or ex-residents who smuggle contraband articles such as cigarettes, lighters, blades, glue and Chinese tobacco, or what they call "Ang Hoon", to residents in approved schools. Each year, Sir, there are about 10 such incidents in the Government-run homes. With the amendment, it will be an offence now to smuggle unauthorised or forbidden articles to residents in approved schools, approved homes, institutions or places of detention or remand homes. Sir, my Ministry currently administers three approved schools, homes and institutions for juvenile offenders and children and young persons. Another three institutions are run by voluntary welfare organisations. The new provision will allow the Minister to appoint Governing Boards for the management of approved homes, schools and institutions for children and young persons established under section 62. The Boards will ensure good standards of management and practices in these institutions. Mr Speaker, Sir, this Amendment Bill aims to improve the care, protection and rehabilitation of children and young persons. These amendments make the legislation more flexible and ensure parental responsibility and participation in the rehabilitation process. Parental responsibility is especially important, as parents must ultimately be the carers, nurturers and protectors of our children and young people. So they must take this responsibility seriously and the state should step in only as a last resort. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Clauses 19 and 44 of the Bill concern the transfer of young offenders to the Reformative Training Centre (RTC). Currently, the Centre, which is under the Prisons Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, only takes in offenders aged 16-21 years. The proposed amendments will allow those aged 14-16 years who have committed a very serious offence to be transferred to the RTC. Sir, I would like to stress that there are strict conditions attached to this new provision, to ensure that the young person is given ample opportunity to reform within the juvenile justice system. For example, the young person must have gone through an MCDS Approved School before he can be directly admitted to RTC. Furthermore, the offender must be such an unruly character that he is beyond the rehabilitative ability of the juvenile justice system and that his presence in the MCDS Approved School would be disruptive for the rehabilitation of other juveniles there. Clauses 31, 32, 38, 39 and 40 of the Bill concern the security and management of juvenile correctional institutions. The amendments will allow staff working in these institutions to use reasonable restraint on residents. However, Sir, there are strict guidelines to ensure that staff do not overstep the boundaries of their authority. For example, reasonable restraint or force is only allowed in emergency situations, such as when residents riot in the Home or where residents attack staff. Clause 39 specifically states that every person detained under the Act in an approved school or approved home will serve the full period of detention and will be deemed to be in lawful custody until he or she is discharged.”
“Clauses 16, 26 and 45 of the Bill will enhance the welfare and protection of children and young persons. Sir, there is no existing provision to protect the identity of children and young persons who are subjects or respondents in an investigation into an offence under the Act or the Penal Code from the broadcast media. Protecting their identity is crucial in order not to hamper the investigation process and to minimise the trauma that may occur with any disclosure. The Bill, therefore, will restrict all media reporting the proceedings in any Court from disclosing the identity of a juvenile, unless the Court or the Minister dispenses with the requirement in the interest of justice. Amendments are also being made to protect those who are required to make a professional assessment in the best interest of the child or young person, especially in child abuse cases, where professional judgement should not be hindered or clouded by fear of legal implications. The provision will safeguard the interest of medical officers, welfare officers and the police who are often subjected to abuse and threat of legal suits by parents and guardians during the investigation of child abuse, child neglect or delinquent behaviour. Children who are emotionally and psychologically abused usually suffer long-term effects, if not helped. There is currently no provision in the Act to require suspected cases of emotional or psychological abuse to receive professional assessment to ascertain abuse. The amendments, Sir, will empower the Protector to require a child or young person, who is suspected to be a victim of emotional or psychological abuse, to be assessed. Should a parent or guardian ignore the instruction, the Protector may remove the child or young person for assessment and treatment.”
“This allows a juvenile who has committed a fairly serious offence, but has a supportive family environment, to remain with the family and continue his education without disruption. The juvenile can be detained during weekends in an institution for structured programmes as punishment or for rehabilitation. (4) Probation with detention. Where juvenile offenders can be institutionalised over a period of not exceeding three months, this is targeted at juveniles who are suitable for probation but would benefit from exposure to a more structured and disciplined programme. It is also meant for probationers who breach their probation orders and need to be disciplined without a revocation of their probation orders. It is hoped that the tougher programme in the institution would have a salutary effect on the offender and reduce the likelihood of his/her re-offending. Clauses 17 and 20 of the Amendment Bill will also address the problem of parents who relinquish their parental responsibilities once their child has been brought to the attention of the court. To sustain the positive changes during the rehabilitation process, the family has to be active in supporting the child. The Juvenile Court will have the discretionary power to order the involvement of parents or guardians in the rehabilitation of the child or young person. Parents or guardians who do not comply with any order can be fined up to $2,000 or have their bond forfeited. The court will also be able to order the parents or guardians to appear before a medical practitioner, psychologist or a welfare officer for assessment. This will enable a professional to assess the parent's or guardian's physical, psychological, emotional and social well-being to determine the appropriate intervention for care and protection cases.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Children and Young Persons Act was last amended in 1993 to give the State more powers to protect children at risk and to initiate a more balanced approach towards the protection and rehabilitation of children and young people. Sir, to ensure that the Act remains relevant and forward looking, my Ministry has consulted extensively with the Subordinate Courts, and relevant Government agencies. We also sought the views of the relevant civic groups and considered the recommendations made by several inter-Government Committees looking into issues related to juvenile delinquency. The amendments that we are now proposing are the outcome of these consultations. Let me now go into the main amendments of this Bill. Sir, among the sentencing options that the courts currently have for young offenders, include probation, fine, approved school orders, bonding of parents or guardians, etc. Clauses 19 and 20 of the Amendment Bill will allow the courts greater flexibility when meting out sentences by introducing new sentencing options which include: (1) Family conferencing. This allows the court to bring together people who are directly affected by a juvenile's offending behaviour to reach a consensus on an appropriate course of action. It provides an opportunity for the juvenile to make reparations or tender an apology to the victim(s) of his offending behaviour. (2) The community service order. This allows the court to require a juvenile to perform community service as reparation for his offence, either as a condition of a Probation Order or as a Stand-alone Order. (3) Weekend or periodic detention order.”
“Sir, I think that is a convenient tack to say. But AMP and others must also realise that the new policy applies to all NGOs which are co-located at community buildings, and not only to AMP. TRIPARTITE COMMITTEE ON PORTABLE MEDICAL BENEFITS (Progress report) 5. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower if he will give a progress report on the Tripartite Committee on Portable Medical Benefits.”
“Approved programmes will not include AMPRO, AMP's business arm, and RIMA, which is AMP's subsidiary providing consultancy and research services. Neither will they include childcare centres and kindergartens which should not be core programmes of self help groups, as such facilities are already readily available, and provided by other groups catering to Singaporeans of all races and religions. Based on the space requirements of the supportable programmes, MCDS has offered the AMP 1,470 square metres, comprising 2 1/2 floors of one wing of the Pasir Ris Central Community Building. Government will pay the full construction cost and will also give AMP a 90% rental subsidy, to pay for the 3+3 year tenancy. AMP is presently considering the offer. The rest of the space at Pasir Ris Central Community Building will be used for a much-needed polyclinic, which will be ready by the end of this year. AMP currently operates a kindergarten at its Jalan Tembusu premises. And to give the AMP time to make alternative arrangements for this kindergarten, the Land Office has agreed to allow AMP to continue to operate it at Jalan Tembusu until the current batch of children graduates.”
“Sir, the Government is providing space for the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) at the Pasir Ris Central Community Building to house its headquarters and for some of its approved core programmes. The premises currently occupied by AMP at Jalan Tembusu have been earmarked for development. In February this year, the Government decided on a new policy on the terms and conditions applicable to all Government-assisted NGOs which provide community services at multi-service centres and community club premises. Under this policy, Government will fully fund the construction of the facilities and then rent out space to NGOs such as voluntary welfare organisations and community organisations. They in turn will be offered a 3+3 year tenancy, which can be renewed. They will also receive a rental subsidy and will be subject to stipulated terms and conditions governing the use of the premises. The premises should be used only for programmes approved by the Government. In 1999, AMP was offered a Government grant of up to $6.75 million, to cover 90% of the construction cost of its new premises at the Pasir Ris Central Community Building. A gross floor area of 3,700 square metres, comprising 6 floors, was envisaged for the premises. With the change of policy, the Government has now reviewed the offer. AMP will be offered space at the Pasir Ris Central Community Building under the terms of the new policy. It may use this space for approved programmes which support the core objectives of self-help groups. The Government has decided that these will include students' remedial and enrichment programmes, workers' training and certain types of social services.”
“At present, Sir, the policy is we will support up to three children. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Abdullah Tarmugi]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE CHAIR”
“Sir, this is precisely what we are talking about, ie, it is not just a question about numbers per se, and I would like to refer to what Mr Noris Ong said, about having three or more children, if we can afford it. This means, as I mentioned just now in my speech too, that we do not want children to be a burden. We want children to be wanted, we want children to be loved. So we must make sure that children whom we bring into this world, will be children who will be loved and will not be a burden to the family. And we must make sure that the parents can cope with taking care of their children. That is what I mean by it is not a question of numbers. With regard to stillborns, I am not too sure, but I think it will be paid maternity leave. With regard to whether I would ask the hospitals to extend this to cover the fourth child, I would have to speak to Mr Lim Hng Kiang, the Minister for Health. By the way, the work group on this also includes representatives from the Ministry of Health. Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh rose -”
“So we would leave it as it is and we only pay for working women. It is really to compensate the loss in income. He asked about the provision in the Bill on "lawfully married to the child's natural father". This is, as I said earlier, because we want to encourage child birth within wedlock and the family remains intact.”
“Sir, we must accept that it is a married woman, and not married couple, who has children simply because, ultimately, it is the woman who has to decide whether or not she wants to have the child and she will be bearing the children, not the couple. But we do accept that the decision to have children will have to be something between the married couple. And we are not too sure whether we want to use the words "married couple" because sometimes, the definition of "married couple" differs from society to society. So we would rather stick to "married women" and I can assure the Member that when we say "married women", we are talking about married couples because we want to ensure that children are born within wedlock and the family is intact. He asked whether there would be any discrimination of income and whether the lower income families would be disadvantaged. The answer is no. As long as the parent or the mother satisfies the criteria, she will be given the bonus, regardless of what income group she comes from. In terms of childcare, quite apart from this, we also have what we call the centre-based financial assistance for childcare which I mentioned earlier in my speech during the Committee of Supply. My Ministry will give additional subsidy to children from low income families to attend childcare centres. Mr Gerard Ee asked whether women who work free for families would be eligible for maternity leave. The answer is no. Because the objective of the maternity leave benefit is to compensate for loss of income. Also, it is very difficult to determine the actual amount that person should be paid, whether she helps out in the hawker centre, or in the father's firm. How do you reconcile and how do you want to pay them?”
“If a child is stillborn or miscarried, the mother would not be eligible. She would however be given some hospitalisation leave for her to recuperate. Verification of self-employed mothers would be calculated based on the average income derived from self-employment during the six months immediately preceding the maternity leave. A self-employed reimbursement board has been set up to approve the claims, and this board is similar to the board set up to approve claims for self-employed NSmen to make up their pay claims. Mdm Chiang also mentioned a number of scenarios whereby the mother ceases to be married after the child is conceived. Yes, mothers in all these cases will still be entitled to the maternity leave because they would have satisfied the condition of being lawfully married to the child's natural father at the time the child is conceived. And why the need for the employer to pay the employees first? Sir, this would ensure that the mother receives her pay promptly. And MCDS, I assure her, has set service standards for the reimbursement of employers and, upon submission of the claims by the employers, MCDS will pay the employers within a month from the receipt of submission, if the claims are submitted manually, and within three weeks if the claims are submitted electronically. On her last point about the employer failing to pay the female employee, action will be taken against them and the Government would ensure that the mother is fully paid, as I mentioned in my earlier speech. Let me come to Dr Vasoo. Dr Vasoo has got a very interesting question about why only "married women", and not "married couples".”
“She also asked whether a mother who adopts a third child would be eligible for the scheme. The answer is that it would not, simply because the intention of the scheme is to raise the total fertility rate. Therefore, maternity leave is also meant for mothers who go through the pregnancy cycle and confinement. It is also in line with the maternity benefits under the Employment Act. She also asked why under clause 9(1)(b), every female employee needs to come to an agreement with the employer about the eight weeks' leave period if the Bill already makes it mandatory. Sir, I would like to point out that if the employee opts to take the leave four weeks before and four weeks after her confinement, that is a straight entitlement. But if she wants to take the eight weeks' leave starting later, she would need to come to an agreement with her employer as to which date the leave would start, and this practice is no different from the maternity leave for the first and second child as stated in the Employment Act. Sir, the reason why the six months' rule is put in place is really to prevent the possibility of women taking advantage of this scheme by joining the workforce just prior to her confinement. On the possibility of a case raised by Mdm Chiang about the company going bankrupt and the woman is retrenched, we do concede that there will be such cases, but we think they will be few and rare. Rather than amending the Bill to provide for such exceptions, it is best that we take them on a case-by-case basis and consider them administratively. That we would do. As for babies who are born alive but die after some time, the mothers would still be entitled to the maternity leave provided they meet the other eligibility criteria.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Members for their comments and views. Let me first address Mdm Claire Chiang's points. Sir, Mdm Claire Chiang has been very robust in her speech. Let me start by beginning from where she ended. She said that it is not a numbers exercise, and that is precisely what this is all about. It is not a numbers exercise purely. That is why when she said why not open up to all women, open up to everybody, we have to think twice about it. It is not purely a numbers game. She questioned the structure of the Children Development Account. As I have earlier mentioned, Sir, the account would essentially be a Trust-Minor Account and when the child reaches school-going age, it will be transferred to Edusave. When the child grows up to over 21 years, it will go into his CPF account. So it is very clear. And the funds are meant for the children's development, not for emergencies. They could be used for, as I mentioned, MCDS' licensed childcare centres, MOE's registered kindergartens and pre-school programmes and special education schools, and other uses may be considered at a later stage. Mdm Chiang asked if the trustee can be changed if a parent should die. Yes, the other parent can become a trustee. I would like to assure Mdm Chiang that there would be sufficient legal provisions to make clear the structure and ownership of the Children Development Account. Mdm Chiang also expressed doubts on whether parents would opt to participate in the scheme. Sir, it would really be up to the parents whether to take up the scheme or not. And I would like to emphasise that the co-savings component of the scheme actually provides a guaranteed 100% return every year because we pay $1 for $1, and this excludes the interest paid by the bank.”
“My Ministry will continue to look into ways of removing the obstacles couples face in having children. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. Dr S. Vasoo (Tanjong Pagar): Sir, we already have had eight days of long debate. I would be concise and you would be very relieved if all other speakers after me would be concise.”
“Sir, the "Baby Bonus" is estimated to cost about $225 million in the steady state, and the third child paid maternity leave benefit, about $13.5 million annually. The figures could go up if there are more higher order births. Adequate provisions as in clauses 8 and 11 are provided for to ensure that these funds would not be abused. Clause 16 would make it an offence for any person to make any false or misleading statement or to produce or furnish any false or misleading document for the purposes of this Bill. The penalty for such an offence would be a fine not exceeding $20,000, or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or both. In addition, clause 17 would make it an offence for an employer not to pay his employee if she is eligible for the third child paid maternity leave benefit. Such errant employers would face a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both, consistent with the penalty provided for in the Employment Act for an employer who fails to pay his employee her maternity benefit. To avoid litigation for every alleged offence, clause 14 would provide for resolution of disputes, while clause 19 would provide for composition of offences for a sum not exceeding $500 for employers who fail to pay their employees the third child maternity leave benefit, and $5,000 for all other offences under the Bill. Sir, taken by themselves, we do not realistically expect them to restore the TFR to the replacement level, but taken together with the other measures announced thus far, sustained public education on the importance of family formation, and impending recommendations of the Ministerial and Working Committees on Marriage and Procreation, they have a reasonable chance of raising our birth rate.”
“Sir, clause 9 would provide paid maternity leave benefit of up to eight weeks for women who have their third child, similar to that provided for the first and second child under the Employment Act. But unlike the paid maternity leave for the first two children under that Act, the cost of the paid maternity leave benefit for the third child would be borne by the Government, so as not to increase the cost of business to employers. Furthermore, it would be extended to all working mothers, beyond those covered in the Employment Act, including executives and the self-employed. The maximum amount that could be claimed would be $20,000, including CPF contributions, and would be pro-rated if the woman takes less than eight weeks of leave. Only married women would be eligible for this benefit, so as to be consistent with our values to promote births within intact families. In addition, the child should be a Singaporean by birth, as ultimately, we are interested in boosting our citizen birth rate. This benefit would apply to women who will be on maternity leave for their third child on or after 1st April 2001. Hence, if a woman has been granted maternity leave of eight weeks prior to 1st April 2001, she would be compensated for those days that have not been completely consumed by 1st April 2001. Sir, like for the paid maternity leave for the first and second child, employers would pay their employees eligible for the third child paid maternity leave. They would then seek reimbursement from the Government, as provided for under clause 10, subject to a cap of $20,000. This would ensure that there is no break in salaries to women who make use of this benefit, and it would also involve employers as integral partners in this family-friendly measure.”
“Clause 4 provides for the substitution of the trustee of the Children Development Account should the trustee need to be changed. This could occur if the trustee dies, is unable to act because of unsoundness of mind, or loses the custody, care or control of the child, say, in a divorce, or in instances of child abuse. Clause 5 would protect the money paid into the Children Development Account by the Government, or the parents, from being considered "matrimonial assets" for division to the parents if they divorce, or being claimed by creditors should one of the parents be declared a bankrupt. Sir, we have a moral duty to ensure that the "Baby Bonus" is spent appropriately. We would, therefore, restrict usage of the funds in the Children Development Account to the approved centres as provided for in clause 7. The funds might be used at centres that opt to participate in the Scheme. For a start, childcare centres licensed by my Ministry, kindergartens and nurseries registered with the Ministry of Education, and pre-school programmes at schools for children with special needs would be invited to participate in this Scheme. To protect the interests of the child, and the monies in his or her Account, clause 18 would make it an offence for any person or organisation from touting itself as an approved centre. Any funds left in the Account when the child reaches school-going age would be transferred to the child's Edusave account. Clause 22 would facilitate this transfer by providing for a consequential amendment to section 7 of the Education Endowment Scheme Act, to enable any monies to be transferred from the child's Children Development Account to the Edusave Pupils Fund.”
“Contributions from parents and Government would be placed in the child's Children Development Account, similar to a Trust-Minor account that can be opened for a child in any bank. Parents can only use these funds for their children's childcare, kindergarten and nursery fees. However, the funds can be used to meet such needs for any of the children that the couple may have. Both tiers of the grant would be given for six years, and we hope these measures would address some of the financial constraints that many people say they face when they decide whether to have a second or third child. The "Baby Bonus" is to help parents meet the financial commitments they have towards their children's pre-school education and other child development programmes. But I must emphasise, Sir, that the "Baby Bonus" is not meant to defray the entire financial cost of child-rearing. The third child paid maternity leave for both employed and self-employed mothers would allow working mothers to take up to 8 weeks of paid leave to be with their newborn third child. I would like to reiterate that the Government recognises that family formation is a personal decision and life choice. The measures proposed in the Bill are for those who want to have children, but anticipate financial or other practical obstacles that would deter them from doing so. Sir, this Bill, hence, provides for the introduction of a Children Development Co-Savings Scheme to assist parents in the development of their children. Clause 3 of the Bill provides for regulations to be made for the establishment and administration of the "Baby Bonus". This would enable us to fine-tune the Scheme and the required legislative framework as we progress, since the Scheme has no precedence here.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) required to replace ourselves is 2.1. But the last time we achieved this was in 1976. When major measures encouraging couples to have more children were introduced in 1987, the TFR rose to 1.96 in 1988. But our TFR has been on a downward trend since then. The preliminary TFR for last year did rise from 1.48 in 1999 to 1.59, but this is still low, despite the year being a Dragon year and our coming out of the recession. This is no laughing matter. Singapore is already one of the fastest ageing societies in the world. If we do not arrest this alarming trend, it will have severe implications on our survival as a nation. The family, as the first line of support, would come under severe pressure. In August last year, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would implement the Children Development Co-Savings Scheme, or more popularly known as "Baby Bonus" for short, as well as the Third Child Paid Maternity Leave benefit from 1st April this year. Sir, this is one of the measures which we hope can help arrest the trend I mentioned earlier. The "Baby Bonus" is a two-tiered scheme. In the first tier, the Government would provide $500 per year for the second child, and $1,000 per year for the third child, as direct cash grants for those born from 1st April 2001 onwards. Parents can use these grants to help meet any of the child's needs, including informal care arrangements, food, clothing, developmental needs and so on. The second tier is an annual co-payment scheme. The Government would match parents' contribution dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000 per year for the second child, and up to $2,000 per year for the third.”
“To-date, there are 18 such schools with a total of 3,978 pupils. The Ministry of Education chairs a Coordinating Committee for Special Education with representatives from my Ministry, NCSS, NIE and the ITE. My Ministry recognises that more could be done in the areas of early detection and intervention, as well as in providing childcare and other resources to help parents who have children with disabilities. My Ministry will continue to work closely with Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and NCSS and other partners in the community to improve the network of services for such children.”
“Sir, my Ministry will continue to work with our partners from the public, private and people sectors to help children with disabilities achieve their potential and to live as independently as possible in the community. There is already a wide range of services for children with disabilities in Singapore. The comprehensive services for the diagnosis and management of children with developmental problems are already provided by the Child Development Unit in KKH and the Child Development Centre in NUH. Outside the hospital system, children with disabilities are referred to organisations that can best meet their special needs, for example, autistic children are referred to the Autistic Association of Singapore. These are associations which have the expertise and the people are committed to working with these kids. To-date, there are six VWOs and three special schools that have set up what we call EIPIC, or Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children below five years old with various disabilities. The EIPIC programmes help these children acquire the necessary learning and life skills. In terms of formal education, children with certain disabilities who can attend mainstream schools are already assisted by specially trained resource teachers in the schools. MOE's programme for rebuilding and improving existing schools (PRIME) will, in five years' time, provide one school in every cluster of 8-9 fully-equipped schools which are accessible to children with disabilities. At present, there are 16 such primary schools and 14 such secondary schools over the island. Other children with disabilities, such as intellectual or visual or cerebral palsy, for example, whose needs cannot be met in mainstream schools, attend special education or SPED schools.”
“Mr Ibrahim Othman has asked about the mosque development programme. I would like to report that there are six mosques under Phase III of the Mosque Building Programme under MUIS. The first mosque, Masjid Khair at Choa Chu Kang was completed in 1997. Masjid Istiqamah at Serangoon and Masjid Istiqhfar at Pasir Ris were completed in 1999. MUIS is now building three mosques in Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Bishan. The mosque in Bukit Panjang will be scheduled to be completed in 2002, while those in Sembawang and Bishan will be expected to be completed in 2003. MUIS has started planning for Phase IV of the Mosque Building Programme and it will submit its proposal to the Government soon before it is being announced. With regard to corporatisation, Mr Ibrahim Othman has also asked about MUIS' plans on corporatisation. Under the Administration of Muslim Law Act, MUIS undertakes the development, maintenance and management of mosque and wakaf properties, amongst other functions. Such property development and management functions are more efficiently and effectively carried out, we think, on a commercial basis. Hence, MUIS is now embarking on the corporatisation of its property development and management activities. This is expected to take place sometime in July this year. MUIS will continue to be responsible for policy and regulatory matters in respect of mosques and wakaf properties. With the corporatisation of the property department, MUIS, we feel, could better focus on its core functions of legal, administrative and social development and, at the same time, develop the wakaf properties more efficiently and effectively.”
“Sir, I cannot but agree more with the MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh and the MP for Pasir Ris that our National Stadium is outdated and should be redeveloped. Sir, I mentioned the need to develop a sports industry in Singapore. To do this and to attract world-class sporting events in Singapore, we need world-class venues to host these events. Our intention is to go beyond simply redeveloping the National Stadium. Instead, we have planned to build an integrated multi-purpose sports hub, with entertainment, convention, commercial and other revenue-generating facilities. It is important that the place would have to be a viable one. As Dr Ho has aptly pointed out, this is increasingly the trend world-wide and this new concept will help ensure that the sports hub is viable by keeping the place active all the time outside of match days. He also mentioned the stadium would have to be conveniently located so that people can go to the place easily, which means you need to have good communications and transport facilities. This certainly will have to be looked into. We will do a detailed feasibility study to ascertain what the commercially viable model for the sports hub would be. This would include ascertaining where the sports hub should be located, what sort of activities should be included, and how it should be run. If need be, we will go to other countries to see what their experiences are with such facilities.”
“Anyway, we are still monitoring the situation and will try to improve the help that we can give to such families and centres.”
“Sir, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked about Before-and-After-School-Care. By the way, Before-and-After-School-Care has now been renamed Student Care Centres. The SCCs provide a useful service in the care of children. However, current overall demand is still low for these student care centres. For example, a survey conducted by the Ministry in 1998 shows that only about 3% of children between seven and 14 years old need student care services, as most parents have alternative care arrangements at home, with relatives or foster families. The number may have gone up since, but we do not think it would have increased much. Our data for the 136 student care centres operated by non-profit organisations show an average enrolment rate of about 70%. There are another 70 student care centres run by commercial operators, but I do not have the information on their enrolment, as we do not license these centres. Sir, when planning for the SCCs, we work closely with non-profit organisations, schools and local grassroots advisers, to assess the demand and to site them at locations where both usage and demand are highest. For the next 3-5 years, our projection is for 20 SCCs to be set up each year. Twenty new centres will indeed be set up by the end of this year. Sengkang, a new estate with one centre currently, will have six new ones over the next two years, and we will continue to monitor the demand closely. Sir, instead of having a general subsidy for all, as in childcare, our preference is for the subsidies for the SCCs to be targeted at low-income families. For children enrolled in centres operated by non-profit organisations, the fee assistance is up to 75%, which is extended to families earning below $2,500 per month.”
“The NCSS-organised "Tribute to Volunteers" is yet another occasion to acknowledge outstanding individual and corporate volunteers, and a new category of awards will be introduced in September this year, in conjunction with the President's Challenge for 2001, to recognise outstanding individuals and corporations for their contributions to the social service sector. This, we hope, would further incentivise people to go into volunteerism. The public sector is yet another key partner that can mobilise many people to do their part for the community. My Ministry is working with the PS21 Committee on Staff Well-Being to launch a movement called the "Public Sector in Action for the Community" (PSAC) in April this year. It will highlight what public service organisations are doing for the community and encourage even greater involvement by them. Leading organisations have, in fact, deliberate policies to encourage their staff to volunteer, eg, Keppel Corporation and DBS Bank grant their employees two days off a year for volunteer work, and the staff of Jurong Town Corporation spend Friday mornings helping out at the Spastic Children's Association. My Ministry, NCSS and NVC see our role as promoting, sharing and recognising such practices, but it is really for the employer to decide how to encourage staff in their volunteer efforts. But, certainly, we will try to motivate them and enthuse them into getting more of their staff to get into volunteer work and, I think, the trend is moving upwards. This year is the International Year of Volunteers. I hope many more companies will seize this opportunity to bring out the volunteers in their people.”
“He has highlighted the need for the more able in society to help the less able, and for the corporate sector to engage in community involvement, and for volunteerism to strengthen these social bonds. We cannot agree more with this. In fact, my Ministry, together with the National Volunteers Centre (NVC) and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), is actively encouraging community involvement in volunteerism, from the young to even the elderly. The NVC, which was set up in July last year, promotes volunteerism as a way of life, to all levels of society. The response, I must say, has been most encouraging. Some 3,000 individuals have signed up for volunteering opportunities through the NVC's website, while some 60 organisations have in fact expressed interest in doing community work. NVC also administers an annual grant of some $600,000 to provide seed capital for new volunteer initiatives. It also provides training and research, and work with volunteer host organisations to develop good volunteer management practices. With regard to companies, many companies and public sector organisations are, in fact, already giving donations. They help raise funds, and involve staff in volunteer work. Both NVC and NCSS work closely with companies to set up Community Involvement Programmes for their staff and, since July 1999, the NCSS has signed up about 110 companies from both the private and public sectors in the programme. The Community Chest Awards are presented to outstanding corporate donors and fund-raisers to recognise their contributions.”
“This initiative has been incorporated into the Malay MPs' blueprint to uplift the Malay community for which Government funding is being sought. The FC also launched the Technopreneurship Club, called Mind 2000, and it also formed the Malay Internet Steering Committee. These two bodies, we hope, will help the community better understand the challenges of the new economy and what they have to do to face the challenges in the new economy. 6.00 pm Sir, the project partners of this project are fully committed to achieving the objectives of the programmes and clear lines of accountability have been established between the Facilitation Committee and the project partners that we are working with. Also co-funding by the project partners will enhance accountability. Therefore, I am rather reluctant at the moment to create new organisations or new structures which, I feel, would add another layer of bureaucracy. What is needed, really, is effective management in the implementation of the programmes and this, we feel, could be achieved by having a committee which is directly responsible to me, with enough resources to attract participation from the community. Nevertheless, we will monitor the situation to see whether restructuring is really necessary, because restructuring of the whole organising capability of the community is a big job in itself. We do not want to be distracted in our pursuit of trying to prepare the community for the KBE, and instead concentrate our resources on restructuring the community's organisational structure. Prof. Chin Tet Yung asked about volunteers and corporate responsibility.”
“And over and above what is required by the code, these facilities have reserved spaces for disabled spectators, and these spaces are near the designated parking lots for the disabled to make access easier for them. The older sports facilities that do not have such features as yet will be made disabled-friendly when they are upgraded. Mr Zulkifli Baharudin asked how we could prepare the Malay-Muslim community better for the new economy. I agree with Mr Zulkifli about the seriousness of the challenge of the new economy to the community. This is precisely what the Malay-Muslim MPs are worried about; which keeps us awake at night. We feel that the Malay community must be single-minded and serious in facing the challenges of the new economy. The Malay-Muslim organisations must coordinate their efforts as well as leverage on the national programmes and resources because it is no point re-inventing the wheel and set up new organisations or new initiatives, when they are available nationally. The Member may wish to know that the KBE Facilitation Committee (FC), which is chaired by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, has been working closely, in fact several months now, with key Malay-Muslim organisations to identify critical programmes which meet the needs of the Malay community. The committee took into account the existing programmes to avoid duplication of efforts and it has proposed at the moment three programmes. One is a parent centre to be managed by the Young Muslim Women Association (PPIS), and the other is a worker mentoring scheme to be managed by Mendaki, and three, the IT Student Development Programme to be managed by the Malay Youth Literary Society, or more popularly known as 4PM. In fact, this programme has started already.”
“Mr Goh has also asked that maids be made more accessible to encourage marriage and procreation. Sir, engaging foreign domestic maids, whether to look after children or to look after the disabled or the elderly, has been an issue which has been recurring. But it is just one of several care giving options for family relief. With regard to barrier-free accessibility, I understand that the Ministry of National Development is currently updating the code on barrier-free accessibility in buildings. This we feel will ensure that buildings and public facilities, such as hawker centres mentioned by Mr Goh, would be accessible not only to physically disabled, but also to the elderly, to mothers with wheelchairs, pregnant mothers, etc. MND will continue to look further into this area and see whether it could make this area more accessible to these members of the community. I also agree with Mr Goh that sports should also be for the disabled, just as it is for the able. There is already a separate organisation, I am not too sure whether Mr Goh knows about it, but there is the Singapore Sports Council for the Disabled (SSCD) which looks precisely after the sporting activities and interests of persons with disabilities. In FY 2000, for example, the SSCD received $95,000 as funding support from the Singapore Sports Council. We will certainly be looking into more ways to help the disabled with their sporting activities and also to help them to go into more sports. Under the code for barrier-free access, it is also now a standard equipment or requirement that all new sports facilities be accessible to persons with disabilities. These facilities include Bishan, Jurong East and Chua Chu Kang Stadiums.”
“Sir, I would like to thank Members for their contributions. Let me first address Mr Goh Chong Chia's question on the help that he thinks the disabled and the elderly will need. Sir, I would agree with him that the disabled and the elderly are integral members of the community. We should not make it difficult for them to live within the community because that is what we want them to do. He has called for more help for families with disabled dependants. Sir, my Ministry works with the various VWOs to set up social services and programmes to help persons with disabilities to integrate with the community and support families in their care responsibilities. MCDS and NCSS in fact heavily subsidise the services which range from day care activity centres to residential homes providing both respite and long-term care. A family with elderly dependants can also turn to equivalent facilities, such as day care centres, respite care services and home care services, also funded by MCDS and the National Council of Social Service. From 1st April this year, lower income families using elderly day care centres will enjoy sliding scale subsidies. Sir, families maintaining their parents or disabled dependants are being helped with tax reliefs already. The savings from the tax reliefs, for example, $5,000 for each elderly dependant, $3,500 for each disabled dependant living with them and $3,500 for each elderly dependant not living with them, could partially offset the cost of employing foreign domestic maids or workers to be used to purchase other care services of professional care givers. With regard to whether tax reliefs could be increased or not, this would have to depend on the Ministry of Finance.”
“Mr Charles Chong did ask that question. I will give him some statistics on the cases approved. In 1998, we approved 2,246 cases; in 1999, we approved 2,295, and last year, we approved 2,603. The possible cause of this is the economic recession when more members supporting the aged dependants find it difficult to do so, especially during this period. The ageing population is also a factor in explaining this rise in the number of people who have asked for PA and we will monitor the numbers. As I mentioned earlier, we review the amounts we give to our PA recipients and we adjust them according to the cost of living as appropriate at the moment.”
“Sir, it is reasonable for us not to include activities like music lessons, ballet lessons or IT lessons to recipients of Public Assistance. After all, the very concept of the assistance itself is to help the destitute, ie, those who are unable to get an income. It would not be right for us to go into supporting or financing activities like IT lessons, dance lessons or music lessons for such families. If children of such families go to school, and if these are provided in the school, the school will definitely be helping the children from such families to attend these lessons and activities. Mr Charles Chong: Sir, I recall asking the Minister to comment on the rising trend of PA cases. I do not recall hearing a response.”
“Resources will be given to promote an active volunteer movement and mutual help among our seniors. My Ministry will also work with NCSS to look into measures to better support and sustain the interests of these volunteers. Dr Ho Tat Kin mentioned the issue of employment for older people. Sir, the continual employment of our senior workers remains a key challenge to the Government. We will continue to work with the Ministry of Manpower to help older workers. I am pleased to inform the House that the first Golden Manpower Centre is being piloted at the Central Singapore CDC. The Centre sources for employment opportunities for those more than 55 years old at the community level, and works towards changing mindsets of employers, vis-a-vis, the employment of older people. It also links up with training facilities to source for appropriate training opportunities for people who register with them. If the GMC pilot is successful, we will certainly look into the feasibility of extending the concept more widely in Singapore. Sir, we will continue to monitor the need for community-based services for the elderly. My Ministry will also continue to follow-up with the implementing agencies on the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Aged.”
“My Ministry is currently studying two key measures to encourage and facilitate the entry of private operators into the eldercare sector. First, we will be building purpose-built facilities for subsidised rental to eldercare providers, or to private operators, at market rates. Second, we will fund the majority of eldercare services on per capita basis. We envisage moving eventually to a means-tested user-subsidy system where an elderly can receive a subsidy, regardless of which service provider he or she goes to. We will ensure that the number of facilities planned is sufficient to meet the demand. The needs of the various groups of elderly will be assessed regularly and we will adjust the supply of services accordingly. Where possible, the facilities for eldercare services will be co-located in multi-service centres, together with services for other age groups such as childcare centres. This will promote inter-generational interaction and convenience for the public. My Ministry, together with NCSS, has developed a programme evaluation system to evaluate programmes and services based on a set of output and outcome indicators. This, we hope, will help raise the standards in the eldercare sector. Dr Ho pointed out that it is important to make available adequately-trained manpower. We will work with NCSS and the service providers to identify the training needs of the eldercare industry. We plan to work with the educational institutions such as the polytechnics and ITEs to develop suitable training modules for new entrants to this field. An important human resource is our elderly volunteers themselves. Over the next five years, we will expand the avenues available for our seniors to contribute their time, energy and experience.”
“I would like to provide a consolidated reply to both of them. But allow me first to report generally on the implementation of the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Ageing Population (IMC for the Aged). Progress made on the implementation of the 78 IMC recommendations has been good. Overall, about 75% of the recommendations have seen significant progress in implementation. In the area of providing community-based services, MCDS recently announced its new $93 million 5-year Eldercare Masterplan for FY2001-FY2005. The formulation of the plan was guided by two key policy considerations. One, the emphasis on the social integration of our senior citizens. Older people should age gracefully in the community, and continue to be valued as contributing members of society, and there are programmes under the plan to engage our healthy elderly. Second, the family will continue to be the first line of support in the care of our aged. My Ministry, together with the Ministry of Health, will ensure that more attention and support will be given to care-givers, in the form of services, information and training. We will seek to provide integrated, accessible and affordable services to the elderly and their care-givers. Sir, the care of our aged requires a coordinated and concerted effort of the Government, as well as all sectors of our society - the people and private sectors, the elderly themselves and their families. My Ministry will continue to help the VWOs set up eldercare facilities through acquiring suitable premises and providing capital funding for new facilities. We provide clear guidelines to VWOs on the provision of these services. More significantly, from 1st April 2001, we will revise the funding framework to lighten the VWOs' burden of fund raising.”
“The CFAC helps subsidise childcare fees of children from low-income families by between $50-$200 a month, while the Back-to-Work scheme gives a one-time grant to pay for the costs of entering childcare, such as fee deposits, registration fees and uniforms. From 1st April this year, MCDS will step up the subsidy levels of the CFAC to between $150-$230 a month for the first two children of low income families. Together with the universal childcare subsidy of $150 and funds from the Children Development Co-savings (or Baby Bonus) Scheme, which will be having the Second and Third readings soon, low-income families will not need to pay more than 5%-25% of childcare fees for the first two children. Dr Jennifer Lee has pointed out that part of the effective delivery of social services is to ensure that people know where to get help when they need it. We agree. Often enough, our experience has been that the very people who need the help are the most difficult people to reach and certainly we will look at ways to try to reach them better. The pilot scheme to delegate the administration of financial assistance schemes from MCDS and the National Council of Social Services to the Marine Parade and Tanjong Pagar Community Development Councils (CDCs) has proven very beneficial. CDCs, as you know, are closer to the ground and they are able to exercise more flexibility and speed in advising and responding to the needs of their constituents because they know what their constituents want, they know the situation and the conditions of those living in the district. From 1st April this year, we will delegate all financial assistance schemes to the remaining CDCs. Sir, let me thank Dr Vasoo and Dr Ho Tat Kin for their interest on eldercare issues.”
“The Government will inject a further $200 million into the Community Assistance Fund on 1st April this year. The interest from the CAF will fund various short-term assistance schemes, such as the Rental and Utilities Assistance Scheme (RUAS), the Centre-based Financial Assistance for Childcare and Back-to-Work Childcare Schemes, and the Short-term (Interim) Financial Assistance Scheme. These schemes would provide short term financial assistance in the community. 5.00 pm Apart from financial assistance, social workers from family service centres will work with needy families to help them address related social problems and acquire the life-skills needed for them to stand on their own feet. Providing educational and developmental opportunities to children from low income families is another critical strategy in breaking the poverty cycle. School-going children already receive various forms of assistance from the Ministry of Education. There is also a range of free tuition programmes run by self-help groups and other charitable organisations. No child in Singapore, I repeat, no child in Singapore, is deprived of an education for reasons of poverty. Many studies show that quality childhood programmes can help improve the development and functional achievements of children, especially those from disadvantaged families. Therefore, my Ministry will help ensure affordable childcare services for low income families. At the same time, this allows their mothers to work, and therefore, also boost their family income. We currently have two specific financial assistance schemes to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds. One is the Centre-based Financial Assistance for Childcare (CFAC). The second is the Back-to-Work Childcare Scheme.”
“The recent economic downturn shows this very starkly. Dr Vasoo spoke at length about this problem. These people need to keep their skills relevant through continuous learning and upgrading, and helping them to remain employable is a priority of my Ministry. The Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund will help the lower skilled by subsidising relevant skills programmes. My Ministry will complement these efforts by enhancing the social safety net for families in difficulty. Indeed, a range of resources for social assistance has been built up over the years and, together with the private and people sectors, we will do more. Those in need of long-term financial assistance can turn to Public Assistance (PA). PA recipients not only get financial assistance, but they get other assistance too. This is, I think, something which a lot of people do not know. For example, PA recipients get free medical attention at the polyclinics, and many charities also, over and above the PA amounts, regularly provide them with assistance, either in cash or in kind. My Ministry regularly reviews the various schemes to align them with the needs of the recipients. In January this year, we increased the PA rates by between 15% and 32%, and we will continue to review this according to the cost and standard of living. However, the churn and uncertainties of the new economy mean that there is an increasing need for short-term financial assistance, to help families tide over difficult periods, either due to retrenchment, illness or slower re-employment. To meet this need, we will merge two charitable funds that we have now, ie, the 25th Anniversary Endowment Fund and the Silver Jubilee (Singapore) Fund, into a new endowment fund called the Community Assistance Fund (CAF).”
“Sir, I thank Members for speaking up for our low-income families, as this is another subject which is actually very close to my Ministry's heart. Many Members, including Mr Charles Chong, Dr Vasoo, Dr Jennifer Lee, Dr Ho Tat Kin and Mr Sin Boon Ann, have expressed concern about the growing income divide and the needs of the low-income families in Singapore. We, at MCDS, empathise with this concern. Our approach has always been to facilitate self-reliance among Singaporeans, including the lower-income, by helping them to develop skills and the capability to help themselves because, usually, this is the best way to help the low-income families. As the saying goes, if we give someone fish to eat, it would only make him full for a day, but if we teach him to fish, he would have food for a lifetime. At the same time we promote the "Many Helping Hands" approach, where the more successful help those who are less fortunate, a point mentioned by some Members. But the transition to the new economy has brought the issue of helping low-income families into sharper focus. We hear that there are more and more families not being able to cope, and that there is a bigger gap between the haves and the have-nots. But I agree with Dr Ho Tat Kin when he says that the data, which we have, do not really show the actual extent of the problem among the low-income in Singapore. My officers will certainly work with the Department of Statistics to refine the data on retiree and low-income households, so that we get accurate data. With accurate data, we will be able to assist low-income families more effectively. The Government recognises that the less educated workers, especially older employees, are very vulnerable to retrenchment and slower re-employment.”
“I would like to thank the many MPs who have spoken in support of sports. Singapore sports seem set for exciting times ahead. The initiatives recommended by CoSS will set the scene for a paradigm shift in the way we view sports in Singapore. The CoSS will finalise its report by June this year.”
“Such events will help create that buzz in Singapore, and make Singapore an even more attractive place to live. Mr Goh Chong Chia mentioned about building a new stadium; several others too. This is precisely what we have in mind. To complement the development of a sports industry, we intend to redevelop the National Stadium into an integrated sports hub. Our Kallang Stadium has served us very well. It is decades old now and is becoming outdated. A sports hub will provide Singaporeans with a world-class venue to watch top level sports, as well as provide excellent facilities for sports participation. My Ministry will conduct a feasibility study on what form this sports hub would take and confirm where it should be located. And I take the suggestion by Mr Goh Chong Chia about organising a national design competition for the stadium, which we can consider. Sir, the initiatives I have outlined will require additional resources. To build up the momentum, Members, and especially Mr Ong Ah Heng and Mr Chiam See Tong, will be pleased to know that the Government, together with Singapore Pools, will be committing $500 million to sports over five years to implement these initiatives. And this excludes the redevelopment of the National Stadium, which will take a little longer to study in detail. In reply to Mr Ong Ah Heng's comment about the $45.59 million, this is actually the budget allocated to the Sports Council and is only for the annual operating grant for operation of programmes and maintenance of sports facilities. Lastly, on Mr Chiam's point about recognising our past sports heroes, I take his point. This is something we should be looking into and, certainly, we will accord proper recognition to our sporting heroes.”
“And I believe this market will continue to grow as Singaporeans become more aware of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Besides these traditional areas of sports for all and sports excellence, we also see a need to build a sports industry to provide viable careers for athletes and to sustain the sports delivery system in Singapore. This will address Mr Ang Mong Seng's and Mr Goh Chong Chia's point about providing a career development path for athletes. With regard to sports awards and full-time training scholarships overseas, there is already such a scheme under SPEX 21. Several athletes, including thrower James Wong and swimmers Joscelin Yeo and Sng Ju Wei, have benefited from this scheme. We have also signed Memoranda of Understanding with Korea and with China which facilitate full-time training stints overseas for all the athletes. The SSC also talks to athletes and counsels them when they embark on full-time training, to help them formulate their long-term plans for sports, for their career and for their individual development. So indeed, there is already some counselling and guidance by the Sports Council. The SSC has also provided employment to many national athletes for a number of years, so long as they fulfil the entry requirements for such job vacancies. But in the long term, the solution must be to grow the sports industry in Singapore to provide wider career opportunities in sports. We therefore plan to institute a sports industry development programme to cultivate a vibrant sports sector in Singapore. We will set up a marketing team to promote Singapore as a venue of choice for world-class sporting events, sports service providers and international federations.”
“Definitely, a lot of ground work needs to be done to set up the school, and we schedule one to be ready in 2003 or 2004. Dr Teo Ho Pin has asked about our efforts in building up sports medicine and sports science expertise. Sir, we are now in an era where raw talent is no longer enough for sporting excellence. At that level of competition where physical prowess and talent are almost equal, technology can give you that edge, a milli-second, that extra inch, to win your event. The last Olympics, for example, we saw swimmers wearing ribbed swim suits where it helps them glide through the water. You see how runners wear spectacles, instead of having them over the ears, go over their heads, and they have to have a bald head to wear such spectacles. So elite athletes will increasingly require sports science and sports medicine support to give them the extra edge during competitions at international level. Sir, the fourth CoSS interim recommendation is to develop Singapore as a centre for sports science and sports medicine. The Sports Council will continue to take the lead in providing sports medicine services, especially to national athletes and to the National Sports Associations. The NSAs will also be encouraged to develop sports medicine and sports science committees with the Singapore Sports Council's assistance. For the general public, SSC intends to improve sports injury management among doctors and physiotherapists. It will do this through organising seminars and sourcing for appropriate sports medicine courses here and abroad. But rather than the Government setting up sports clinics at the community level, we feel that it would be more viable to leave this to market forces. Because already there are a few private sector clinics, which practise sports medicine.”
“More resources will be given - we have thought about this - to help them achieve their goals, so long as their performance targets are met. In other words, we are willing and will be working into providing them more financial support, provided they are more accountable. They would be held accountable towards the development and promotion of their sports. 4.30 pm Sir, last year I mentioned the possibility of setting up a Sports School in Singapore. This institution has been mentioned by several Members. Some call it sports institute, some call it sports school. And I am pleased to announce that the Government has approved this initiative. The sports school will give students with talent for sports the opportunity to hone their skills while ensuring their studies are well taken care of. The time is right for such a concept, albeit a new one, in Singapore to be tried out. It is vital that we get the concept right and put in place a strong team to establish and run the sports school. The principal would be key to ensuring the success. He must have good standing in both sports and education and have the ability to build up an organisation from scratch. We are in the process of searching for such a principal for the school. It is also important the sports school provides the best sports training available for students, while maintaining a robust and rigorous academic curriculum. Parents, as you know, must feel confident that their children's sporting and educational needs are well taken care of in the sports school, and this addresses some of the Members' concerns. And a clear pathway must also be available for graduates of the sports school. In this regard, the sports school needs to forge strategic alliances with tertiary institutions and sports organisations.”
“This, hopefully, would avoid the problem which Mr Zulkifli has mentioned about schools' property and premises being damaged. Thirdly, we can make use of technology to maximise the use of facilities. For example, as an alternative to grass fields, artificial surfaces which are not affected by wet weather and can withstand heavier continuous usage with minimal damage, will be introduced. The utilisation rate can be increased three-fold. SSC has in fact installed an artificial field at St Wilfrid Sports Complex as a pilot project. If this is successful, we will try to see how the use of such artificial surfaces can be extended. I would agree with Mr Ang Mong Seng that much can be done to raise the standard of sports in Singapore. I think we all agree to that. The National Sports Associations (NSAs) must take the lead in developing and promoting their respective sports. They are in the best position to do so. They know the athletes, they know the sports, and they have the expertise. Our proposals to develop sports can be successful only if the NSAs have the expertise and resources to support the implementation of the recommendations of CoSS. Contrary to Prof. Toh's remark, we already have quite a number of schemes in place to develop athletes, either through the NSAs, or directly. For example, since 1993, $8 million has been set aside for sports excellence annually. Besides the $3.5 million for schemes to support athletes directly, NSAs are also given assistance to develop their administration, coaching expertise and youth development programmes, and we will definitely see how we could further improve to help develop athletes. To further strengthen the NSAs, we intend to work with the NSAs to establish long term plans for developing their sports.”
“It would be in a better position to promote sports to the general public and help build a sporting culture in Singapore. For example, the Sports Council's Regional Sports and Fitness Centres are housed within sports complexes, and they have comprehensive programmes to increase the sports participation rate of Singaporeans. Perhaps over time, when the sports clubs and associations have developed further, we can consider privatising the management of sports complexes in Singapore. I note the concerns of Prof. Toh See Kiat and Mr Zulkifli Baharudin regarding the availability of sports facilities in Singapore. I take Mr Zulkifli's point about the importance of informal sports activities, like just kicking a ball around or just playing catching, as it were, with your kids. Having adequate sports facilities for Singaporeans is a prerequisite for building a sports culture here. In FY 2000, the Singapore Sports Council committed about $37 million on sports facilities for the public. In land-scarce Singapore, there are limits on how much land we can set aside for sports. However, we can find innovative ways to maximise the use of land in Singapore for sports. To do this, my Ministry and Singapore Sports Council are considering three strategies: Firstly, we can explore the use of temporarily vacant state land for sports. Secondly, existing facilities such as school fields and open spaces, as mentioned by Mr Zulkifli, are indeed important resources that could be tapped. As a pilot project, SSC is negotiating with a few schools to manage and maintain the school fields. Under SSC's management, these fields can be made available for public use outside school hours.”