Amy Khor Lean Suan
Singapore
“Sir, NEA does conduct inspections of these premises from time to time. For this particular premises, they actually did six inspections since 2021.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducts enforcement actions against drivers who are found to have provided illegal car-pooling services. An individual who provides an illegal car-pooling service may face a fine of up to $3,000, up to six months' imprisonment, or both.”
“We will also provide the first 500 private heavy vehicle chargers co-funding of up to 50% of the charger installation cost, capped at $30,000 per charger. These measures will narrow the lifecycle cost gap between an electric and internal combustion engine heavy vehicle and spur adoption of electric heavy vehicles.”
“With regard to the extension of the lower speed limit to school zones for full day, we will work with the relevant agencies on the enhanced enforcements.”
“They will provide a certain amount of protection to the pedestrians because, as I have said, the bollards will absorb the impact of the collision from the vehicles. So, there is a protection. But ultimately, of course, road safety really depends on a multitude of factors, including road user behaviour.”
“The bollards installed at pedestrian crossings by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are not of the K4, K8 or K12 standards stated by the Member. Bollards of these standards are typically security bollards. They are installed to protect critical infrastructure or at high security areas, such as Changi Airport, to be unyielding.”
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“I would also like to clarify with the Member that it is true that in order to sit for the post-graduate exams, they will have to undergo some prescribed training. First, we really do not encourage Singaporeans to take degrees from non-recognised medical schools, and then come back here and appeal repeatedly to sit for the local QE exams. But having said that, in fact, we do encourage them to get attachment training either in other jurisdictions where they come from and then take the post-graduate exams, if they are able to, or to get temporary registration in Singapore if they can get employment here, and then take the post-graduate exams within a stipulated time-frame so that they can get conditionally registered. Page: 604”
“They can take an SMC-recognised post-graduate examination, like the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP (UK)) or fellowship of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. In fact, a number of doctors with these non-recognised basic medical degrees have been recognised by SMC for conditional registration through a pass in such exams. Again, we will get SMC to let the candidates know that they can take these post-graduate exams, like the MRCP (UK), if they are eligible to do so, and that will also allow the candidates to look for and attempt other options.”
“I want to thank the Member for her question. Just to put this in context. Let me first note that the QE is only for the few Singaporeans who choose to study in the schools not listed in Schedule 2 of the Medical Registration Act (MRA) and who then return and appeal to practise here. Most foreign-trained doctors who are employed in Singapore can be provisionally or conditionally registered without going through the QE as they have graduated from recognised foreign medical schools. In 2010 and 2011, for instance, the number of such doctors trained abroad who were provisionally and conditionally registered without having to sit for the QE was 403 and 454 respectively. This is in contrast to the five and 14 in the same two years that applied to sit for the QE. The QE is actually the final MBBS examination that is taken by our final-year MBSS students and is conducted by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in NUS. It is a very labour-intensive examination requiring concurrently the efforts of many clinician examiners and is actually a stress to our hospital services. We understand that NUS presently does not have the resources to accommodate a large number of QE candidates with the increasing number of its own final-year medical students. We will monitor the number of applicants and ask SMC to work with NUS' Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine to shorten the waiting time by allowing more candidates in one sitting, as much as possible. As regards these candidates who may have to wait – and the waiting time depends on the number of candidates who apply to sit for the QE as well as the number of places available; it can be up to two years but not necessarily so – I would also like to highlight that these candidates are not without recourse.”
“In actual fact, many of the drains are uncovered to facilitate easy maintenance and to prevent mosquito breeding. In any case, regular maintenance of the drains is carried out by our PUB contractors to ensure the cleanliness of the drains, the drainage system and to reduce the risk of chokage. There is a minimum performance standard stipulated for our contractors and for certain areas with heavy human traffic, or if they are litter-prone, including from the falling leaves and so on, additional cleaning may be required of the contractors. PUB regularly audits these cleaning contractors and penalises the contractors who fail to meet the required performance standards. This provides a targeted approach to improve public cleanliness. If the Member has any specific area where he feels that the performance standard or the cleanliness is not maintained to standard, we will be happy to hear from the Member and we will follow up with the necessary action. 2.46 pm”
“The Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP) was launched in 2000 to rejuvenate and upgrade the physical environment of selected private estates in Singapore. In conjunction with the EUP, PUB upgrades the old roadside drains into covered drains to provide more space for walkways and green verges. This co-ordination of drainage works with the EUP minimises inconvenience to residents. In addition to this, PUB has an on-going programme to continually improve old drains across Singapore, including those in private estates. Under this programme, old drains are upgraded to increase their conveyance capacities or to restore their structural integrity towards the end of their economic life. Where possible, these drains will also be covered. Over the past 10 years, PUB has upgraded close to 300 km of existing open roadside drains into covered drains in over 30 private residential estates. Most of these works were carried out as part of the EUP. Public feedback on the drainage upgrading works in private estates has been positive so far. Going forward, PUB will continue to upgrade old drains in private estates progressively. By 2015, PUB will have upgraded another 100 km of drains in more than 15 estates.”
“Sir, in fact, all shipments of fruits and vegetables, seafood, milk, meat and milk products from Japan are subject to, what we call, the "hold and test" policy. That means, samples from each shipment are taken for testing and the shipment is only released when it is found to be safe for consumption. As such, food imported from Japan, including seafood that is available in the market, is safe for consumption. As regards public education, as I have noted earlier, MICA has established a micro-site, that is, a one-stop information portal that the public can access information relating to the nuclear incident in Japan. MICA as well as the National Environment Agency (NEA) also provides regular updates through social media tools like Twitter and Facebook. CHANGES TO NOMINATION DAY PROCEEDINGS 13. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Prime Minister (a) whether he would provide the rationale for the recent changes to Nomination Day proceedings which were gazetted on 14th March 2011; (b) what criteria would the Returning Officer use to decide if candidates in contested constituencies would be permitted to address their supporters at the Nomination Centre; (c) when and how are candidates to apply for such approval; and (d) how much time will candidates be given to address their supporters.”
“So the litter count survey really acts as a baseline and we will carry out another litter count survey in 2012 to assess the situation again. This will help us to see the effectiveness of the initiatives that we have already implemented or are implementing between now and the next survey in 2012.”
“I think for the third question, I have actually replied in response to Mr Liang Eng Hwa, that if a food poisoning incident does happen, we will investigate as per normal. But, first of all, time-stamping is to give the consumer more information so that he will be asked to avoid taking food beyond the time stipulated. Regarding the litter count survey, the survey that was done last year is the most comprehensive assessment of the state of cleanliness of public areas we have done to date. A total of 1,954 sites were actually surveyed. The results of the inaugural survey actually found, as I have shown earlier in the slide, that, on average, 33 pieces of litter were accumulated over a 12-hour period in every 100 square metres of public space, which is the equivalent of a standard 4-room flat and this shows that more needs to be done to sustain public cleanliness and, of course, the public has a role to play to keep the public areas clean by being responsible and clearing their litter after them. NEA will continue its stronger engagement efforts in schools and communities to improve shared ownership in the cleanliness of the public spaces that we want to continue to enjoy. In fact, in addition to our Litter-Free Ambassador Programme that we have launched as well as the Students Embrace Litter-Free (SELF) Programme, we also intend to launch a Litter-Free Ambassador Programme for preschoolers in June this year, so that children will be aware of how they can contribute to a clean environment and develop a good habit of always throwing litter in a bin from an early age. We are going to also have "litter monitors" appointed to remind their classmates to keep the preschool centres clean and to conduct simple checks within the premises.”
“Should larger trials be carried out in the future or should the trial sites be located nearer to Singapore, NEA has the necessary surveillance capability to detect the entry of any transgenic mosquitoes in Singapore. So you do not need passports!”
“The transgenic mosquito trial programme by the Malaysians that Mr Low referred to, as well as the ones released in the Cayman Islands by British scientists, is a research programme by Oxitec which is a commercial spin-off from the University of Oxford. In the case of Malaysia, it is undertaken by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in collaboration with Oxitec. The transgenic mosquito here involves the use of what we call RIDL or Release Insects with a Dominant Lethal Technology. I suppose they are harakiri mosquitoes. The RIDL Technology first introduces a killer gene into the genome of male Aedes mosquitoes. These transgenic mosquitoes are subsequently released into the nature where they will mate with the wild type female mosquitoes and the killer gene is passed down to the progenes which will die at the late larva or pupil stage. So, in this case, for mosquitoes like that, the TFR is zero, and I suppose this is a case where we welcome TFR being zero. The mosquito population is therefore decimated over time. In the case of Malaysia, in late January, the IMR confirmed that it has successfully concluded a field release of 6,000 RIDL males at an uninhabited forested area in Bentong, Pahang to study their longevity and flight range. The release took place despite protests from environmentalists. The trial site was fogged to kill all mosquitoes and the site will be monitored for several more months and we understand that there is no plan to release more mosquitoes until the results of this trial are analysed. So given the small scale of the Malaysian trial and the long distance between Singapore and the trial site, NEA assessed that it is unlikely to be of significant concern to Singapore.”
“Time-stamping is an added step to reinforcing our food safety regime in addition to requiring our caterers to have at least one food hygiene officer send their food handlers for basic food hygiene course, and so on. For consumers, time-stamping is to give them additional information, to advise them that they ought not to be consuming food beyond the four hours of the food having been cooked because there is a risk of food poisoning. With regard to the caterers, in the event of a food poisoning incident, NEA will investigate the caterer's premises for correct time-stamping, food hygiene and personal hygiene practices, and so on. Enforcement actions and demerit points will be enforced for such hygiene lapses. So, we will not just look at the time- stamping by itself. It is just an added step to reinforce the food safety regime.”
“As caterers typically serve meals to large numbers of people, any lapses in their food handling processes could potentially result in mass food poisoning. We will focus on educating both food caterers and consumers on good practices for preparing and consuming catered food. From the end of this year, food caterers will be required to time-stamp their packet meals and put up advisory notices at buffet meals to inform consumers when food should be consumed by as shown in this slide. Studies have shown that food may not be safe for consumption beyond four hours from the time it has been cooked, if not properly stored or held at an appropriate temperature. Consumers therefore need to be careful with food that has exceeded the consume-by time stipulated by the caterer. Dengue control, public cleanliness and food hygiene are all areas which require the support of the community. We can all do our part to continue ensuring that the areas in and around our homes do not become potential mosquito breeding grounds, and also help maintain a high standard of public cleanliness in all our common areas. As consumers, we can set the expectation for food handlers to be more hygiene conscious.”
“There was a close to 50% drop in the number of littering offenders caught in the six months immediately after the campaign was launched, when comapred with the same period in 2009. The number of Corrective Work Orders imposed has also fallen by 13%. However, more work still needs to be done to shape our anti-littering behaviour and attitude. Mr Ang Mong Seng mentioned Singapore's ranking on the Yale Environmental Performance Index. I would like to clarify that the Index does not include cleanliness as a component. An inaugural litter count survey was conducted last year, covering some 1,900 sites in different categories of public places across Singapore. It was found that on average, 33 pieces of litter were accumulated over a 12-hour period in an area of just a 100 square metres; the size of a typical 4-room flat as shown in the slide which aims to give Members a better visual feel of what this implies. The study points to the need to continue its stronger engagement efforts in schools and communities to improve shared ownership in the cleanliness of public spaces that we want to enjoy. Mr Liang Eng Hwa raised an issue on food hygiene. This is a concern given the increasing number and diversity of retail food outlets. We have continued to strengthen the regulation of our food hygiene standards focusing on food handlers as they are an important link in the food safety chain. Since October last year, NEA has progressively rolled out the requirement for food handlers to undergo refresher training every three years. Stiffer penalties were also introduced in April last year for food hygiene-related offences. Catered food is an area of emphasis.”
“As Mr Ang Mong Seng has highlighted, the persistence of littering in housing estates especially high-rise littering remains an ongoing challenge. My Ministry is continuing to study possible solutions such as exploring greater use of surveillance technology to facilitate enforcements against perpetrators but this is not always practical, as highlighted by Mr Ang. Encouraging greater community ownership and civic responsibility, thus remain the dominant approach in curbing the irresponsible and dangerous behaviour of high-rise littering. The new anti-littering campaign which was launched in June last year, was geared towards promoting personal ownership for public cleanliness and good social behaviour. It integrates increased visibility of enforcement as a deterrence with improved location and frequency of emptying litter bins as well as more targeted public outreach and education efforts. The new Litter Free Ambassador programme was introduced to empower members of the community to reduce the incidents of littering. Over 2,000 grassroots youth and students have been recruited as Ambassadors to conduct educational outreach efforts, petrol community spaces and act as positive role models to discourage littering in the neighbourhoods and we appreciate the efforts and leadership. The Public Hygiene Council was formed in November 2010 to encourage greater partnership in support of public hygiene. The Council, comprising representatives from the people, private and public sectors, aims to role out its initiatives progressively later this year, focusing on issues such as anti-littering, clean public toilets and good personal hygiene.”
“On a note of precaution, this year, we are closely monitoring and preparing for the possibility of an increase in dengue cases in the event of a switch in the predominant dengue virus serotype. Historically, such switches can occur every two to three years and result in a significant increase in dengue cases because of the lack of immunity in the population. Dengue-2 has been the predominant serotype circulating over the past four years, so there is a possibility of a serotype switch soon. I, therefore, urge everyone to continue to be vigilant in preventing mosquito breeding so that our dengue incidence can be kept under control. NEA will continue with its pre-emptive surveillance and conduct Intensive Source Reduction Exercises. 2.45 pm Sustaining high standards of public cleanliness can also help reduce potential mosquito breeding sites, as rightly pointed out by Mr Lim Biow Chuan, and ensure a clean and liveable environment for the public to enjoy. Mr Lim asked how NEA ensures high standards of public cleansing. Similar to Town Councils' cleansing frequency of HDB housing estates, NEA has in place a regime to clean our roads and private estates at least two to three times a week. In fact, the contractors are also required to give their phone numbers and contact to the residents so that they can give their feedback. NEA also works with PUB to ensure drains are cleaned regularly. Contractors are required to perform additional cleaning for areas with higher human traffic or litter-prone areas. Much of the cleaning work is currently outsourced and NEA deploys officers to carry out daily audits on the contractors' performance, penalising errant contractors, if lapses are found.”
“Sir, we are continuing with efforts to protect our community from the risk of vector-borne diseases through research, surveillance, outreach and enforcement. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked about the dengue situation and so did Mr Lim Biow Chuan. Historically, there has been a rising trend for dengue since the early 1990s, but we have managed to buck this trend after 2005 as shown in the slide*. Despite an overall deterioration in the global dengue situation in 2010, we had about 5,000 dengue cases in Singapore, as Mr Low rightly highlighted, which although higher than 2009, was significantly lower than the 7,000 to 8,000 cases in 2007 and 2008. There is currently no approved vaccine for dengue available on the market, though research is ongoing. As a dengue vaccine is unlikely to be available in the immediate future, we need to take other innovative and practical measures against dengue. Over the past five years, we have been investing in research at NEA’s Environmental Health Institute (EHI) and developed rapid testing methods to shorten the time needed to diagnose dengue cases and provide early warning of outbreaks. In fact, the researches behind the Thai research that Mr Low referred to has said that they would only be able to come out with the dengue vaccine for market use in about 10 years, ie, within a decade. I am pleased to inform the House that the World Health Organization has recently designated the EHI to be a Collaborating Centre in the research of Arbovirus and their associated vectors, such as the dengue virus. EHI will work with the World Health Organization to strengthen disease surveillance and outbreak response capability in the region. These will eventually help to reduce the *Cols. 3817-3818. disease burden in the region, including Singapore.”
“Sir, just last week, while visiting a resident’s wake, the deceased’s 59-year-old son who works as a coffee shop assistant shared with me that he is very satisfied with this year’s Budget as it has given him a lot of attention and help, as a low-income worker. He said that he could not have asked for more. His remark brought much cheer to me. He exclaimed, "How can you honestly not support a Government like this who has a heart for the people and for Singapore’s long term future!" How indeed! Prudent, pro-growth, and people centric – these budgetary principles and practices that will put us and future generations in good stead is the hallmark of a sensible, objective and responsible Government. If this is what people call an election budget, then I know that we will have an election budget every year. Sir, I support Budget 2011. 5.59 pm”
“1 billion 2011 Budget, among others, 26% is allocated for Defence, 23% for Education and 8.7% for Health. I agree with the substantial investments in Defence and Education to ensure the continued safety and security of our country in an increasingly uncertain and fractious world and also to ensure the relevance, employability and increasing productivity of our workers. But the 8.7% for Health seems inadequate especially in view of our ageing population. By comparison, the Hong Kong government’s budget for health for fiscal year 2011-2012 is 16.5%. It is reported that the Hong Kong government’s expenditure on health care was previously between 13% and 15% of total expenditure or 3% to 4% of its GDP. In Singapore, our budgeted health care expenditure for fiscal year 2011 is estimated to be about 1.2% of GDP, although this would not have taken into account funding through the 3Ms. Whilst we should not be advocating a welfare based healthcare system like many of the OECD countries whose average spending on health care is reported to be 8.3% of GDP in 2001 – clearly an unsustainable figure – there appears to be a need to expand the healthcare budget in future, especially due to an ageing population. Moreover, healthcare costs remain a key concern for many Singaporeans. Like Hong Kong, we could look into enhancement of mental health services, chronic disease management and public primary care services. More assistance could be provided to low income elderly for treatment of their chronic diseases and more infrastructures for the frail elderly like home nursing and step down care could be provided. Support could also be given to care givers of the elderly sick, who are themselves not well off.”
“Last year, after two years of constant befriending, guidance and tutoring from her mentor who is a retired teacher, she performed well enough to enter the express stream at St Margaret’s Secondary School. This is indeed a heart-warming story but it also shows that for children from disadvantaged families, it takes an enormous amount of time and resources to be lifted up the social ladder. For some without that additional leg up, they might fall by the wayside. These sorts of circumstances are not merely the ingredients for a weepy Mandarin TV drama, but are often borne out in real life. Such children are often caught in the vicious cycle of a dysfunctional family, absentee parents, poverty and negative peer influence. Whilst the many helping hands approach is to be lauded and encouraged, the Government could put in more resources to enhance and expand the capacities of social workers, counsellors at VWOs and schools to help ensure that children from disadvantaged families have the opportunity to maximise their potential and move up the social ladder. The example I gave earlier also serves to highlight the importance of the VWO sector. VWOs can operate at a more granular level, and be more attuned to local needs, or the needs of specific vulnerable groups. That sector must be nurtured and strengthened so as to optimise the many helping hands approach the Government has espoused. Specifically, more holistic and comprehensive help, such as WIN Council’s and my CDC’s mentoring schemes – GRACE mentorship programme and Adopt a Family programme in partnership with grassroots and VWOs – and other similar programmes should be encouraged. Next, the allocation of funds. Of the $47.”
“In response to this article, the MOE has said that studies undertaken by international experts and its own statistics indicate that students from these disadvantaged homes or lower socio-economic groups are still able to move up in Singapore. It further cited the recent Programme for International Student Assessment 2009 administered by OECD which reported that Singapore had one of the highest proportion of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds who did better than what their circumstances would otherwise predict. MOE noted that almost half of the students who live in 1- to 3-room HDB flats were admitted to universities and polytechnics, and this ratio has remained stable over the past decade. No doubt these statistics are commendable and do allay some of the concerns about increasing social immobility. Nonetheless, anecdotal evidence and statistics at the micro level, such as those observed by Minister Mentor, do indicate that we need to constantly guard against creeping social immobility, which will erode the value and relevance of meritocracy upon which Singapore heavily depends. Another sustainable way to overcome the widening income gap is to engineer future generations out of the poverty trap. The People’s Association Women’s Integration Network (WIN), of which I am an advisor, started a mentorship programme for primary school girls from disadvantaged families some two years ago. One of these girls, Zheng Yuzi, is the youngest in a family of eight children and whose mother is a divorcee and the sole breadwinner. When she was first adopted by the programme, she had been doing poorly in her studies.”
“WIS payouts could be increased when the economy does well, such as via special bonus payments which Budget 2011 has done. The qualifying income ceiling for WIS and the quantum of WIS should also be reviewed regularly to factor in inflation and to ensure that WIS does make a meaningful difference to our low-wage workers. Currently, the ratio of cash to CPF in the Workfare payout is 1:2.5, which means that the worker gets only a small sum in cash payout whilst such low-income wage earners with families are usually cash strapped. Hence, instead of about one third being paid out in cash, up to 50% could be paid out in cash. Furthermore, WIS is now only paid out twice a year. To make a real difference for our low-wage workers, WIS should be paid out more frequently – if not monthly, then at least quarterly. Fourth, the alleviation of social divisions. As we become more affluent, there is a risk towards lower social mobility, as children from more affluent families have access to more opportunities. They therefore enjoy more advantage over those from the lower income. And as my parliamentary colleague, Dr Lily Neo, has quoted, Minister Mentor had observed recently that more than half of students at top schools like Raffles Institution had fathers who were university educated. In contrast, among the four neighbourhood schools he had obtained data on, the highest percentage was only 13.1% at Chai Chee Secondary School. Assistant Professor Ivan Ng and his co-researchers at the NUS found in one of their studies that Singapore’s inter-generational mobility or the extent to which children’s economic status depends on their parents’ was similar to that of the US, which is low compared with that in other developed countries.”
“We must recognise that no one owes us a living, and while Asia is growing and is fast becoming the new centre of gravity for the global economy, competitive pressures are also piling up. Some Opposition Members have accused us of having a siege mentality, but as Intel founder Andy Grove reminds us in his famous dictum, "only the paranoid survive". We should take nothing for granted. We must preserve the work ethic and reward work so as not to breed a crutch mentality. We need to avoid breeding any dependency among our workers and instead encourage a spirit of self reliance. Hence, the most powerful rewards in Budget 2011, such as the Workfare Special Bonus, personal income tax rebate and the more progressive personal income tax schedule go to the employed – not the unemployed, although I must hasten to add that they do also benefit from the Budget. Unconditional welfare is not the answer, nor is minimum wage, as some are clamouring for. Instead, WIS and WTS are currently the best tools to help our low-wage workers. However, there is room to make them more appealing and effective. I, for one, believe that WIS should be a regular feature of our Budget which should have a more redistributive slant henceforth because of the lingering presence of low-wage and older workers. Specifically, in my view, and as many of my parliamentary colleagues have voiced in this House before me, WIS should have more cash payments and more regular payments. The special WIS bonus payments for three years starting from this fiscal year, all in cash, form a partial answer. I urge the Minister for Manpower and Minister for Finance to review this and implement changes for the longer term and not on an ad hoc basis to make WIS really effective.”
“But there have been murmurings, particularly from the SMEs, over the complexity and difficulty in navigating and accessing these funds. This was, in fact, one of the feedback inputs which REACH received during our pre-Budget 2011 feedback exercise. They wanted more communication and guidance as to how firms, particularly the SMEs, can make use of the PIC. Also, some tax experts feel that the PIC seems to favour high value sectors like pharmaceuticals. In comparison, as the enhanced PIC allows for up to 400% tax rebate for investment in innovation and R&D among others, companies in the services industry, like retail, that are not usually involved in R&D, may not benefit that much from the PIC. To resolve some of the foregoing issues, the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council could render more sector-specific help to SMEs to educate them on how they can tap on the PIC for productivity improvements – even sharing with them some productivity improvement exercises undertaken by similar local and/or foreign SMEs. The effort can mirror what MOM is doing in the labour market to re-design jobs for higher productivity. Otherwise, even if the PIC has been enhanced significantly, some businesses may still be unable to take advantage of it. It is still early days, as the new upsized PIC supersedes the old and is only applicable from Year of Assessment 2011 onwards. Hence, statistics on the take-up rate of PIC will only be available in early 2012. We need to monitor this closely to ensure that more firms are caught up in the productivity bandwagon and that there are real improvements in productivity through the use of these incentives. Third, the avoidance of dependence.”
“Because of our resource limitations and size, we have no hinterland or domestic economy to grow and, hence, the only way to attain those lofty goals is to grow Singaporeans' real income through innovation and increasing productivity. In other words, we need to pursue continuous economic restructuring and purge ourselves of inefficiencies which retard our growth. The Government is therefore determined to push through its new growth strategy which focuses on making workers and companies more productive. There will be no U-turn on this growth policy. Hence, the increase in foreign worker levy just one year after the last increase, and especially for construction and services which are notoriously dependent on foreign low skilled labour. Added to rising wage pressures, higher rents, utilities, etc, the foreign worker levy increase plus the 0.5% increase in employer’s CPF could add to higher business costs, at least in the short to medium term until productivity catches up. This has already set off alarm bells among businesses whose growth might be constrained by such cost increases. It is a painful but necessary step in a combination of incentives and disincentives to nudge our enterprises away from over-reliance on low-skilled foreign labour and, in the long run, raise overall wage levels. Hence, the Minister has already in place short-term measures, such as the corporate income tax rebate and the SME cash grant to offset these increases. To achieve real income growth of 30% over the next decade, the Government is significantly increasing funding to promote productivity and innovation. Two significant measures are the enhanced Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) and an additional $1 billion top up to the National Productivity Fund.”
“The second principle is planning for the long haul. We must focus on the long term, and invest for the future, through the ups and downs of the economic cycle and the election cycle. The fruit of such patient, focused and long-term planning can be very gratifying. I was at Marina Bay the other day, and stood marvelling at the smartly designed buildings. To my left was Customs House, a new office block that replaced the Overseas Union House and former Change Alley Aerial Plaza. Further down was Fullerton Bay Hotel, with rooms and suites that seemed to float on the waters of the Bay. To my right were several soaring office towers of the Marina Bay Financial Centre and Asia Square, plus a slightly older but no less impressive One Raffles Quay. Stretched across the other side of the Bay, far as my eyes can see, stood the majestic and monumental Marina Bay Sands with its 50 storey high Skypark and just opened Art Science Museum. And to think that the blueprint for the whole new downtown at Marina South was drawn up over 20 years ago! Only now is the exciting skyline of Singapore taking shape. Such is and must continue to be the planning horizon of Singapore's budget. But this is only possible when we have adequate resources and is therefore predicated on the first principle. These two principles of prudence and planning for the long term must continue to guide and shape all our budgetary efforts. Second, the attainment of productivity. Over the next 10 years, the aim is to raise incomes by 30% – or 2.7% – per annum so that we can attain the living standards and purchasing power now enjoyed by developed countries.”
“Sir, I would like to comment on Budget 2011 under five headings. First, the abiding principles. The Budget serves as an annual reminder of the two enduring principles of prudence and planning for the long haul that the Government has consistently followed in its financial management. The first principle of prudence has been remarkably demonstrated once again in the Government's decision to refund $4 billion to past reserves even though there is no legal or constitutional obligation to do so. It would have been easy to distribute this largesse as "election" goodies, but that would not be the wise thing to do. For resource-scarce Singapore, our reserves are our only buffer against future financial storms and global recessions, which are uncertain only in timing and severity. The reserves must be maintained and carefully built up as a matter of priority and only dipped into when absolutely necessary. We must not take the easy way out and break the piggy bank at every whim and fancy, and think that there are no consequences as some would have us believe. All over Europe, countries like the United Kingdom are on an austerity drive and cutting their budgets, including once generous welfare benefits, to reduce their enormous fiscal deficit. The United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr George Osborne, said in his Emergency Budget 2010 speech that welfare in the United Kingdom costs £192 billion a year, a "staggering" increase of 45% over a decade, and that they are wasting the talents of millions and spending billions on it. Further belt-tightening measures are expected in the United Kingdom for the coming Budget 2011. Countries like Ireland, Spain and Portugal are paying the price of profligacy. Their credit standing no longer makes the cut in financial markets.”
“First, I would like to comment that the train of questions show that ultimately we need all residents to play an active role in tackling this littering problem, including dog poo. We need the residents to refrain from committing such socially irresponsible acts, to spread this message to their family members, friends, neighbours as well as to alert us if there are such litterbugs or irresponsible people around. As regards by-laws, if I am not wrong, I am quite sure the Town Councils already have by-laws with regard to littering – not picking up dog poo is also a littering issue. If the offender is caught in the act, enforcement action will be taken against him. But like I said, ultimately, we really need the community to be socially responsible. We need all residents to play an active role in tackling such issues. CASINO EXCLUSION ORDERS (Number and profile of applicants) 5. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) if he could provide (i) an update on the number of Singaporeans who have applied for Casino Exclusion Orders; and (ii) a profile of those who are under the Casino Exclusion Order; and (b) if the Minister is satisfied with the measures in place to alleviate problem gambling in Singapore.”
“Just to share with Members regarding the use of surveillance tools, CCTVs, and so on. Last year, NEA carried out two preliminary trials with Certis CISCO and ATOS, using different mix of surveillance cameras. The trials revealed several constraints in the use of surveillance cameras, including the placement of cameras, lighting, zooming capability, weather conditions, presence of physical obstruction like trees and availability of sites for the mounting of cameras. These factors actually affect the quality of the video clip and hence their admissibility as evidence for prosecution. Cost, of course, as I have mentioned earlier, is another consideration as more than one camera may be needed for every stakeout. So the use of CCTV and other surveillance cameras has been limited to trials but, nonetheless, we will continue, as suggested by the Member, to try and test out different surveillance tools with a view to using some of these to help us in our enforcement action. As regards looking at amending legislation, as I have noted, we will continue to look into ways to more effectively tackle the challenge. We will take the Member's suggestions regarding the amendment and enhancements of legislations into account in our deliberations.”
“Firstly, I note the Member's concern about the problem of high-rise littering. Let me assure him that we are equally concerned, and we will continue to study and look at how to tackle this challenge more effectively. As regards the coordination among the different agencies: since October last year, NEA has formalised arrangements with the various agencies, including the Town Councils and HDB to step up the engagement and education efforts to residents as well as to conduct joint operations, surveillance and enforcement actions when feedback or complaints are received regarding high-rise littering.”
“In addition to CWO, repeat offenders may face a fine of up to $5,000 upon conviction. In the majority of other cases, the offenders either could not be identified or the littering stopped after warning letters were issued. High-rise littering is a challenging problem in Singapore because of our urban landscape. We will continue to study ways to tackle this challenge. For instance, NEA has experimented with the use of surveillance devices in their stakeouts. However, the use of such technology is limited by costs and physical considerations at the site. As part of the anti-littering campaign, our Litter-free Ambassadors will share anti high-rise littering messages with residents during their house-to-house visits. Ultimately, we need the support of the community to provide information on the high-rise litterbugs so that NEA can take action against the culprits and send a strong message that such unsafe and irresponsible acts will not be tolerated.”
“To combat high-rise littering effectively, NEA adopts a two-pronged approach, namely education and enforcement. Education helps to mitigate the problems by raising awareness on the dangers of high-rise littering and the need for greater social responsibility by dwellers of high-rise buildings. This is supplemented by enforcement action to punish and deter offenders. Our laws against high-rise littering require the witnessing of the offence being committed before prosecution can take place, as enforcement action and prosecution need to be substantiated with evidence. On receiving feedback, NEA and the relevant Town Council will identify the unit from which the litter may have been thrown. If there is sufficient evidence, NEA will proceed with enforcement action. Otherwise, letters are served to residents of the suspected unit and those in the same column, advising them to refrain from committing such acts. A warning letter will follow if the acts persist. Surveillance and monitoring operations will also be conducted in the area when necessary. Apprehending high-rise littering offenders is manpower-intensive and involves long hours of staking out to catch the offender in the act. Despite the best efforts of our enforcement officers, it is not always possible to catch the offenders as most of the offences are committed at night which make it a greater challenge to identify the offender clearly. The number of feedback on high-rise littering is on the rise, from 2,499 in 2008 to 3,475 in 2009, and 4,449 last year. During this period, NEA took enforcement action against nine cases of high-rise littering, where the offenders could be identified. High-rise littering offenders are sent to Court where they may be imposed with a Corrective Work Order (CWO).”
“Hence, it is important that we do not skew behaviour or encourage short-term outlook by over-emphasising the use of indicators. For this reason, the Government has expended many resources to gather the thoughts and reactions of people to all sorts of policy issues by its Ministries as well as through its feedback unit, REACH. Mr Viswa's thesis that policy-making will be impoverished if it ignores beyond-GDP indicators is understood and appreciated. I thank him for his motion and want to assure the House once more that the Government's approach to developing Singapore has always been holistic, multi-faceted and with the long term in view.”
“Sir, may I have just one minute? Mr Deputy Speaker: One sentence, please.”
“Singapore ranked in 23rd placing out of 182 countries, ahead of Hong Kong (24th place); Malaysia (66th place); and Thailand (87th place). Mr Viswa has called for a framework for a broad-based public policy analysis and the regular reporting of non-economic indicators. The Government understands the need to adopt a Whole-of-Government approach towards developing policies. Civil servants are required and expected to think and formulate policies from the perspective of the public service as a whole rather than from the viewpoint of a specific Ministry or agency. This mindset is critical as many of the challenges that we face can no longer be adequately addressed by a single Ministry or agency because of their complexity and interdependence. This mindset will also ensure that all relevant factors are considered in the process of policy-making. The Government already tracks a broad range of socio-economic indicators with Ministries and agencies actively monitoring outcomes and performance in their areas of responsibility. Some of the performance and outcome indicators, such as infant mortality rates, overall satisfaction in public health institutions and indicators for strong and stable families and clean and healthy environment, are published annually in the Budget Book which I think the Member has access to. It is also available in the Ministry of Finance website for public consumption. Even as we debate the pros and cons of various indicators to reflect our socio-economic conditions, we must not forget that indicators are what they are described to be – signs and pointers. It is a challenge to develop indicators that accurately or unambiguously capture a particular state of affairs in the socio-economic realm, or the outcomes of a policy at any point in time.”
“0, like several other American cities. I would like to point out to Mr Viswa that the Gini coefficient of 4.81 that he cited for 2008 had not taken into account income re-distribution via taxes and Government transfers. In 2009, the Gini coefficient net of Government transfers and taxes is, in fact, significantly lower, at 4.53. But even this statistic, as is any other single indicator, is not perfect. It does not capture transfers to families and especially community support through our many-helping-hands approach. Furthermore, as noted by the Minister for Finance in his Budget speech this year, the solution for Singapore cannot be to grow slowly to reduce income inequality. Slow growth will make everyone worse off but it will have the harshest impact on the low-income, the very ones we are trying to help. In other words, the correct approach is not to dumb down the top but to pump up the bottom. Mr Viswa also cited study findings to illustrate that Singapore has fared badly in indicators of well-being of our citizens and that this is a consequence of a GDP-focused drive for growth. But let me say that other study findings paint quite a different picture. Let me share with the House just one of these alternative findings. The Human Development Index (HDI) published in the United Nations Development Report looks beyond GDP to a broader definition of well-being. It is a composite measure of three dimensions of human development, living a long and healthy life, been educated and having a decent standard of living. Although the Index is not a comprehensive measure of human development, it does indicate the average progress of a country in human development. Between 1980 and 2007, for nearly 30 years, Singapore's HDI rose by 0.68% annually, from 0.785 to 0.944.”
“Also, the Government does not hold down, deliberately or otherwise, wages. Indeed, it is not possible for us to artificially raise or lower the wages of our workers. To do so will distort the market and eventually lead to perverse outcomes. Instead, the sustainable way must be to upskill our workers. This in turn will raise the wages they can command. What is critical is that we continue to monitor wage and income growth of Singaporeans to ensure that our workers benefit from growth. In this year's Budget speech, the Minister for Finance had mentioned how median incomes per Singaporean household member had grown by about 20% adjusted for inflation over the last decade, and particularly so from 2005 to 2008. Lower-income households also saw their incomes rise over the past 10 years, albeit to a lesser extent compared to median households. Overall, the total income growth of lower-income households was about 7% in real terms. The Government has also made strenuous efforts to re-distribute the wealth generated by GDP growth through asset enhancements and income distribution measures in order to uplift the more vulnerable segments of our society. The Government provides substantial subsidies for housing and education. We have also put in place the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme to supplement the incomes of our low-wage workers to encourage them to stay on their job and improve their skills. Mr Viswa mentioned that Singapore has one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world, as indicated by our Gini coefficient. We are not alone. This is also faced by other global cities, such as Hong Kong and New York, which perhaps are more comparable than the countries cited by the Member, such as the Philippines. Their Gini coefficients are, in fact, more than 5.”
“I would like to assure the House that the Government, through its choices and its budget, is very much focused on people. As Mr Viswa has acknowledged, the GDP is a key economic indicator for any country. GDP measures the income generated by economic activities within a country and for all its shortcomings, it is still one of the best gauges of a country's progress and wealth. A country's GDP per capita tells us a lot about the economic well-being of its people and it tells us a lot more about the economic well-being of its people than any other single measure. Empirical studies have shown GDP to be highly correlated with other indicators of economic and social well-being. Put simply, economic growth is key to improving the lives of people. The Member mentioned that our focus on GDP growth has led to some social economic dysfunctions. Specifically, he cites two observations – the large proportion taken up by profits relative to the wage component in the GDP and the significant share of profits by foreign-owned companies. To clarify, this high profit share vis-a-vis wages is not the outcome of deliberate Government policy to favour the corporate sector as against workers. It arises from contributions from a range of companies – large, medium and small, both foreign and local – which operate in Singapore. While it is true that a not insignificant share of the profits accrue to foreign companies, this is not a zero-sum game. Some of the profits go toward taxes while some will be retained or reinvested in other projects in Singapore, generating positive multiplier effects in terms of new jobs, technology transfers and management know-how, and adding to a vibrant corporate eco-system anchored in Singapore.”
“Sir, let me start by assuring Mr Viswa Sadasivan that the Government values and appreciates constructive feedback on its policies. So, we take his comments seriously. We agree with Mr Viswa that the development of a society cannot be predicated on pure economics alone. A responsible government takes a balanced approach towards developing a country, taking holistic account of its economic, social and security needs and with a steady eye toward the long-term, beyond the election cycle. Policies are developed for the collective benefit of our citizens so that progress is broad-based and no single sector benefits at the expense of others. The ultimate aim is to enable our people to have a good quality of life and not merely a high standard of living. Hence, contrary to what the Member implies that the Government had hitherto been adopting, it has never been a GDP growth at-all-costs strategy. As Minister Mentor shared at a recent dialogue session held in conjunction with the Singapore International Water Week and the World's City Summit, even in our early days, when we were deprived, we were mindful not to allow heavy pollutive industries using old technology to set up base in Singapore to ensure a good quality living environment and sustainable development. Hence, even back then, we had to turn away much needed investment opportunities. To put things in their proper perspective, the Member might like to know that in terms of allocations, the economic sector takes up about 20% of our budget whereas the social sector which includes education, health and social services, makes up 40%. This reflects the priority of this Government to invest in a capability and well-being of our citizens.”
“Yes. I am just asking whether they would consider raising the income ceiling up to, say, $2,500 per month.”
“Sir, I would like to pose two questions, firstly, to the Senior Minister of State. There was a question that I actually raised in my speech earlier and I think he has not quite answered it. It relates to the expansion of the capacity of the polytechnics from 42% to 45%. I would like to ask how this would impact on the demand for university places, given that increasingly more polytechnic graduates are looking to get into the universities. Also, whether the new fourth University as well as SIT would be able to cater to the potential increase in demand for university places by polytechnic graduates. I would also like to ask the Senior Minister of State to consider not closing the chapter on the 30% university cohort participation rate. It should not be a figure cast in stone and that we should be reviewing this all the time. Secondly, my question to the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. This is with regard to affordability of kindergarten education. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary has said that kindergarten education is a multi-agency issue. I do not have a cut in MCYS. So I would like to raise this again regarding the KiFAS subsidy. I think the issue of affordability of kindergarten education is not really pertaining to the low income. Because, with KiFAS subsidy, actually many of them either do not pay or pay very little – just a few dollars a month. It is really the sandwiched class, the ones that is above the cut-off household income ceiling of $1,800 per month, and maybe up to $2,500.”
“Furthermore, the Ministry could also look into further raising the standards, teaching methods and curriculum of early childhood education since the early childhood years are formative in the child's development. There should be more research done in early childhood education and the sharing of such best practices. This is to ensure minimum standards of our pre-school sector whilst still allowing for diversity and options for parents. Whilst the qualifying monthly household income ceiling for KIFAS has been raised to $1,800 per month, the kindergarten fees burden for lower middle-income families, whose household income does not qualify them for KIFAS, is still significant. There is room to raise the qualifying income ceiling further, say, to $2,500 per month, to help the sandwiched class with young children who do not have access to many other assistance schemes. There is also the issue of the shortage and high turnover of pre-school teachers. This is especially worrisome as MCYS is aiming to increase the number of childcare centres by 200 over the next few years. I understand that many early childhood education graduates from the polytechnics do not join the pre-school sector. This may be due to the perceived poor image and pay of pre-school educators. The Ministry could look into raising the profile and image of these teachers as well as their training and pay. MOE accreditation for pre-schools”
“Sir, currently, some 500 kindergartens come under MOE whilst nearly 800 childcare centres that provide kindergarten and nursery programmes come under MCYS. These centres are run by a host of operators ranging from one-centre operation to those with many branches. The large number of pre-school operators offering widely disparate programmes of vastly different standards has raised concern that lack of regulatory oversight may allow some pre-school operators to compromise on standards whilst charging overly high fees. This has also led to concerns about social equity with some parents asking if children enter formal education from Primary 1 onwards on an unequal footing, depending on whether their parents can successfully enrol their children in premium pre-school education centres. Another related concern is affordability, especially for the low- and lower middle-income as pre-school fees are significantly higher than that of formal school education. The MOE has, in recent years, sought to raise the standards of the pre-school sector by raising the minimum qualifications of pre-school teachers. It is also providing annual recurrent grants to eligible kindergartens to raise teacher quality and ensure that fees are affordable. These are positive steps but more can be done to address the concerns of parents and educationists. While it is not necessary to nationalise pre-schools, MOE should, nonetheless, seriously consider assuming the role of the lead agency for all kindergartens and the academic aspects of childcare centres that offer kindergarten programmes. MOE should also make accreditation of all pre-school curriculum and operations compulsory instead of voluntary.”
“Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan shared yesterday that of the 60 international students in his branch activist's cohort at the medical school in New South Wales, Australia, 40 are Singaporeans. I would not be surprised if some of these students were unable to gain admission into our medical school. But these are the lucky ones as they can afford to pursue their dreams overseas. A few years ago, I met a young resident of mine who had obtained straight As and good CCA record, etc, but failed to gain admission into the local medical school. She had applied and was given a place in a prestigious UK medical school. However, she was unable to get a student visa to study in the UK due to her family's financial circumstances. The girl came from a single-parent family. Indeed, many of the unsuccessful medical degree applicants are top of their cohort. Many of them eventually go overseas for their medical degrees. In the meantime, we ironically employ a significant number of doctors from overseas as we suffer a shortage of healthcare professionals due to our increasing healthcare demands. I would like to ask the Minister to further review the cohort participation rate for University education. For a start, the Ministry should at least review and expand the capacity at our medical school. Admission to local universities”
“Sir, it has been reported that up to 20% of University places every year are given to foreign students. This is despite the surge in demand from local students over the years. While the Government's motivation for admitting foreign students cannot be faulted, it brings cold comfort to the many local students who are unable to secure places in our Universities each year. To alleviate this situation, MOE targets to increase the number of University places from the current 25% to 30% of the cohort by 2015. The launching of SIT's degree programmes this year, a year ahead of schedule, is welcome news indeed. Nonetheless, it is envisaged that there would still be a significant number of unsuccessful applicants. The situation is ironic – the quality of our education system has produced many high averages and our students are known to excel at good overseas Universities. Yet, some of them are denied a place at the local Universities because of capacity limitations. Increasing the capacity of the polytechnics so that by 2015, 45% of the Primary 1 cohort can access polytechnic education, up from 42% currently is also welcome news. Indeed, polytechnic education has become increasingly popular as it has also become another pathway to achieving a University education. This would mean that a larger cohort of polytechnic graduates will desire and can qualify for University education. I would like to ask the Minister if this possible impact of increased demand for university places due to capacity expansion of the polytechnics has been factored into the target for 30% of the cohort to attend University by 2015.”
“I would like to ask the Minister if more resources could be deployed to shorten the waiting times for early diagnosis and also intervention programmes. Children with special needs”
“Sir, I understand that at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), it takes about three months for a child to get an appointment for diagnosis of whether or not he has learning disabilities. Waiting times for therapy sessions are even longer. As a mother of a son with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), I can empathise with the anxiety of parents who desire to send their children for early diagnosis. My son had great difficulties coping with his studies and school life when he was in primary four. On the advice of his form teacher, we brought him for an assessment at the Child Guidance Clinic where he was assessed to have dyslexia and ADHD. This was 10 years ago. We were then told that if we wanted to enrol him in a Government-supported intervention programme, we would have to wait for months as there was a long queue. Fortunately, we were able to place him in a private centre. Once he was correctly diagnosed and put on an appropriate intervention programme, his condition improved tremendously and he was able to cope with his learning disability. From doing badly in his subjects at Primary Four, he was subsequently able to do relatively well at PSLE. He is a much happier and motivated boy now. Over the years, the services for special needs children have increased and improved significantly. But there are still remaining gaps that need to be closed. One example is the long queue for medical assessment at KKH. I understand that there is also a shortage of trained manpower such as therapists. This constraint is felt most starkly in the early intervention services. As parents become more enlightened, the demand for such medical assessment would increase.”
“REACH's Policies Study Work Group on Ageing and Health conducted a study of 800 Singaporeans aged 25 to 64 years and found that 44% of respondents held the misunderstanding that stroke patients can only be discharged from acute hospitals when the patient is completely well and not when the patient is stable and ready for rehabilitation services. The survey also found that the decision to transfer the stroke patient to step-down care facilities such as community hospitals or day rehabilitation centres is strongly influenced by the out-of-pocket expenses required for these services. All things being equal, even though the total bill size for a stay at an acute hospital is more, the out-of-pocket expenses for the community hospital are generally higher than that for an acute hospital. This is due to the different means-testing systems employed as well as the lower allowable Medisave claims for community hospitals or no claims allowed for day rehabilitation centres and home care services. I would thus like to ask the Minister to intensify its efforts to educate the public on the value and benefits of rehabilitation and correct the misperception that community hospitals are the poor cousins of acute hospitals. The Ministry should also review the quantum of Medisave that can be claimed for community hospitals and allow the use of Medisave for day rehabilitation centres. This will lead to greater optimisation of different healthcare facilities.”
“Sir, as the Minister and other Members of this House have noted, the healthcare system is being restructured to meet the challenges of a rapidly ageing population. A key focus would be to build up step-down care facilities to complement the public hospitals. Acute care hospitals, like TTSH, are seeing a changing profile of patients. They are currently not equipped to handle older patients who are being admitted more frequently, have multiple problems and require longer hospitalisation. This has added to the pressure on hospital beds leading to the recent incident at TTSH where patients were put on movable trolley beds and placed temporarily at the hospital's corridors. Integrating the whole spectrum of services from acute hospitals to home care would help to optimise scarce resources and remove strains on certain facilities, chief of which are the public hospitals. For this to be successful, we need a mindset change of both the healthcare providers as well as patients and their families. All things being equal, it is generally more expensive to stay in an acute care hospital than a community hospital. Nonetheless, anecdotal evidence on the ground suggests that there tends to be resistance to admission into community hospitals. There is some public perception that community hospitals are poor cousins of acute hospitals, lacking the full range of medical equipment and specialists. It does not help that many community hospitals are run by charities or religious groups which do not have the financial muscle to match salaries at the public and private hospitals.”
“Voluntary welfare organisations, religious organisations as well as grassroots volunteers could be roped in to work with IMH and the CMHTs to make sure mental outpatients can live and function as normally as possible in the community. But the Ministry would have to provide resources to help these volunteers so that they can render appropriate support and assistance.”
“Should patients be discharged into the community if they lack the necessary family support to continue with their medication and follow-up treatment? Does the IMH have a robust system of monitoring mentally-ill patients’ recovery in the community, and intervening if they suffer a relapse? How can IMH better track and care for its outpatients? According to Prof. Chong Siow Ann, Vice-Chairman of the IMH’s medical board and Director of Research, an estimated one in two patients drop out of the treatment programmes. They need to be better monitored and engaged by health-care providers. I fully understand IMH’s approach of not institutionalising all mentally-ill patients but constantly seeking to rehabilitate them in the community instead. To facilitate this, the CMHT programme was started in 2007. The CMHT now have a staff strength of 51, comprising doctors, nurses, medical social workers, occupational therapists and psychologists. It has been reported that regular house calls have cut re-admission rates by 43% and hospital stays by two-thirds. While this is commendable, one wonders if the CMHT programme’s resources are adequate to handle the estimated more than 30,000 mentally-ill patients known to the IMH who are living in the community under rehabilitation. Ideally, the family should be the first line of support for these patients. But their families may not know what to do or may not have the means to provide support, such as in the case of my resident. The patients could then become a menace to society and/or themselves. Such patients with little or no family support should receive more attention from IMH or CMHT. Otherwise, IMH should consider institutionalising them.”