Ang Wei Neng
Singapore
“Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. Can I just ask for clarification on the three incidents of Singtel disruption? It was reported by the press that they were totally unrelated. What was the preliminary investigation based on the finding of IMDA?”
“Chairman, I have two clarifications. Firstly, we are glad that the Minister has assured us that MOT is working to establish clearer criteria for distinguishing between Cat A and Cat B COE. In the meantime, I would like to seek clarification on the reduction in the supply of Category A COE.”
“I would like to seek a clarification regarding the Lift Access Housing Grant. Could the qualifying criteria be relaxed for occupants aged 70 and above, without the need for medical certification?”
“Such an outcome would run contrary to the original intent of maintaining distinct categories within the passenger car segment. As MOT has previously stated, the primary objective of Cat A COE is to preserve a portion of the vehicle quota for mass-market cars, thereby ensuring greater accessibility and affordability for the average Singapo…”
“Under NParks' pigeon management plan, efforts remain largely focused on pigeons. I urge NParks, within MND's broader human-wildlife management framework, to evolve towards a comprehensive Pest Bird Management approach, one that also addresses other urban-adapted species, such as mynas and crows, where they cause persistent disamenities to…”
“Thank you, Chair. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to ask Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, how would she describe Singapore's current relationship with China against the backdrop of Sino-US geopolitical tensions.”
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“If we are unconvinced that rental increases may be well-contained by competition alone, it may make sense to return control of our coffee shop to HDB hands with the outright purchasing of existing units if necessary. In addition to being able to exercise greater control over rental price hikes, which it has already demonstrated a willingness to do, this will undoubtedly help Singaporeans who are struggling with expensive meal prices. But MND can do more. The current strategy is for MND to content itself with working with the budget meal requirement into the PQM matrix and to publicise where one may purchase such cheap meals. But since the framework only requires that vendors offer at least one budget meal, in reality, this translates into each coffee shop offering only a small handful of very plain vanilla options, think fishball noodles or two-vegetables one-meat cai fan or kopi and teh-o. This quickly becomes limited and boring. One alternative is to incrementally increase the weight placed on the quality of the bid for every additional budget meal the tenderer includes in its bid, or to receive a percentage discount on their final bid price that increases as the number of budget meals offered increases. Budget Meals at "Sold" Coffee Shops”
“I had suggested then, that the bidding for coffee shop spaces could be altered away from the current price quality method (PQM), to a system where the winning bidder would be awarded the price of the second-highest bid. This could potentially contain the race to the bottom or race to the top, depending on one's point of view, behaviour of coffee shop operators; and, in turn, short circuit the pass-through of high tender prices to high rents; and, in turn, high rents to high food prices. I am pleased to see that in Sengkang, a new NEA-run hawker centre has opened up in Sengkang Grand Mall in Buangkok and another is slated to open at The Village in Anchorville. I believe that increased competition among vendors will, at the margin, likewise help control the rapid rate of food price increases seen islandwide since the start of the pandemic. But both of these cannot be the full story. After all, if the Government truly believes that competition alone would be sufficient, it would not have ceased selling coffee shops to private operators since 1998. It would not need to introduce a substantial weighting in the PQM that includes factors, such as whether budget meals are promised by bidders. Indeed, the Government's own statistics belie this. It was recently revealed to this House that among half of coffee shops owned by HDB, almost all of them did not choose to increase their rentals over the past five years. In contrast, there is no such assurance for private operators. And in our conversations with stall vendors, many have shared that back-breaking rent increases have forced them to either pass-through costs to their meal prices or risk giving up their tenancy altogether.”
“45 am MND's Upgrading Projects The rapid increase in general construction costs, which rose about 30%-40% from 2021 to 2023, with anticipated further appreciation in 2024. This poses significant challenges for various upgrading projects, such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP), Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP) and Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) Programme, including those in Nanyang. These rising costs have led to budget constraints and the need to sacrifice essential features in the approved projects. For example, in one of my EUP, I have to sacrifice building even the playground as well as these sports facilities for those who exercise. In light of these challenges, I would like to inquire with MND regarding the frequency of budget reviews for these upgrading programmes. Specifically, whether MND is prepared to provide a one-time fund top-up for approved projects in the last two years to address the impact of escalating construction costs. It is crucial to ensure that these upgrading programmes continue to effectively enhance the quality of living in our neighbourhoods, despite the financial challenges posed by rising construction costs. Therefore, proactive measures to review and potentially adjust budgets are essential to ensure the successful implementation of these projects and the well-being of residents. Controlling Costs of Coffee Shop Meals Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: During last year's Committee of Supply, I shared data that volunteers and I had collected, showing that the difference between coffee shop food in Sengkang versus mature estates amounts to around 50 cents, which is significant for many families.”
“Chairman, Mdm Er, a resident of Nanyang, recently approached me with a pressing issue regarding her living situation. Mdm Er and her husband purchased a segmented flat about eight years ago, appreciating its privacy and exclusivity despite its lack of direct access to the lift on the same level. However, their circumstances have changed significantly since then. Their seven-year-old son has been diagnosed with myopathy, causing muscle weakness and rendering him unable to walk independently. As he grows heavier, Mdm Er struggles to carry him up and down the stairs to reach the HDB lift. Mdm Er's block is one of the 140 HDB blocks in Singapore with segmented flats. Many occupants of these flats purchased their homes when they were young and did not anticipate mobility issues. However, as they age, navigating the stairs to reach the lift becomes increasingly challenging. While Ms. Er has attempted to apply for the Lift Access Housing Grant, she has encountered numerous hurdles. In addition, it is understood that MND has been hesitant to install lifts at these blocks due to technical challenges, although advancements in technology could potentially address these constraints. Given Singapore's ageing society, I urge the Minister to allocate more resources to install additional lifts at the mentioned 140 blocks, starting with Nanyang perhaps. We can start a pilot. Even if residents are required to contribute more financially to cover the costs of these additional lifts as compared to other usual Lift Upgrading Programmes, many of them will still likely to support as they treasure their mobility and accessibility needs. 11.”
“This price index is crucial, as inflation has been high over the last three years and is likely to remain elevated in the next couple of years. In fact, the real income of Singaporeans has declined by 2.2% in 2023, even though the nominal income has increased. This is a double whammy for low-income Singaporeans. When nominal income increases, many Singaporeans no longer qualify for financial assistance, as the Government only adjusts the income criteria very infrequently. At the same time, these low-income Singaporean families require more financial assistance as their real income has decreased in a high inflation environment. I understand that MOH and the MSF have promised to review the income criteria for blue CHAS card and financial assistance periodically. From experience in the past few years, "periodically" means once every few years. This is acceptable when the inflation rate was low in the pre-pandemic situations. But in the current high inflation rate environment, where periodic reviews are done every few years disadvantage low-wage Singaporeans very greatly. Hence, I appeal to MOH and MSF to incorporate the price index into the income criteria for determining financial assistance to provide for low-income families. In short, the periodic review should occur yearly or even quarterly, rather than once in a few years' time. Mr Speaker, notwithstanding the above, I support the Budget.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, next, I want to touch on the topic of CDC Vouchers. I have spoken on this topic several times before in this House. Many residents, including those in Nanyang, are pleased with the 2024 Budget announcement of the additional $600 in CDC Vouchers for each Singaporean household. I have previously mentioned that CDC Vouchers are a better way to help Singaporeans mitigate the impact of inflation on two aspects. Firstly, the CDC Vouchers are to be spent in Singapore, mainly benefiting the heartland shops. The heartland shops benefit from these CDC Vouchers a lot. Unlike cash given under the GST Vouchers, CDC Vouchers cannot be spent abroad, especially across causeway. In addition, CDC Vouchers also have multiplier effects, as reported in the press quite widely. The only setback is that CDC Vouchers are given to each household, regardless of family size. Hence, I propose that the Ministry of Finance consider doubling the quantum of CDC Vouchers for every three registered Singaporeans residing in HDB flats. For households that do not need the CDC Vouchers, they can choose to donate the vouchers to those who need them more or simply refrain from spending, allowing the Government to redirect the resources to other more urgent needs. Lastly, I would like MOH and MSF to consider incorporating inflation or the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, into the formula used to determine the income criteria for various Government financial assistance schemes. The CPI component could function similarly to the price index used by the Energy Market Authority to determine electricity tariffs and how the Public Transport Council uses the price index in the fare adjustment formula to determine the adjustment of public transport fares.”
“For example, some Government tender contracts specify that payments will only be made upon the full delivery of expensive items, tools, specialised vehicles or only big payment on completion of projects, and they do not give any down payment or make progress payments. While this practice protects Government from receiving substandard products or reduces the risk of incomplete projects, it makes things very difficult for the SMEs. It is difficult for SMEs because with no down payment or progressive payment, it adds to the financing costs of SMEs. Given the current high-interest-rate environment, it will be challenging for SMEs to bid for such Government projects. Project tenders that do not offer deposits or progressive payments typically favour the large companies with deep pockets, especially MNCs. So, therefore, I urge the Government to review such practices to level the playing field for SMEs. Thirdly, on land use: thanks to the Ministry of Transport, we now have more Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines. Residents in the West, including those in Nanyang, are excited about the upcoming Jurong Region Line. The Jurong Region Line is not an underground line; it will run on MRT viaducts similar to most of the lines in the North-South and East-West MRT lines. The space below the MRT viaducts along the current MRT lines is not well utilised, unlike in other countries like Japan. Currently, we do see some of the spaces below the viaducts used for cycling paths. But these viaducts are near MRT stations and they are valuable land so we hope the Government can allow the space below the viaducts to be used by the private sector, especially for SMEs that provide important services such as childcare and eldercare services for the convenience of the residents.”
“Similarly, in environments without air conditioning, Singaporeans are also reluctant to work. Given these factors, I would like to call on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) not to maintain and not tighten the foreign worker quota and foreign worker levy in sectors that are not favoured by Singaporeans, especially for the next three years where the world economy is very uncertain. In fact, many SMEs would like to appeal to MOM to increase the foreign worker quota for jobs that are not favoured by most Singaporeans. In addition, many entrepreneurs among my constituents in Nanyang lament that they have to substantially increase the pay of skilled foreign workers when they renew their S Passes. For example, a motor insurance claims executive who consistently works in hot and humid workshops will see his pay increase from about $3,400 to $4,200 upon renewal of his S Pass and this translates to an almost 24%-pay increase. Most Singaporeans would unlikely experience a 15%-pay rise in a year, even with a promotion. Such a significant increment for foreign workers' pay not only increases the costs of SMEs but also creates discord among their Singaporean co-workers. Thus, I hope MOM can consider a more moderate minimum salary adjustment for S Pass holders. Secondly, on Government projects, it is commendable that many Government sectors have centralised their procurement functions across different departments. The Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) is one good example, where the procurement needs of the Police, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Prisons and Central Narcotics Bureau are centralised for better synergies and transparency. Many civil servants are diligent in protecting the Government's interests when writing the tender specifications.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Budget. We are pleased with the Budget measures to support companies in Singapore, particularly the $1.3 billion Enterprise Support Package to build capabilities. When I speak with many business leaders, the key concern always revolves around manpower. Given our low birth rate, it is difficult to hire enough Singaporeans to support the growing economy. Additionally, many of the business leaders say that many manual jobs and roles outside air-conditioned environments are not favoured by Singaporeans. Companies tell us that they sometimes have no choice but to hire foreign workers. However, the strict foreign worker quota and the continually rising minimum salary requirement for S Pass renewals are pain points for SMEs. It is commendable that the Government is encouraging SMEs to invest in technology, particularly in the fields of AI and green initiatives. For some SMEs, survival is paramount. I would like to suggest three areas in which the Government could assist our SMEs, which employ 71% of the entire workforce in Singapore. Before I proceed, I would like to declare my interest as the CEO of Strides Premier, a company that leases out vehicles and provides services to vehicles, including the maintenance of specialised vehicles such as fire engines, ambulances and oil tankers. Firstly, regarding manpower: some Singaporeans shy away from the retail sector due to the need to work outside office hours and on weekends. We would like Singaporeans to have more time to date, get married, to have children, to spend time with the families or care for their loved ones. So, it is very essential for this retail sector to supplement its manpower with foreign workers.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Minister of State Tan for the very comprehensive reply. First, I would like to congratulate DBS for making record profit in the first half of this year, at more than $5 billion, which is a 45% rise compared to the same period in the previous year. However, we note that DBS' IT and banking system has continued to have a lot of disruptions, despite the additional measures imposed by MAS, including the increase in capital requirement. So, that does not have a big impact on them. I would like to ask the Minister of State, will MAS consider asking banks with these sort of disruptions to compensate directly to the bank customer, as that may have more impact than what MAS has imposed?”
“I just want to clarify one point. Because the MIS report stated that an elderly person above 65 years old needs $1,500 a month to survive well. So, in MSF's view, what is the minimum amount to ensure basic needs for a 65-year-old elderly staying alone to survive? What is the amount?”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. The Minimum Income Standard Report 2023 (MIS) stated that the minimum income standard budget for a household with two school-going children is $6,693 per month or about $1,600 per capita. According to the report, this means it is equivalent to the 30th percentile of all working households in Singapore. Since MSF is giving ComCare assistance to the lowest 20th percentile of households, would MSF think that the $800 dollars per capita income, as a criterion to provide financial assistance, is too high or too low? At the same time, I think the Ministry has also sent out a press release to say that according to Government analysis, the proposed monthly income stated in the MIS report is about $1,680 per capita and it is similar to the monthly expenditure of $1,650 per capita of all families and children. So, there is a big discrepancy. They are saying that in the MIS study, the income is based on the 30th percentile of household income, whereas MSF and other Ministries are saying that it is equivalent to about 50% of household income in Singapore. So, if MSF disagrees with this report, which is internationally conducted in many countries, why would MSF not consider doing their own report, using the data that is available to MSF, to refute this or to convince Singaporeans better?”
“Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the comprehensive reply. With the Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) rising month after month and breaking records, more Singaporeans, understandably, will turn to e-bikes for their mobility solutions. So, would the Ministry of Transport (MOT) consider working with the e-bike suppliers to broaden the models available for Singaporeans to choose? Two, what are MOT's plans to discourage and deter more illegal e-bikes to be used on the road? There are many e-bike fire incidents in different parts of Singapore, including in the Nanyang area. Thirdly, what are MOT's plans to build more pathways and cycling paths to enable e-bike riders to ride safely on the pavement, rather than on the road? We understand that MOT has announced some plans to build cycling paths, but we are asking MOT whether it can intensify and accelerate the progress.”
“Thank you Speaker, and thank you to the Senior Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. Will the Senior Minister of State be able to shed some light on whether the amount of tax collected in the first quarter of FY2023, which means from May up to August this year, has increased as compared to the same period in the last financial year? Secondly, we understand that MOF is reviewing to enhance the Assurance Package. Will the Senior Minister of State be able to shed light on whether it will come in the form of cash or some vouchers? Because giving vouchers would have an expansionary effect on the economy, where they have to spend. But if you give cash alone, people may put that in their savings, and they do not spend.”
“Thank you, Speaker, and also, thank you to the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the comprehensive reply. I have three supplementary questions. First, we understand that MOH last reviewed the income criteria in 2019, which was pre-COVID-19, and inflation was still low. But in the past three years, the headline inflation and core inflation have hit 5%. So, will MOH consider incorporating an inflation index or a wage index in the income criteria so that it will always move with the time when determining the income criteria for the various CHAS cards? The second supplementary question is, of the 14,000 appeals for card upgrades that MOH received, how many were successful? The last supplementary question is, would MOH consider incorporating an inflation index into the amount of subsidies that each CHAS card would give to the residents, so that again, it would always move in tandem with inflation, and you would not have to review every three or four years?”
“Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. Can I ask three supplementary questions? The first one is, we noted that 75,000 Singaporean households receive ComCare assistance in 2022. And of the 75,000, how many households have income that is less than $650 per capita, and how many are above? The second supplementary question is, we are, of course, very glad that MSF has increased the PCHI benchmark. In April this year, I had suggested to incorporate an inflation component in determining the amount of assistance to be provided to the needy residents as well as the benchmark. So, would the Minister consider that component and so review it annually, and not two to three years at one go? And my last supplementary question is, as what the Minister has said, we need to have a whole-of-Government effort to help needy residents. So, I have two other supplementary questions similarly about the PCHI benchmark for CHAS as well as rental flats. Apparently, both would not be answered today, and does it mean that the Ministries are not really coordinating to this effort?”
“Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for the very comprehensive reply. It must be painful for the journalists to report the wrongdoing of their colleagues, or sometimes it could be their supervisors in the newspapers. I have two supplementary questions. The first question is, in the funding formula for SMT, will the circulation numbers be one of the KPIs or is there a KPI for them to increase the circulation because that will add pressure on them? Two, why is it that the names of the companies involved in helping to inflate the circulation numbers are not revealed? Is it because they are subject to Police investigation and the Minister cannot reveal that? In the public interest, we hope that the Ministry can get the papers to release them.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Many West Coast and Jurong residents are looking forward to the new tourist attraction in Jurong East, not just for entertainment, but also for job opportunities. I would ask two supplementary questions. Firstly, what are the implications of the cancellation of the high-speed rail project and of the recent release of White Side in Jurong Lake District for sale to a Master Developer, on the potential tourist development in the Jurong Lake District? Secondly, would the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) consider calling for another request for proposals (RFP) soon for the development of a tourist attraction in Jurong Lake District and if so, how would MTI enhance the attractiveness of the site that you are calling for this proposal, for example, is the site big enough for a Disneyland?”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker, Sir. I thank the Minister for the very comprehensive reply. I have two supplementary questions on the Cat E COE. As what the Minister has said, the contribution of Cat E COE is from 10% of deregistered Cats A, B and C. I want to ask the Minister why do we want to contribute from Cat C where it is mainly used for commercial vehicles and all the Cat E COEs are mainly to register Cat B COE, which means that you are shrinking the Cat C COEs meant for commercial vehicles. For the second supplementary question, I am very thankful that the Minister is using the COEs expiring in the next five years to reach earlier in the next few quarters. The Minister has said that they will go back to the respective categories. So, I would like to urge the Minister to really distribute more to Cat A COEs because it is a mass market COE, whereas the Cat E COEs always mirror and always register for Cat B COEs.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I would like to ask a supplementary question of the Senior Minister of State. For the residents in the west, especially in the Nanyang ward, they go to Pioneer Polyclinic. They really have difficulties getting appointments online and, even so, when the residents go to the polyclinic early in the morning to queue for the appointment, they cannot get an appointment. So, my supplementary question is, one: when they queue, if they cannot get an appointment, can they get the next day's appointment? Two, we also understand that most of the polyclinics and the MOH building are in other parts of Singapore, in the north-west part or the western part, and not in the Jurong area. So, how are we going to alleviate the situation at Pioneer Polyclinic?”
“As such, the trail was done at the backend common infrastructure that supports the MMBS system, which in turn supports all the checkpoints. So, it was not possible to conduct the trial, checkpoint by checkpoint, or just doing it at the sea checkpoint, or doing it in batches. Nevertheless, in an effort to test the system load before proceeding with the actual upgrade, our approach was to conduct additional controlled trials during different times of the day. This is something that we thought we should do so that we can prevent more serious disruptions when the system upgrade has been done. However, as I have shared earlier, we have contingency and mitigation plans, whenever there are such disruptions that happen.”
“Speaker, Sir, we also like to thank the CAG staff for helping during the disruptions, to minimise the flight disruptions – only 21 passengers missed their flights, which is very commendable. I have a couple of supplementary questions. One is that the Minister of State mentioned that during the disruptions at Changi Airport and the land checkpoints, the sea checkpoints were not affected. So, the question is that why did we not do the upgrading at the sea checkpoints first, rather than to do it straightaway at the busiest part of the Changi Airport, as well as the land checkpoints? And two, during the whole upgrading, did the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) check out what is the cause of these disruptions; and for the overloading of the database, if it was the fault of the contractors, are we imposing any liquidated damages? And thirdly, how could we have some assurance that during this Hari Raya weekend, a similar thing will not happen again? Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. The travel volume at the sea checkpoint on 31 March 2023 was generally manageable. And, in fact, ICA manual counters across all checkpoints and the automated lanes at the sea checkpoints remained operational. So, essentially, these were not affected. The passenger volume in that sea checkpoint were relatively low and travellers were able to clear via the automated lanes and they were not affected. As I shared in my answer, some of the models of these lanes were procured at different periods. As such, they responded differently to the whole process. I thank the Member for the next question, whereby, we needed to do the trial at all the checkpoints at one time, because this MMBS is integral to all checkpoint operations.”
“Question No 5, Sir. The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take together Questions Nos 5 to 9 in today's Order Paper?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, low-income families receiving financial assistance are living in much uncertainty, as described by Ms Cindy Ng in her article in The Straits Times last Saturday. We do not want inflation to add another layer of uncertainty for the lower-income families.”
“This represents about 0.6% of Singapore's 2023 Budget or only 0.1% of Singapore's GDP. Now, 0.1% of GDP appears small, compared to 3% of GDP South Korea spent on cash benefits for public social expenditure. I am not advocating that we have to increase the ComCare expenditure by 30 times to match South Korea's. However, it is important that our support for low-income families keep pace with inflation. Singaporeans have been very much affected by the 14-year high inflation rate. We feel it every day as we buy our food, coffee, and groceries and pay our bills. According to an August 2022 study last year, it is the low-income households earning less than $2,500 a month which are the hardest hit, as they spend almost all their income every month. Given the high inflation rate for the past two years and the expected slow economic growth this year, there is scope to help families cope by easing the qualifying criteria for help schemes across the board. For example, the qualifying criteria for ComCare short-term assistance can be revised by 10% so that applicants with per capita monthly household income of not more than $715 can qualify. Likewise, HDB rental flat qualifying criteria can also be eased by 10% so that applicants with less than $1,650 monthly income can apply. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has indicated that it is “almost a certainty” that inflation will be higher and longer. That is, high inflation will be the norm for quite some time. To better help the low-income families, I would like to suggest that all the Government assistance schemes could incorporate an inflation component so that both the qualifying criteria and the quantum of assistance rendered could be adjusted annually in tandem with inflation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in her address, President Halimah Yacob spoke about strengthening the social safety nets so that at every stage of life, Singaporeans can better cope with uncertainties and look forward with confidence. I totally agree that this is very important and we have to pay particular attention to low-income families, especially those with young children. Last August, MSF announced that a one-person household on the ComCare Long Term Assistance scheme will receive a cash assistance of $640 per month or an increase of 6.25% from the previous cash amount of $600 per month. The qualifying criteria for Short Term Financial Assistance remain at a household income of not more than $1,900 per month or a per capita income of not more than $650 per month. There is no adjustment to the qualifying criteria despite a high inflation rate over the last two years. We understand that MSF has allocated about $601 million in its 2023 Budget to administer long-term and short-term financial assistance to vulnerable Singaporeans. But the question is whether this amount is sufficient? To have a better comparison, we can look at how other advanced countries are providing cash benefits to assist vulnerable families. The Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development (OECD) countries spent about an average of 7% of their GDP on cash benefits. As Singapore is not a welfare state, it may not be fair to compare us with most of the OECD countries. Perhaps, we can look at those closer to home, such as South Korea. South Korea spent about 3% of its GDP on public social expenditure in cash benefits and how is it compared to Singapore? MSF will be spending $601 million on long- and short-term financial assistance, including the manpower costs to administer the ComCare Assistance.”
“Sir, many young children and young adults are vaping in the public places. HSA dealt with 2,477 cases of vaping in 2019. The number increased by three times to 7,593 in 2021. Over the past three years, an average of about seven out of 1,000 students from a public school were caught for smoking and vaping offences. But vaping appears to be growing in popularity with young people. There are reports of primary school pupils getting caught as well. Some people think that vaping is healthier than smoking. This is not true. A Johns Hopkins' report suggests that vaping is not safe, may be bad for the heart and lungs and may be just as addictive as cigarettes. The fun, fruity "flavours" of these e-vaporisers adds to the misconception that vapes are harmless. I am worried that a new generation is getting hooked on nicotine. Thus, I would like to suggest HSA consider working with other agencies to educate youths and the general public that vaping is not harmless and that vaping is illegal. I also hope HSA could work with schools and other law enforcement agencies to double these enforcement efforts. Lastly, I understand the purchase, usage or ownership of an electronic vape may result in fines of up to $2,000 per offence. Is this a sufficient deterrence? I suggest MOH consider doubling the fine quantum and consider a jail sentence for repeat offenders. Access to Healthy Living Programmes”
“When I was managing 5,000 bus captains in the past, we had many cases of bus captains being assaulted by passengers. We then worked with the Police, the unions and a few other agencies to create awareness that bus captains are public workers and should not be harassed or assaulted for doing their jobs. In recent years, more and more healthcare workers at public health institutions suffer from harassment or abuse. Healthcare workers are critical in providing the quality public healthcare that we are enjoying in Singapore. To better protect our healthcare workers, I would like to ask if all the public health institutions have a standard definition of abuse against healthcare workers? Two, is MOH coordinating across all public health institutions to provide a standard protocol to take action against such abusers? Three, how is MOH working with unions to run campaigns to educate patients and patients' family members to not abuse healthcare workers? Four, how is MOH working with the law enforcement agencies to prosecute abusers for serious cases under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA)? With joint efforts across different agencies, Mr Chairman, I am confident that healthcare workers can be better protected against harassment, abuse and assault. Intermediate and Long-term Care”
“Chairman. Healthier SG is a major initiative of MOH. Would MOH update us on the progress and challenges of getting GPs on board this initiative? I understand that many GPs make profits from dispensing medicines. At the same time, many residents have told me that they look forward to buying chronic diseases medication from GPs at a price that is comparable to the price charged by polyclinics. Will this happen? At the community level, we have many activities – such as zumba, qigong, gardening, to name a few – that are very healthy and suitable for the elderly and all ages. How would MOH facilitate the linkage between the GPs and the community, so that the GPs in our community can recommend their patients to enrol in such healthy activities? Meanwhile, many community clubs are organising health carnivals for residents over 50 years old. Such carnivals often attract hundreds of seniors. Would MOH be keen to tap on such health carnivals to encourage senior citizens to sign up for Healthier SG? If so, the Nanyang division would be the first one to volunteer.”
“Once again, I would like to declare my interest as the President of Strides Mobility Services. I understand that MOT has conducted at least four sessions of Forward Singapore engagement exercises to gather Singaporeans' view of what they want to see in the future of the Singapore transport system. In these sessions, I understand that many Singaporeans were keen to have a more inclusive transport system that can cater for people with disabilities, the elderly and people with dementia. It is sensible. But, there are also trade-offs. Would people in a rush be willing to wait for passengers who are less mobile to board the bus or train? Would a more inclusive transport system also means higher costs and what is the vision of inclusive transport system by MOT? If it is more costly to have an inclusive transport system, would it translate to higher transport fares? Forward Singapore Exercise”
“Madam, as part of the Green Plan 2030, we would want to encourage more Singaporeans to take public transport, cycle and walk. We understand that LTA has plans to build cycling paths to reach 1,300 kilometres by 2030. From LTA's website, we can see that most of the cycling paths are concentrated in the central, northern and eastern parts of Singapore. In contrast, there are very few cycling paths in the western part of Singapore with the exception of cycling paths around Jurong Lake and Bukit Panjang. In Nanyang Division, for example, many residents feedback to me that we have many cyclists but there are no cycling paths that are built by LTA. Based on the LTA's current plan, how many kilometres of cycling path would LTA build this year and next year? How many towns, like Nanyang, do not have any dedicated cycling paths built by LTA as of now? What would it take to accelerate the construction of cycling paths? During the COVID-19 pandemic, many more Singaporeans started to cycle and used the Park Connectors Network (PCN). As the champion for green transport, I hope MOT or LTA can ride on the momentum to accelerate the construction of cycling paths to reduce carbon emission and promote healthy living at the same time. Increasing Dedicated Cycling Tracks”
“Would MOT update us on the electrification plan at the airports and seaports? Electric Public Buses”
“First of all, I would like to declare my interest as the President of Strides Mobility Services, a subsidiary of SMRT Corporation. As part of the Green Plan, there is a strong push to encourage adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). We understand that 11.8% of all the new vehicles registered last year, in 2022, were EVs. This is an encouraging sign. But we need to peel the onion further to understand the composition of the EVs registered last year. In particular, we hope MOT can reveal how many of the EVs were registered as passenger cars under COE Cat A and Cat B respectively. How many of the EV-registered vehicles were commercial vehicles and motorcycles? I supposed electric cars and electric commercial vehicles users face different sets of challenges. What is MOT's plan to encourage EV adoption in passenger cars and commercial vehicles respectively? Is there an order of priority? In addition, could MOT share the EV adoption rate among the Government vehicles? What is the Government's plan to adopt EVs across the different Government departments? Is there a centralised plan or is each Ministry responsible for their EV adoption or conversion plan by themselves? Meanwhile, we know that there is an overwhelming majority of public buses that are running on diesel engines. Is LTA accelerating the purchase of electric buses? How many electric buses is LTA buying this year and next year? What are the challenges in running electric buses? Are electric buses more costly to acquire and run? If so, will that translate to higher bus fares? On the other hand, there are also opportunities to run EVs at the airport and seaport as the range anxiety is less of an issue in the confined space of the airports and seaports.”
“It is quite a range, thus it is not surprising that the residents staying in the older flats are expecting they should be given priority to participate in the HIP. At the same time, we understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the pace of HIP quite significantly. Thus, many HDB blocks above the age of 30 years were not upgraded. In Nanyang, we have 74 blocks that are over 30 years, but there are still no HIP in sight. The residents staying in these blocks are eagerly waiting for HIP and I hope HDB can fulfil their dream soon. Meanwhile, I would also like to highlight that several residents have given me their feedback about the new retractable clothes-drying racks that are installed at the latest batch of HIP. The new retractable clothes-drying rack is an improvement over the previous T-shaped design. Many residents feedback that the new rack is not sufficiently wide to dry big sheets. The over capacity of the new drying rack is also limited. Thus, I would like to ask if HDB has plans to improve the clothes drying rack further.”
“Chairman, when HDB designed and built HDB flats in the 1980s, the segmented flats were popular with some of the residents due to the additional privacy. As the residents age, many now prioritise the ability to access to the lifts on the same level over privacy. In recent years, HDB managed to install additional lift at some of the segmented blocks. One example is the impending Lift Upgrading Programme or LUP at block 906 and 910 of Jurong West Street 91 in Nanyang. The corner odd-floor units of these two blocks would have direct access to the lift on the same level, if more than 75% of the residents support the LUP. I understand from HDB that the cost of providing lift for the remaining 150 segmental blocks may cost $200,000 per household. For such segmented units, can HDB provide an option for the owners to sell their flat back to HDB at market prices, while enjoying the Lift access Housing Grant or LHG. If HDB decides to buy back these segmented units, I do not suggest HDB to resell these segmented units back to Singaporeans, Instead, HDB could consider assigning JTC to lease out these segmented flats to younger workers who have no mobility issues. In summary, I hope HDB will continue to find suitable solutions to build lift for the segmented blocks failing which HDB could provide an option for the owners of the segmented flats to sell them back to HDB at a reasonable price. Accelerate HIP The Home Improvement Programme or HIP is a popular programme among the HDB owners, especially when the flats are getting older. In 2018, the HIP was extended to flats built between 1987 and 1997. This means that flats that are 25 to 35 years old, are eligible for HIP.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for her reply. Can I ask whether the HIP progress has been slowed by COVID-19, and if so, are there any plans to ramp up so that more HIPs can be rolled out to more precincts and more residents can benefit from it?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is time that we signal to all Singaporeans and employers that we are serious about encouraging more Singaporeans to have babies and that we are ready to help ease the burden of bringing up their children by making it easier for the parents to stay near to them. I support the Budget.”
“One teacher related to me recently that parents were reluctant to fetch their children home even when they were sick in school. The parents often request the school to hold their children at the sick bay until the parents finish work. Childcare is a marathon, not a one-off effort after birth. Hence, I hope Deputy Prime Minister Wong could consider increasing the childcare leave to two days per child when the child is in primary school, up to a cap of say four days a year. In Singapore, Mr Speaker, Sir, the percentage of seniors over the age of 65 living alone or with other seniors increased from 29% in 2010 to 41% in 2020. This represents a 41% increase over just 10 years and the proportion is growing. Apart from the concerns arising from the elderly living alone, it is clear that if this trend continues, the elderly will require smaller living spaces which are easier to maintain. I suggest that the Silver Housing Bonus scheme, which enables the elderly to supplement their retirement income if they downsize to a three-room or smaller flat, could be made more attractive to improve the take-up rate. The cash bonus, which is currently up to $30,000 for seniors 55 years and above, could be doubled. At the same time, the resale levy, if any, could be halved. For the elderly who move to a smaller flat and want to stay within close proximity to their families to promote family bonding even while maintaining a separate household, HDB could provide additional subsidies. The above suggestions to improve the Silver Housing Bonus scheme would not only provide elderly Singaporeans with more options to increase their retirement nest but would also increase the pool of resale flats to better meet the housing needs of families with young children.”
“Having 50% SWT flats would still allow HDB sufficient leeway to adjust its pace of building BTO flats according to changing demands and this would go a long way to help young families to get their flats earlier. The perennial issue of how to raise Singapore’s birth rate is a challenging one. But for those who do choose to have children, easing the financial burden always helps. I am glad that couples will be given an extra $3,000 as part of the enhanced baby bonus for eligible Singaporean children and now raising from $8,000 to $11,000. I am also happy that it would start immediately which is very important as this relates to my personal experience. When the Baby Bonus scheme was first introduced by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong during his National Day Rally speech in August 2000, it was a big thing. It was a sharp reversal of the two-child policy. At about that time, my wife was also pregnant with twins and that was the third pregnancy. We thought we would be able to receive the baby bonus. However, the bonus was only meant for babies born after 1 April 2001. While my wife was due to deliver in mid-April 2001, our twins were born earlier in March. We did not get our baby bonus, which is why I am delighted that the Government today is dispensing the enhanced baby bonus with immediate effect after Deputy Prime Minister Wong’s announcement on Valentine’s Day. I also applaud the decision to double the paternity leave to four weeks from 1 January 2024. This is a welcomed move. However, what I have heard from the ground is that more childcare leave is required. Currently, an employee is entitled to a maximum of two days of childcare leave per year if the youngest child is between seven and 12 years old, regardless the number of children they have.”
“Budget 2023 has provided additional support to this specific group of Singaporeans and the support ranges from an additional Build-To-Order (BTO) flat ballot for families with children and young married couples aged 40 and below who are buying a flat for the first time, as well as an increase in the CPF Housing Grant for first-timer families purchasing resale flats. Apart from pricing, there is also timing. In May last year, National Development Minister Mr Desmond Lee said that median waiting times for new BTO projects should come down slightly to four to 4.5 years, compared to the previous waiting time of four to five years. In 2017, HDB also introduced a scheme where construction on selected BTO projects in Sembawang, Sengkang and Yishun started about one year ahead of their launches and buyers can expect to get their flats in less than three years from the time they selected their flats. Minister Desmond Lee also announced in early this month that HDB would resume building 2,000 to 3,000 such Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) flats per year by 2025. I hope HDB will not stop there. I urge HDB to continue to increase the supply of SWT flats to comprise up to 50% of all BTO flats and possibly shorten the waiting time to below two years. This is important especially since home-buying has accelerated in the wake of the pandemic and many young Singaporeans who are working from home more than ever want to create their own work-from-home (WFH) havens. The significant increase in SWT flats would still be relatively safe in terms of the Government's commitment and capital expenditure. Having 50% of the SWT flats would most likely not lead to many empty and unwanted flats as demand for HDB flats is unlikely to drop by 50% overnight.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as our DORSCON status was just lowered from Yellow to Green, it sends a clear signal that Singapore has truly exited the pandemic. But it is not all back to normal as we face many challenges on the global and national front. The Budget unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Mr Lawrence Wong is one which acknowledges that Singaporeans are going through hard times. The financial help and various relief schemes announced are much welcomed and recognised as a means to help Singaporeans cushion what might be a hard landing to come. I believe that resilient families are the pillar of our society. I would like to focus on what the Budget means for families and give some suggestions on what can be done for Singaporean families. Many people in Singapore feel that property prices are high. Back in 2011, I recall relating this to our former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. I told him that young people were very concerned that property prices are very high in Singapore. His reply was very sharp. Mr Lee said that if Singapore continued to be successful, property prices will remain high or continue to rise. If we think deeply about it, land has no value unless there is a future for it. The more successful Singapore is, the more expensive the property prices will be given the limited land supply. I share this anecdote also to remember Mr Lee, for whom we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth later this year. If we followed the paths of many successful cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, New York, it is likely that many young Singaporeans will never be able to own their own homes in their lifetime. It is thus important that HDB flats are made accessible to young Singaporeans.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. I definitely concur that Singaporeans have high trust in the Police force and a Police officer on ground need to have the latitude in carrying out their duty. I have two clarifications. One, can I just clarify if all the patrol officers on the ground are wearing the wearable CCTV, the cameras, throughout the whole force? Second, the Minister said that a few of the Police officers were charged in Court for criminal offence. Were they charged in the course of their duty or their own behaviour which caused them to be charged in Court?”
“Yes, I am talking about the repeat offenders, those who are below 19 and those who are elderly. So, the number of repeat offenders – what is the percentage?”
“Thank you, Speaker. Also, thank you to Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor for the very comprehensive round-up. I have two clarifications. I am heartened that NEA is using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse the video images and not human beings. So, there is opportunity to scale. And I also note that NEA deployed 200 cameras onsite. And I understand that each camera typically covered about 14 days of operation, which means NEA probably has more than 100 sets of cameras. I have alluded in my speech on whether NEA can consider doubling or tripling the number of cameras it has, so as to make sure that every repeated complaint about the locations of high-rise littering, would have a chance of detecting the culprits. Secondly, Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor also revealed the number of repeat offenders who are caught for high-rise littering, for those below 19 years old and those who are elderly. But will Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor share how many are repeat offenders and how do we deal with them, even though they are elderly or young?”
“We know that high-rise littering does not occur only in HDB estates, but also in private condominiums, with some even involving fatal casualties. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State if this presumption clause can be adapted and applied to private condominiums? (In English): Mr Speaker, Sir, let me move on to the other topic of Progressive Wage Model (PWM) which also constitute an important part of the amendment Bill. With about 3,000 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) working in the waste management sector, the increase in their wages over the next six years under the PWM is timely and welcome. The question is always the cost. Who will pay for this wage increase? This is an important question as Singaporeans have already experienced high inflation in the past year and the inflation rate is likely to remain high in the next one year. How much of the pay increase is likely to be subsidised by the Government or absorbed by the employers or would the industry players be likely to transfer the bulk of the wage increase to the end consumers? Meanwhile, I would also like to ask the Senior Minister of State, are there plans to justify the increase in wages by increasing the productivity of the sector with better-trained workers and technology? Notwithstanding the above queries, I support the Bill.”
“At the same time, I also hope that NEA has deployed artificial intelligence (AI) to detect high-rise litter, rather than using human eyes to watch videos for hours to see if there is any litter falling from height. It is less effective if you use human eyes. Even if we finally manage to capture the unit where the litter is falling from, NEA is often unable to take enforcement actions because it is not able to identify the offender. This is regrettable. With the new presumption clause, which presumes that the registered owner or the tenant of the flat is the offender, it will greatly increase the enforcement efficiency. More importantly, this presumption clause can serve as a deterrent, allowing family members and tenants living under the same roof to monitor one another. The presumption will not affect 99% of the law-abiding HDB residents. In fact, it will be helpful in reducing the inconvenience brought by high-rise littering. Good laws must come with effective enforcement. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State how many surveillance cameras can NEA deploy currently to monitor high-rise littering? In the market, we know that there are many affordable and effective cameras. With this new rule in place, can NEA consider doubling the number of cameras to better monitor high-rise littering? NEA also said earlier that elderly offenders and children will be treated more leniently when enforcing the law. This is understandable. But, in my constituency of Nanyang, there are cases of repeated high-rise littering offences committed by children. So, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, how many high-rise littering offenders were committed by the elderly and underaged residents in the past five years? How many of them are repeat offenders?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Environmental Public Health (Amendment) Bill. In particular, I support clause 5, the new section 17A where the registered flat owner or registered flat tenant will be found guilty of high-rise littering if he cannot prove within a given time that he is not responsible for the offence. Complaints in Singapore about high-rise littering have almost doubled to an average of 29,700 between 2019 and 2021, as compared to an average of 16,800 between 2016 and 2018. This reflects what I see and feel on the ground, as the complaints I received about high-rise littering increased significantly at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when most people were working from home. Given that the offender typically could not be identified in about 15% of cases investigated from 2019 to 2021, I am hopeful that the amendment would lead to residents taking stronger ownership in preventing such acts from their homes. Taking a step back from the proposed amendments, the success of whether we can even track the origin of high-rise litter stems from the effective installation of the surveillance cameras. Let me continue in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Minister Grace Fu has pointed out in the Parliament Sitting last October that cameras monitoring high-rise littering often failed to capture it in action. Even if the high-rise littering could be recorded, NEA still has to take about three to six months to decide whether to issue a fine. Such a process appears to be time-consuming and laborious. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State if NEA has invested sufficient funds in procuring better cameras with wide-angle capabilities that are able to obtain clear videos even in low-light environment.”
“Clarification. Thank you, Sir. Minister Ong said we required the tourists, the in-flights, people – if they did board the plane, they have to declare their vaccination status right now. What is the definition of a full vaccination for that matter, because in Singapore, the full vaccination status, it is three shots if you take non-mRNA. So, what is the definition of that? Secondly, do we require – maybe Minister for Transport can advise us – do we require an air traveller to buy COVID-19 insurance as he comes to Singapore?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have a supplementary question for Minister Ong.”
“There were casualties from these two incidents, including one death, unfortunately. Likewise, the safety of EVs cannot be overlooked. In China, apparently, there were 680 EV fires in the first quarter of this year alone. That translates to seven EV fires a day. At the same time, there are also reports indicating that EVs are safer than ICE vehicles. Hence, I would like to ask the Minister on key lessons which MOT and LTA have gleaned on the safety of EV and EV charging. We are in the midst of going through an exciting transformation in the transport sector as part of our quest towards the Singapore Green Plan 2030. The Electric Vehicles Charging Bill has the potential to turbo-charge our transition from the ICE age to the new EV era. But we cannot overlook the transition issues that have been highlighted above and I hope the Minister can address them. We recognise that the best way to travel around Singapore is by train or by MRT. Please take the train as often as possible. But if you need to drive, consider an EV. Before I end, I would like to ask Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, who was suggesting that after some years, we will not allow the registration of any non-EV vehicles. I would like to ask which year he anticipates that would come. Notwithstanding the above, I support the Bill.”