Chan Chun Sing
Singapore
“Since 2002, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has worked with the autonomous universities (AUs) to establish arrangements that minimise disruption to National Servicemen (NSmen) who are pursuing full-time studies up to the undergraduate level, while meeting the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) operational and training needs.”
“Secondments help to build up the range of competencies and work experiences of public officers to strengthen their longer-term employment relevance and resilience. The Public Service Division's guideline to agencies is to support public officers even while they are on secondment.”
“The priority of our National Servicemen must be their military duties and operational training, to meet the Singapore Armed Forces's (SAF's) operational requirements.”
“In January 2026, I had informed this House that the Government had convened an independent committee to conduct a review of the political salary framework that was laid out in 2012. The Committee has completed the review and submitted its recommendations to the Government in April.”
“All countries seek to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and the United States-Indonesia Major Defence Cooperation Partnership is one such example.”
“Since the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers (SVs). Presently, there are about 1,100 in-service SVs, comprising 52% male and 48% female. About seven in 10 of our in-service SVs are new Citizens or Permanent Residents.”
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“As smaller businesses level up, they will also grow to become an integral part of the local supplier eco-system for MNCs and beyond. Ms Jessica Tan asked how we can enable the active participation of local businesses in emerging sectors. We have different schemes to help companies big and small – because their needs are different. For large enterprises, our goal is to help them compete globally by providing access to superior trade networks, R&D and talent networks. We will help them become regional or global champions, by providing growth capital and support for the commercialisation of R&D. For medium-sized enterprises, our goal is to have more of them and bulk them up to compete in niche areas, beyond Singapore. This why we embarked on the Scale-up SG and Enterprise Leadership Transformation programmes to build deep capabilities for them to compete on a global scale. We also aim to help them internationalise by bringing them together to compete overseas with programmes such as GlobalConnect@SBF, and the Southeast Asia Manufacturing Alliance. Schemes like the Market Readiness Assistance grants help them to penetrate overseas markets. Second Minister Tan See Leng will share more on the support available for different enterprises. For small and micro-enterprises, our goal is to provide them with shared and digital platforms to improve their productivity and efficiencies by accessing shared capabilities, from design to sales to management. Minister of State Low Yen Ling and Minister of State Alvin Tan will share more. I would like to say something. Our schemes are constantly evolving. We are never shy to do away with old schemes that are no longer relevant, no longer needed, or are less relevant.”
“We must leverage on our existing strengths in tradition industries such as aerospace and manufacturing, even as we invest in emerging technologies like digital services. We must continue to attract global companies and MNCs with cutting edge business concepts and technologies to be planted here while we nurture our SMEs to be future global champions. I always tell our SMEs, "Stop calling yourselves 'small, medium enterprises'. Aspire to be Singapore MNCs Emerging SMEs." Mr Leon Perera asked about the grants given to MNCs versus SMEs and suggested to tie a conditional incentive for MNCs to work with local SMEs. I am glad Mr Leon Perera shares our philosophy. In the last five years, we gave around $13 billion to MNCs and $21 billion to SMEs. But looking merely at relative grant amounts versus returns and value-adds overly simplifies the situation. First, the relationship between MNCs and local companies is often symbiotic. When MNCs here do well, they are more likely to work with local companies, source from them and have them as part of the value-chain and supply chains. We also encourage MNCs to work with SMEs through the PACT programme, which supports knowledge transfer between larger companies and local SMEs or start-ups. And we will do more where it makes sense to. Second, our support for MNCs and SMEs serve to enhance their symbiotic relationship in various ways. MNCs are already best-in-class in their industry. Our support helps them to bring in new business lines and technology that will uplift our entire eco-system and create high value-added jobs here. For SMEs, we provide support for more fundamental purposes: digitalising, entering into new markets and streamlining work processes.”
“In turn, our ecosystem attracts more companies to situate themselves here to take advantage of this superior network and the dense eco-system. This is now a virtuous cycle that was hard-fought and hard-won. We must not lose this. If we do the wrong things and damage this reputation and ecosystem, we can quickly lose it all. "Wrong things" include inconsistent policies on business, taxation, manpower and talent. "Wrong things" include sending the world the wrong signals that detract from our intent to enable our companies to form globally competitive talent teams to compete with the world. We should be mindful. Let me now touch on the third strategy: to deepen our corporate capabilities and workers’ skills. The IMF already ranks us a one of the world's most competitive economy. Our workers are amongst the world's best. But, this is a journey without end and we must continue to invest in their capabilities and skills. This is why, I agree with Ms Janet Ang about about creating a new compact among businesses, employees and the Government. We will spare no effort to help our enterprises and workers acquire new capabilities to compete in a more globalised world. We cannot shield ourselves from global competition, but we can and must equip ourselves to compete globally. Businesses can play a role in this, together with Government and the unions. We must all play our part to develop the local talent and grow Singaporeans to take on leadership positions. Singaporeans must also be prepared to venture overseas to seize new growth opportunities. These are the correct ways forward for a small economy like ours. To deepen our corporate capabilities requires an eco-system approach.”
“A production system that used to be put together only after the product design has been finalised, is now being put together while the product design is being conceptualised. The speed of evolution of products and production system is amazing. And we need to understand all these changes. The ability to set standards for adoption in a fast-paced market has become critical to a product's success. The "good enough" and fastest, will beat the better but slower. There is much that we need to learn and change our mindset in this new, competitive environment. Doing what others do at a cheaper price, is "Red Ocean Strategy". In other words these are shark-infested waters, best avoided. Producing things that others cannot, is "Blue Ocean Strategy". Here, the opportunities abound. Here, is where we want to be. Similarly, we can no longer be a place of arbitrage. In a globalised world, we will be easily disintermediated and displaced by cheaper competitors or digital platforms, unless we can add something unique and of value to others. We must become the exchange that adds value. The value-add can be the provision of complementary services or adjacent services, from financing, to legal to business syndication. It can also be in terms of verification and traceability in a world that is increasingly conscious about sustainability. Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Prof Hoon Hian Teck spoke about enhancing connectivity and taking advantage of our economic openness. Indeed, our superior connectivity will be a value-add factor in a world seeking greater resilience and diversity in their supply chains. We have here a deep and wide collection of global and local companies. This allows the companies located here to compete as an eco-system. And I want to emphasise this: we compete as an eco-system.”
“Minister of State Alvin Tan will elaborate on how we will help local businesses venture into the agri-tech sector. But, instead of just pursuing new "sunrise" industries, we also need to pursue critical capabilities needed to anchor ourselves in every industry that we choose to compete in – be they "sunrise" or otherwise. That is why our second strategy is to entrench ourselves in the critical niches of the global value chains. Take the semiconductor industry, for example. How much we produce and how much global market share we command now may not be the most important question over the long term. Over the long term, what is important is whether we have access to the intellectual property to produce the chips and the intellectual property to build those machines that produce the chips. Moving further upstream, do we have the talent and talent networks to continuously innovate, to improve our processes and quality control, so that global companies will want to site their operations in Singapore and create better jobs for our people? These questions apply to high-tech industries like semiconductors, biomedical, and info-communications; as much as they apply to precision engineering and even to the manufacturing of the humble surgical masks. Recently, I visited various enterprises and research institutes to better understand the new world of manufacturing to see how they incorporate Industry 4.0 technologies from data analytics to additive manufacturing. A product that used to require many parts to assemble, can now be produced as one simple part, with additive manufacturing enabling, with much less wastage and much greater precision. A product that used to take years to evolve can now be designed and redesigned in days.”
“This is also why we are aggressively strengthening our physical trade and digital connectivity including expanding our network of Free Trade Agreements and the new generation of digital agreements and partnerships. This is also why we have spent and will continue to spend on our R&D – from basic research to translational research for commercialisation, and this also why – as we have heard from MinLaw – we will continue to strengthen our IP regime, from valuation to arbitration and assessment so that we provide a complete eco-system for businesses wanting to put their IP in Singapore. We must get all these enablers right, to strengthen our position as a global business hub. With all these enablers in place, we are confident that our reputation as a trusted and efficient place to do business will distinguish us from the competition. But, we are not complacent and we must never be complacent. We are always very aware of the stiff competition that we are up against. Let me now touch on our second strategy to entrench ourselves in the global value chains Indeed, the nature of competition has changed. While quality and cost competitiveness will continue to remain as important factors, other more important factors have arisen: the speed to evolve new products, the speed to penetrate new markets, the resilience of supply chains and the quality of new ideas, as intellectual capital will increasingly overtake physical and financial capital as the defining competitive yardstick. Ms Jessica Tan and Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked about growth sectors, and how we can seize opportunities in the re-organisation of the global supply chains. We are looking out for emerging sectors such as agri-tech, urban mobility and sustainable urban solutions, as Prof Hoon Hian Tech has mentioned.”
“2 billion worth of Fixed Asset Investments and $6.8 billion in Total Business Expenditure. These are votes of confidence and faith in Singapore. We should be proud of how we have responded, but we must press on. The ease of digital connection, collaboration, supervision and even execution will redefine the role of hubs for businesses. Lower value-added activities will increasingly be off-shored to remote working sites, as they are no longer constrained by geographical boundaries. Work from home means work from anywhere around the world. Competition will never be local but always global. However, the world will still need high quality business hubs for high value-add transactions and trusted collaborations that must be executed via physical interactions. For Singapore to be in this global class of the few high-quality, high-trust business hubs, we will need to create an environment where we distinguish ourselves. And this is how we are going to do it. First, with clear, transparent, consistent and coherent legal and policy frameworks to allow businesses to mobilise capital, aggregate talent and protect intellectual property. Second, with progressive rules to enable new business models to thrive. Third, with superior networks that give us denser and more secured connections with the world, allowing global businesses to operate out from Singapore. Next, with a mix of global and local talent to serve diverse markets across the entire globe. And finally, to entrench critical parts of the R&D value chains, so that businesses will include us in their innovation networks, even in the depth of any crisis. These are the reasons why we are investing heavily in the development of our local talent, the attraction of global talent to complement and reinforce our local talent pool.”
“Global supply chains are being re-ordered and re-configured, not always for economic reasons. Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Desmond Choo asked how we can remain competitive and relevant amidst these disruptions. The short answer? We need to turn these challenges into opportunities. We must be a safe harbour for capital, talent and ideas in an uncertain world. We must be connected, trusted and resilient, as a node, both physically and virtually, in order to serve different markets in a bifurcating and fragmenting world. We need to embrace technology, especially digital technology – to be the disruptor and not be the disrupted. We need to master digitalisation to transcend the constraints of our size and geographical location, where mastery of data can lead to increasing returns to scale. And we need to leverage on our small size to pivot faster and to respond more nimbly than our competitors. Over the last six months, MTI has visited our companies every week to see how we can work with them to overcome the immediate challenges but more importantly, to seize the opportunities going forward. These plans have been widely reported in the media and I will not repeat all of them today. Instead, I will draw together three broad strategies that we must execute well, consistently and coherently. First, strengthen our position as a global hub for business and technology. Second, entrench ourselves as a critical node in global value chains to make us hard to displace. Third, build real and unique capabilities in our enterprises and workers so they can compete in a more globalised world. Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Ms Foo Mee Har asked how Singapore has performed as a business hub amidst COVID-19. 1.30 pm We have done credibly so far. We have attracted in 2020, $17.”
“Mr Chairman, let me first thank all the Members for their questions and many useful suggestions. I would also like to thank the many Members who have spoken kind words on the work that MTI has done over the last one year. Mr Chairman, over the past week, much has been discussed about how we should or should not use our reserves, and how we can and we should – and we want to – do many more things for various groups in our society. However, we must not lose sight that first and foremost, we need to earn our keep – for this and future generations – under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are still trying to get out of the most serious recession since Independence. We are not returning to a pre-COVID-19 world. Even if our gross domestic product (GDP) returns to a pre-COVID-19 level, quantitatively, we will have a qualitatively different economy then. The share of sectors and industries will be different. The types of products and services that we produce and trade with the world will be different. The skillsets of our people required to make a living will be different. We must start now to build this new economy. I will be frank. There are many challenges and downside risks. Geopolitical tensions remain a concern. Technological disruptions are accelerating. The COVID-19 virus is mutating. The rollout of vaccines across the world is uneven and this will complicate countries' recovery from the pandemic. All countries have spent an extraordinary amount of fiscal resources to stabilise their economy. Many, if not all of them, will contest for fiscal revenue, possibly leading to tax policies that will distort investment, production and trade. The rules-based global trading order, underpinned by the proper functioning of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is straining.”
“Public officers working in science, technology and engineering (STE) roles will be developed in niche areas like power engineering, modelling and simulation. We welcome more aspiring scientists and engineers into the Public Service. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Public Service will continue to transform ourselves and continue to develop our workforce to prepare our people for a longer career within the Public Service. At the same time, we will increase the porosity between the Public Service and the private and people sector, so that we can gather experiences from all across the nation for the good of our country.”
“Since 2019, we have worked with the unions to upskill thousands of officers in areas such as basic digital literacy, data analytics and adapting to career and work-life transitions. We are also developing public officers through job rotations and attachments to the private and people sectors. Officers learn best practices to bring back to the public sector. So far, we have worked with over 50 partners to attach over 90 officers from more than 30 agencies to such organisations and we will continue to expand this scheme further. Mid-career hires into the Civil Service also accounted for over 45% of all hires in the past five years. We welcome more mid-career hires to join us and contribute their skillsets and experiences to public sector work. 7.30 pm We are implementing progressive workplace practices to build a more collaborative and caring Public Service. We have implemented flexible work arrangements like enabling more officers to adopt hybrid work arrangements. We are doing more to promote workplace health and mental wellness. For instance, we are starting a Service-wide programme to train mental wellness ambassadors to provide peer support and care for co-workers. We are also making concerted efforts to strengthen the Public Service’s capability to serve Singapore. We have been investing in technology as a key driver of Public Sector Transformation. Many of our COVID-19 responses were underpinned by technology, like A*STAR and TTSH’s Fortitude test-kit, and HTX’s autonomous robot M.A.T.A.R deployed to patrol dormitories. We are leveraging technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) for policy-making, service delivery and operations. The MSO One Service App uses AI-enabled routing of residents’ feedback.”
“But regardless of who is involved, which organisation is involved, nobody will be above the law and CPIB, together with the rest of the enforcement agencies will get to the bottom of each and every case, because the reputation of Singapore, the kind of values that we exhibit must be above all other considerations. So, it is a hard-fought reputation, it is hard-won but we must never be complacent because it is a job that will never be done and we must never let our guard down. Next, I will address the cuts from Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Melvin Yong on the Public Service's efforts to enhance employability, employment practices and build capabilities. Mr Patrick Tay asked how the Public Service has helped Singaporeans impacted by the pandemic. We have worked with unions and other partners to place some 21,000 local workers so far in short-term and long-term jobs and traineeships across the public sector. They came from all age groups, including mature workers, and we remain committed to supporting the needs of workers through the SGUnited Jobs and Skills effort. But we are clear that in the longer term, with an ageing and shrinking local workforce, we must help our people work longer with new capabilities. Therefore, the Public Service will raise its retirement and re-employment ages to 63 and 68 respectively from 1 July 2021, one year ahead of the national schedule, as earlier committed. Mr Melvin Yong spoke about supporting public officers' lifelong employability, through good workforce and workplace practices. We agree. Key to this is re-skilling our officers to continually upgrade their skillsets to keep up with the new job demands.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me, on behalf of the Prime Minister, address the cut from Mr Murali on the CPIB. First, let me thank Mr Murali for recognising the efforts of CPIB in keeping corruption at bay. Corruption is under control in Singapore but we must never be complacent. The findings from CPIB's 2020 Public Perception Survey saw strong public confidence in our national anti-corruption efforts, with the following cited as the top three success factors contributing to the low corruption rate in Singapore: first, the political determination to keep corruption at bay; second, the heavy punishments; and third, the anti-corruption laws that are effective. The Prevention of Corruption Act has served Singapore well and remains an effective instrument. The review of this Act by CPIB is underway. CPIB has been working in consultation with AGC on a comprehensive list of provisions for the review, some of which included the disgorgement of corrupt benefits from perpetrators and strengthening the protection of informers' identity. CPIB will provide more information on the review when it is ready together with AGC. But having said that, Mr Speaker, Sir, I think I would like to emphasise one particular point that has come up from the various threads. And that is, our reputation as a clean and corruption-free country is hard-won and is not something that we take for granted. Looking at our history, we know that such things may happen now and then, involving all strata of society.”
“I have confidence that they will look at this thoroughly, learn the lessons and improve. Because when I speak to the officers in JTC and NParks and when I look at them in the eye, I know. I see in their eyes the fire in their belly that they want to put this right. I am sure that even if I have not tasked them to do so, they themselves would want to get it right and improve. This is the kind of Public Service that has brought Singapore to where it is today. This is the kind of Public Service that we can entrust our future together. I thank Members of the House and the public for your support of our Public Service to keep doing what they have been doing for Singapore and to keep improving. Thank you very much. 1.01 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are two parts to Mr Alex Yam's questions. What would Permanent Secretary Joseph Leong do and then a second part is how do we approach this issue going forward? The first, as I have mentioned in my response to Mr Yip Hon Weng's question, indeed, there are many parties involved in a complex project like this, including many parties within the Public Service and of course the private contractors, the consultants and so forth. Indeed, one of the things that I have asked Joseph to look into is how we can streamline the processes with clearer lines of accountability and responsibility, and this does not necessarily mean adding additional layers. In fact, we should always look for ways to simplify and streamline the processes so that everyone is clear of their respective areas of responsibilities and there can be no doubt. If people are not up to the task, we have to ask ourselves how do we equip them, train them to do their job better. So, that is the first part. Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may just round up this session. Ultimately, at the end of the day, at the heart of it all, no matter how many rules we have for all the agencies, for all the parties involved, ultimately, at the heart of it, we need people with the right values. I say this particularly for the Public Service – people with the right values who are conscious of their duties, determined to execute it well and constantly find areas to improve when the need arises. I have every confidence that I have such a Public Service, in service of Singapore. If we look at how the Public Service has done over the last one year through the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone not only doing what they are supposed to do but going above and beyond their call of duty when called upon to do well for Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer to Mr Gerald Giam's question is that if you refer to the slide, there is a plan for the Agri-Food Innovation Park (AFIP). If all the necessary environmental considerations had been addressed, then the plan will be executed in full, as per what is shown in the slide.”
“And that, indeed, we should be careful that in trying to improve the processes and streamline the processes, we do not unnecessarily add on processes that might either diffuse the responsibility or make project coordination even more difficult going forward. As we know, the contractors currently working on the ground are already facing various kinds of challenges from adhering to regulations to the challenges posed by COVID-19. And we should all try to come together to see how we can streamline the processes to improve the processes so that everyone is clear about their lines of accountability. If I may just add, there will be many diverse interests in a complex project like this. There are developmental interests, there are contractors' interests, there are environmental groups' interests. And in all that we do, we seek to find a balance amongst all these interests, so that as much of the interest can be accommodated as possible. And that is how we will move forward. So, it is not either one or the other, it is not binary. It is always about working together to find the best way forward, so that we can achieve multiple objectives from environmental protection to development. They are not mutually exclusive.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Mr Yip Hon Weng for his observations and suggestion. Indeed, it is true. Often, in a complex project, there will be many agencies involved and this is the reason why both Minister Desmond Lee and myself have asked Permanent Secretary Joseph Leong to look into the inter-agency process to see how we can strengthen this. At this point in time, I want to qualify. When we say strengthen the process, we mean to make it better, we mean to streamline it, and it does not necessarily mean that we must add on more processes. If I may seek your indulgence, Mr Speaker. I grew up in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). And in the SAF, once in a while, sometimes, accidents happen. And very often when accidents happen, we ask ourselves how we can do better. And very often, sometimes, we will come to a quick conclusion that we need more supervision. I have grown up learning that, that may not necessarily be the best solution. Because when more parties get involved, ultimately, who is responsible? If a soldier did not do his job well, we ask whether there were factors that affected his concentration, whether his training was adequate or whether there were other complicating factors. When a supervisor did not do his job well, we ask the same questions and at the end of the day, we want a streamlined process whereby there are clear lines of responsibilities for each of the parties involved in any complex project. And that is what Permanent Secretary Joseph Leong will help us look into. I thank Mr Yip Hon Weng for the observations.”
“Now, we will complete the EMMP study, and then, we will consult the necessary stakeholders, and then, we will try to progress the project as originally planned in order to deliver, not just the economic benefits, the jobs, the food resilience, but also to deliver as part of the masterplan, the environmental enhancement in the area that will allow us to enjoy the place, live in the place, work in the place and play in the place.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in answer to the first supplementary question, the error was discovered on 13 January, and immediately, the stop work order was given to the contractor on the ground. Internal investigations commenced immediately within JTC. We made the information public in February, on 16 February as Mr Xie Yao Quan said, because there was public interest in this. As a general rule as to when we make investigations public, a few considerations will have to be taken into account. First, will it affect the course of the investigations, will it prejudice the course of the investigations? Second, the nature of the incident and which aspect of it will be of public interest. Our focus from January to February, within JTC, was to make sure that they can conduct the investigation thoroughly and fairly, without prejudice to the parties concerned. And we can all understand that once things come out to the public, certain evidence or certain investigations might be prejudiced. So, that is why we have not made public earlier the investigations. But when there was public interest in this, we were also careful to make sure that we come out quickly with the facts that we have established, so that the public does not need to speculate, so that we can proceed with the investigations. On the second point as whether there will be a delay in the execution of the project, there will already be a delay in execution of the project because of COVID-19.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer to Mr Dennis Tan's question is, no. Huationg has not been paid for the over clearance in January and December.”
“As Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, I have instructed all agencies involved in land clearance projects to conduct an immediate check to ensure their project supervision and implementation processes are in order. Minister Desmond Lee and I have also asked Permanent Secretary Joseph Leong, who is not involved in this matter, to lead a review of the lessons arising from this development at Kranji. In the course of his review, he will consult representatives from the public, private and people sectors. The outcomes from the various investigations and review will be shared with the public when ready.”
“Between end December 2020 and 13 January 2021, the contractor conducted further clearing without approval. These areas are edged red in page 14 of the handout and amount to a total of 4.5 hectares. There are on-going investigations on why the contractor did so, since there was no approval. I seek the House’s understanding that I cannot say more at this point in time, pending the outcome of these investigations. The further land clearing by the contractor was discovered by JTC’s project manager on 13 January 2021 during his site visit. All clearance works onsite were suspended immediately and remain suspended today. Mr Xie Yao Quan and Ms He Ting Ru asked how we will ensure such incidents do not recur. JTC has commenced an internal investigation to ascertain what had happened and why. The investigation will be led by JTC’s Senior Management who are not involved in the project. It will check if JTC’s current processes for land clearance works were followed by both the public officers and private contractors involved. JTC will also review how it can better supervise the various personnel involved in its development projects. NParks is separately investigating whether there were breaches to the Parks and Trees Act and the Wildlife Act. We will not comment further on the respective investigations at this point to not prejudice the outcomes. Till today, all clearance works on the Kranji Close/Kranji Road site remain suspended. After the fauna baseline study and EMMP are completed around April 2021, JTC will engage key stakeholders, including nature interest groups, to discuss its development plans. Findings of the studies will be made publicly available when ready. We can and must do better.”
“Besides the contractor, an important party is the consultant, who acts as the Qualified Person (QP). In particular, the QP is responsible for ensuring that the project’s design meet the statutory requirements, and obtaining approvals from the authorities for the design. Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Xie Yao Quan and Mr Dennis Tan have asked about the sequence of land clearing activities. JTC’s chronology has been reported widely in the media, and Members may refer to pages 10 to 15 of the handout for the chronology. I will therefore just highlight a few key points. In 2019, JTC appointed CPG as its consultant to carry out planning and design works for the site. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not required then, given that the site was previously dominated by scrubland vegetation and later non-native Albizia trees as I had explained earlier. The site is also not close to sensitive nature areas. Thereafter, CPG submitted building plans for AFIP to NParks, including proposals to fell trees. On 29 August 2019, NParks issued a Written Direction to approve the tree-felling for three plots within the site, namely Plots 4, 5 and 9 indicated on page 11 of the handout. Following this, tree felling for Plot 9 started in March 2020. In August 2020, CPG submitted updated building plans to NParks, which included a new drain with discharge and flow into Sungei Pang Sua. As the drain could potentially cause sediments from the site to flow into Sungei Pang Sua and impact wildlife in the vicinity, NParks instructed JTC and CPG to conduct a fauna baseline study and Environmental Monitoring and Management Programme (EMMP). The consultant for the fauna study and EMMP was engaged in December 2020.”
“Mr Speaker, if I may continue. Let me start by explaining the background of the site and development. The former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway line used to run through the Kranji Road/Kranji Close site. When the KTM land was returned to Singapore in 2011, the said site comprised mainly disused scrubland. This is shown on page 3 of the handout. As the site was earmarked for future development works, it was left vacant. More non-native Albizia trees then sprouted over the years. In 2015, following the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA’s) review of the plans for the KTM land parcels, the Rail Corridor was realigned out of the Kranji parcel so that the site could be redeveloped for industrial use. The plan was publicly exhibited, and community stakeholders were generally receptive to the proposal. This is shown in page 6 of the handout. The site was later earmarked for the development of the Agri-Food Innovation Park (AFIP) as part of the larger Sungei Kadut Eco-District (SKED) development, which will support Singapore’s 30-by-30 food security goals. In its development plans for the AFIP, JTC recognised the importance of retaining greenery, and therefore proposed to preserve the original alignment of the former KTM railway line within AFIP as a green corridor with additional green buffers on each side. JTC’s development plans for AFIP with the green corridor were publicly exhibited in URA’s Draft Master Plan 2019 and the SKED Master Plan exhibition in February 2020. I will now go through the development works at the Kranji site. In response to Ms He Ting Ru’s question, page 9 of the handout provides a background on the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved in a typical development project, including that of AFIP.”
“Members have filed several PQs on the land clearing activities at the Kranji Close/Kranji Road site. These include PQs filed by Members Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong1,2, Ms He Ting Ru3, Mr Xie Yao Quan4, Mr Seah Kian Peng5 and Mr Alex Yam Ziming6 for subsequent Sittings. I will address all of these questions together today. [Please refer to “Clarification by Minister for Education”, Official Report, 10 March 2022, Vol 95, Issue No 58, Clarification section.] With your permission, Mr Speaker, may I ask the Clerks to distribute the handouts to Members.”
“Mr Speaker, the Minister for National Development will also be replying to a Parliamentary Question (PQ) on the same issue. May I seek your permission for us to take the supplementary questions after he delivers his reply?”
“Our natural gas pipeline network has been expanding to meet growing demand from power plants and the industry since large-scale natural gas imports began in 2001. Between 2001 and 2011, 245 kilometres of pipelines were built. Over the past 10 years, the natural gas pipeline network expanded by around 150 kilometres, or by around 61%. The development and extension of natural gas pipelines is capital-intensive. The natural gas pipeline network covers our industrial estates in western and northern Singapore where there is sufficient natural gas demand today. The remaining industrial estates do not have sufficient natural gas demand currently to justify extending the natural gas network to them. Any expansion of the natural gas pipeline network will depend on several factors, including whether there is sustained demand growth in these industrial estates; whether the industry's needs can be met with safer and more environmentally sustainable solutions as these become more viable with technological development; and the financial viability and pricing of various options. Besides switching to cleaner fuels such as natural gas to reduce their carbon emissions, companies can consider electrification, utilise renewable energy such as solar power, or implement energy efficiency measures, to reduce their carbon emissions. Companies can also tap on various energy efficiency grant schemes to improve their energy efficiency.”
“The multi-skilling of lyf guards not only allows Ascott to achieve a lean manning structure, but also attract a new generation of workers with changing career aspirations. This is made possible through well-defined career progression which includes a path to future leadership role within the organisation, as well as ample training and development opportunities. Since the start of the outbreak, government agencies have worked with the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) to step up support for hotels in upskilling their workforce and redesigning jobs. For example, compared to 2019, the number of trainees funded under STB’s Training Industry Professionals in Tourism (TIP-iT) scheme more than doubled in 2020. STB also granted over 130 SkillsFuture Study Awards to employees in the tourism sector in 2020, which is a two-fold increase compared to 2019.”
“2020 was a challenging year for our tourism sector, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The hotel industry, which had been on a healthy growth trajectory over the past decade (from 2009 to 2019), was not spared. Even with the development of several vaccines, it will take time for mass leisure travel and traveller confidence to return. We expect tourism arrivals to remain weak in 2021. The outlook for growth and employment in the hotel industry is hence expected to remain weak in the near term. Despite these near-term challenges, we remain confident in the long-term prospects of Singapore’s tourism sector. The fundamentals which make Singapore an attractive place for leisure, MICE experiences, and a key business hub remain unchanged. The hotel industry is well-positioned to emerge stronger from this crisis as it transforms itself, learning from the COVID-19 pandemic. First, given the heightened awareness of health and safety, hotels are restructuring their guest journey and experience – including the adoption of contactless and frictionless solutions and other digital technologies. This will create new roles to drive digital transformation in hotels. Second, COVID-19 has also spurred hotels to innovate, with the growth of hybrid experiences and increased focus on wellness and sustainability. With these innovations, it will be important for hotels to enhance their core capabilities and build emerging skillsets, such as sustainability management and experience design. For example, the Ascott Limited created a new multi-faceted role of ‘lyf guards’ at one of its newest concepts, lyf. Unlike conventional hotel job roles, lyf guards are multi-skilled employees who are community managers, as well as city and food guides.”
“As of 31 December 2020, 26 loans have been reported by Participating Financial Institutions to be in default. These represent 0.1% of the over 29,000 loans supported under the new or enhanced financing schemes introduced by ESG in 2020.”
“The electricity consumed by data centres was around 7% of Singapore’s total electricity consumption in 2020.”
“Malaysia's Movement Control Order 2.0 does not affect essential economic sectors, but we are closely monitoring the impact on the logistics chains. The monsoon floods have however resulted in poor crop output, causing price fluctuations in Malaysian vegetables. We have adopted a multi-pronged strategy to manage the risk of disruption of essential supplies. Our major retailers and supermarkets have planned ahead for Chinese New Year, to ensure that a good range of produce remains available, including alternatives from other source countries. We continue to diversify our supply sources. We now import food from more than 170 countries, including eggs from Ukraine, frozen shrimp from Saudi Arabia, and vegetables from China. Diversification remains an important strategy to mitigate any source disruption. While we will continue to do our best to protect our supply of essential food commodities and keep prices stable, these are extraordinary times with many countries still grappling with the impact of COVID-19. We seek the understanding of Singaporeans if they experience minor disruptions or some price volatility during this time.”
“These investments will create exciting job opportunities in areas such as (i) advanced manufacturing, (ii) R&D and design of EVs and its components, and (iii) software engineering. Government agencies will continue to work with companies, training providers and the unions to prepare Singaporeans to take on these jobs. I am confident that our highly educated and skilled workforce will rise to the occasion.”
“We do not expect the shift to low emissions mobility to result in significant job losses in Singapore. Our petrochemical companies will continue to stay relevant as petrochemical products are important inputs to the manufacturing of widely-used products, ranging from diapers, to rubber tyres and surgical masks, and even in the specialty chemicals sector, which continues to see significant growth in demand from Asia. In the automotive industry, the shift would require our existing transport and maintenance workers to gradually work with hybrid or electrified platforms. Some of our transport workers would already be familiar with the new platforms. Currently, approximately two in five taxis are either hybrid or fully electric. We are also steadily ramping up the deployment of electric buses since April 2020. Our maintenance workers will need to upgrade their skills to maintain electric vehicle (EV) components and charging systems. In December 2020, the Government supported the setting up of the Singapore Motor Workshop Association (SMWA) training facility to equip our maintenance workers with such new skills. We will continue to support our workers in acquiring new competencies required in a hybrid and electrified mobility landscape. We view low emissions mobility as the future of mobility in a carbon constrained world, and an opportunity for Singapore. We have been taking steps to grow the EV industry in Singapore by attracting investments across the mobility value chain, including from companies like Hyundai which will assemble EVs locally, and Borgwarner, Continental and Infineon which carry out R&D, design and manufacturing of EV components in Singapore.”
“The Third Review of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) has been ongoing since September 2018. We regularly review our Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in tandem with changing economic patterns and flows between Singapore and our trade partners. These reviews are not linked to specific commercial transactions. The amalgamation of Lakshmi Vilas Bank in November 2020 with DBS Bank India Limited is the result of a commercial decision by DBS.”
“The new P2P regulatory framework also requires all operators to observe non-exclusivity, which means drivers can choose to provide ride-hail services for multiple platforms. This will substantially reduce entry barriers into the ride-hail industry.”
“Businesses have a duty to ensure that their conduct and transactions comply with the Competition Act (Cap. 50B). The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) provides avenues for businesses to apply to CCCS to seek clearance on their conduct prior to engaging in any merger or agreement that may be anti-competitive. Should businesses proceed with a potentially anti-competitive merger without CCCS's prior clearance, CCCS is empowered to impose interim directions to preserve or restore competition and market conditions to protect the public interest. CCCS may also issue the necessary directions to remedy any anti-competitive effects arising from a merger, and impose significant financial penalties. The ride-hail industry specifically, is also regulated by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) under the Point-to-Point Transport Industry Act 2019 (P2P Act). Under the Act, licenced ride-hail service operators are required to provide LTA with at least 60 days of written notice in the event of: (a) a direct or indirect acquisition of the licencee, and/or (b) the licencee's direct or indirect acquisition of another licencee under the P2P Act. Both CCCS and LTA have written to parties in the ride hailing industry to remind them of their obligations under the law. The parties have expressed their commitment to comply with the relevant laws and regulations in Singapore. CCCS and LTA will continue to keep a close watch on developments. Ultimately, we need to ensure market contestability. Since the commencement of the new P2P regulatory framework in October 2020, we have several ride-hail service operators - Grab, Gojek, ComfortDelGro, Ryde and Tada Mobility.”
“The Member may refer to the table below for the breakdown on investments, contribution of value-add and new jobs created per year1. On average, about 23,000 jobs are created annually as a result of these committed investments, of which about 40% went to manufacturing, 20% to research, and 40% to Services, including Professional Services.”
“All licensed hotels, attractions and tours which have been approved by STB/MTI to operate may apply to participate in the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) scheme. There are currently 402 businesses on the SRV scheme, out of which 37% are tours, 11% are attractions and 52% are hotels. Eligible businesses may submit their applications at any time. The SRV scheme does not target businesses of a specific revenue range. In fact, its digital platform features approved tourism products by all eligible businesses, allowing smaller businesses which otherwise might not have the marketing reach to be able to feature their products to all Singaporeans. The appointment of the five authorised booking partners for the scheme also allows businesses, including smaller businesses, which may not have their own booking systems to participate in the scheme. At the same time, STB had secured lower-than-average commission rates for the SRV products listed on the five authorised booking partners. Eligible businesses do not need digital expertise to participate in the SRV scheme. The authorised booking partners have teams that can assist businesses in developing digital content such as images and write-ups. Additionally, the authorised booking partners have put together comprehensive plans to market the products and offerings of our tourism businesses. These efforts will help businesses who may not have the same reach and audience that the authorised booking partners may have.”
“For companies facing a prolonged poor economic outlook, we will help them pivot to new areas of opportunities, by developing their corporate capabilities and boosting their access to additional platforms for innovation and new markets beyond Singapore. For our workers, we will continue to invest in their skills development and training. This includes providing them with the exposure and experience required to compete in a globalised economy, so that they are more likely to succeed. While the Singapore economy has started on its path towards recovery with our vaccination programme well underway, there are still significant risks ahead. Notwithstanding the availability of vaccines, there remains uncertainty over how the COVID-19 pandemic will evolve around the world given the emergence of new strains of the virus and difficulties faced in vaccination rollouts globally. However, the pandemic can also be a catalyst for Singapore to reinvent itself and sharpen its competitive edge. The Government will continue to support our workers and businesses through this difficult period so that, together, we can emerge stronger from this crisis.”
“COVID-19 has changed consumer preferences, resulting in a greater demand for e-commerce, e-services and digital channels. To improve digital connectivity, we will engage with likeminded partners to set high standards in digital trade rules in order to develop our digital economy and provide our firms with access to new markets and opportunities. For example, we successfully concluded digital economy agreements with Australia, Chile and New Zealand in 2020. These agreements help our companies trade more seamlessly with other countries. Third, we will pursue an innovation-led and sustainable economy, given the increasing value that accrues to innovation activities in global value chains, as well as the increased demand for sustainability solutions. To promote innovation, we will continue to bolster our R&D and technology translation efforts to support the creation of new products and services, while encouraging companies to expand to regional and global markets. To promote sustainability, we will invest in the green sector and establish ourselves as a hub for sustainability, providing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) solutions to meet our region's and the world’s needs for sustainable development. Fourth, we will push ahead with transformation efforts to help our companies and workers stay resilient and competitive. Companies realise that the world has changed as a result of COVID-19. The sooner our businesses transform, the better positioned they and their workers will be to seize new opportunities. For companies in growth sectors, we will continue to help them expand and create jobs.”
“COVID-19 has resulted in massive economic disruptions and changed the world irrevocably. Based on advance estimates1, the Singapore economy contracted by 5.8 percent in 2020, the worst full-year contraction since Singapore's independence. While Singapore's GDP is projected to rebound and grow by 4.0 to 6.0 percent this year, the recovery of the Singapore economy is expected to be gradual, with GDP not likely to return to pre-COVID levels until the latter half of 2021. The recovery will also be uneven across sectors. Even as sectors like manufacturing and finance and insurance are likely to continue to post steady growth this year, aviation- and tourism-related sectors are expected to take a longer time to recover given global travel restrictions and weak travel demand. Amidst these economic challenges, there is an opportunity for us to build the foundation for Singapore's continued success. We will pursue four main strategies to support our economic recovery and position Singapore for sustained growth in the longer term. First, we will fortify Singapore's position as a critical node in global value chains. As a small city-state with limited resources, we will not be able to participate in every global value chain nor every part of a global value chain. Our strategy is therefore to identify high-value segments of key global value chains that can create good jobs for Singaporeans, especially in areas such as agritech, biomedical sciences, electronics and infocomm and media, and attract and groom the best global and local companies in these areas. This will allow us to enhance the relevance and resilience of our economy, and ensure that Singapore cannot be easily bypassed. Second, we will forge new trade rules in areas such as data, finance and technology.”
“JTC's role is to ensure that Singapore's limited industrial land is used to promote economic growth and create good jobs. In assessing land allocation applications from companies, JTC, together with EDB and ESG, considers a number of factors which contribute to Singapore’s economic growth, such as land productivity, the ability of the projects to create good jobs, the amount of investment the companies put in, and the companies' growth plans. The land for the Sandcrawler building and Breadtalk HQ were allocated after careful consideration of their business plans, and contributions to the info-comm and media and the F&B industries respectively. Once allocated, lessees are not permitted to sell or assign their lease unless they meet certain conditions, such as fulfilling a no-assignment period or proposed investment commitments for the site. After meeting these conditions, JTC may allow its lessee to assign its lease to facilitate changes in its business needs, as long as the industrial land continues to be put to optimal use. JTC may also consider buying back the site if it has alternative plans for the site, such as redevelopment for other uses.”
“The suspected COVID-19 case onboard Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas provided an opportunity for government agencies and the cruise line to test and refine the stringent emergency protocols that were put in place as part of STB's CruiseSafe certification. Particularly useful protocols included cessation of all onboard activities, prompt isolation of suspected case and close contacts, the use of TraceTogether for effective contact tracing, and sending of test samples to National Public Health Laboratory for verification of results. Besides the prompt execution of emergency protocols, clear and timely communication with passengers by Royal Caribbean International also engendered confidence in how the situation was handled. Key areas for improvement included the efficiency of processes such as retesting of samples and the debarkation of passengers. The Government and cruise lines will continue to finetune the health protocols for cruises over time to ensure the health and safety of all cruise passengers. We remain confident in the calibrated and safe approach taken in the resumption of the cruise sector. Pilot sailings commenced with strict safe management measures onboard, a reduced maximum capacity and no ports-of-call to mitigate risks. We will continue to monitor the findings from the sailings, as well as developments in the local and global COVID-19 situations, before determining the next steps for the cruise industry.”
“The decline in international air travel due to COVID-19 has led to a corresponding decline in tourist arrivals and impacted our tourism establishments badly. The SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) scheme was therefore designed to target tourism businesses, specifically hotels, tourist attractions and tours, that derive most of their income from tourists. F&B merchants can work with eligible merchants (i.e. hotels, tourist attractions and tours), to develop bundles that qualify for the SRVs. Some hotels are already working with F&B merchants located in the vicinity for their staycation packages. F&B merchants can also leverage on marketing initiatives by the Singapore Tourism Board to reach out to locals. For example, they can contribute deals and content for the SingapoRediscovers campaign.”
“Data Centres (DCs) are an important part of the digital economy as they store, process and disseminate data for many businesses and consumers. Global technology companies like Facebook, Alibaba and SEA that run regional business out of Singapore have data centres here to support their operations. Singapore’s political stability and reliable infrastructure are conducive for operating DCs. However, DCs are intensive users of water and electricity. We will thus need to manage the DC ecosystem to ensure that it is environmentally sustainable, while supporting our business needs. We will strive for quality, not quantity – this means we seek to anchor a range of DCs that can meet both industry and society’s needs, are best in class in terms of resource efficiency, and that continuously innovate to push the boundaries of resource efficiency of DCs in a tropical climate. In the last five years, 14 DCs with a total IT capacity of 768 MW were approved to be constructed on industrial State land. This was a rapid increase compared to the 12 DCs with a total IT capacity of 307 MW in the preceding five-year period. The Government therefore decided to moderate the growth of DCs with a temporary pause on the release of State land for DCs, as well as the development of DCs on existing State land. The Government informed the industry in 2019 and has been consulting them on ideas to enable their growth in a sustainable manner. The Government is concluding its review and will be sharing its plans with the industry later this year.”
“This is in line with our broader EP framework, which relies on measures of quality rather than quantitative caps such as quotas to ensure complementarity. Having five cumulative years of experience in a leading role in the development of a tech product that has at least 100,000 monthly active users is not a lax criteria, especially when coupled with the requirement to have a last drawn salary of $20,000 a month or have five cumulative years of experience in a sizeable tech firm. We will review the outcomes of the Tech.Pass in due time, and if needed, adjust its parameters to attract the right talent.”
“Our economic strategies enable Singaporeans to fulfil their aspirations and seize opportunities in Singapore and beyond. The tech sector will be a key pillar of our next phase of economic development. Talent is essential to nurture a vibrant and competitive tech ecosystem, especially in critical areas such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Our Government is also using technology to transform our public services, and serve businesses and citizens better. There is a global shortage of tech talent. Countries such as the UK, France, Australia, China, Thailand and Malaysia have launched various visa programmes to attract tech professionals to their shores. Singapore is building our local tech talent pipeline through programmes such as the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA), but demand remains high. Where there is a shortage, we will complement our local talent pool with skilled workers from all around the world. The Tech.Pass aims to attract high-achieving, top-tier global talent to Singapore and allow them to contribute to our economy in multiple ways – they can be a founder, investor, employee, consultant, and academic at the same time. Holders of the EntrePass or the Employment Pass (EP) are usually only able to perform one of these roles at any one time. The Tech.Pass targets highly accomplished entrepreneurs, business leaders, or technical experts, and there will be 500 places available for applicants. Given this, the eligibility criteria is stringent. Tech.Pass candidates must meet at least two out of three criteria relating to their previous salary, track record of working in sizeable tech companies or track record in developing tech products with mass adoption.”
“The COVID-19 situation is still evolving and the long-term impact of work-from-home on office demand remains to be seen. Occupied office space had increased in 4Q2020 compared with the previous quarter. The vacancy rate of office space in 4Q2020 also decreased slightly compared with 3Q2020, and was comparable with the vacancy rates in previous years. The Government will continue to monitor the market, and calibrate the supply of commercial properties if needed.”