Charles Chong
Singapore
“I am interested, however, to hear what the experiences of the 28 pilot schools are and how they have found the move to FSBB. Could the Minister give an update on the pilot and how successful or otherwise this has been? Finally, Mr Chairman, I would like to address the need for support of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
“I know that we are very appreciative of the support provided by the Australian government and the Australian defence force. However, with the recent bush fires in the east coast of Australia, could the Minister let us know if the Shoalwater Bay training area has been affected and whether this has had an impact on the SAF's ability to full…”
“Mr Chairman, even as we aim for zero training fatalities, it inherent in the nature of the SAF that accidents will probably happen and the challenge for us then is to ensure that when they do happen, that our service personnel have the very best medical care which we can provide for them.”
“Finally, could the Minister provide details on the number of calls which have been made to the Army, Navy and Air Force safety hotlines, and whether this has increased since we have enhanced our emphasis on training safety and whether concrete action has been taken following the making of these reports? Safety Consciousness”
“Mr Chairman, a number of speakers before me have already raised most of the points which I have, so I will not repeat them and will be very brief. As Singapore's population ages, one of the issues which will be of increasing concern for our citizens is the affordability and accessibility of healthcare.”
“00 pm These days, however, the US appears to be focused on other regional matters, such as the denuclearisation negotiations in North Korea. While on trade, a comprehensive and progressive agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership came into force at the end of last year, with the conspicuous absence of the US, which withdrew from its pr…”
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“We are giving them additional resources so that they can take on the additional work without compromising their existing work. To help more youths, STEP-UP will provide the resources to expand the school social work to more schools. Our target is to reach out to 200 schools by FY 2007. 12.45 pm The second initiative relates specifically to out-of-school youths. Currently, there are a number of programmes catering to the 1,200 students who drop out of school each year. Let me give you a few examples. We have the PAL Programme by the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association, Project Bridge by the YMCA and Project 180 by Fei Yue Community Services. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Youth Crime, chaired by Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee, has given much support to these programmes. To enhance efforts in this area, my Ministry will set up a secretariat to coordinate the network of existing and new service providers catering to such youths, facilitate access to funding, build up and disseminate research data on them, and track the progress of out-of-school youth programmes. It will also look into enhancing the capabilities of social workers and other professionals who work with such youths. Helping youths who are out of school is indeed a resource incentive process as it requires personal outreach, counselling and other services. The new Secretariat in my Ministry will work closely with the various partners to ensure that out-of-school youths are offered opportunities to learn, grow and become responsible and productive citizens. The third initiative is the setting up of a Youth Leaders and Mentors Programme in partnership with the National Youth Council to groom youth leaders and mentors at all levels.”
“Therefore, two additional areas we will focus on are: (1) Building up the self-esteem and leadership qualities of youths at all levels; and (2) Addressing the lower levels of community involvement, especially among working and better-educated youths. Sir, the 2002 National Survey on Youth showed that youths with higher self-esteem were socially more well-adjusted and had better academic performance. The same survey found that social participation by our youths tended to fall off sharply after they have left school, particularly for working and better-educated youths. Other studies have also found that young people tended to be less socially engaged and rooted to Singapore than older cohorts. Sir, with this backdrop, allow me now to explain the programmes. The first initiative is the STEP-UP programme, which is essentially a school-based social work programme that Mr Charles Chong spoke about. Today, to supplement their pastoral care programme, a number of schools are already tying up with various VWOs, such as Family Service Centresand youth agencies to run different types of programmes, including counselling, family education and life-skills training. These programmes are all relevant for our students. Through STEP-UP, we willenhance the capacity and capability of VWOs in their delivery of school-based social work. As Mr Charles Chong pointed out, some FSCs were already providing such school-based social work. Under STEP-UP, additional resources, including funding and training will be provided to the VWOs to raise the standards of the school social work and to ensure that other existing services of the participating VWOs, including FSCs, will not be compromised.”
“Sir, let me elaborate on what the Committee has done and what are the programmes that we will implement this year. The Committee had looked at thebroad age range of 10 to 29years, toensure that the review would be comprehensive.One of the Committee's core tasks was to identify desired outcomes for our youths applicable to the different youth segments. These outcomes set the policy direction for youth development and establish a common goal for our youth programmes.The first key outcome is youths who are able to realise their potential. The second desired outcome is for youths tohave a strong sense of self-reliance and social responsibility to their families and to the community. The third desired outcome is for youths who feel rooted to Singapore. The Committee's assessment is that existing youth programmes targeted at achieving these desired outcomes are fairly comprehensive and effective. Nevertheless, there are a few areas of concern that require additional resources to enhance some of the current efforts. These areas include: undertaking more upstream and preventive measures for youths at-risk, as well as addressing the needs of out-of-school youths, and youths who are at risk of dropping out of school. This needis clear. Mr Charles Chong has also pointed out this, and Members would have read that the number of young offenders has risen in recent years since 2002. And while the total number of premature school leaversis small, less than 1% of the total school enrolment drops out every year, we are concerned that these out-of-school youths do not waste their lives and become the unemployable of tomorrow. Even as we focus on youths at-risk, we must ensure that we develop the potential of the broad base of our youths.”
“Sir, youth crime is on the rise. Although there are many rehabilitation programmes and even an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Youth Crime, emphasis should really be on youth development and youth programmes to address this problem further upstream before rather than after youths have committed crimes. Last year, the Minister informed us that a multi-agency committee had been set up to look into youth development. Could the Minister provide an update on the progress of this committee, and also what new initiatives have been introduced in the area of youth development? Sir, currently, Family Service Centres (FSCs) also provide social work in schools to help students who are at risk of dropping out of school or falling into delinquency. However, many Family Service Centres are stretched because there is no funding for this programme. There is a risk that FSCs may be delivering such a service at the expense of their core functions. Could the Minister tell us what is being done to ensure that school social work is adequately funded, and how does MCDS ensure that the quality of service and capability of FSCs in delivering their core services will not be compromised? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir,I would like to thank Mr Charles Chong for his persistent interest in youth development. Indeed, inculcating a strong sense of self-reliance and resilience in our youth is the best way, ifwe can equip them to face the future. As he rightly pointed out, last year, I informed the House that we had set upan inter-agency committee chaired by my Permanent Secretary to look into youth development issues. This Committee has reviewed existing youth development policies and programmes to ensure that they are relevant and effective, and sought to close some of the existing gaps.”
“Could the Minister tell us if there are any avenues for assistance available for such families and whether his Ministry would review if there are gaps in the social safety net? Disabled Could the Minister update the House on what new support programmes and initiatives his Ministry will be providing for the disabled Singaporeans, especially to children with special needs? Could the Minister also tell us what is being done to better support and advise parents and families who have disabled family members? Sir, it is the stated objectives of this Government to make mainstream public transportation progressively more accessible to the disabled. Could the Minister tell us if any progress has been made in this area?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. Social Assistance Sir, the last few years had been challenging for many Singaporeans affected by the economic downtown and restructuring of the economy. The Government, in response, had initiated numerous social assistance programmes such as the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme, the Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme, the Student-Care Fee Assistance Scheme, Interim Financial Assistance Scheme, and the CCC Assistance Scheme. More recently, it introduced the Work Assistance Programme, the Home Ownership Plus Education Scheme and the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme. Could the Minister provide the House with an update on the number of Singaporeans who have benefited from such social assistance schemes, and how much money had already been disbursed? Sir, several of these social assistance schemes appear to be interim handouts to enable needy families to tide over a difficult period of economic downturn. However, there are early signs of economic recovery and some companies are starting to hire again. Would the Minister consider rationalising the many social assistance schemes that were mentioned earlier to better help needy families attain self-reliance? The focus must be on mutual obligation with financial assistance tied to active job search and skills upgrading for employability. However, there may be families who may not be able to seek immediate employment or undergo skills training for various reasons, such as having to take care of young children at home while the main breadwinner is incarcerated or incapacitated. These families may require longer term social assistance.”
“Sir, I take issue with the suggestion that a man may be criminally liable for enticing away the wife of another man, while a woman who entices away the husband of another woman will have no sanction applied to her in the Penal Code. This surely flies in the face of our efforts to become a more gender equal society. I also hope that the Penal Code review will deal with sections 366, 493 and 509 that appear to target only men. I am not advocating a reduction of protection for women in criminal law. All that I am saying is that while women are deserving of protection, the same levels of protection should also be extended to men, wherever applicable. Review of Criminal Laws”
“Sir, the Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs told this House at the beginning of this year that MHA's review of the Penal Code would be completed in 2-3 months' time. As mentioned by Mr Shanmugam, of particular interest would be the possible reform of provisions dealing with so-called unnatural sex offences contained in section 377. While I am not known to be a cunning linguist, I will nevertheless try my best to convince the House that the current provisions are not in line with today's mores. A true crime must have a victim. It may be an individual, a corporation, and might even be a state. But I would contend that any form of safe sexual activity between consenting adults of full capacity in private surely cannot be considered a crime. Furthermore, it does not do us any favour to have crimes on our books that either cannot realistically be policed or, even worse, are selectively prosecuted, as mentioned by Mr Shanmugam. Of course, we have to draw the line somewhere. But our emphasis should be on the protection of those whom the law deems to be unable to protect themselves - the young and people of not full capacity being prime examples. Sir, I was delighted that the Chief Justice took a very sensible view of the recent case of Anis Bin Abdullah in stating that the protection of the young was of paramount concern and that consent of victims below the age of 16 was to be disregarded. Sir, I would also like to ask the Minister to review the Penal Code to make it more gender neutral. Section 498 of the Code, for instance, makes it an offence for a man to entice a woman away from her husband for the purpose of illicit intercourse. The penalty may extend up to 10 years in jail and fine thrown in for good measure.”
“I trust that there will not be any remaining conditions which will continue to differentiate between the citizenship rights of Singaporean men and women in this matter.”
“Sir, I had prepared a speech urging the Minister to amend provisions in the Constitution on citizenship by descent to ensure gender equality for both Singaporean men and women. I had also taken quotations from speeches made by Members in this House, from Dr Kanwaljit Soin in 1994, several other MPs through the years, and from Ms Irene Ng who made a speech on this subject just last year. However, DPM Lee's response to Dr Amy Khor's speech on Wednesday had made my speech really redundant. It now leaves me just to request the Minister for details as to when the constitutional amendments will be made, and could the Minister also explain the circumstances which led the Government to change its position on this issue. Perhaps, hon. Members would benefit by getting an insight into how sacred cows or "scared bulls" get slaughtered in Singapore. Dr Jennifer Lee (Nominated Member): Sir, similarly, as with Mr Charles Chong, I was very happy to hear DPM announce that the Government has decided finally that the children born overseas of a Singaporean mother and a foreign father will be accorded citizenship by descent in the same way as children born overseas to a Singaporean father have been all these years. This is in fact the only tenable decision possible in this day and age if we are to claim to be a modern and progressive society. While the absolute numbers of children to benefit from this may be small, the significance of the change is huge, as it heralds the recognition that Singaporean women are not second-class citizens. I would like to acknowledge the Minister's efforts in presenting a persuasive argument to Cabinet to move them to this decision and, as with Mr Chong, I would like to ask when we can look forward to the constitutional amendments that will enable this.”
“Madam, although the total number of seizable offences last year rose by a slower rate of 5.3% compared to the previous year, housebreaking recorded the largest increase of 20.5%, from 1,110 cases to 1,337 cases. Of concern also are the break-ins in HDB flats which increased by more than 41%, from 316 to 446 cases. It was reported that the modus operandi of housebreakers was generally to force open sliding windows and grilles facing common corridors. Could the Minister tell us if there are any design deficiencies in the windows of our HDB flats? If so, has the Police provided feedback and suggestions to the HDB to design more secure windows? Or is the problem due to residents not taking enough precautions in securing their premises sufficient to deter housebreakers? If this is the main reason, then surely the responsibility cannot lie solely with the Police to reduce such crimes. Could the Minister tell us what additional measures his Ministry has taken to promote public awareness and community involvement in safety and security programmes? And like the speakers before me, I would like the Minister to give us an update on CSSP and also the effectiveness of this programme.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Senior Minister of State has mentioned that there are 10,000 agency guards, but I was told that there are 20,000 inhouse guards. He also said that there is no requirement for screening or training for the inhouse guards. Is the Senior Minister of State aware that some of these inhouse guards perform the same duties as the agency guards, like guarding condominiums and other security sensitive installations? Would his Ministry consider imposing the same screening and training conditions for both inhouse guards as well as agency guards if they perform duties which are of security sensitive nature? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I have already mentioned the basis for the distinction. Ultimately, it is a matter of choice. Any property owner will have a choice whether to go into the market and engage guards from an agency or to engage his own staff to be his guard. If he engages his own staff to be his guard, the onus is on him to ensure that his guard is of good character and also to provide training for the guard. WOODLANDS CHECKPOINT (Supervision to ease jams) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong - 8. To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether he will consider putting in more supervision at the Woodlands checkpoint to ease the jam and crowding of Singaporeans returning to Singapore by bus, especially during the weekends.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, could the Minister clarify that the requirements and training needs which he mentioned are applicable to all security guards and not only to agency security guards? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, there is a distinction made between guards that are under the employment of security agencies, whom we call "the security agency guards", and guards who are employed in-house. Under the Private Investigation and Security Agencies Act, as the name implies, the Act covers only the guards who are employed by security agencies and not in-house guards. There is a basis for this distinction. Security agencies are out there in the market as a core business of providing security services. So there is some holding out on their part as to the competency and standing of the guards. Also the employers that engage them will expect that sort of training. In terms of their reach on the ground, because security agency guards can be deployed all over Singapore, there is a need to ensure that the guards are properly trained. Whereas for inhouse guards, the position we take is that, as an employer, you have a choice, whether you want to employ your inhouse guards, that is, employ staff to be inhouse guards or go into the market place and engage agency guards who have been trained. If you employ staff to be your inhouse guards, then your approach should be that, as a prudent employer, you take all the necessary steps to ensure that the person is the right person for the job and is trained adequately for the job. The in-house guard can be sent for training, but there is no requirement under the NSRS.”
“Sir, is the Minister satisfied with the standard of training for security guards? Is it sufficient to meet the requirements of our security situation at present? Recently, there were reports saying that some security guards had difficulty identifying hand-grenades and potential time-bombs. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, certainly in terms of the framework that has been put in place, it is a working model. But, like I have said, we have only worked it for a year and there is room for improvement. Both the Police and WDA know this and, in fact, have been conducting dialogue sessions with the training agencies as to how to improve the training and assessment packages. But ultimately the guards themselves, when they perform their duties they must not let up their guard. That is important. So, training is one thing, but the mindset, whilst you are on duty, is another. So really we should prevent human lapses. But, on our part, putting together this training framework, that is already a big step. Mr Charles Chong must be aware that up to 4-5 years ago, there were no requirements for training. Even before September 11, MHA and Police, seeing that there was a need to strengthen the regime, already started introducing some requirements and also encouraged the Association to carry out training with private training agencies. But post-September 11, we have sped up the process, and now with this NSRS framework introduced a year ago, I am optimistic that, working together, we can strengthen the security industry, so that it can play its rightful place in the scheme of things, particularly against security threats.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to declare my interest as the Patron of the Securities Association of Singapore.”
“I am sorry. Mr Speaker, Sir, could I have a clearer response from the Minister of State? Do we honour these contracts or do we not honour these contracts?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I draw the Minister of State's attention to a letter which was sent out to all grassroots leaders. In the letter, it says that "where there are contractual agreements with private operators, PA, CCs or RCs will renegotiate to apply 5% of the share for the PA at the first opportunity on or after 1st September 2003, and in no case later than 1st January 2004". Some of these RCs have contractual agreements with the operators which last for two years, and these go beyond 1st January 2004. So, will these contracts be honoured?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister of State aware that some of these operators have contractual agreements which would be valid beyond 1st January 2004? Does PA intend to honour these contractual agreements with the operators?”
“Would PTC now review the fares in view of the knowledge that Buangkok Station is now closed?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, could the Minister tell us whether PTC was aware that Buangkok Station would be closed before it approved the fare structure by the operator?”
“Sir, the Minister has stated that feedback will be obtained after the bus routes have been changed. Would the Minister not agree that if the feedback were obtained before the bus route changes, there will be less hardship, less disruption and also perhaps eliminate the need for MPs to have a late night dialogue session and early morning bus rides?”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for his quick action. As I passed the station this morning, new flats were already being constructed around that area. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether he has an estimate on the number of residents who will be moving into that area after these developments within the next two years or so.”
“Question No. 12. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development (Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee) (for the Minister for National Development): Sir, we have planned for a site at the junction of Sengkang East Road and Compassvale Bow to build a mosque to serve the residents of Sengkang Town. The site was chosen in consultation with MUIS and other agencies. The site will form part of a cluster of civic and community institution uses such as recreational and social facilities. The mosque is also quite close to the Buangkok MRT station and within walking distance from an LRT station which will provide easy access for worshippers.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $626,566,030 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $136,023,900 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IM 1500. Sir, could the Minister provide the House with the latest figures on the number of applicants for the CCC assistance scheme and the number who has been successful? We were told that the number of applicants is decreasing. Could the Minister confirm that the figures are indeed decreasing after the media conference on this subject by MOF, and by how much? Sir, the Second Minister for Finance had told the House that he was unaware of the cost in administering the CCC assistance scheme as the scheme was administered by the People's Association. Could the Minister therefore tell us how much has been spent, in terms of public funds and manpower cost, in the administration of the scheme?”
“Sir, I look forward to having a separate meeting with the Minister of State and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Have there been any exceptions made to this, and what were the reasons given for these exceptions? Has there been difficulty replacing these leaders with equally competent people who have proven track records in community service, and not just academic qualifications? Earlier this year, a pilot scheme allowing residents to nominate the RC members was started in some precincts. Sir, I am delighted to learn that the scheme has been a success. However, the scheme may not go far enough to allow residents to choose their representatives. Would the Minister permit those precincts that not only want to nominate but also to elect their RC members to do so?”
“The kampongs and the rural areas are now mostly gone as a result of redevelopment. However, over the years, the humble community centres have evolved into very impressive and also, sometimes, very expensive community clubs. Are community centres and community clubs still relevant today, as they were in the past, to justify the expenditure on them? There are already many clubs that cater not only for the rich and famous, but also clubs for businessmen, NSmen, policemen, civil servants, grassroots leaders, union members and others. Sir, on page 113 of the Budget book, under the People's Association development expenditure, more than a $1/4 billion, or precisely $257,720,760, appears to have been set aside for community centres and community clubs under various headings. The figures on page 115 of the Budget book indicate that the number of participants in activities organised by the 106 CCs in 2000 and 2001 and 111 CCs in 2002 is, on average, declining, from $28,000 per CC in year 2000 to $26,500 in year 2001, and $25,500 in year 2002. Could the Minister tell us whether CCs are still as relevant as they are with the aspirations of our population today? And how many more CCs are we planning to build in addition to the 111 that we already have today? Sir, my third cut is on grassroots leaders. The People's Association imposed a 65 years age limit on key appointment holders in grassroots organisations last year. More recently, the number of terms grassroots leaders can serve in key positions has been limited to three terms. Could the Minister tell us how many grassroots leaders have been retired from key positions due to the age limit, and the number of members who have to relinquish their posts within the next 12 months because of the term limit?”
“Thank you, Sir. I will take my three cuts consecutively. It will be a bit difficult for me to take all three of them together! Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IH 3100. Sir, while going through Head I of the Budget book, there are a few clarifications I would like to seek from the Minister. The running costs of the People's Association programme, as listed on page 112 of the Budget book, indicate a large variance in the estimated FY 2002 figure and the revised FY 2002 figures. The variance amounts to more than $33 million. Could the Minister tell us what was the reason for this large variance? And can the People's Association cope with a $4.82 million reduction in its FY 2003 expenditure? Sir, on page 113 of the Budget book, I notice that a sum of $85,870,000 appears to have been set aside for a new building at the People's Association headquarters. Could the Minister enlighten us on when this new building will be constructed? And what will happen to the historical Kallang Airport building, that currently houses the People's Association? Also, on the same page of the Budget book, a sum of $10,357,200 has been allocated for the upgrading of the facilities at the National Community Leadership Institute. Could the Minister give us details on this expenditure, and will the number of training places and programmes at the Institute be substantially increased and improved as a result of this $10.3 million provision? Sir, my next cut is on community centres and community clubs. In the past, community centres served as very important focal points for community activities and interaction, especially in the kampongs and in the rural areas.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IC 1500. Sir, there was an announcement some years ago about the freeing up of school fields for community use. I understand that a number of school fields have already been designated for community use. Could the Minister provide us an update on the scheme, and whether these school fields will be reserved mainly for use by organised football and rugby teams with only a limited period for community use? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, as I have explained earlier, seven school fields will be open for community use outside the school curriculum time. The available slots are limited to mainly the evenings and weekends. About half of these slots are allocated to the NSAs, such as the NSA for football and rugby, the S-League clubs and the Constituency Sports Club. The other half of the slots are open to other organised groups such as grassroots organisations and private sports clubs. Because of the schools' concern with security, we do not open the school fields to informal groups and individuals. Instead, they are encouraged to book the SSC sports facilities. Sir, in addition, as I have mentioned earlier, some of our parks are also open to recreational sporting activities. I would therefore like to assure the Member that we are, indeed, catering to the right customers.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister and Minister of State for their responses and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, Dr Warren Lee has covered some of the points which I intended to raise. I will be very brief. Sir, the Committee on Sporting Singapore in its Report for Sports for Everyone has suggested a target of getting one out of every two Singaporeans to participate in a sports related activity by 2005. Almost two years have passed since the Committee released its Report in July 2001. There are about two more years remaining before the 2005 deadline. Could the Minister give us an update on the participation rate for Singaporeans in sports and what new initiatives are being taken to increase the participation rate to our target of 50%?”
“Sir, like my colleague before me, Dr Maliki, I am also concerned about juvenile delinquency. Sir, the figures released by the Police recently showed that the number of juveniles arrested last year rose by an alarming 55.8%. More than 2,200 juveniles were arrested, with students forming the bulk of those arrested. The number of juveniles arrested for rioting increased by 138.7% to 179 persons, and for simple thefts, the number arrested increased by 116.6% to 483 juveniles. It was estimated that 85% of these juveniles arrested were first-time offenders. Addressing juvenile crimes cannot just be the concern of the Police. As mentioned by Dr Maliki, the parents, the educators and the community must all play a part in instilling the right values in our youths. An Inter-ministerial Committee on Youth Crime has been in existence for a number of years already. Are the recommendations and the initiatives of this Committee and the programmes of the many agencies that are involved in youth activities preventive enough? Are our interventions reaching out to youths at risk early enough before it becomes a crime statistic? Could the Minister tell us what new initiatives his Ministry will be undertaking to arrest the rising youth crime rate? Is he satisfied that there is enough coordination by the various Ministries and agencies to effectively tackle this urgent problem?”
“Sir, the marriage rate among Singaporeans has shown a steady decline over the years. This is in spite of the efforts of the SDU and other matchmaking agencies and, more recently, the efforts of the Romancing Singapore Committee. Sir, is it timely that we review the effectiveness of the programmes and the policies of the Government's match-making agencies with a view to improving their success rates? Sir, our total fertility rate has shown a decline over the years, from approximately 1.8 in 1990 to about 1.1 in 2002. With the replacement rate at 2.1, Singaporeans are steadily and very surely headed for extinction, unless something is done to increase our fertility rate. In 2000, the Prime Minister appointed a Ministerial Committee to look into the issue of the falling fertility rate in Singapore. Supporting this Committee was the Working Committee on Marriage and Procreation. The Ministerial Committee recommended the introduction of the Baby Bonus, the Third Child Paid Maternity Leave Scheme and additional childcare benefits. These incentives were mainly monetary in nature, and were to encourage Singaporeans to have three or more children, if they could afford it. But if they could already afford it, would monetary benefit alone be a strong incentive for them to have more children? Surely, there must be other non-monetary motivational factors that could make it more conducive for Singaporeans to have more babies. In view of our impending extinction, would the Minister recommend the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Committee, perhaps named as the Making Singaporeans Committee, that will review all family policies and formulate new initiatives to raise our fertility rate before it is too late? 6.00 pm”
“Sir, in order to upgrade the social service sector, MCDS, in July 2002, increased the recurrent funding of programmes run by voluntary welfare organisations by about $7 million each year. VWOs also depend on public support, donors and well-wishers for support. They need to be accountable to their partners and supporters, and must use their resources effectively. Could the Minister tell us how are VWOs being assisted to meet the expectations of their partners and stakeholders?”
“Sir, many of our disabled are capable of making valuable contributions to society should they be given the opportunity to achieve their full potential and assistance to live and function independently. Could the Minister tell us what support programmes and new initiatives his Ministry will be providing to disabled Singaporeans, especially to children with special needs? Sir, it is the stated objective of the Government that mainstream public transportation system be made progressively more accessible to the disabled. Could the Minister tell us how successful his Ministry has been in getting the Ministry of Transport and public transport companies to make public transportation, especially the buses, more disabled-friendly? Another group that should not be overlooked is our disabled sportsmen and sportswomen. Could the Minister tell us how much support his Ministry will be providing through the Singapore Sports Council to the disabled and whether he would consider implementing an incentive and reward scheme for disabled sportsmen and sportswomen who win medals at international competitions similar to the scheme for our able-bodied athletes?”
“Measures such as promotion of community sports and mutual self-help groups that cut across ethnic lines would be some of the measures that should be considered. On the material divide, the income gap is widening in Singapore. The average household income ratio at the bottom 10% has increased from 14.1 times in 1998 to 18 times in the year 2000, and the gap is expected to widen even further in the years ahead. Social stratification may result if measures are not taken now to ameliorate the effects of the widening income gap. One such measure is for the promotion of philanthropy and a culture where the more able feel an obligation to help the needy and the less successful. However, the rate of philanthropy and volunteerism in Singapore is still very low. Could the Minister tell us what measures and initiatives are being taken by his Ministry to address these concerns and issues? Has there been a significant progress made in social cohesion amongst Singaporeans? A survey on social attitudes was commissioned by MCDS in early 2001. The survey results show the glowing state of race relations and social cohesion among Singaporeans. In fact, nine out of 10 Singaporeans were generally satisfied with race relations in Singapore, and also 89% of Singaporeans considered their neighbours helpful and friendly and could be depended upon for help in times of need. Sir, I understand that a more recent survey has been done by MCDS. Could the Minister comment on the findings of this latest survey?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, a lot has been said about the need to maintain and strengthen social cohesion in these rather challenging times, especially in a multi-racial and a multi-religious country such as Singapore. The Minister had previously mentioned two areas of concern: first, the communal divide; and, second, the material divide. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Chew Heng Ching) in the Chair] 3.56 pm On the communal divide, many activities and programmes have been organised by various organisations, such as the CDCs, People's Association, IRCCs and other community and grassroots organisations. However, the emphasis has mainly been targeted at understanding and tolerating our racial and religious differences, rather than increasing our common areas and building upon our common objectives. Visiting each other's places of worship and having a better understanding of each other's differences, different cultures, different religious practices are not enough to bond us as a cohesive society. We must go beyond just being aware of our differences and insisting on having our own way all the time, but we must also be willing to accommodate one another for the common good. Strong social cohesion can only be achieved by establishing more people-to-people links based on common interest and common values. In troubled times, people are more likely to stand up and defend those whom they know personally as friends, as team mates and as neighbours whose homes they have visited. Sir, could the Minister tell us what measures are being introduced to promote better engagement among Singaporeans?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister has not quite answered my question on the cost of disbursement but it does not matter. Would the Minister consider cutting our losses and diverting the cost savings and the amount allocated for this scheme to other worthwhile causes where more Singaporeans can benefit from?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, could the Minister give us an indication as to how much money was disbursed in these two successful cases compared with the cost of administering the scheme? And could he also give us his view whether we have failed to reach out to people who would benefit from the scheme or have we introduced inadvertently a scheme which everybody seems to be applying but very few are qualifying?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, could the Minister of State confirm that the Ministry of Manpower is providing sufficient funds to these self-help groups and the various CDCs to help them in their employment assistance programmes, and MOM is satisfied Dr Ng Eng Hen: Sir, I am never satisfied with the returns gained, if that means that I want improvement. I always want improvement. So that is the answer to the second question. But in terms of resources, we provide about $210,000 a year, including officers and training, and we are also now changing the system - that is just for employment for the officers to beef it up. We have to realise that structural unemployment, what we are seeing, is a relatively new phenomenon. Prior to that, we never had that and job counselling capabilities were not quite there. If Members think that trying to get somebody a job is identifying a job, identifying a retrenched worker and putting it together, I would encourage them to visit the DCN. Mayors will know that a tremendous amount of hand-holding, building up confidence, telling the person that, "It's okay, you can take this.", is required, matching the capabilities, which means that you have to spend a lot of effort sometimes in each. So, these would have to be built. We will continue to pour in resources so that we can at least get better results.”
“Would the Minister of State not agree that we should find out which particular organisation has the highest successful placement rates and learn from them and level up, rather than level everybody down and hide behind one composite figure?”
“Sir, a point of clarification, first. Mr Ahmad Magad and I are not in Tampines GRC, we are in Pasir-Ris-Punggol GRC.”
“Sir, I requested detailed figures of the individual breakdowns of the various organisations. The Minister of State has not provided the detailed breakdown yet. Could the Minister of State confirm that the Ministry of Manpower has the individual figures, and he would provide them to me, if not now, then in a separate note?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe that the Sub-Committee had not only made its recommendations, it had also called a press conference and its recommendations were announced by Government. So what more have we got to wait for? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: As I said earlier, the matter is under the Ministry of Health and I think they will study the proposal constructively and we will wait for their recommendations, Sir.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the disagreement on the interpretation of Article 10 of CEDAW, would the Minister then consider referring the interpretation of Article 10 to arbitration as required by Article 29.1 of CEDAW? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, we believe that we are not violating the principle of Article 10, for the reasons which I have given earlier, that the basis of our education system is equal access to all gender in Singapore. But yet at the same time we recognise that even if you are free to choose a course, it all depends on other factors. It is inevitable that some students who would be left out of some courses in which he or she may prefer. The inevitable fact is that because of the size of our country we need to maximise our human resources so that we can best serve the needs of all Singaporeans.”
“Sir, could the Minister confirm that there is no discrimination, that there is complete equal opportunity, and there is no discrimination by virtue of gender in the field of education? That was what my question was. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, to the best of my knowledge, there is no such thing. Every child is given equal opportunity to access to the schools that we have in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have heard the Senior Minister of State confirm that the most likely cause is due to a maintenance lapse. Could the Senior Minister of State at least confirm that inspections have been carried out on all guide-wheels on all trains to ensure that more cotter pins have not been inevitably left out?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister of State has not answered my question. My question was: when were these market rental rates established? Is it still current?”