Cheryl Chan Wei Ling
Singapore
“I note that Singapore has been pursing discussions with multiple countries over the past few years, regarding these cooperation activities. Will the Government be able to provide an update on the status of these cross-border discussions and whether they are progressing as expected, and aligned with our infrastructure plans and timelines?”
“Speaker, I have one supplementary question for the Minister of State. I want to ask the Minister of State, given the fact that we do this environmental impact study, will there be a study that will be conducted for every single oil spill and, if so, how long would the monitoring period be?”
“Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the Senior Minister of State. As we go for more resource- and energy-efficient models of agri-tech production, would the Ministry consider taking a more active stand, beyond just grants, to look at areas of R&D, scaling and commercialisation?”
“Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the Minister. I agree with the Minister that these software systems are relatively complex and, generally, you do not just have a single supplier supplying to the overall system.”
“I have got a supplementary question for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. From now till when the official regulation is in place is still some time away. For home owners, they would not have a means to be able to detect formaldehyde levels because they would not know.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have one supplementary question for the Senior Minister of State. I recognise the challenges and headwinds that the Senior Minister of State has mentioned, but the reality is beyond just capability building and the grants that are given.”
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“All these services that are offered would provide the flexibility not only for the worker but because it can be catered on demand. With proximity and also reliable supply of services, this can help ease the burdens of working parents who cannot afford to have FWAs or who have to work on shifts. To end off, Mr Deputy Speaker, women's aspirations can only be effectively fulfilled with the support of our broader society. As much as women want to continue working to be active contributors for as long as they could, their dreams cannot be fulfilled on their own. The society has to embrace and support their journey. There is always that X factor that makes or breaks a dream. I hope Singapore continues to be progressive and lead the way to push our boundaries for shared and equal responsibilities among every Singaporean − men or women. And with this, I rise in support of the Motion.”
“For single parents, such networks and extended support are very critical as many would have fewer choices and even less help available. Most of them would be working and, being single, inherently means they just have fewer resources, whether it is in terms of leave, childcare support and so on. Thus, providing them with coaching on caregiving and any form of interim support for the first six years of their children's lives would be invaluable. Assistance and support from counsellors, volunteers and having the knowledge of where to access this information are very critical. With such support, they will be better equipped to manage their time and financial resources. Their children would also benefit from adults who can act as mentors like bigger brothers or sisters to them, whom they can turn to. And lastly, encourage freelance work. There are two aspects of it. First, establish the startup spaces in neighbourhoods to enable women to work closer to home or even on a part-time basis. For example, in Korea, where the startup scene is more vibrant, women are actually more involved in the customer service-oriented and consumer industries. One possibility is to convert the heartland shops to house such entrepreneurial businesses. Micro-franchise concepts like social enterprises should also be considered, especially if they can provide the vocational opportunities for the elderly. And next, availability of shared platforms for local entrepreneurs to create an industry of their own. Some of the basic services that can be created very close to home could include essential caregiving that offer meals catering, minding of the old folks at home, nanny services, home cleaning, laundry and so on.”
“And are there any application platforms that can be created to link the caregivers with sources of help provision or even for them to be networked with retired medical professionals to supplement the healthcare sector? On subsidies and care leave, there are two areas I recommend be reviewed. First, for non-working mothers − the current subsidies that the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has for infant care, childcare or kindergarten for these non-working mothers are actually lower compared to those of working mothers. But we understand the reason why it is so. It seems to be a chicken-and-egg problem. So, I would like to ask the Ministry to consider giving equal subsidised rate for the non-working mothers who are going to be gainfully employed after six months of placing their children at the childcare services. Second, for the singles − to provide the eldercare leave or to allow them to convert the unused medical leave to care for their elderly at home. As the duty of caring for the elderly still primarily falls on the children, for those who are singles or come from a single child family, they would face even more difficulties with the weaker support. They do not have additional care leave to cater for the caring of their elderly at home. I would like to ask the Ministry to consider whether they can help to remove the differential in tax relief for those parents who stay or do not stay with the taxpayer. There are many reasons why people do not live under the same roof but living apart does not indicate that they provide less care for their parents. Fifth, provide enhanced support networks for single parents. We spoke about this extensively during the COS this year.”
“Empowering women to pursue careers in which they can balance their family life and continue contributing to the economy, in the long run will only be a positive move. This will ensure that during their old age they will also have some amount of financial independence. Three, mentoring programmes. Encourage our companies and the public sector to have mentoring programmes for promising female employees as they progress in their career. Mentorship enables women to understand and also share their challenges. They need to have a ready network to confide in. And above all, an aspirational motivation, when they see that other similar females have achieved in life and they are also equally capable of achieving those goals. Four, caregiver training, subsidies and eldercare leave. During the Committee of Supply (COS) this year, I have raised about the need for preventive care and community caregiving as there is a limit to the number of elderly care centres that we can build and we hope to enable our elderly to succeed in ageing successfully at home. With the responsibility of caring for the elderly falling on the shoulders of a smaller pool of individuals, we need to provide and encourage more options for caregiving. I feel that caregivers should be given courses on how and what it takes to care for the elderly. I have asked this at the COS and I will raise it again: whether the Ministry will consider providing these family caregivers the basic options of training on how to do caregiving for the elderly. Also, whether the Ministry can work with healthcare providers to develop an information kit of proven digital gadgets that can be installed at home so that the caregivers are better facilitated to take care of their elderly.”
“A tougher stance, I would urge, is for MOM to take against such employment, including those outsourcing companies, particularly the ones that hire our part-time older workers. Without a clear signal on fair hiring, progress in this area will continue to remain slow and many part-time jobs remain unattractive despite the fact that some of our older workers will gain financial independence. Second, targeted SkillsFuture package for those who plan to return to the workforce. Women who had extended breaks from work during childbearing years need assistance to return to the workforce. Having left the working environment, they become unfamiliar with what it feels like to be back in the workforce. Their self-perception of their own abilities and also what relevant work skills they may have, are lacking and this will prevent them from wanting to return to the workforce. I encourage SkillsFuture SG to consider having a structured programme that does two things. One, provide a tailored skills training or courses that are relevant to areas for workers who have been out of the workforce for more than two years, for example, in confidence-building and the IT-related courses. And second, to support their job placement. This is very critical, whether it is through our Place and Train Programme or even the Adapt and Grow schemes. Assist them with matching the job opportunities. There are some women who have left the workforce for a while. They have found that they have passion in new areas and they hope to switch careers after they have delivered. And I think they need to embark on this career switch that will better suit their capabilities. With these, women will be kept relevant professionally and they have confidence that they are also well supported in their career development.”
“Employers, who traditionally feel that the physical presence of the employees are critical in an office as it relates to effective work time, should progressively take a different view of this. They have to empower and equip their staff to work and deliver in different contexts. Likewise, the employees must demonstrate a strong ownership in delivering results and effective work and time management to give their employers adequate assurance. The public sector and some private sector companies of different industries can take the lead in enabling FWAs for some of the functions. Those like the service-related, the backend office operations that can accommodate work location flexibility, shorter training cycles, leverage on technology; they should consider leveraging an existing pool of women and assist them to return to the workforce. This would help alleviate our manpower crunch and provide vocational opportunities for women who are keen to continue actively contributing in our workforce. Some multinational companies (MNCs) have male champions who advocate the cause and actually give recognition to fathers for playing an equal and prominent role in supporting their wives at work and also at home. In such situations, when both parents are able to strike a balance and achieve well at their work, and find their work meaningful, they are likely to strike a better balance and remain involved in their children's lives and in raising their children together to strengthen their family units. Further, unfair employment practices are still observed unfortunately in terms of salary and benefits that discriminate both gender and age.”
“This will provide some relief for school teachers, more accessibility to families that have lesser means and also to focus the tuition only for those who really need it. Mr Deputy Speaker, the impact of education has lasting influence through our lives. It not only drives our choices but, more importantly, the culture of a society. We have increasingly seen younger Singaporeans who are willing to take the unbeaten path to pursue their dreams. As we encourage more entrepreneurs, their success depends largely on whether they are passionate, resourceful, have the grit to overcome the challenges. But before that, will we have a supportive culture that enables them to succeed, a culture that accepts failures as part of business endeavours and embraces different definitions of success? I think that is what we look forward to. Next, let me raise six areas in which I think we can continue to advance women's representation in the workforce while we continue to encourage procreation. We must recognise that these efforts cannot be solely achieved through advocacy unless all parties involved take concrete steps towards the same goal. First, continuous improvement in company policies and human resource (HR) practices. As we have heard from the previous few speakers, FWAs. To me, this is not a terminology that can be implemented without trust and adjustments to the work processes and also a company culture. Employers and employees have mutual roles to play in understanding the issues at hand and jointly build the mutual trust that is required in a working relationship over a long period of time.”
“But an obvious trend is the extensive amount of tuition classes that our Singapore students have to undertake in order to cope with the daily homework assigned, much less the hope to excel in the subject or the sport that they desire. Some blame the universal top-down education system that expects the students of different capability to learn at the same pace being unrealistic. Others claim this is the result of the school not teaching sufficiently. Another camp laments that this is the result of poor resource distribution in public schools and teachers having an enormous burden to cope with many aspects apart from teaching. Whatever the reason may be, it has certainly created an industry in its own right − tuition. Those who can afford or have aced it with the help of tuition would say there is nothing wrong with this trend. After all, it is one of demand and supply. However, there are larger implicating issues we must deliberate on. Has this created more stress on our parents in thinking that having tuition is a prerequisite and without which their children cannot keep up at school? Will this lead to higher cost of raising children and less quality time for the family? Does this contradict the efforts to drive a mindset change of enabling our children to learn broadly, discover and pursue their passion? I urge the Ministry to begin reviewing the tuition industry before it becomes counter intuitive to our broader efforts in making fundamental changes in our education system. Also, to consider whether resources from this tuition industry can be diverted to our public schools − enrichment classes in the school by private tutors to supplement the school teachers in catering for students weaker in specific subjects or guidance for their homework.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, success is perceived differently depending on one's values and how a society communally defines it. While success and recognition are not only the defining factors of what every woman aspires to have, many women do find satisfaction and a sense of achievement when they can manage a good balance between their careers and families. In Singapore, with equal access to quality education and jobs, we have seen a rise in the labour force participation rate (LFPR) of women. Based on Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) statistics, LFPR of women in 2016 was 60.4%. That is an increase compared to 54.3% in 2006. But with an ageing population, human capital remains one of our most valuable resources. Thus, it is worth looking at what more we can do to encourage more women in returning to the workforce. From various focus group discussions, many women attributed their challenges in returning to the workforce to three things. One, education system; two, Asian culture with an overbearing societal behaviour and mindset that caregiving is primarily women's responsibility; three, weak transition support back to the workforce First, on education. This is a broad topic and we know it is important. But what level of emphasis we place on our future generation matters. After a generation, the school curricula have significantly changed. Today, many parents in their 30s and 40s found that they are unable to provide homework guidance to their children in school unless they are also trained in the same methodology that is being taught in school. Additionally, there seems to be an unspoken assumption that children will or should have external tuition classes if they are unable to catch up in classes. How much truth this assumption holds remains to be proven.”
“I have this question for the Minister. I agree that community involvement is very important in society. I have raised in my question just now about the need to improve on the community engagement programmes for our students because they do spend a substantial number of hours contributing to community today. But I have also seen many cases because of the ineffective management of the programmes, we have kind of lost the interest of all these youths and, eventually, we could not bring them towards active volunteerism. Can the Minister respond to it?”
“To cater for the diverse needs in our society, we need to cultivate a culture where everyone plays a part, takes ownership of their lives and pays it forward. I would suggest we train community groups similar to those like the SCDF myResponder volunteers. The trained individuals can register themselves on a system and, when a known case of an elderly calls for help, volunteers within the nearest location can respond swiftly to them. We can begin with training the healthy and socially-active seniors. They can contribute significantly when we help to connect them. Another connector is the students. Today, they have the Community Engagement Programme (CEP), but I feel that the focus is diluted and the purpose of doing it is not well communicated. I suggest to refocus and begin with the Secondary and tertiary students. Allow them to focus their engagement in different neighbourhoods with elderly-related topics. This will help build stronger bonds within the communities and encourage our young to participate in active volunteerism. Tracking Youth's Progress”
“Madam, building of infrastructure to match community needs costs us money and time. It is also limited by how much more we can build. While it is essential to continue investing in these areas to enhance our social safety net, we need to balance this by enabling our elderly to age successfully at home. Can the Minister provide an update of the pilot programme for the Home-based Care Services (HBCS) under SG Enable? I know this is for those with disabilities, but the learnings can be equally relevant for the caring of our elderly. 5.15 pm With a smaller family unit, the responsibility of caring for our elderly will fall on the shoulders of a smaller pool of individuals. How can we encourage a shared caregiving model within our communities? Let me focus on two aspects − preventive care and community caregiving. Preventive care begins with awareness. I feel that caregivers should be given courses on how and what it takes to care for the elderly. The caregivers who have to work should be further aided with digital apps. The apps are to be linked to intelligent sensors and gadgets that are installed at home or worn on the elderly to indicate their conditions, for example, in cases of falls, or for them to provide reminders for medication. These notifications can be sent to the caregivers. Will the Ministry work with MOH to provide the caregivers with free essential basic training? Also, can the Ministry work with healthcare providers to develop an information kit of proven digital gadgets that can be installed at home to assist the caregiver in monitoring? The community can also play a part and serve as connectors. But who are the connectors and how can they contribute? Connectors are the family members, students, community groups and healthcare partners.”
“But what about their elderly parents who wish to move closer to their children to provide extended family support? What is the Ministry's position on this? And our last group would be the private landed elderly home owners who wish to downsize to an HDB flat over time. The debarment period rule after the sale of their private property does not help to ease their transition. Even for the resale HDB flat, they need to dispose of the private property within six months. This will be challenging during economic downturns or when the property market is weak. Many would not have cash and they cannot borrow from a private bank loan. What can be done to assist them to downsize? Helping Vulnerable Families − Fresh Start”
“With wage increase over time, some of them found that the increase in their wages has been used to pay off the increase of the quantum in the larger rental rates that they are paying. This deprives them of any savings towards owning their next flat. Can the existing HDB rental increase structure be reviewed to be more gradual to minimise the disincentive of them earning more, or a mechanism be used to offset the increment towards their next flat purchase? And for the single parents, I would think the issue here is that they have a short timeframe from the disposal of their flat to moving out of its premises. What more can the Ministry do to support transition home planning for these families? Right-sizing of Flats for Elderly Since the LBS was introduced, we have encouraged the elderly who need extra cash to unlock the value of their asset. There are takers for the scheme but seemingly not very high. Some of their concerns are: one, lack of understanding of the scheme; two, unsupportive spouse or family members preventing them to proceed; three, no Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in place. For some elderly who live in 5-room flats or larger, this has resulted in conflicts because they do not have spare cash and they generally have fewer subsidies because of their flat type and some do not belong to the Pioneer Generation. I would like to ask if the Ministry can consider raising awareness and encourage all home owners of public or private property to sign an LPA. This will help alleviate concerns in different situations and reduce the burden of costly legal processes subsequently. To assist married couples to obtain their first flat sooner, several measures have been introduced.”
“Thank you. Housing is one of the most basic needs for everyone. In society, there is a plethora of family circumstances and needs. While we cannot fulfil the needs of all, advancing some aspects of the policies may help certain families. I will focus on two groups here − single parents and young couples with a foreign spouse. Both groups are typically single income or no income for some, especially the single parents. Being a sole breadwinner, some have to undertake two jobs to make ends meet. Often, they would fail to meet the HDB rental limit cap of $1,500 per household. I agree that the Minister had earlier replied in a Parliamentary Question (PQ) that this can be managed through an appeal process and many have been assisted. Although help has been rendered, often, single parents are under enormous anxiety with the looming uncertainty whether a shelter is immediately available after divorce proceedings. Can HDB help to ameliorate their anxiety by establishing a direct appeal channel? For those undergoing divorce proceedings, can HDB allow them to be in the queue for a flat allocation before the final decree is available? For those young couples with a foreign spouse, can rental flats be offered as interim housing as they work towards a permanent home, or an option to enable them to own a 2-room flat without subsidies? And to prevent those from gaming the system, a longer Minimum Occupation Period can be imposed. For those already living in rental flats, they have a different challenge. With the progressive wage structure, it is likely that they would be earning an income of at least $800 to $1,000 per household.”
“It is a welcome move for novel and unproven concepts. But, if faced with a situation where there is a handful of new startups with similar end markets, what are the guiding principles in the Ministries' consideration for relaxing the framework to ensure a level playing field from the onset? Would this actually be the same basis that complicates the work for the IP intermediary under the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING) Singapore to decide who can best access the associated IPs? SMEs' Access to Government Procurement”
“Madam, with several upcoming infrastructural projects in Singapore, there will be opportunities for companies to participate in the supply of goods and services to these projects. Understandably, local SMEs and some startups are curious how they can contribute and be a part of the growth. Will the Government be using more innovative methods to assess the solution providers? For these companies, can the Government provide some insights to a few aspects? One, subcontracting of projects. For companies which wish to subcontract specific modules or areas of supply within a mega project, will the Government provide this option instead of having the smaller companies to bid from the main contractor? This will provide better accountability and enable a fairer share of profit margins. Do the Government agencies provide opportunities to SMEs or startups during the regular business period to demonstrate their products' and services' capability? Through this regular assessment, the SMEs which are successful in meeting base criteria could be placed on a list of preferred suppliers for potential invitation to future bids by the agencies. Two, digitalisation. For projects under the Government agencies, sometimes it is difficult for new digital solutions to be directly adaptable to an existing system, even if it proves to be a better option. Part of this could be due to sensitivity of information or compatibility of different systems, particularly those that straddle across functions. Would this result in the status quo of suppliers and lack of diversity to maximise an optimal outcome in our roadmap? Three, impact of regulatory sandboxes and intellectual property (IP) access. This initiative is intended to allow some relaxation of rules to promote innovation.”
“Madam, I have a question for the Minister. A lot of the points that the Minister has raised seem to be more pro-workers. While I understand why something has to be done, I think businesses and employers are also the ones who create jobs to keep the workforce. Can the Minister explain how he would intend to strike a better balance in future in some of the schemes?”
“Being a senior, one is probably best placed to understand the mindset and needs of others in that same age group. In contrast to our younger workforce, our seniors will have some time, flexibility and impetus to undergo training and transformation. They can also supplement the social service sector with their people management skills and knowledge. The last area, overseas postings. Senior PMEs may be less constrained by familial burden as compared to young couples at the early stages of their career and family lives. Those who have had prior overseas assignments or managed regional roles would be well acquainted with such postings. They can bring forth the local establishments from Singapore with desires to anchor overseas and broaden their markets. Preparing Workers as Industries Transform”
“Apart from R&D, are there any considerations to develop new industry sectors and assist our local companies to expand manufacturing overseas where different parts of the entire value chain can be strategically located? Senior Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) Costly overhead, irrelevant skills, age. These are some common reasons that senior PMEs received when asked to vacate their work positions. It is possible for some individuals that these reasons cited may bear truth, but what if the senior PMEs can still contribute in significant ways? Would they have a role in the workforce and social scene? What plans does the Ministry have to capture this talent pool? I have met successful examples of senior PMEs who switched industries, had practical expectations of remunerations and some ventured to become new entrepreneurs. Let me explain three areas to be explored. The first, in last year's COS, I have raised and would ask the Ministry again to consider having senior PMEs with experience and international exposure to mentor the SMEs and startups. Functional experiences under the diverse business conditions are useful knowledge to be shared and imparted. Synergies can be captured for both parties. PMEs can learn new business areas or skills from the startups with fresh, new concepts and, likewise, SMEs can be taken to higher grounds with the network and executional insights. So, I would say a platform to match the requirements and supply of this talent pool is thus essential. The second area − supplement workforce in specific sectors. Healthcare and education are key growth areas and would continue to face staff shortages. As a society, we constantly demand more care and concern for our young and old.”
“Sir, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the average GDP growth of advanced economies globally in 2016 was 1.6%. Singapore's GDP was 1.8%. With increasing threats to globalisation and potentially fewer foreign direct investments, can we continue to maintain this growth of 1%-3%? Apart from short-term measures, what more must we do to sustain a growth on par with or better than the global forecast for advanced economies? Emerging markets are forecasted to have a larger growth of 5%-7%. Most emerging markets have requirements to build infrastructures to cater for energy, connectivity and basic needs. They have needs in areas where we consider jobs within traditional markets in Singapore. With limited land space, there will come a time when we have maximised our built infrastructure and the need for each subsequent mega project will be at least a decade or two apart. Instead of just local demand creation, can we export our services and create job opportunities for Singaporeans in emerging markets? An example of good leading efforts in this respect is the Japanese business community. Japanese companies have capitalised on their technology and expertise to undertake infrastructure-related projects in ASEAN and the African continent, where the capabilities of these emerging markets are at their infancy. It not only created jobs for their people but also further strengthened their capabilities and learnings through diversity against the various country backdrops. I would like to ask the Minister what the plans are to introduce new market sectors for growth, for example, in aquaculture.”
“Sir, there is a significant proportion of micro enterprises in the retail and F&B businesses located in our heartland malls and neighbourhood town centres. Some of the measures introduced to support our SMEs to level up with the industry may not benefit these businesses. Can I know what plans the Ministry has to support these micro enterprises? I have a few suggestions for consideration. 7.30 pm One, periodic proactive communications of schemes and roadshow at the localised level. Move the satellite SME Centres to the localised level like the specific malls or even the town centres. This would give better access for the business owners to participate and seek assistance. Two, provide a suite of modules where different businesses can plug and play to adapt in order to enhance their efficiency. Three, customise some relevant SkillsFuture courses to accommodate the long working hours and the working conditions of the staff in the micro enterprises so that they can work and also successfully upskill. Lastly, I would like to ask the Minister on the scheme of the SME Working Capital Loan introduced last year. Have the banks been forthcoming since the scheme was introduced? Were there good success rates for application from non-traditional business models? Competition Act and Interim Orders”
“Apart from our focus on ITMs, I hope the Ministry in future will take an active review to look ahead at emerging trends and gaps of the different industries so as to facilitate earlier skills training of our workforce and timely introduction of new courses or curriculum within our education system.”
“Sir, in 2015, manufacturing accounted for 20% of Singapore's GDP. This is a decline from earlier years as alternate cost competitive locations surfaced and availability of industry resources improved in emerging markets. From the CFE report, it was recommended that Singapore continue to build a globally competitive manufacturing sector. Can the Minister provide more details behind the recommendation? Additive manufacturing sector and robotics automation were cited in the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE)2020 as cutting-edge technology across different industry verticals. Additive manufacturing had a long gestation period since the 1980s. It has improved and advanced tremendously in the past five years when digitalisation became more widespread and materials improved. Extensive collaboration and consolidation have been taking place in the industry and this trend would only continue. The challenge is that global manufacturers like General Electric (GE), Airbus, Bosch, Siemens and so on of the different vertical industries are directly acquiring and investing in leading companies of 3D equipment manufacturers, software platforms and materials for printing. With their substantive investments and a strong focus on R&D and vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities, they will be ahead of the industry players when it comes to commercialisation. Which aspect is RIE2020 focused on? Will the collaborations we pursue result in a flow-through from research to social and economic impact, which is a key thrust of RIE2020?”
“With these changing policies from our large trading partners, how will this impact Singapore? I would like to ask the Minister if there are changes in our strategy and tactical approaches towards globalisation. If so, how are we reviewing our existing free trade agreements (FTAs) and developing new ones? Also, what industry sectors are more likely to be affected? Trans-Pacific Partnership”
“Sir, multiple trade indicators have shown that global trade has weakened in the past five years. GDP growth for developed economies is stagnating and fewer investments are taking place amidst the uncertainties around the world. In the past decade, Singapore's economy has been dependent on global trade. And this is likely to remain as we continue to be constrained by a lack of natural resources and small domestic consumption. Political themes around the world are leading to a lot of uncertainty and could become game changers. But one thing that is certain is that free trade has invariably changed when viewed with the same lenses. If we look at the two powerhouses globally − the US and China ‒ their plans and developments have huge implications on the global economy. Any fiscal stimulus and deregulation from these countries will result in a domino effect through the value chain. Brexit is one such example. They may be at the early stages before formal negotiation with the European Union (EU), but their potential departure has tipped the iceberg after a ripple effect amongst the countries in the EU. In the US, Trump's growth agenda seems to focus on three areas: short-term fiscal boost through lowering taxes for companies, domestic deregulation in the energy and healthcare sector, putting America first in foreign trade policy. This discussion of a new tax regime for companies have actually brought about mixed reactions. Similarly, in China, expansionary monetary and fiscal policies supported their growth with 6.7% GDP in 2016, but it is their slowest in 26 years. Moving ahead, it is clear that China cannot sustain its growth using previous policies. They have made announcements on a policy shift towards stability and industrial production growth.”
“Countries like Japan and Taiwan have shown that dementia-friendly communities where PWDs living in their homes have resulted in lower cost to healthcare. Therefore, it is imperative to raise awareness and put in place initiatives that support persons with dementia to age in place. I support this initiative and would like to ask the Ministry about the outcome of the first pilot trial of community-based dementia care efforts in Yishun. What are the lessons learnt from this trial and how long will it take to train resources to cope with the existing situation of 10% dementia patients? (In English): Mdm Speaker, it is inevitable that Singapore will continue to face different challenges amidst the dynamic global landscape. The willingness to change, adapt and be always prepared has to take place across generations. We must get our younger and the future generations ready to think and act for themselves. In the short term, we have to address the needs to assist our existing workforce to make sure that they remain employable. But on the long run, we have to consider: do we take bolder measures to evolve a new culture or do we continue to move ahead to reinvent through incremental changes? On this note, Mdm Speaker, I support the Budget.”
“The challenges that the older workers face are: (a) preconceived mindset of our employers; (b) learning new skills over a short timeframe and adapting to the changing business landscape; and (c) accepting the new concept of productivity where less is more and being different is to value-add. To effect any change, I feel that it has to take place at all levels, employers, employees and the Government, and in partnerships. Employers must be open and ready to accept helping our older workers through training, refitting their job and scope, and value each worker for their abilities. Employees have to keep learning and upskilling through their career and not only when the need arises. They must be participative and not hope to be valued due to seniority. I hope the Government can streamline their processes and review some existing exceptions with certain flexibility and enable new rules to adapt to the new economy. Mdm Speaker, I will do the next section in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Apart from our culture and economy, I am encouraged that this Budget continues to look at strengthening our social safety net, in particular, persons with disabilities (PWDs). Mental health awareness is an area that we cannot neglect in urban cities. Dementia is one category of such mental health issues and the most common being Alzheimer's disease. As dementia has no cure, this has long-term implications on the caregivers and our society as well. In Singapore, the prevalence of dementia is about 10% amongst seniors aged 60 and above. The number of seniors with dementia is set to rise, especially with a rapidly ageing population.”
“I do not think that is what we are trying to achieve with SkillsFuture. In my opinion, every individual worker has core capabilities and basic skills. Through our lifetime, it is critical for us to develop two sets of skills: (a) to deepen our core capabilities that further enable our expertise or develop fortes; (b) to develop broad-based skills that are transferable regardless of industry. Only with these T-skills will we be able to add on incrementally at each stage of our career and capture the new opportunities. On the part of the Government, I would ask that moving forward, more focus be put on internships, encourage our public sector and our private companies to develop a learning culture, have more on-the-job training and for schemes to support the companies to enable job rotations. It is heartening to see this Budget enhancing the Adapt and Grow initiative and providing more accessibility for training. These resources would eventually be valuable to facilitate their staff to broaden and deepen their skills. The third area, partnerships in employability. The term "iron rice bowl", does it still exist? The fact of the matter is that there is no job guarantee in today's world. Real jobs are what we make the best of it when it is available. The Minister for Finance has called for more partnerships in the workplace and I fully support that. This is absolutely necessary for the long haul, where especially the impact it has on the generation of our older workers. With time, our older workers will face different sets of challenges. Before the Baby Boomers become seniors, something has to be done now.”
“Take, for example, we often claim that technologies have replaced and made humans redundant or made businesses sunset industries. Looking deeper, does the issue lie with a person's inability to transform with time or the emergence of improvements in the world? In the most traditional industries, like the automotive industry, it has not disappeared and continues to bring about growth opportunities. With technology evolvement, the processes involved and the product variety that is available certainly has changed our views of possibilities in traditional forms of manufacturing. Producing different car components can now be done using additive or what we call 3D manufacturing, and less of moulding, welding and casting as in the past. The industry does not go away, but the technology involved has advanced. Likewise, if we cannot foresee, innovate and integrate new pathways in our economy, it is unlikely for growth to be sustained or even for new jobs to be created. The second area, develop T-skills in lifelong learning. As the industries and economy undergo restructuring, workers who have skills mismatch due to inexperience or lack of training opportunities must now try to pick up new skills. It is not easy to learn new skills, especially when one is used to some level of comfort or in the way of how we do things. SkillsFuture is a good starting point for people to embrace the need to learn, but that cannot be the only reason why we are learning. Everyone must recognise the need to continuously learn as they study and work. This is the only way to remain relevant throughout our changing environment. Realistically, it is impossible for everyone to learn and shift to every new industry as a new industry emerges.”
“It has to be reflected through our education system, the social environment and our workplace. It is not an object or a target that we create for a specified period of time. We have been investing in the past decade in R&D, creating more platforms to innovate. We have seen an increase in the number of innovative ideas, as evident by the 1,469 patents that were filed by Singaporean residents in 2015. That is a 12.7% year-on-year increase on the patents that are registered. But the corresponding number of ideas and patents from earlier batches that have borne tangible achievements, as in business returns, pales in comparison. I think the reason is that we still lack innovation and value creation deeply entrenched as a culture in Singapore. If we review where this stems from, I think it begins from our education. I definitely agree that it is important to have an adequate foundation and understanding of fundamentals in all that we learn. But often, rigorous practice to manage examinations is not indicators that we have learnt. Usually, the most effective results are seen in our ability to actively learn and apply the knowledge that is learnt to real-life situations and challenges. Also, to create value out of limitations. Being adaptive, thinking out-of-the-box, accepting different ideas and challenges are all part of a process to innovate. We need to allow our younger generation to do so. There is no short cut to this. The challenge is: do we have the appetite to experiment and will the society accept different pathways in our education? Our education and societal norms will eventually shape the workers in our workforce. The ability to continue learning and take risks reflect the will of our individuals. Without the culture, can we see the jewel in the rocks?”
“A key topic to adaptation and change is: can we be competitive? Competitiveness has been and remains critical to all businesses. In current times, it becomes even more prevalent. Only those with the ability to differentiate and create value out of the basic solutions that address needs and generate demand will survive. I believe a key question on many minds is: can Singapore transform and continue to create future economic opportunities and employment? I feel that we need to be realistic and not expect there is a silver bullet that can provide this possibility. In this Budget, it does address some short-term needs where assistance is provided to those in need and who may be temporarily unemployed and for our vulnerable groups. But more importantly, we must seek to have longer-term directions; where we must get our fundamentals right on diverse education pathways for our future generations, readiness of our workforce, adaptability to new variation in economic models and sustainable approach to our social safety net. Moving forward, I see the role of our Government shifting to one that facilitates and enables, instead of prescribing an end solution to everything. This does not mean our Government should stop forward-thinking, planning or putting elements in place for the future. Instead, with increasing dynamism of our economy, we need all the stakeholders as active contributors, be involved and play a part in shaping the requirements that we need to make things work for Singapore. While it is widely discussed and we know that changes have to take place, but I believe we must focus on three areas to make a difference in the future. Let me explain the three areas. First, innovate for growth. To me, innovation is a culture.”
“Mdm Speaker, the global landscape is changing dynamically. As a small country, Singapore cannot afford to ignore the progression and challenges around us. The external environment will not slow down or stop in its tracks for us while we try to keep pace or reinvent ourselves. I see three key trends that are here to stay and will continue to shape the world. To some extent, Singapore, as a country, we may have little influence on these global trends, but we must take actions to remain relevant. We must recognise the presence of these trends, be willing to change, adapt and always prepared to ride the wave. First, the global political situations have altered significantly over the past two years. More of these changes are likely to follow. There is potential shift of economies towards protectionism and mercantilism. All these will create new challenges to global free trade and globalisation. Second, disruptive technologies. Disruptive technologies have always been present. The key difference between today's disruptive technologies is the frequency and nature in which the disruption presents itself. Intensive emergence of the new technologies renders less predictability in our future markets, but it is also able to bring about new economies and business opportunities for us. With digitalisation, the impact and reach of any new technology will be much larger as the market can react more responsively. New technologies that constantly emerge begin to dominate the market spaces within a short span of months, not years, unlike in the past. Thus, time is of the essence in the process of us restructuring any industry as the clock speed of economic changes has accelerated. Third, structural changes within industries and how our companies operate.”
“I hope this will bring about more consistency and give our parents some peace of mind. I support the Bill.”
“As much as we hope this will not happen to any of the centres, but pre-emptive measures must be taken to safeguard the children and staff. What is the notice period that will be given to the parents and staff should such an incident arise? Both the staff and parents will need assistance and adequate time to look for alternatives, if available. With the current vacancy limitation, finding a suitable alternate arrangement may prove to be a tall challenge. Five, the third-party education service providers. Businesses of third-party education service providers have flourished in the preschool sector over the past few years. More are set to join this industry. While there is nothing wrong in providing options and variety for children to learn, the approach in which it is offered has created inequality amongst the children. Today, in many centres, these additional curricula are optional classes. Sometimes, the classes are held within the centre and, other times, at external locations. The issue is that not all families can afford to send their children for additional classes. These children often have to sit out or take rest breaks while seeing their friends continue to be engaged and learning. It is unknown to us what psychological effect this may have on a young child. Furthermore, we should not be practising differing standards on the children at that tender age. Thus, I urge the Ministry to reconsider if there is a need to have additional classes conducted by third-party service providers, unless the learning opportunity is given to every child enrolled. Mdm Speaker, children are our country's most valuable resource and every child should have an equal opportunity to experience and learn. The framework that we seek to introduce here will be a step in the right direction.”
“Does the Ministry have an indicator of the impact these new rules will have on our existing centres and the new centres to be built? Under current conditions, there is already a shortage of certified persons who can perform duties in a childcare centre. For some centres, the intake of the children is much lesser than the enrolment capacity allowed as they have insufficient staff-to-student ratio. As I understand it, sometimes, the intake was managed in accordance with the availability of staff to ensure that each child can safely progress from nursery to kindergarten within the same centre. Depending on the allowable duties specified subsequently, this may further worsen the staffing situation. Would the Ministry consider different sets of qualification criteria for non-teaching staff where relevant experience, rather than ECDA's recognised educator certifications are being used? Can the ratio of non-teaching staff be increased to assist the teachers with the workload of having to care, teach and manage the administrative tasks? An appropriate balance can be made in accordance with the classes of licence that will be issued. I believe this may help to strike a better balance, create employment and relieve some of our short-term staffing shortages in the industry. Three, compliance. In this Bill, there is no mention on the frequency of audits and whether a standard checklist will be made available for the centre's staff to have information documented and prepared on an ongoing basis. This will help reduce the administrative load and preparation time of our centres when it comes to audit as they are usually operating close to 5.5 days each week. Four, serious violation and cessation of operators.”
“Mdm Speaker, as we encourage families to have more children, the need for caregivers rises correspondingly. These days, most young families are dual-income, and children would be placed with the childcare centres very early in their lives. In the past, children are placed at the childcare centres for shorter hours, like those equivalent to a play school or a kindergarten. Today, the role of these childhood development centres have expanded both in terms of the scope and extent of caregiving. Many centres are not simply learning and interactive grounds for our young infants, but also seen as a preparatory school before they begin formal education. With more demand, different options of child-minding facilities have emerged over the years. However, often, there are inconsistencies among the operators. With parents placing more responsibilities and expectations on our centres, it is thus necessary to have a framework that regulates and guides the basic operations. I see this effort as a first step to ensure the minimum standards amongst operators in order to facilitate an equivalent early childhood development centre. In doing so, there will be a few areas where potential concerns may arise, and I seek the clarifications from the Minister, and would like to provide some suggestions. One, cost of operation. Will the cost of operating a centre increase in tandem with the need to comply with these new regulations? While it is understandable to have a range of prices from different centres that cater to varying groups and it is the parents' choice to decide what best meets the needs of their child, the affordability of these centres must always remain accessible to a broad group of children. Two, availability of resources.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his answer. I have two supplementary questions for him. The first one is: in order for us to reduce the waiting time and the load at our polyclinics, are there more measures that MOH is planning to put in place? Second, in order for us to encourage, especially the elderly to go to the GPs, because it reduces their transportation towards the polyclinics or even some of the private hospitals, are we going to put in place more community health workers or volunteers who can help them gain access to the GPs if they are not willing to take the first step?”
“I have two questions for the Minister of State. The first one is that I understand we do not have enough enforcement on the ground to catch the recalcitrants or the offenders. So, are there better methods to work around this because maybe the penalties are not stiff enough and we should review the penalties in place? The second one is with regard to the population of the birds. In certain locations, we have seen that the birds actually only nest or tend to frequent around certain types of trees. Have there been any co-relationship studies done to see whether the type of trees planted results in the kind of population of birds that come around?”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for his answer. The reason for asking this is because we are seeing more of these schools in the neighbourhoods, due to the bus lanes as well as the congestion because of where the gates are positioned for the schools. More of them are building up within the HDB car parks. Generally, when the drop-offs happen, they are not all residents that live within that area. As a result of that, it creates even more congestion for the people who are living within the estates. Hence, the question of whether we could increase that grace period. It is not so much because they would like to park there for a longer time. Generally, the bottleneck is within the car park, and they are being trapped.”
“Like most owners, they had entrusted the project solely to the contractors. Being a first-time owner of a landed property, they were unsure of the processes involved. Unknowingly, their trust in the contractor, whom they thought would have the architect and the QP appointed to supervise the project, turned out to be a nightmare for them. Often, owners would not have sight of the new developments in the building rules and are technically challenged to understand the construction progress or even check against what materials had been used. This is even more difficult when the structures are embedded or concealed. Before they can reach the stage of obtaining the Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP), it would have entailed legal suits and caused home owners unwarranted stress, notwithstanding the strain it creates in our mediation and litigation systems. To reduce the frequency of such incidences, I would like to ask the Minister on the validation process of the QPs, how to ensure their certifications are kept relevant and that these QPs have duly carried out their duties and tasks before they endorse and sign off on the approval documents. If the QPs and/or developers were found to have violated the rules, how can it be made known to the public so that future consumers would not fall prey to the unruly players? On this note, Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill and look forward to the inclusion of these new clauses and that legalising the terms would help our enforcers to carry out their duties more efficiently, giving rise to safer buildings and developments in our city state.”
“I would urge the Ministry to consider having some of the enforcement terms as compulsory clauses within the rental agreements and the contractual agreements between the owner and the property agents. Tougher measures have to be taken against those who violate and possibly imposing a debarment period in which the owners are not allowed to rent their property. Enforcement is often viewed as an essential process for checks on compliance when the rules or guidelines are in place. However, when it is not explicitly written in legal terms, it is usually difficult for the enforcers to take any recourse against those who offend. As such, I support the amendment and the introduction of sections 13, 19A and 20A. The requirement to appoint QPs is absolutely necessary as the process of compliance during planning, construction and the final building structure has tremendous implication on safety. Be it for conservation, commercial or residential purpose, safety is an aspect that we cannot compromise. If the buildings were not constructed in accordance with approved plans, the cost of rectification will be huge and, at times, irreplaceable. It is likely that many owners are layman when it comes to building design and materials used, and they are ignorant of the building requirements and the terminologies. Many have dreams of what they hope their final design would be for their prized possession. However, many cannot articulate these details nor have any idea how the process may be like until they embark on some of these projects. Some errant developers may present false claims of their capabilities and hard sell before the contract is signed. This was exactly the issue that one of my residents faced recently.”
“I suggest that the Ministry consider applying the rule on the basis of the number of people per the built-up area, which is the gross floor area regardless of public or private property. In addition, all owners must be made to provide contactable details when declaring their property for rental and are held accountable if their tenants refuse to cooperate with the authorities. Second, during my house visits, I have encountered units that are occupied by elderly couples or those living alone with a domestic helper. These people are understandably sometimes reluctant to provide access of their premises to the authorities due to uncertainty and lack of trust in strangers. The case in point is not a concern of excessive subletting but on other areas, like the need for the authorities to inspect the presence of mosquito breeding, building structure conformance and so on. Should the Bill be passed, how can the authorities assist these elderly persons to ensure that they are safeguarded through a process to provide access and not fear of being penalised for not complying on the first instance? Third, while the current focus is about non-compliance being the responsibility of home owners and developers of the property, we may have neglected the role that the property agents play in such transactions. In cases where excessive subletting occurs, what is the probability that rental agreements were made without the assistance of a property agent and that the agent was unaware of tenancy conditions in the said property breaching the stipulated guidelines? And if proven so, will the property agent be equally liable for committing the offence as the home owner?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, the amendments in this Bill are encouraging and assist to explicitly explain certain details in existing rules which have been unclear or not legalised for enforcement to be carried out. With the rules clearly spelt out for enforcement purpose, it will positively support enforcement personnel to conduct their duties, hold the owners responsible and render early intervention to some local issues without wastage of our public resources. The amendment on subletting of a property to an excessive number of unrelated persons in this Bill, I feel, is a welcome move. Not only does it assist enforcers to conduct their checks, it also prevents situations where safety is a concern and the relevant authorities were unable to gain access into properties to take the necessary actions. Such stories are not unheard of during my house visits and Meet-the-People sessions. Here, I would like to raise a few areas which I felt the Ministry should further consider, as enhanced enforcement powers may not suffice under some conditions. One, in this amendment, it only refers to private properties and not HDB flats. But, with regard to concerns on overcrowding and safety, the size of a HDB flat generally poses more of these challenges, given its limited space compared to a landed property. I have received numerous feedback from residents living in HDB flats of suspected units housing more than the specified number of tenants allowed under the current guidelines. HDB had difficulties locating the owners, especially those who live overseas, and were unable to conduct the appropriate checks of the suspected units.”
“I am happy that the Senior Minister of State mentioned just now that there will be a clear demarcation to indicate the separation between the pedestrian and cycling paths. This would be most welcomed, especially when it needs to do strict enforcement. Mdm Speaker, I welcome the Bill as it is essential for the safety of everyone as we move towards better connectivity around Singapore. Thus, I hope that some of the suggestions could be looked into and I seek feedback on the clarifications that I have put across.”
“My question is how can we ensure that the safety limit trigger continues to be functional over time and would LTA consider reducing the speed for paths when the users are travelling in downhill motions? On the last area, planning and design of shared spaces. In many estates and public spaces, we have increasingly seen many bollards and boards being put up to prevent all these fast-moving bicycles and PMDs from knocking into pedestrians. Not only are they unsightly, they are not completely effective at some junctions and they also pose a challenge for those users who are in wheelchairs or those with baby strollers as they have to move around all these obstacles. As such, I would urge LTA to consider defining some specific areas as pedestrian-only paths where it may have a larger impact on the safety of users at shared public spaces. Some of the areas are, namely, overhead bridges, pathways immediately leading to lift landings, paths directly beside Housing and Development Board (HDB) void decks, and those near children's playgrounds and childcare facilities. Moving forward, there are more cycling networks planned to be added to connect our housing estates to major traffic nodes. This will undoubtedly provide relief to both cyclists and pedestrians. However, the widening of footpaths brings along with it joy and also sorrow. For the older mature estates, the existence of trees makes it difficult for any potential widening, thus resulting in some of the cycling routes being shorter than others. Where it is possible to widen, the challenge for enforcement comes as bicycles and motorbikes begin to encroach on some of the open spaces for short-term parking. So, what more can be done in this area?”
“Regulations and enforcement are necessary measures for rules to be upheld and in cases where disputes are most likely to occur between independent parties. However, there can never be sufficient ground enforcement if the penalties are not steep to deter the act of an offence or if the location and number of offences are widespread, thus making it hard to capture these offences. On this note, I would like to seek a few clarifications from the Minister. One, under clause 23, if an accident occurs and there is no party present as it is a hit-and-run incident, what type of supporting evidence is the victim supposed to provide when lodging or making a Police report? If the Police investigations do not reveal any new findings or are unable to identify the offender, how can the victims be compensated? Two, under clause 33, if the sale of PMDs is performed online and is a one-off transaction, not wholesale, would the seller be liable as he or she would not know if the buyer intends to ride the PMD on a public road? Also, to what extent is the seller required to put up warning notices for an online sale that is in accordance with clause 31? Three, for the volunteer public path wardens, what level of training will be given to them to assist them in their job and how can they be protected when they are handling the cases on the ground? Four, apart from fines and imprisonment for repeat offenders, would the Ministry consider having the offender contribute a certain number of hours to community service similar to the Corrective Work Order for those who litter? Five, I understand that some PMDs are designed with speed limit detectors and, as a safety measure, its maximum limit would be capped within the specified range as set out by LTA.”
“The campaign must be done on multiple fronts, not only in schools, and to be continued for a period of time, especially when there are new rulings in place. Everyone in the community must eventually have a sense of responsibility in using all the shared spaces and know right from wrong without being told or trolled on social media. Thus, over time, our behaviours and unwritten rules should reflect the way we can co-exist harmoniously and safely with considerate thoughts for others. In line with educating the users, I would like to ask the Minister whether the users of bicycles and PABs − as also mentioned by my fellow colleague Mr Zainal Sapari − who do not already possess a valid vehicle driving licence, should be asked to take theory tests to understand the Road Traffic Codes in order for them to use the public roads safely. This is a fundamental question when we look at the necessity for more enforcement and also the safety of road users. Typically, users of these PMDs or bicycles do not have the appropriate protective gears and alarms for signalling or even notifying others when in danger. Chances of them appearing at risky positions to the vehicles and with little room to manoeuvre are high. They will unintentionally end up endangering themselves and the nearby vehicles if they do not know who has the right of way on public roads. Since clause 3 sets out the purposes of the Bill, one of which is to enhance connectivity by supporting developments that promote walking and cycling and patronage of our public transport, then I would say understanding the road conditions, such as when not to take risks and how to be a better road user, are important knowledge for these users to acquire. Second, on enforcement.”
“Mdm Speaker, active mobility is an area of critical importance, not just from the definition of public paths and regulation of its use; it represents essential links that affect people's daily lives and tends to be one where moral grounds and empathy dictate more emotive responses should any incident arise. Recently, there had been more news and reported cases as awareness was raised about such mobility devices, and the easy access to recording tools have helped some victims gain their much needed justice. Noting the stiffer penalty meted out in some earlier cases, some people may be cautious. But it does not allay the fears many would have, especially those who were once the undeserved victims. As the Ministry continues to fine tune the Act, I support for three areas to be constantly reviewed: (a) education strategies; (b) enforcement; and (c) planning and design of shared spaces. On education strategies, studies have shown that human behaviours can be influenced by repeating certain actions and many of the behavioural traits can be changed through mindshare and are more effectively captured at a young age. I recall in my growing years, we were exposed to many campaigns, from Singa Lion − the Singapore Kindness Movement; Teamy Bee − efficient, productive workforce; to Sharity elephant and so on. In each campaign, it was not simply the mascot or the songs that we remembered. It was the inculcating of the key messages and the actions that we undertook in and out of the classes that remained with us as useful values in life. As part of raising awareness in the education campaign, I support those aspects concerning road safety and use of public shared spaces to be widely broadcasted.”
“I hope our society can embrace the reality of an ageing workforce, progressively change their mindset on appreciating values of workers based on their abilities and make room for more people who are willing to contribute their part. It may not be time for many to hang up their boots as they are cruising in their career, but reality hits hard when the mature worker wishes to remain active at work, only to find that redundancy and no vacancy are the music that welcome them. With this, I support the Bill.”