Chong Weng Chiew
Singapore
“Due to the high fees currently, often a spouse, usually a woman, would have to quit her job to take care of such an elderly person. Considering that the median household income is about $4,000, the household income would be halved if she quits, thereby creating financial hardship and family stress.”
“Mobility is a big problem for them and many cannot afford to pay for unsubsidised home therapy sessions or domestic help and taxi fares to bring them for follow-up appointments. More often than not, they miss their follow-up therapy sessions and their conditions will start deteriorating from there.”
“With regard to my cut on genetic counselling, I would like to suggest that the Ministry work with the Registry of Marriages to encourage all couples registering for marriage to go for medical screening and genetic counselling. Potential couples have the right to know about each other's health status.”
“" Teens under the age of 18 have to get permission from their parents and many end up persuading their parents to donate too. Their contribution comes at a time when demand is growing due to the aging American population.”
“It has to be fair and preferably tiered to be as inclusive as possible. It should also be responsive and flexible, easy to administer and not require too much bureaucracy. This is a pretty tall order. Still, we have to find a way to align the disbursement of healthcare subsidies in all our public medical facilities.”
“Sir, in many countries, whistle-blowing has been a major source of discovery of many fraud cases. Could the public have a clearer understanding of the exact protocol and processes in which complaints can be made and also subsequently on what grounds would such complaints be further investigated, that is to say, what information the public…”
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“I would now go on to the cut on AIDS patients. HIV or AIDS patient is a feared and, yet, misunderstood disease. As a medical doctor, I am of the opinion that we should not be judgemental. Presently, under the ElderCare Endowment Scheme, the Ministry of Health has recently sent out a circular requiring all approved healthcare providers, meaning nursing homes and hospices, to admit all Singaporeans and PRs, regardless of disease condition, including HIV positive or AIDS patients. Failing to do so might result in revocation or suspension of subvention. Sir, AIDS patients, like all patients, desire to be treated fairly. They should not be discriminated against because of their disease. Since the disease is such a dreaded one, I would urge the Ministry of Health to be a little bit more sympathetic to approved providers in requiring them to accept AIDS patients. Many of the approved providers are prepared to accept patients, regardless of their diseases, and are preparing their staff for the eventuality. However, they appeal to the Ministry of Health for a little more flexibility and time as they find it tough convincing their staff. Some service providers are already experiencing a loss of staff over this issue. Others are prepared to lose Government's subvention if they have no other choices. There are also some approved providers who have volunteer caregivers in their set-up. And it is difficult to retain voluntary help over the issue of accepting and working with AIDS patients. Sir, while some of us are comfortable in dealing with HIV positive or AIDS patients, I am afraid the community at large is just not ready. Thus, I would urge the Ministry to give the approved providers more flexibility and time in preparing the staff in accepting AIDS patients under their care.”
“Thus, there is a need for the concept of domiciliary care. What this consists of would be a team of professionals, such as doctors, nurses and physiotherapists. They will get referrals from hospitals and conduct home visits, giving treatment and follow-up in the comfort of the homes of the patients, who probably are home-bound. The physiotherapists in the team could provide much needed treatment, especially for post-stroke patients. Currently, these services are provided by a handful of voluntary welfare organisations and the demand far exceeds supply. Another advantage of such a system will go towards bringing down national healthcare expenditure (NHE). When this type of service is in place, it will release demand for hospital beds, as there are certain groups of patients who could be discharged earlier to recuperate in the comfort of their homes. And this group of patients would include those on intravenous drugs, those who are recuperating from stroke, as well as those post-operation cases. And this would benefit very much from home physiotherapy, or home medical treatment. Thus, I would urge the Ministry to (1) encourage more organisations to provide domiciliary medical and physiotherapy services; and (2) to provide funding for such organisations who are willing to take up this difficult task.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head O of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code OA 1500. Sir, since we are short of time, I would like to forgo my first cut and go to the second cut on home medicare. Sir, there is a quiet revolution going on in our healthcare system. In the 80s, we have rejected the means testing in deciding who is eligible for what kind of subvention and, presently, we are seeing the implementation of means testing from outpatient to step-down care services and, eventually, also to acute hospitals. This is a significant change in our healthcare policy. There are also more subtle changes in our healthcare delivery system. For instance, in our attempt to take away some of the pressure on the demand for hospital beds, we have introduced step-down care services. In other words, when someone suffers from an acute illness, for example, a stroke or heart attack, he will be admitted to a hospital, such as SGH or NUH. After that, the patient is on a recuperative stage and, hence, does not need the services of an acute hospital. Step-down care services henceforth will be in greater demand and will increase in importance, in the near future, in our fast ageing population. Sir, I would like to urge MOH to place emphasis on one of the newer approaches to healthcare delivery systems and, that is, domiciliary medical care, a form of step-down care services. When a patient is discharged from an acute community hospital, most of these patients still require follow-up treatment. In many of these cases, they are not fully ambulant, such as post-stroke patients and patients after amputation. It would be a chore for these patients to go for follow-up treatment at the institutions.”
“To this group of people, CPF for retirement, they say, "I may not get to retirement at all!" Would the Minister thus consider allowing this group of people flexible and limited utilisation to help them tide through these difficult times?”
“The fact that we are a nation of savers is through no accident. It is through the sheer political will and prudent policy that we are where we are today. Our people are able to go to bed in comfort with the knowledge that our hard-earned reserves would not be foolishly squandered away. It is also comforting to know that our workers' hard-earned money in our Central Provident Fund are well managed and closely guarded. In fact, it is so closely guarded that members are allowed only very limited utilisation until retirement. Rightly so too that our CPF is not allowed for liberal uses. Sir, allow me to present another angle of looking at our CPF savings. CPF's primary role is for "retirement, health care and housing". After you have taken care of your housing and bought enough health care insurance, the next time you may use your CPF monies is upon retirement. You may also, in a limited amount, use them for investment purposes and withdraw the capital gain, if any, at the end of the year. Even that is being slowly taken away from you. Now, we are in a different world. Many people out there are facing very different types of problems. Many are facing bunching financial problems. There are those who previously held high-earning jobs. They are also highly leveraged with house and car mortgages, and other financial demands. After having lost their jobs, they are pressed by banks to top up their monetary differences to the deflated value of their property, cars and other investments. They will grow more frustrated as their problems mount and bunch while they watch helplessly at their huge CPF balances in their Ordinary Accounts. It is not uncommon to see an unemployed person, who previously may be a bank manager, having $500,000 balance in his Ordinary CPF Account.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State, Mr Khaw for his wonderful reply. Thus, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to make two suggestions: First, the Traffic Police could be more sympathetic and lenient towards the taxi drivers; Secondly, for taxi drivers who have accumulated 24 demerit points within two years owing to the fault of their passengers, they should be given an extra six points. Perhaps, these six points may be for a period of six months. In this way, taxi drivers will not be penalised unduly, just because of the non-cooperation of some unreasonable passengers. These are special circumstances which warrant sympathetic consideration.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code WA 1500. (In Mandarin): Yesterday, the Comfort Group announced their results. The results show that business profits have improved by 15%. Comfort Group is the largest taxi operator in Singapore. The high turnover is because they have more taxis available. I understand that many people have already registered themselves with CityCab, and are waiting for taxis to be allocated to them to drive. I believe when people lose their jobs, one of the options is to become a taxi driver. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Chew Heng Ching) in the Chair] 4.42 pm Mr Chairman, taxi drivers are subject to very great pressure. At the time of an economic slowdown, people would avoid taking taxis, and hence less passengers. At the same time, many unemployed people are switching over to taxi driving. So, the competition for passengers is invariably intensified. Secondly, with this recent stepping up of the Traffic Police action against non-conformity with the safety-belt rules, the taxi drivers are the first to be victimised. If the rear-seat passengers do not belt up, the taxi driver will be fined and penalised with three demerit points. Of course, the taxi drivers can turn down passengers who refuse to belt up, but if the passengers complain to the authority about the taxi driver's refusal to service them, the taxi driver will be penalised all the same. If the taxi driver chalks up 24 demerit points within two years, he loses his driving licence, and consequently, his job. What if he is the sole breadwinner of the family. Many are! In these circumstances, these taxi drivers will complain and seek the help of the MPs. Of course, we cannot do very much to help them.”
“Our young talents suffer from an uneven competition compared to their counterparts elsewhere who do not have to serve NS. Our youths join the workforce mostly in their mid-twenties. I have seen many times where our young graduates are much older than their foreign counterparts in university. Not only that, they are also saddled with debts which they have to service upon graduation. I wonder what is the opportunity cost to them and to the Singapore economy as a whole. I also wonder if perhaps that is the reason why we are so scarce of local entrepreneurs. I also feel that we owe our NS youths, after the contribution of their prime time of their lives to the country, the duty to enhance their economic value as much as possible. If we can allow those fitter NSF men to serve a shorter stint, can we not then have an overall review of the length of our NS?”
“Currently, our young men are called up to serve national service for two different lengths of time. Majority of our youths serve a two-year stint in national service, whilst the commander grade serve another six months. The NS system, as I understand, had since then undergone some changes. In order to encourage our youths to be fit for NS upon enlistment and thereby cutting time that otherwise would be spent on building their fitness, the fitter of the lot is cut by two months. I note that Mr Chiam has raised the issue of shortening the length of NS before in 1991. Let me state that I am not speaking in support of him. Rather, things then and now have changed so much. In the light of the September 11 incident, I appreciate the heightened concern over security. It might be untimely to bring this up now but I feel the length of NS, especially that for a better-educated youth, might be reviewed for a shorter period. I have two reasons for my proposal. One, the advent of modern technology in warfare has rendered conventional warfare almost obsolete. Wars are no longer fought and won based on territorial occupation and the use of numerical forces. The recent Afghan War is a case in point. My point here is this. The development and advent of information technology is very significant in the way our security forces can be and is organised. Wars are fought and won sometimes even without seeing your enemies. The efficiency and battle-readiness of a defence force need not be compromised with the reduction of troops. There is lesser and lesser need for a large standing army. Second and, more importantly, allow me to argue for the enhancement of our youths' competitiveness in the light of global competition for talent.”
“Sir, I have two points to raise. Mr Gan Kim Yong's call for an inter-ministerial committee to ensure our competitiveness was on my mind, and I support it. Our statutory boards may be proud of past laurels and be complacent to challenges from budding competitors. But let it be reminded that if any of our national agencies fall, Singaporeans' livelihood falls with it as well. PSA employs about 30,000 workers and, if it falters, it would be held responsible for the fates of these fellow Singaporeans. Today, SIA is more than just a private company motivated by profit. SIA employs about 6,000 flight stewardesses, some of whom though are not local, we should be concerned with their performance. Singaporeans watch with concern the challenges posed to many of our national brand names, such as Changi Airport and SIA. They are wondering if our competitors would skin these institutions alive. Jobs are a primary concern these days. Sir, in conclusion, let me reiterate my two calls. First, setting up an inter-ministerial committee that compose also of private sector voices, some of whom have echoed the very problems PSA faces today long time ago. Second, a survey of the competitiveness of our national brand names, such as PSA, SIA, MRT, LRT, Power Supply, and so on.”
“Sir, I have no quarrels with that stated objective, except the point of using lower corporate and personal income tax to attract foreign direct investment to Singapore. I feel that the concomitant reduction of corporate tax and the increase in GST have, in total, a negative bias. The attractiveness to foreign companies of the reduction in corporate tax is very much negated by the increase in GST. I am not a businessman, but I do not think you need to be a savvy businessman to work this out. When a company invests in Singapore, the reduction in corporate tax is good to them only if they are profitable. But when a foreign company sets up shop in Singapore, they pay the GST upfront, even when they are still starting to set up the shop. Moreover, they might not have benefited from the reduction in corporate tax if their business is not profitable, while they still have to pay indirect tax. Sir, I am highlighting these feedback so that we may have, to quote Mr Arthur Fong again, a better plane with a stronger jet engine to take us higher and faster. With that, I support the Budget.”
“Is this really the Government taking from the poor and, in the process, benefiting the rich only and, in the midst of it, widening the income gap, as mentioned earlier on by my parliamentary colleague, Ms Irene Ng? If this is so, we have shifted our focus in our policy. If not, I rather believe that we have not. How did this perception creep up, and is germinating? Sir, let me state here that I do not fully agree with the views represented by the general public. The perception however is very real on the ground. Do we put our heads above the cloud level ignoring the rumblings on the ground, stubbornly believing in the superiority of our views? I feel the changes introduced are significantly profound. The shift from direct to indirect taxation calls for greater individual responsibility. I feel that this is a fundamental change and the citizenry should be given more time to prepare themselves. As a doctor, I have come across enough cases to come to the conclusion that individual responsibility is not very reliable. Many times, I have made the correct diagnosis and prescribed the right medicine for the full recovery of my patients. Yet, I see many repeat cases simply because they do not take their medicine. The increase reliance on consumption-based tax system might be a step in the right direction. Many feel that this is a major change, yet there is not enough consultation and deliberation. Herein, Sir, I feel lies the problem. Our population is getting more educated and informed. They would like to be informed of big changes, preferably well beforehand. My second point is the objective to allow me to quote Finance Minister Lee Hsien Loong, "bring to Singapore the economic activities that will provide Singaporeans with jobs".”
“For instance, we allocated a huge amount of resources to the building of public housing and the success of HDB had ensured 90% of Singaporeans having a roof over their heads. We build schools with universal access to allow all our citizens, regardless of race, language, religion and social class, the benefits of education. Our system of rewards is based on meritocracy and it does not matter who your father or mother is. It matters equally less what race and social class you belong to. For that, Sir, I am very proud to be a Singaporean. And because I am proud to be a Singaporean and being also a Member of Parliament, I feel that I would not be doing my duty if I do not echo the concerns of my fellow citizens. Sir, some wise alecks have labelled this Budget as a "Reverse Robin Hood". This view, unfortunately, is reverberating in many quarters of Singapore. They refer to the changes in the tax structure. In particular, many are of the opinion that lowering personal income tax and corporate tax will benefit only a small pool of the population. Since about 70% of Singaporeans do not pay personal income tax, the reduction in personal income tax does not benefit them. The increase in GST, notwithstanding the offset package, they argue, will hit them directly. The GST is indirect in nature and is consumption based; it is the 70% who would be taxed most. Hence, the wise alecks argue that the shortfall in tax revenue collected as a result of the reduction of personal income tax amounting to $1.3 billion is net off with the amount of $1.32 billion collected from GST. Is this really reverse Robin Hood?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak in this debate on the Budget Statement. After a series of speeches by my three female colleagues, I hope the House will welcome a male voice. My speech would not be long. I will take about 10 minutes. The gist of my good friend and fellow parliamentary colleague, Mr Arthur Fong's speech is that, in a new world, we are living with new and sometimes tougher challenges. Hence, we need a newer and stronger plane to fly us through the turbulence we are experiencing now and, more importantly, to last the longer journey ahead. Mr Fong's speech is a direct reference to the title of Finance Minister's Budget Speech "A Budget for a Different World". This Budget is an aberration in more ways than one. It is indeed a different world we are living in. For starters, we are experiencing a hitherto high unemployment. The experts in this field called this structural unemployment. But, Sir, call it by any other name, to the tens of thousands of unemployed, for months on end now, it is just as painful. I have two points I would like to highlight with regard to this Budget. Firstly, the changes to our tax structure introduced in this Budget. When I was in university, I read with great interest that Singapore's brand of politics can be best described as "democratic socialism". Hence, whenever I discuss Singapore's success with foreign counterparts, I feel very proud to be a Singaporean. I am very proud to say that the PAP Government had benefited the whole population. Our people's lives had gotten richer over the years. Sir, our Government's policies had always been crafted to benefit the people on a bottom up the social strata approach.”
“Lest I be accused of a young person sounding like an old record, this is the theme that has universal importance, and it cannot be over emphasised. With that, Sir, I support the motion.”
“It is no doubt a step in the right direction for the Government to devolve the step-down services to professional VWOs. However, the Government's role in providing overall healthcare cannot be diminished as a result. Many professional VWOs are left to the vagaries of the free market system, thereby having to compete against market forces in maintaining their cost. They struggle to balance their books and, consequently, sometimes have to sacrifice services for cost. Sir, in the not too distant future, the demand for step-down care services would proliferate in leaps and bounds, including many of us in the House. Surely, there is a role for the Government to ensure the adequacy of such services and the quality expected of does not diminish. Again, failing to do so would send the wrong signals to the general citizenry. I am happy to note that Mayor Teo Ho Pin's CDC has launched a scheme to ensure that step-down services are available to the non-ambulant patients in his CDC. In conclusion, Sir, the tasks that face us are no less monumental. Though monumental, the challenge is not insurmountable. We must use this opportunity to put into place initiatives which will instead root Singaporeans more firmly in our nation, and establish a society which is able to withstand adversity, because we have world-class heartware. Even as the Economic Review Committee and the Committee on Remaking Singapore proceed with their work, it is incumbent on Members of this House to drive home the point that all our work must centre around the average Singaporean. More importantly, while we proceed to remake Singapore and review the measures needed, we need to continuously strive to win the hearts and minds of the people. This is an old theme.”
“Sir, let me declare my interest at this point of time, as I am the Medical Director of a local VWO that offers step-down care services. Step-down care refers to services that are offered to patients after they are discharged from hospitals, and such services are important because they serve two major functions. Firstly, they allow patients to be discharged from hospitals faster, thereby relieving the pressure on hospitals that constantly face shortages of hospital beds, and also thereby reducing the cost to the patients. Secondly, a patient who is discharged from hospital cannot be considered to have fully recovered. A good example would be a stroke patient. He or she might not be able to feed himself, bathe or walk independently. Thus, step-down care services are needed to nurse these patients back to the best possible condition. This is a step in the right direction for our healthcare industry, and the net result would be a healthcare cost that is at a manageable level, while the level of service post-hospitalisation would increase. Currently, we have a good range of nursing homes and rehabilitative day care centres. However, what is lacking are home care services, especially home medical and home physiotherapy. Through Government's healthcare policies, the majority of these services are offered by voluntary welfare organisations. By and large, the VWOs are doing exemplary work, but there is still room for improvement. We have to find a way to raise the standard and level of professionalism among the VWOs and, at the same time, seek to identify those that can serve as role models for others. The Government must develop and support more organisations offering such services to our elderly, and also constantly audit the standard of their services.”
“We have to ask ourselves if what we are building is a Singapore that is home only to the hale and hearty, that our hospitals offering world-class medical treatment cater only to rich foreigners. Obviously not. The point I want to make is that our competitive advantages can no longer come from mere hardware. World-class infrastructure, competitive tax structures, well-trained workers can and will, over time, be replicated by others. Where Singapore must distinguish itself is in its heartware. By this, I mean a spirit among Singaporeans to pull together to overcome adversity, to feel an unshakable sense of belonging to Singapore. I admit that this is definitely easier said than done. Some may argue that such a process, which we could call nation building, cannot be engineered. But such argument goes against the very grain of what Singapore stands for. It is through the sheer will of our founding leaders and their colleagues that we are on our way to nationhood. I now move on and turn to the theme of providing support to our elderly and our infirm. Developing heartware also involves recognising the contributions of our elderly. We must also embrace those who are disadvantaged through physical or mental disabilities, and we must not develop into a society that nurtures its people only when they are productive, and to cast them aside when they can no longer do so. We must show Singaporeans that they are not like curry leaves, discarded after the curry is made. What we must remember is that Singapore is built on the sweat and toils of our elders, and this is an obvious point but one that merits reiterating. Another obvious point is that the proportion of the elderly in Singapore will continue to increase, and hence the need for step-down care services.”
“I note that the Government's response to the critical structural unemployment has been for retrenched workers to go for training and further retraining. There are also a number and variety of training schemes in place offering job matching, services to the unemployed and financial grants to those who are especially needy. But to the majority of the 108,000 unemployed and, to me, these are efforts to build our hardware and not our "heartware". To build heartware, we must tackle the issues at the fundamental level. We must ask ourselves what we can do to serve those who are particularly vulnerable to economic downturns. For instance, it is an often-heard comment of the unemployed middle age, "what is the use of retraining when we know that after going through it, I am still unable to find a job?" The unemployment problem has become more complex. The jobless bug has bitten not only the older workers but also the younger tertiary educated as well. Our young and tertiary educated are now facing greater challenges from all over the world. They are however handicapped by national service as well as financial obligations upon graduation. It is tantamount to our S-League footballers in their late 20s facing younger and faster players, such as David Beckham, Ronaldo and so on. We must also address the needs of those who are disadvantaged. For example, a recurrent theme among the unemployed has been that the older workers face greater hurdles in re-entering the job market. Companies tend to discriminate against such workers for a variety of reasons, and if age can be a handicap, what more a physical disability.”
“Many themselves are facing critical difficulties in times like this. I urge the Government to consider how we may increase our assistance to the needy, which need not lapse into welfarism. Next, there is no denying that foreign talents have contributed to Singapore. However, what we have gained from the new foreign talents, we have lost many of our own local talents who have migrated overseas in search of greener pastures. I am however apprehensive to the long-term effects to Singapore of the loss of Singapore's sons overseas. Sir, I am not saying chase out the foreigners. Rather, while we have the added contributions of foreign talents, are we doing enough to prevent a local brain drain? Are we doing enough to boost the morale of local talent and prevent them from slipping into thinking that they are not wanted and they are second class talents? Are we doing enough to increase the competitiveness of Singaporeans in the global employment market now that we are very much plugged into the world's system? Singapore's youths suffer in the competition for employment opportunities, since they spend two and a half years of the prime of their life serving the country. To the thousands who are unemployed, schemes to reduce taxes and to upgrade the infrastructure merely add insult to their injury. Of what benefit are lower taxes if one does not even earn an income? Of what use is a spanking new airport if going on holiday is but a distant dream? Arrears in utilities charges, rental payments, traffic fines and unable to service the financial obligations are definitely increasing in numbers. I wonder what is happening to our Singapore dream.”
“There are indeed very severe challenges facing Singapore. We are in the midst of an unprecedented storm. Unemployment has reached a high of 5%, and this situation is likely to get worse before it does get any better. Hence, the resounding victory of the last General Election is by no means an absolute support for all the PAP Government policies. In fact, there is some disquiet that is reverberating across Singapore over some issues, causing Singaporeans to think whether they are second class citizens. Allow me to just highlight briefly some of these issues. At the meet-the-people sessions, the number of financial assistance cases, as a result of job losses, has increased manifold. It is heart wrenching to see a grown up man of 50 years old asking for help to pay his son's school fees of about $300, amidst the fact that he has mounting rental and utilities arrears. Here is a hale and hearty man asking for help because he is jobless. What more the numerous elderly citizens out there in the society? Here is a man who is antithesis to our perennial fear of Singapore lapsing into a welfare state if we give handouts. He wants to work, yet cannot find one, maybe through no fault of his, and he and his family suffer for it. This is a common sight at the meet-the-people sessions, and I am sure it is also a common sight with many of my parliamentary colleagues in their meet-the-people sessions as well. Sir, we might therefore need to review our many-helping-hands policy towards the needy. The current economic crisis affects almost every layer of Singapore. It is not discriminative. Presently, the State intervenes only after exhausting the needy person's immediate next-of-kin, ie, his siblings and the extended family.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of Mrs Lim Hwee Hua's motion of thanks. Coincidentally, there are four medical doctors, including myself, speaking today. Allow me to present my diagnosis of what ails the ground. It is however by no means a contradictory second opinion from my previously spoken medical colleagues. It will be difficult to speak after DPM Lee, as he has addressed many of my concerns that I would be listing. Nevertheless, Mr Speaker, Sir, let me deliver my concerns. The President, in his Speech at the Opening of the Tenth Parliament, has charged this House with the responsibility of seeing Singapore through severe challenges. The President's Speech struck in me a disturbing thought. I realise that Singaporeans of my generation have grown up with the world view that if we work hard and gain good qualifications, we will be guaranteed a secure future. We took for granted that Singapore will continue to enjoy rapid growth, while issues of racial and religious harmony were never in our conscience. But things have changed. Two recessions in the last five years have shown us that good qualifications, extensive experience and hard work do not guarantee continued employment. The new reality is that Singapore is plugged into the global economy. A ripple elsewhere can turn into a tidal wave for us. In the past, we could ride out these waves because our ship of state was better equipped, our people better trained and, while others floundered, we sailed through. But now everyone has a comparable ship of state. Everyone is investing in and upgrading their human capital. Everyone is vying for the same talents which today, more than ever, is globally mobile. I shall now stop this maritime simile in case the House may think that I am all at sea.”