Cynthia Phua
Singapore
“Sir, I am very glad that the Minister has elaborated on the diversification of our food sources. On the ground, our senior citizens are saying that the 10-cent increase in a cup of coffee is affecting their daily needs.”
“Where are the weak links that should be tightened? How does his Ministry intend to tackle the problem and whether it is engaging in any dialogue with different concerned groups in the community, for example, VWOs?”
“Mr Chairman, the Minister mentioned about the cross-agency effort on youth. He mentioned three Ministries – MOE, MHA and MCYS. I would like to ask for one more, ie, MINDEF, because for male youths, if they are delinquents, they would have left school and be enlisted earlier, and they could get help from MINDEF.”
“Many parents are working when the children are in secondary school. As a result, teenage students are left at home in the afternoon without proper guidance.”
“In the community, we came across many new cases where family could not manage to persuade the patient to have early treatment, resulting in nuisances being caused to the neighbourhood and the patient himself who suffers the mental illness.”
“What has been the outcome pertaining to our ongoing efforts to bring back our Singaporean medical students and some of the young doctors working overseas? What are the Minister's views on the newly introduced scholarship for medical students studying overseas?”
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“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this Bill. Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Ministry of National Development for taking the bold step to review many of the issues arising from the management of mixed development strata properties. There are three areas which I wish to highlight. First, effective use of the two-tier system. The two-tier MC system will only be offered to new mixed use strata developments as an alternative option to a single MC system. This option will not be offered to existing mixed use strata developments so as to allow time for MND to assess the effectiveness of the new system and then apply retrospectively to the existing developments. Singapore is already a built environment and there are many existing mixed developments. The amendments arise because of feedback of real issues on the ground, and hence the review. I would like the Ministry to put these recommendations to a Select Committee. This will enable the amendments in the Bill to be extensively consulted and discussed to ensure the relevance of the amendments in the actual management of the MCs. Secondly, I would like to urge the Ministry to consider implementing this two-tier MC system not only to new mixed developments, but also to selected existing mixed developments. This would enable the review to be made at a faster pace. For any new development, it takes about two years before the development forms its first MC to allow the two-tier system to work. It takes another few years for the MND to assess the effectiveness of this two-tier system. This would stretch the review to at least to 4-5 years before any effective review can be done. Even after the review, it takes perhaps one or two years for the Ministry to make its decision.”
“Yes, I think it was reported that the lady committed suicide with her two children.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the suicide case of a woman and her two children, had she been counselled by a medical social worker? How many cases were referred to these medical social workers in the last year? Would the medical social workers alert family members of patients who come under their counselling as a precautionary measure? Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Sir, is the Member talking about a specific suicide case?”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Parliamentary Secretary for the provision of the school bus bays. But he has not mentioned on the provision of the alighting and boarding points for parents to send their children to school within the school compound.”
“Currently, how many schools do provide the alighting and boarding points within the school compound and how many do not? School Uniform”
“Sir, many schools lock their main gates and do not allow school buses and parents to drive into the schools with their children. The argument of principals is that it is for the safety of children in the schools. However, the principals of these schools have forgotten that, because of the locked gates, these students have to make their way around cars parked at least two rows abreast alongside the road, and sometimes having to cross from the opposite side of the road, not forgetting that school buses move in and out along the public road for alighting children. The problem of congestion is now at the public roads and HDB car parks around the schools. The Traffic Police and HDB summon parents for stopping their cars for alighting and boarding on these roads and car parks, as they are not designed for this kind of traffic, blocking residents who, in turn, have to send their children to their children's schools at the same time. Can the Minister enlighten whether it is MOE's policy and guideline to lock the gates to prevent school buses and private vehicles from going into the schools? Does the Minister agree that it is still the principal's and school's roles and responsibilities for any accident that might happen to the students on the public roads and car parks surrounding the schools? Can the Minister inform the House whether there is a standard requirement for the schools to have the alighting and boarding points within the school compound under PRIME? This is a basic facility that is needed in all schools. If well-designed and planned for, it should be able to segregate the children in the school from the vehicular traffic. Will the Ministry make this a basic facility in all schools and during the planning stage of the school?”
“Sir, what Ms Braema is saying is that these are the students who have dropped off the net. They may go for registration for Primary 1, but they have not attended any kindergarten classes at all.”
“May I then ask the Minister: if CCA is important and should be emphasised in our schools, why do our principals keep telling the students and parents that there are insufficient resources for the children to take part in CCA? How many schools allow their students to participate in CCA without any selection process, and why is there a need for a selection process just for play or learn to play? Is the Ministry not putting in enough resources on the ground? And most of the students are directed to be librarians, with least of the resources needed? The guidelines and awards given to schools for CCA excellence are in contradiction to the policies of CCA for mass participation and allowing as many children the joy of learning as a team in CCA and sports. Will the Ministry review the guidelines and policies of the award of CCA excellence in schools?”
“Sir, during the cut on Sports For All, which you, for overrun of time, cut me short, I would now like to highlight a story of how Norway was successful in the World Cup. The article in the Straits Times in February 2004, headlined "World Cup: How Norway did it", the President of the Norwegian Football Association was reported to have said: "We have to get the basics right first to give the Norwegian children opportunities to play football. The NFF created clubs in every neighbourhood for children to join from the age of six." The emphasis is on the opportunity to play. I will again quote the Straits Times' article on the interview with the Minister himself, his background and the importance of play and teamwork that had shaped him: "I think a lot of what I am was actually shaped in my school days. I spent my time playing sports almost every day of the year, sometimes two sports in a day, and often until it was too dark to see the ball. You learn to take knocks, to go in for the tackle, to live with your scars. You rely on your team mates. You lead, you win and lose as a team. There was great camaraderie." His thoughts on 2nd September 2003 at the opening of the CCA conference were: "CCA has been changed from ECA in 1991 to give emphasis that co-curricular activities are an integral part of education, not an add-on or option. If CCA has been important in the past, it will be more important in the future. This is because some of the key traits that our young need to succeed in a more complex and frequently changing future will be cultivated most effectively by engaging them in CCA, in teams, as well as in individual pursuits." From these quotes, clearly, CCA is important and it is an integral part of our education system.”
“Based on this model, the advantages would be, I quote the Minister again, "At the other end of the spectrum, there is no stigma attached to the student who opts for Chinese Language B. If he faces great difficulty in learning Chinese, despite putting in the effort, Chinese Language B can motivate him to sustain an interest in the language and use it. This is similar for the other subjects as well." I would like to implore the Minister to kill this sacred cow and to reconsider the mode of streaming our children for the objective of effective learning.”
“Sir, I would like to quote the new changes that the Acting Minister for Education has painted in his interview with Straits Times recently. Many have hailed it as his visionary thought. As a parent and as an MP, I too got excited with the changes he offered. At least, when you hear the grouses on the ground, we now have an answer, "There will be changes coming. Hang on, children and parents!" I quote, "We are moving towards a more flexible education system that provides more choices for students - new types of schools, alternative school curriculae and more customised approaches to teaching students with different abilities. We have to nurture young Singaporeans who are more willing to ask questions, as they learn to think in original ways and to try out new ways of doing things." I personally believe in streaming for effective teaching, but the present mode of streaming destroys our children's confidence and self-esteem. The present streaming of learning abilities has resulted in the labelling of students, ie, EM1, EM2 and EM3, Normal, Express, Special and ITE students. MOE had ignored the impact of streaming on the confidence of the students and their self-esteem for far too long a time. Has the Ministry conducted any survey on the emotional and psychological impact of our children due to this labelling of our children? With the Minister's visionary thought on the diversity of our education system, will there be changes in the way we stream our children in their learning abilities? Can we adopt the model-based approach, like what he introduced for the Chinese Language B, for the other different subjects too?”
“I know the Minister and the Ministry are very proud of the Sports School. But what happens to all the children in schools, just wanting to learn a sport? Before I rest my case, Sir, I just want to show a newspaper article, "World Cup – How Norway did it". I know the budget of $65 million ---”
“I know the Member, Mr Zainudin,makes it a point, together with his colleagues, to play soccer regularly, and I am very sure that he learned it when he was a young boy, and he learned to play and enjoy the game with his friends. We should not allow the lack of resources to prevent our children to learn and play games when they are young. Can the Minister seek the assistance and cooperation of MOE to put strong thrust on the importance of playing sports by our children in school? And can the Minister consider helping the schools in providing the resources to encourage sports in school,eg, sports personnel in schools or a cluster of schools, and not only in the Sports School,but alsopossibly installing more sports facilities within the vicinity of a cluster of schools? Please, again, do not tell me that I should plead with the Minister for Education. I would definitely do so in mycut on CCA. If MCDS is not encouraging or is not successful in encouraging children in school to take up sports, then how can the Minister and the Ministry encourage Sports for All and Sports Excellence? I know the Ministerand the Ministry ---”
“Sir, Sports for All, a cornerstone of Singapore sports policy, is an important means of enabling one to keep fit and healthy, especially in a rapidly ageing society. Sports is an effective way of bonding the family and community by encouraging human interaction. Yet, the manner in which sports is being promoted in schools leaves much room for improvement. This is despite what the Minister has just said, sports would instill our children with the fighting spirit. Can the Minister inform the House how is his Ministry supporting the promotion of sports in school? Presently, not many of the children are given the opportunity to take up the relevant sports that they wish to learn and play with their friends in school. And I stress, just learn to play, and not even in competitive games at all. Many of the schools are stating that there are not enough resources in terms of teachers and facilities. I give an actual example. My daughter, who is now in Primary 4, is looking for a CCA to take. She wanted to play netball. After one whole year in Primary 3, she still could not play the game and play with her friends because she was not selected. I remember playing netball when I was young on a school field and not on a court. And the answer given to her was that there were not enough netball courts in the school. If we do not encourage the children to take up a sport to enjoy the teamwork and the pure joy of playing a game, then it is more difficult for them when they are adults to find the time and courage to take up the sport and find the company to enjoy the game.”
“Most parents, after work, have limited time with their children, and such values are also difficult to be taught and must relate to values through life experiences. In addition, I would also like to urge the Pro-Family Committee to encourage grassroots leaders, organisations, cultural and family support agencies, such as the Family Service Centres and neighbourhood links, to put more emphasis in the thrust of promoting family values in their activities. Parenting”
“Our Government hopes to enable Singaporeans to make informed life choices and support the family in its roles and functions. The four key thrusts are: (1) Imbue Singaporeans with pro-family values and encourage family formation and bonding; (2) Equip families with knowledge and skills to create and manage quality family life; (3) Create a pro-family environment with strong community support for families; and (4) Encourage women's participation and contribution to family and community. My main concerns in this area are the parent educationalist and the community's effort on the thrustof instilling family values on the young;secondly, the limited time our children spend with their parents and grandparents for the informal teaching of family and moral values. I always believe that whatever values we want to instill in our young, we must start when they are young. Childcare and student care are important support facilities for the parents to bring up their children when the parents are working. Their children spend at least five to about 10 hours in these centres, and these facilities are under the supervision of MCDS which licenses them. The standard and quality of these centres also vary. Can the Minister consider putting in moral education as a compulsory programme for these centres? Our children read widely, and most of the books that these centres have provided are mainly knowledge-acquiring books. Can the Minister recommend and encourage these centres to provide some standard moral education materials? Children need to be exposed to moral value teaching constantly, as this role is traditionally done by their parents and grandparents. However, at these centres, an added dosage would be good for the children.”
“Minister Lim Hng Kiang, who oversees population matters, will ensure that the policy on ageing is coherent with the broader population policy. Sir, the short answer to Prof. Ngiam is thatwe do not need a statutory board because we have in place a coordinated effort which cuts across various Ministries to identify the concerns and the issues and how they are inter-related and what are the best solutions going forward. Ms Ng also addressed the issue of elderly abuse.We share her concern and how we can prevent this. I have answered in this House in one of the parliamentary sessions that this has to be a joint effort involving all partners, both in the community and the Government. Finally, if neighbours and the community can help out to educate families and how they can deal with the problems, especially with the elderly, I think we can help to overcome the incidence of abuse among the elderly. Procreation”
“Sir, apart from training, my Ministry monitors the effectiveness of VWO-run eldercare services through the Programme Evaluation System. My Ministry will continue to strengthen efforts to ensure appropriate standards of service in the eldercare sector. Research and national authority Sir, I agree with Assoc.Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang and Mdm Cynthia Phua on the need for systematic, ongoing research and a coordinated policy effort. Family, procreation and ageing are complex and inter-related issues and indeed will impact on Singapore's future. They are important in my Ministry's research and policy agenda. For example, this year, the National Survey of Senior Citizens will survey Singapore residents aged 55 years and above to help identify critical issues of older persons in areas such as health, social support and financial status andother concerns. A Needs Assessment Survey will also be conducted to identify the developmental and care needs of the elderly. I would like to assure Assoc. Prof. Ngiam that I will address his concerns on research and surveys on the procreation issue later. Sir, as population-related issues cut across different fields, these policy reviews and research are usually undertaken in partnership with other Government agencies. The research and review on ageing issues, for example, involves agencies such as the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Statistics. This provides a more holistic approach to the policy questions, so that related issues and concerns are adequately captured. Beyond these working arrangements, various inter-Ministry committees provide strategic oversight on the issues and help ensure a coordinated effort.”
“Besides a national helpline service, the centre provides information and referral, online support and advice on home modifications. Ms Irene Ng has also asked about the trends of cases in the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents (TMP). Over the last four years, the number of applications for maintenance order has, in fact, fallen from 120 in 2001 to only 88 in 2003. This is due partly to our efforts to encourage the family to resolve their problems through mediation and other channels. We have not observed any significant change in the profile of those coming for help at the TMP. Sir, as the Eldercare Masterplan is now past its mid-term for implementation, it is timely to review its effectiveness, adequacy and relevance. This review will be undertaken in partnership with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health, the National Council of Social Service and the VWOs. My Ministry also recognises that manpower development is a key strategy to upgrade the quality of eldercare and services. Proper training programmes will equip eldercare staff with relevant competencies. To this end, my Ministry has collaborated with Nanyang Polytechnic to run foundational certificate courses on ageing and eldercare, for both centre administrators and front-line staff. Also, all skills-based eldercare training will be certified under the National Skills Recognition System. This is a first for the social services sector.Fourteen skills standards have been developed for the pilot phase and currently a free skills audit for the industry is being conducted. At least 100 out of a total of 450 eldercare service staff are planned to be certified in FY04, and the rest within the next 2-3 years.”
“Those at risk, including the elderly living alone or frail are being linked to local social service agencies. I commend these efforts. I hope many more Members in this House will follow the example of these two fine ladies! An hon. Member: Hear, hear! Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, my Ministry will meanwhile increase the public's awareness of the need to reach out to the elderly in their midst. We will also work with community agencies such as the Senior Activity Centres, Family Service Centres and grassroots organisations to form a community network that will keep a database of lone elderly and tie them to a regular visitation programme. The agencies will coordinate the help for them. Those in the network will be given a resource kit and training to be more effective in order to sustain the effort. My Ministry will pilot this network this year with interested partners before replicating it nationwide. I would urge my fellow MPs and Advisers to support this initiative. Ms Ng has expressed the concern that children are reluctant to send their parents to eldercare facilities. We recognise that children of the elderly may not be fully aware of the benefits of community-based eldercare programmes, like Day Care services. So, my Ministry will step up our efforts with the community as well as healthcare partners to educate the public. The Government's means tested subsidies allow more low-income families to access the eldercare facilities and services. We review our funding and subsidy levels regularly and will continue to do so. Caregivers also need support. The Touch Caregivers Centre has a wide range of programmes to enable caregivers to cope with the care of their elders.”
“Volunteers from the Befrienders Service provide friendship and emotional support to over 3,800 lonely elderly, linking them with appropriate help as needed. Community-based services like Home Help Services, Community Case Management, Day Care Centres, Home Medical and Home Nursing help the frail or homebound elderly. The elderly in 1-room rental flats have the Alert Alarm System.Twenty Senior Activity Centres and 11 Neighbourhood Links support elderly residents, particularly those in rental flats, linking them to the necessary services and paying them regular visits. Neighbourhood Links also provide information on social services, and engage our elderly residents in volunteer work and mutual help groups. Indeed, they have received good support. To-date, they have over 1,000 volunteers. They have also registered over 1,200 vulnerable residents, who include the frail elderly, those living on their own, at-risk families and residents with disabilities. Most have been matched to a volunteer or a service provider. Sir, despite these efforts, there are still older Singaporeans whom we have yet to reach. We need everyone in the community to help close these gaps. We have seen good examples of the community involvement spirit on a local level. Let me cite two examples - both of them are from this House. Dr Lily Neo and her grassroots leaders organised visits to 200 flats in the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng precinct under the precinct's Gas Safe campaign last October. They helped many vulnerable elderly residents in the rental flats with safety measures. Ms Indranee Rajah has gathered a team to make a comprehensive needs assessment of all rental and 3-room flat dwellers in the Bukit Merah View area.”
“They are helping to shape positive attitudes towards the elderly amongst both the young and the old. Public education helps both young and old value the contributions of the elderly. My Ministry's year-round public education programme calls on the elderly to stay active and to be involved in the community and their family. The Annual Citizen's Award and Senior Citizens Week recognise their contribution and hold out role models of active ageing. For the first time, the public voted for the winners and many voters were children. Members will no doubt recall the outstanding example of voluntary work by Ms Theresa Hsu, and of grand-parenting by Mr Lim Soo Tsu, the grand winner of last year's award. Sir, good family support and active involvement in their families are vital for our elderly and help further shape the positive attitudes among the young. The Family Matters Singapore Committee co-funds good and innovative initiatives to foster grand-parenting and inter-generational bonding in an active and fun way. Last year, more than 26,000 people participated in 50 activities. 1.15 pm Sir, Mdm Cynthia Phua and Ms Irene Ng noted the need to ensure the adequacy and the quality of eldercare services. Under my Ministry's 5-year Eldercare Master Plan, we are setting aside $26 million in the coming two years for the development of eldercare services to enable older Singaporeans to age in place in the community. The challenge is to keep the elderly connected to appropriate support and services as they age. Both Mdm Cynthia Phua and Ms Irene Ng have expressed concerns over elderly living alone without help. Several services are in place to reach out to them.”
“Active ageing is the key thrust of my Ministry's work to engage the elderly as integral members of society. As more examples of the elderly contributing to their families and society are seen, perceptions about them will improve. We have seen a significant improvement in volunteerism rate in the elderly. According to a NVPC survey, the volunteerism rate among seniors aged 60 years and above rose from 11% in 2000 to 15% in 2002. So my Ministry will continue its efforts to promote active ageing. In the coming years, $3.7 million would be spent to fund both programmes and public education to help the elderly remain actively engaged in the community. My Ministry works with many partners to promote active ageing. The People's Association, for example, has a PA Senior Citizens Club and a mutual help scheme. As mentioned by Mr Sin Boon Ann, the Retired and Senior Volunteers Programme (RSVP) encourages volunteerism by seniors. Sir, my Ministry's Active Seniors Programme seeks partnerships with all sectors of society to develop new and innovative initiatives for seniors to volunteer and be involved in the community. The activities can be as wide as sports, arts, student outreach. Five new Active Seniors Programme were added in FY 2003. Let me elaborate on two of them.One is the Active Seniors Green Workshop by Kampong Senang Activity Centre, where seniors do eco-recycling and organic farming. They deliver their produce while visiting cancer patients. Second, the Singapore Professional and Executives Cooperative Programme taps retired professionals that Mr Sin spoke about to provide management advice and consultancy to new SMEs and VWOs. These examples illustrate how our seniors can remain active and actively engage in society.”
“I am pleased to report that almost 90% of the 78 recommendations made by the IMC in 1998 have already been implemented or are progressing well by the various agencies, such as the introduction of Eldershield and the Lift Upgrading Programme. Sir, five years on, the reconstituted committee, under the new leadership of Minister Lim Hng Kiang, is taking a fresh lookat the concerns of the elderly today. I will leave it to Minister Lim to provide more details on the progress of the recommendations and the future plans and direction of the committee in due course. But let me just share the feedback that we have received that suggests that the key concerns of older Singaporeans today revolve around the issues of employability and financial security. There is much greater concern today than five years ago, as the uncertainty of income and employment security has become more apparent in globalisation and economic restructuring. Consequently, older Singaporeans are generally concerned over the cost of living issues, particularly healthcare cost. It is important to keep the feedback channels open for concerns and views to be voiced, and I am sure the committee, led by Minister Lim, would be actively seeking views through various platforms and forums this year and, when ready, will update the public what it plans to do to address the concerns of the elderly. Let me now take some of the specific concerns raised by Members. Mr Sin Boon Ann, Ms Irene Ng and Mdm Cynthia Phua spoke on the need to tap the potential of our retirees and the baby boomers who will soon join their ranks and to create an environment that encourages active ageing. Ms Ng also spoke on educating the young to better appreciate the old. I agree wholeheartedly.”
“Once they are able to contribute to the family and society, they would feel wanted, be active and stay young and healthy. Family, Procreation, Ageing and Population Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang: Sir,the many issues raised by my parliamentary colleagues actually point to the need for sustained research in this area. In view of the complexity of national issues dealing with the family, population, ageing, procreation matters and thebaby bonus, there is a need for a systematic and on-going policy and programme research to understand the various dynamics involved and how different segments of Singaporeans perceive and respond to the issues and to policy efforts and also the effectiveness of solutions implemented. National Authority on Family and Ageing As family, fertilityand anageing populationare long-term issues for our nation, there should be a national statutory board or organisation set up to plan and coordinate efforts to deal with this long-term problem, much like we have organisations such as WDA to tackle our manpower issues. So I would just like to ask the Minister what is the thinking of the Ministry along those directions. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I would like to thank Mr Charles Chong and Mdm Cynthia Phua who rightly spoke on the need to understand and address the concerns and issues facing our elderly today. Sir, the ageing issue is indeed a very complex one. The concerns cover many fields and require a holistic and coordinated approach across many Ministries and agencies. For that reason, the Government set up the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Ageing Population, chaired by Minister Mah Bow Tan in 1998, to study these issues. Mr Charles Chong asked for the progress of this committee and its new directions.”
“Over the past 10 years, 1990-2000, the population of those aged 65 and above has grown annually by about 3.7%. By year 2030 this will rise to 19%. Therefore, the population here is ageing very fast. In the meantime, there have been structural changes in the economy and even in the wage system. Many of our younger elderly are out of a job much earlier than at 62 years of age. In view of this economic downturn, rather than waste this potential workforce who comes with years of experience, the Government could do more to help them to be relevant to society so that they could not only contribute economically but also feel a sense of respect and responsibility. With flexi-wage the older people can be employable, especially those who are still very healthy. Many companies have directors who are above 65 and still contributing. So why not tap those who have the qualification and experience to continue to give them part-time work, and surely many more can be done than just serving at fast food restaurants? My questions are: has MCDS conducted studies on the elderly or solicited their feedback to look at their experience, qualifications and feedback and work with MOM to assist them to continue to lead an active life and continue to contribute to society? What is the MCDS' focus in promoting the active ageing message? Besides being active in social and community services, there should also be a wide range of voluntary services, which I support Mr Sin Boon Ann’s call on voluntary services. There should also be a wide range of voluntary services that they can continue to contribute to society. Can the Ministry target and promote such voluntary services including taking care of their grandchildren as part of them?”
“For both. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: For those in the school-going age, special schools are being managed by MOE. I am not sure what the queue is, but I will be able to get theinformation. As far as childcare centres are concerned, we have opened up spaces for children with disability, but if there are specific concerns that the Member would like us to address, we will look into them. Youth”
“Sir, the Minister has not answered my query. Can the Minister give us an indication of the queue for admission to the special schools fordyslexic and autistic children? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, is Mdm Phua talking about before school-going age or school-going age?”
“The Government’s policy on people with disabilities is that they should have the opportunities to achieve their potential and be independent, where possible, and should be integrated in society, where feasible and practical. They are also encouraged to live within the community, and admissions to institutions should be the last resort. Their care and welfare should also be everyone’s concern - the family, community and the Government. In providing services for them, the Government has adopted a many-helping- hands approach, involving the citizenry, the Government and the voluntary sector. The Government also works closely with the National Council of Social Services. My main two concerns are basically the disability of the children. Many of them have to wait in long queues for the special needs, for detection, as well as for intervention. I would like the Minister to tell us how long is the queue for these special schools and, at the same time, because of the medical advancement, it is easy to detect conditions such as dyslexia and autism. I would like to know the Ministry’s direction on these two children’s conditions and their early detection. 11.45 am”
“There is a constant threat of a dengue outbreak any time if the existing unreachable gutters are not removed. The Ministry should continuously work with the various Government agencies in eradicating these breeding grounds permanently, instead of using biological levicide to control breeding in roof gutters. I understand that this biological control agent from USA is a special formulation of bacteria which, I feel, is again a temporary measure, as it lasts only for three months. 6.15 pm”
“More volunteers could be roped in, considering the number of cases tripled to nearly 4,800 people for the whole of 2003. Based on the Ministry of the Environment's press release on 14th February on the figures last month, I am concerned over the statistics. The figure is alarming, despite the huge effort put in by NEA for the past years, eg, the preventive inspection of houses and flats, warning letters, hefty fines and post-fogging of areas. I have a few questions for the Minister. What measures can we take to address the dengue problem? Although the Ministry is aware of the five-year cycle, this recent cycle had seen six deaths. What preventive measures does the Ministry of the Environment have to prevent this five-year cycle? Can the Minister give an update on how NEA is tackling this problem in the light of the severity of the outbreak in Indonesia? Is there any risk of the strain of mosquito in Indonesia being transported here through airplanes or on board ships? The third concern I have is the breeding grounds found in roof gutters of private houses and properties. Many are due to the inherent design and installation, which have not taken into account the threat of dengue fever in the past. Many of these defective designs are potential breeding grounds awaiting for an outbreak. I have highlighted in this House previously and asked NEA, being the lead agency on dengue, to seek the cooperation of the Building Control Authority and the residents in resolving this issue. It has been some months and I have yet to receive any updates, as I volunteer to work on this issue. There is a part of the private estate in Hillside, Yio Chu Kang, which is under my management.”
“Sir, Singapore's OK programme has indeed brought a significant change in our living environment, as this programme calls for shared ownership and responsibility, and to promote the widespread adoption of good hygiene practices. This is amidst the background of the SARS threat. As Chairman of the Make Singapore Sparkle Committee 2003, and in support of the Singapore's OK campaign, we have persuaded all the PAP Town Councils to participate in the equivalent of Singapore's OK label, ie, the Town Councils Sparkle Block Label. We are pleased to announce that, with the support of all the PAP Town Councils, the two Ministries and NEA are proud to say that we have awarded 1,700 HDB blocks with the Sparkle Block Label. This is about 16% of the total HDB blocks in Singapore. Our Committee's target for this year is to achieve 50% of the total number of blocks to have this Sparkle Block Label Award. With this background, can the Minister highlight and update the House whether Singapore is really more OK now? What more can be done to make Singapore even more OK, especially on the cooperation and support from the private organisations? There are two areas that I feel the Ministry should put in more effort to seek the cooperation of the private sector, ie, the HDB estates' eating houses as well as the industrial estates for indiscriminate dumping. Dengue On dengue, I would like to congratulate NEA in roping over 600 volunteers around Singapore who are actively involved in educating their fellow residents in their estates on how to prevent the Aedes mosquitoes from breeding, and give feedback on places where breeding is likely to take place. They belong to the dengue prevention volunteer groups led by NEA.”
“Ultimately, it helps to bring down the operating costs of doing business in Singapore and make Singapore a much more competitive place for business. I hope the Government would review the use of untreated water from rain water and the rivers. Rain Water”
“The Ministry and agencies should work together more to make our limited landscape and resources attractive and provide for our hardworking and stressed Singaporeans the opportunity to relax and enjoy life's giving. Water Policy 5.30 pm Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay: Sir, I would like to talk about untreated water. The cost of the treatment of water is high and it would be a mere loss of money if the treated water is being used for places where treatment of the water is not needed. The obvious examples of this would be cleaning of the floor and common areas by the Town Councils, other applications such as fish farming, aquariums, watering of plants and used as animal feeds. In my view, if the application is suitable using untreated water of high volume, it will save cost for the industries and also save all the resources of the Government for doing the unnecessary water treatment. There are many sources where untreated water could be made available. The simplest one is collection of rainwater. The other will be to pump water from the open water courses, like the river, "long kang" or canal. However, the present rules of the PUB restrict people from taking water from the abovementioned sources. The reasons, announced in the press, were that the water belongs to PUB. If every one of us taps water from the river and collects rainwater, we will end up with no water in the reservoir. Sir, in my view, it is a good idea for the Government to open up the use of untreated water for big water users. It saves companies, as well as Town Councils, huge amounts of money and also save the national resources used to do the unnecessary work of treating the water which does not need to be treated.”
“We should encourage our educational institutions, eg, the polytechnics, secondary and primary schools, to introduce more sailing activities in our other reservoirs. The water activities could expand into boating, canoeing and paddle-boating for recreational use. Most of these educational institutions have always complained that they do not have the facilities for their students, especially for CCA. There have already been fishing activities in some of the reservoirs, but not all the reservoirs allow such activities. As mentioned earlier, although Singapore is an island, we do not have many fishing spots. This is due to the sloping and high embankment walls which do not allow throwing of fishing lines from the shores. Being a fishing enthusiast myself, I would like to urge PUB to allow more fishing spots in our reservoirs, not one or two in each reservoir, but as many as PUB could allow, to ensure that there is sufficient space for other users. The surrounding areas of the reservoirs, which are also situated mostly among the green lungs of Singapore, should provide the facilities for walks, jogging, nature trails, bicycle trails at night, and even camping overnight. This would mean that night lighting facilities should be provided. With the introduction of some open spaces, controlled aero-modelling, remote control cars and even kite flying could be introduced, as these open spaces would have the unobstructed flow of the natural wind, due to the wide expanse of water. Some reservoirs, like the Bedok Reservoir, are near to the commercial neighbourhood centres. The commercial, social and recreational use of the reservoir could be integrated, for example, to provide outside cafe, or open restaurants, like what NParks has done with success in Pasir Ris Park.”
“Sir, although Singapore is an island, there are not many water sports that Singaporeans could enjoy. With our neighbours close by and the high traffic shipping lines near to our shores, there are limited sea areas for offshore fishing, sailing, boating and skiing activities. In addition, with most of our shorelines being reclaimed, and with their high embankment of stone walls, there are also very few beaching and safe and clean swimming areas. However, with limited land, we need to increase and be innovative in our use of the limited resources that we have. We needed and built beautiful reservoirs, but we are not maximising the beautiful landscape that we have. We only use them to store our water supply and not fully utilise the potential of our reservoirs for recreational activities. With appropriate measures and increasing civic-mindedness of our people, and the awareness of having important clean water sources, I would like to urge the authorities to be innovative and creative in maximising the use of the reservoirs that we have. Recently, while working on a GRC project, I took a walk at Bedok Reservoir. I was simply charmed by the night scene. The surroundings of the reservoir were not lighted up but, as a group, I was not concerned of the darkness and security. The ripples of the water, the wind and the expanse of the water give one the feeling of the spaciousness that one does not normally find in a crowded Singapore. I would like to urge the Ministry to allow for more forms of recreational activities at the reservoir parks. We understand that the Lower Seletar Reservoir has, with the cooperation of the Seletar Country Club, introduced sailing in the reservoir.”
“Singapore faces a challenging task of dealing with the increasing amount of waste generated by its population. High building and operational cost of incineration plants and the lack of space for landfills have given rise to the need for waste minimisation and recycling. NEA has been encouraging the community to practise the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle at schools, workplaces and homes. In view of this background, I have a few questions for the Minister. Can the Minister give an update on Singapore's effort to promote the 3Rs? Are we achieving our objectives? What is the long-term plan of the Ministry? Are we just going to move towards zero landfill and why not zero landfill now or, even better still, zero waste? I have found that the majority in the community still could not relate their recycling efforts to the environment. Would the Ministry conduct visits for residents to visit our Semakau landfill to allow our people to see the volume of waste the people are dumping daily and how soon it will be filled up? Many households are able to relate directly the recycling of paper as the karung guni man has done a good job for many years. However, for the other products such as wood waste, plastic bottles and glass, many residents could not understand the recycling process, the end products and the impact on the environment. Would NEA put in the effort in improving the public's understanding of these recycling processes for wood waste, plastic and glass so that Singaporeans would be encouraged to recycle more?”
“Sir, first of all, I would like to congratulate NEA for effectively controlling the air quality in Singapore. Last year, we noticed a significant improvement in the number of days of good air quality in Singapore. This is definitely due to the proactive revision of the emission standards and measures undertaken and implemented by the authorities, with the cooperation of the industry operators. I share the same concern with Dr Amy Khor, because I also notice an increasing number of our young children who are susceptible to asthma. In fact, my two young children are also suffering from asthma and other respiratory diseases. This is a disturbing trend. I know that air quality is a clear source which triggers such respiratory conditions. I have a few questions for the Minister with regard to air quality in Singapore. Can the Minister give an assessment of the level of air quality in Singapore? Have we met the air quality standards set by the World Health Organisation? How is our air quality as compared to other developed cities in the US and Europe? Last year, we have also notably seen the number of hazy days reduced. Can the Minister give an update on the haze situation, transboundry between our immediate neighbours - Malaysia and Indonesia? What is the latest in the haze action plan by the ASEAN Ministers? Singapore is an urban city and we expect the number of motorised vehicles to increase with the years despite the COE system. I share the same concern as Dr Amy Khor and I would like to ask what is the status of the greater use of green cars and clean energy, as these are major contributors of emission to the environment. Would the Minister give us an update on this?”
“For example, the cost of reinforcement bars has increased from $570 per ton in October 2003 to about $1,000 per ton in February 2004, that is, within a period of five months - a 100% increase in prices. Will the Government intervene, just as it did for the banks, and get the construction industry to merge and consolidate so that they can face the challenges posed by the big companies from China, Korea and Japan? The recent award of large developments, for example, T3, Republic Polytechnic and mega ITE, to foreign construction companies, does not encourage the growth of the local construction industry.”
“Sir, under MND's guidance, the Building and Construction Authority aims to develop a technologically advanced construction industry which serves Singapore's economic needs and ensures that buildings and infrastructure are of high safety standards. One of the key thrusts is to develop a technologically advanced and competitive construction industry, able to deliver high quality building infrastructure. I have a few questions for the Minister. Singapore's construction industry has been shrinking. What is the Government doing to expand the construction industry? The recent announcement in the Budget of the increase in the skilled labour levy of $30 to $50 has really added to the costs to the contractors who are facing this shrinking construction industry. The Ministry was also forced to review the tender system as well as the payment guidelines to the contractors when a few major construction companies went under water. Can the Ministry give an update on the measures introduced so far or planned to introduce? Has the Ministry also looked into the payment of the sub-contractors in the process of this review? And, if so, can the Ministry give an update of the progress of the review? This is important as in the event of default by a main contractor, there will be a domino effect on all the sub-contractors. Will the Government also look into a system where the contractors can have some protection against cost escalation? There have been drastic increases in the prices of raw materials due to the oil crisis as well as the demand for the raw materials of the growing Asian countries.”
“The demand is thus always very dependent on the current economic scene. If the MND is to supply these flats purely based on current demand, there will be future consequences of not meeting the objective of the Ministry in providing choice and affordability of housing. Recently, we noted that HDB has been building precincts of 4-room flats only. If we do not provide the variety of housing types in the new estates, we would not be able to meet the future needs and aspirations of our impending increasing number of elderly citizens and younger generations. Flat Allocation”
“Sir, the Ministry of National Development aims to develop Singapore into a tropical city of excellence, with distinctive identity and a quality physical environment. In order to achieve this vision, development plans must keep pace with the needs of Singapore's changing economy and the growing aspirations for a better quality of life. Can the Minister give an update on the supply plan for public housing, including executive condominiums. With limited land resources and nearly 90% of the population living in HDB flats, can the Ministry review its plans on how it is going to achieve to supply a variety of private and public housing types to meet the aspirations of the people? The Duxton Plain development has been seen as an icon for the future kind of public housing. Why has the development been withdrawn? Does this mean that HDB will continue to provide only the standard public housing for the people? Has MND established clear guidelines for the supply and development of Small-Office Home-Office (SOHO) concept of housing in our commercial areas? This concept has been mooted in the last Master Plan. Till this review of the Master Plan, there has been no development of this type of housing in the city area. Has the Ministry done any survey to get inputs from Singaporeans on the types and choices of housing that they wish to have? We are getting a different set of future generation that is well travelled and Internet-savvy. What is the projection of the demand for public and private housing? There has been a change in the composition of the demand for private and public housing since the introduction of the executive condominium. Is this scheme still relevant and has it served its purpose? The current provision of the public housing programme is based on Build-to-Order.”
“(3) Can the Minister give an update on the demand for rental flats? Has there been an increase in the demand of rental flats in view of the downturn of the economy over the past few years, and what are the sizes of the flats in demand? (4) With the introduction of variable wages, how will this impact on the policy of making HDB homes affordable? And how will flexi wage owners be assessed to qualify for loans under HDB schemes?”
“With the fast changing global economy and with the flexi wage system, we would like to appeal to MND to provide more choices of housing to cater to the needs of the middle and lower income earners. The higher income has the alternative of going to the private sector housing. Although recently HDB has released its scheme for HDB heartlanders to sublet their flats totally, this is still limited. The queue for HDB rental flats is long and there are stringent conditions to be met. Households with a salary range of $1,000 to $2,000 are finding difficulty to pay the current loan instalments, especially with the lower income and also the flexi wage system. Presently for the sale of shophouses, HDB has already provided the alternative of a 30-year lease, in addition to the 99 years to help the small retailers. My questions are: (1) Can the Minister update the House on what is the Government doing to continue to make HDB flats more affordable? I also concur with Dr Teo Ho Pin's concept of reviewing the percentage attached to affordable housing. Is the Ministry reviewing its criteria for assessing affordability? (2) I would like to urge HDB to provide short-term leases for housing, be it 99 years, 60 years or even 50-year term tenancy. This would allow for more choices and affordability for the different types of households to have a shelter over their heads. Presently, the short-term leases are not popular, as the banks are not providing loans for short-term leases. However, if there is sufficient market for this type of houses, I am sure the Ministry of Finance, or the Monetary Authority of Singapore overseeing the banks, can review the present policies of the loan structure and provide the persuasion power to the banks to accept shorter leases.”
“With all this, how could Singapore position herself in the arena of competing for the best talents, including our own citizens? Our leaders must think about this very carefully and take appropriate action to change certain aspects of Singapore, and to see how we could make Singapore a better place for Singaporeans who are living here, and also very attractive for the potential citizens returning from foreign lands. Sir, I support the motion.”
“Sir, people go to hospital in accordance with their ability to foot the hospital bill. We know that the hospital bill is not cheap. If you have a medical problem and you know that you are not able to pay for 'A' class ward, it is better for you to downgrade and go to 'C' class. The use of 'C' class bed is considered as a misuse and you would be charged more. How about the poor people who use 'A' class beds? There are 3% of the poor people, under the lowest income category, who go to 'A' class ward. Do we also consider that as misuse? The person is misusing because he spends beyond his means. And he is misusing because he never used the Government subsidy. Does it mean that for such a person we have to give him a rebate? Why should we be so petty and claim that the person is misusing the subsidy? He has paid taxes for the past many years which has well exceeded the small benefit that he enjoys from the 'C' class ward. We are too petty. This is what they say. The Singapore economy and the social policy should be supportive of the free economic system. Everyone, regardless of poor or rich, must be treated equally. However, if we look at our policy on taxation and the national benefit, we are indeed very socialistic. We tax the rich and give to the poor. The people who pay more taxes enjoy the least national benefits. The policy runs contrary to the free economic concept. We ask everybody to contribute and work hard, earn the most, pay the most tax, and enjoy the least of the national benefits. When there is a national crisis, they would be asked to pay the same price when they go to war. I think this kind of discriminatory policy against the well-to-do will work against the Government and make us less attractive for the people who are already living abroad.”
“For example, if you are not careful and you rent your flat to a person who looks educated but has a forged work permit or employment pass, and if you are caught, it is a jailable offence. One day, when the Toto prize is $3 million, you bet all your take-home pay on Toto for that particular draw, and you lose all your money. If you want to avoid questioning by your wife, you go to a police station and report that your money was stolen. This offence is jailable. Sir, our scholars and citizens who work abroad have enjoyed the air of freedom in overseas countries. In this kind of very restrictive environment, do you think they would like to return to Singapore? Singapore is a very expensive place to live in. To enjoy the same material standard of owning a reasonably big car and house, many who are already living abroad will find that their standard of living would drop if they should return to Singapore. The good days of my generation of having high pay and good career development is over. Now it is a time of pay cut and to lower one's expectation. We have painted a gloomy future outlook for our younger generation. If we cannot offer them with what they currently enjoy elsewhere, how could we persuade them to return and to serve Singapore? Many Singaporeans think that our Government is too calculative and very petty. For example, an employer in Jurong may offer his employees and visitors free car park. One day the Inland Revenue may come and tell the employee, "Please pay your tax because your free car park is one of your employment perks." Another example which has been well discussed and is also included in the Budget Statement is the announcement on means testing for people who earn more and use 'C' class hospital beds.”
“Many things are reported in the media by returned scholars, how they love the food, how important are friends and families, and we expect them to come back to Singapore. Sir, on the negative aspect, there are many things people do not report when they return to Singapore, and it is because of the negative aspects of life in Singapore. In Singapore, I think all of us agree with me that Singapore is a very restrictive society and we have a very high legal norm. I listened to FM95.8 last weekend. They interviewed three successful men, one of whom was a lawyer. They were discussing about the problems of men. One person said that men should take proper care in order not to get into legal trouble. He cited two examples. He said that when you walk under an overhead pedestrian crossing, it would be good for you not to look upwards. If you are not careful, you may end up being alleged a peeping Tom. This is a jailable offence. He also said that in the olden days, when you see a stranger at night and when you walk into the lift, you should avoid him. Pretend that you are checking your mail in your mailbox. After the stranger has gone, then you take the lift to go home. He said that nowadays it is not just strangers. If you see a lady at night and you are alone, you should avoid joining her in the same lift. It is better for you to pretend that you are checking the mailbox and wait until she has gone, and then you take the lift. This kind of situation has created a lot of pressure in terms of life. This is precisely because of the publicity and the high level of punishment, causing fear in people's minds. In Singapore, there are many minor offences which carry jail sentences. I am sure professionals do not want to be jailed even for one day.”
“In China, there is a concept called er tung kung. Children - the better ones in terms of their ability - will be sent to a centralised place called er tung kung and the state takes over the upbringing, education and training of the children. Perhaps this is not quite suitable to our environment, but the concept of the state having a role in the nurturing of the children will be a good thing to learn from. Tax relief in the form of incentives has its shortcomings. The perceived incentive will immediately vanish after the mother stops working due to heavy housework. The original claim for incentives would immediately turn into disincentives because there is no more call for the same person to give birth to a subsequent child. Men, we all know, have half of the role to play in deciding whether or not the family should have more children. If the wife is not a working mother or a high-income earner, there is no incentive at all for him to persuade his wife to have more children. We must give the husband excuses, for example, some form of incentive to convince his non-working wife to have more children. Otherwise, the husband's hard work would be misunderstood by his wife. In addressing the declining population issue, increasing the birth rate and increasing the immigration rate are not the only solutions. One of the important aspects in the declining population is the emigration rate. Every year, I guess thousands of Singaporeans, especially the well-educated and who have the ability to work abroad, do not return to Singapore. It is a serious matter. We must look into ways of how to reduce such outflow of our local talents, and lure them to return to Singapore and serve us.”
“First, incentives are more for the working mothers - more benefits for the high income earners, eg, graduate mothers. Incentives in the form of tax relief - incentives stop immediately when the working mother stops working. Men have no role in the claim of the incentives, except the normal child relief. This incentive was actually given to the lower-educated, people with lower than "O" levels, asking them to stop at two. Raising the birth rate is everybody's concern, whether you are rich or poor. If we only wish the rich and the educated to have more children, the incentive is sure to fail. If we are able to give the same amount of incentives to the lower income people, I believe that the effect would be more significant. The incentive to increase the birth rate is not aimed towards the whole population. In other words, we did not mobilise the whole nation to deal with the declining birth rate, but only call upon the well-to-do to produce more. Anyway, the well-to-do are the minority in our society and that policy will certainly not lead to the overall increase in the birth rate in Singapore. Therefore, the conclusion is that we must widen our approach and encourage more people - the lower-income, the middle-income - to take part in this national task in arresting the decline in the fertility rate of Singapore. I could understand that poorer families have their own problems. They have difficulty in bringing up their children, as they are not able to provide or allocate sufficient resources and attention to their children. Perhaps the nation, in this case, can play a more important role in the upbringing of the children. Let the State take over some of the nurturing of the children, and turn every child into a child with good ability, social behaviour and education.”