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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“We need to impose heavier penalties, especially when these offenders who perpetrated the crimes and lay in wait in the chatrooms. At 12 years, it is the age when they start to dream and idolise the opposite sex and are most vulnerable. They are still very childish in their thoughts but physically may look mature because of the good standard of living and the good nutrition they enjoy. Under the earlier sections on sexual offences, the punishment has made a difference for offenders when the victim is below the age of 14 and 16 years. The punishment is double, that is, 20 years, instead of 10 years respectively. Here, under this sexual grooming section, there is no differentiation made to the punishment for younger victims. The maximum is three years' imprisonment for all ages of victims. It was reported that between 2001 and 2006, there were 124 reported cases of females becoming victims of sex crimes as a result of them knowing the offenders through the Internet. This was also quoted by Mr Ong Kian Min just now. But two-thirds of these cases, or about 80 victims, were below the age of 16 years of age. And we must put a stop to this! Act swiftly against sexual grooming In addition, the amendment requires that there must be two meetings. If there is a clear intention of sexual grooming even in the first meeting, for example, the languages in the Internet, SMS and email or physical actions like kissing and holding hands, then why wait till there is a second meeting before the clear intention is assumed? The damage could have been done by the second meeting. For a young child, such damage is permanent, whether physically or psychologically. The prosecution process for such sexual grooming offences must be swift, if not sexual crime would have taken place.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the amendment to the Penal Code with the addition of section 376E is timely. With 78% of households in Singapore having access to one or more computers at home in 2006, out of which 71% also having access to the Internet, our young children are continually exposed to the Internet. We know that children as young as four or five years old are accessing the Internet with minimum supervision. In addition, with the advancement of technology and the need for global communication, many computers are now equipped with many electronic devices that encourage seamless communication, for example, cameras and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). Many unscrupulous persons are using this technology to lurk behind the screen of anonymity on the Internet and take advantage of the innocence of the young and, for some, their gullibility. The amendment to the Penal Code to cover this Internet sexual offence is indeed timely. I would like to congratulate both the Ministries of Home Affairs and Law for the timely amendment. The Ministries have indeed taken into account our repeated appeals in Parliament. I fully support the amendments and hope the Minister will further look into the following concerns. Heavier penalties for offences against young victims Firstly, the section does not differentiate the age of the victims. There should be heavier penalties for persons who accosted young children, the younger the age of the victim, the more serious the offence. I have seen cases where 18-year-old girls are unable to escape the enticement of older men. More vulnerable will be a 12-year-old child pitted against the wit and cunning, and constant pestering and lies of persons much older. What chance does this 12-year-old have against these wolves in sheep skin?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask MOS to work closely with the market and hawkers' association to promote the hotline number, because not many of us really know the hotline number. I am sure the hawker stallholders will definitely help the Ministry in this.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether the HDB has any record of cases where MND terminated the tenancy or leases in view of excessive obstruction?”
“The Government should request that their husbands, children or grandchildren top up their CPF accounts, or pay for their annuity premium. In order to encourage these husbands, their children or grandchildren to do so, they should be granted tax relief for the topped-up amounts. For anyone who is divorced or who is in the process of petitioning for a divorce, can the Government consider making it mandatory for the husband to top up the CPF or Retirement Account of his ex-wife, as well as to pay for her premium? This is because, during their married life, the wife has contributed to building up the family and bringing up the children. By so doing, we could also possibly help to reduce the divorce rates in Singapore. Although we have a new interest rate system under this new scheme for the members to enjoy better returns in their CPF savings, can we also consider paying a higher interest rate to the lower-income group so that they have more retirement funds for old age? *Cols. 1841-1842. 4.42 pm”
“] Mr Speaker, Sir, although the Minister has said that the improved returns on the new CPF interest rate will help the people to purchase the annuity, we have just heard from the Minister that 78% of our CPF members could not meet the Minimum Sum requirement in their CPF accounts. In fact, many Singaporeans, particularly housewives and those who are in the low-income group, do not even have the Minimum Sum in their CPF account. How are they going to purchase the annuity? I hope that the Minister will consider the following suggestions: We could perhaps allow them to pay their premiums in blocks of 10 years. In other words, initially they need to pay the premium for a block of 10 years. If the insured unfortunately passes away within this period of 10 years, the remaining sum will be returned to the common pool. But if the member should survive the initial block of 10 years, he only will need to pay for the premium for the next 10 years. Then, people will not have to make a huge payment upfront and pay for unnecessary insurance coverage. My second suggestion is that for those who are suffering from a major illness like cancer, we should relax the rules so that they will be allowed to withdraw their CPF money to enable their family members to pay for their medical needs. For those who do not have this Minimum Sum and who are unable to purchase the annuity, I hope that the Government would allocate some funds every year to help them pay their premiums, so that those who retire at 65 or after 85 years old can draw out an allowance on a regular basis. I hope that the Government will also help the housewives and those in the lower income group.”
“Not long ago, the civil servants had started the ball rolling on retrenchment, starting with HDB, and most were below the retirement age. My request is that the civil service - the largest employer in Singapore - together with MOM, WDA and NTUC, must work harder and faster to have more jobs for our senior citizens from age 55 to 65. In fact, I strongly support the call for implementing the legislation earlier for re-employment before starting the later draw-down age. Although MOS Mr Gan Kim Yong has stated earlier that Japan took six years to implement the legislation, I believe the leadership in Manpower, with both Dr Ng Eng Hen and himself, can do much faster. The objection over the compulsory annuity is that they will have to pay a lump-sum premium for an annuity plan that they may never benefit from. And on top of it, the sum unexpended is non-refundable as it goes back to the common pool. Many have asked: why can't this Government bear the cost of annuity when it could donate millions to help displaced victims of natural disasters overseas? Others posed the question: why can't the Government use the revenue and other incomes from, for example, ERP and restricted zones, to pay for the small percentage of Singaporeans who have the good fortune to live beyond 85 years or the next benchmark of 95 years old? Their point is that the likely cost to the Government's coffers is small. While I may not fully subscribe to all these suggestions, I feel it is good for an official response so that people get to hear first hand from the Minister. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would, first like to begin with a word of appreciation to our Manpower Minister, Dr Ng Eng Hen, for mapping out a comprehensive and dynamic plan to address the needs of our people. Furthermore, this reinforces the PAP team's much vaunted ability to foresee and thus prepare our citizens for scenarios and conditions in the future. This is so unlike the Workers' Party's Mr Low Thia Khiang who stated that the Workers' Party objected to the delay in the later draw-down age. They just sing to the gallery and refuse to face the reality and not prepared even to take and shoulder the responsibility. The market talk - as the Minister has stated, much debate has been taking place in the coffeeshops, at void decks, feedback to MPs on the topics of the delay in draw-down age and the compulsory annuity scheme. Many voice discomfort over the later draw-down age from 62 years to 65 years in 2012, and eventually to 67 years. Many raise objections to the later draw-down age not because they want all the money with them but they need to draw down the sum for their living expenses. There are many who have to leave their job at age 55, retrenched even before the retirement age of 62 years. And this means that for the next seven to 10 years, they need the sum for the retirement account to support themselves and their aged parents and their children, and especially many of the children would also be in this age group that will pursue tertiary education. This age group is now what we call the club sandwich group and no longer simply the sandwich group. And it is also this age group that the suicide rate is increasing. We heard in this House yesterday that the civil service had just started in January this year re-employment of those above 62 and only 14 were re-employed.”
“Sir, I would just like to ask the SPS whether the Ministry is happy with these statistics and, if not, what are the new targets and review of the new targets.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, just one question. In view of the tremor that we felt recently because of the Indonesian earthquake, can our bridges sustain that?”
“LTA has embarked on various initiatives to make our public transport system more accessible and user-friendly to the elderly and the less mobile. These include introducing wheelchair accessible buses, making our MRT stations barrier-free, and implementing barrier-free routes within 400 metres radius of all MRT stations. Besides catering to the less mobile, these barrier-free routes also have decision tactiles and contrasting colour strips to guide the visually impaired at crossings and pedestrian overhead bridges. The bus stops, road kerbs and other road facilities are also being upgraded to enable senior citizens and others with mobility difficulties to get around more easily. While it is crucial to put in the necessary infrastructure for the elderly and commuters with special needs, the support of other commuters is just as important. Hence, the public transport operators have regularly implemented public education initiatives, such as courtesy programmes, roadshows and school talks to promote gracious behaviour among commuters. For example, SBST and LTA launched a public education programme to seek commuters' understanding and patience when the bus driver helps wheelchair bound passengers to board and to alight from the buses. Going forward, the LTA will continue to enhance our land transport system to meet the varied needs of the population as we move towards a more socially inclusive society.”
“Sir, before there is a sexual occurrence, there is a potential, like what the Member has said, of solicitation over the Internet, if there is a tip-off, would the Police investigate or unless there is a victim? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: I thank Mdm Cynthia Phua for her Question and also this supplementary question. As I have explained just now, this is something that we are looking at because we know that there have been situations when this has happened and the current law does not adequately address the problem. Because even to attempt an offence, certain overt acts must have been done. So let us see what we can do to placate concerns of the parents. But I must also add that it is not just the law that is at work here. Really, it is a matter of all parties working together. On this score, Dr Lee Boon Yang had given a reply to Mdm Phua a year ago. Indeed, after that reply, MDA has stepped up its activities with the formation of the new Internet and Media Advisory Committee. They have mounted additional campaigns, talks, seminars, guidebooks have been publicised, schools have been reached out to, through various programmes, including cyber crush programmes. So I think parents must take note of what they can do, and hopefully with the laws being strengthened, the situation would improve. ELDERLY AND COMMUTERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (Transport policy) 14. Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng asked the Minister for Transport what is the transport policy pertaining to the elderly and to commuters with special needs. Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: Sir, our land transport system strives to meet the diverse needs of commuters, including the elderly and those with special needs.”
“Sir, just one question. I want to ask the Minister whether the Police act upon tip-off or the victim must really make a Police report before the Police will investigate. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, there must be information that an offence has been committed in the first place. So, normally, the victim will lodge a Police report and that is when the investigation will proceed.”
“I just want to ask the Minister of State the question again. How many students were there in the foundation course? We know that there were students in the foundation course. And would MOE recognise these potential graduates in our local universities?”
“Can the Minister clearly let us know what is his assessment of the recovery of the amount of $17 million that has been granted? I note that the sum has been spent. But how can you recover it? The second question is this. We know that there are many Singaporean students who have taken the foundation course, and I understand that the university is still continuing with this foundation course. Would our own universities recognise these students who have undertaken the foundation course for the next year's university entry as well?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I just like to appeal to the Minister that under energy labelling, although the efficiency tick is easily understandable, the consumption figure would also be relevant. It will give the consumers an informed choice as well. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: I agree with her, in terms of energy information. But consumption would depend upon the price of electricity which changes every three months. At the moment, we will move on this energy labelling. But I agree with her that if we can give more information which is relevant to the consumers, we will look into it. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. RADIATION PROTECTION BILL Order for Second Reading. 6.41 pm”
“In fact, in Europe, the EU Energy Label is a compulsory notice that is applied to all white goods, ie, beyond the home appliances sold within the EU. They include office equipment, such as printers, copiers, fax machines, computers, scanners and so forth. NEA should launch a public education campaign to create awareness, especially with the widespread use of computers in the homes. I am sure many would be interested which make of computer is more energy-efficient, or is a notebook more energy-efficient than a desktop? One report I read comparing the 30-watt for a powerful notebook, including LCD screen, with the 120-watt desktop PC plus the 80 watt CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) screen, savings could really be up to 80%. And even in the notebooks intended as "desktop replacement", with a larger screen, up to 16-17 inches, and less aggressive power management settings, the savings are still well above 50%. I am sure many parents will be keen to know about this, because our teenagers are putting on their appliances three at one time. The last concern I have is that NEA should help our suppliers with this energy labelling, to cut down as much as possible the cost, and not to add additional cost to our suppliers. Sir, with energy labelling, Singaporeans will find that they now can buy smart, save on electricity bills, get the most out of their appliances and, at the same time, save the earth. Buying more energy-efficient appliances means less heat, longer product life, lower air-conditioning cost and might even save valuable space at home. And I like this. The high product energy efficiency is both an indication of high quality and also advanced product technologies too. Sir, I hope the Minister will do more education campaigns on this. 6.22 pm”
“I would even go a step further and ask NEA, instead of just stating that the product is energy-efficient, they should also indicate how much energy it consumes. The label must have the energy consumption figure to show the units of electricity use in kilowatt hour (kWh) to allow comparisons between models. This way, a consumer can make an informed decision and decide whether he needs to buy the product that consumes 80 watts per hour or he can make do with one that uses just 50 watts per hour, or even after looking at the monthly energy cost, decide not to buy. This is an informed choice for a buyer. Next, I will also ask NEA to look into extending the mandatory labelling to more appliances, such as washing machines and hot water dispenser appliances. These are the essentials at homes. NEA should also give information on how much water they consume. This will again help consumers to make an informed decision on which model or brand is most suitable for their needs. We need to educate our population on the consumption characteristics of these appliances, so that they will begin to ask themselves the questions: Do I really need this huge refrigerator? Or can I make do with just a smaller sized unit? For washing machines, I understand that in view of the different technologies used, the front-loading and the top-loading machines use very different quantity of water. Many of the consumers do not know this fact, as many go for top-loading machines as these are at least 50% cheaper in terms of the purchase price. For longer life, frequently used, high energy consuming products, the savings in energy cost over the product lifetime can be especially significant.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the light of the rising concerns on global warming and our efforts to promote energy-efficient buildings, this move to introduce mandatory energy labelling for household appliances is indeed timely, and I support the Bill. The Government has been pushing hard for building owners to use energy-efficient equipment as well as adopt energy-efficient designs to cut down on their consumption of electricity. This has gradually got the desired effects, as we see more buildings, including industrial buildings, getting the Green Mark. While not everyone may appreciate the issue of global warming, I am sure when this is translated in terms of monthly electricity bills, it will get the required attention. Household energy consumption, which accounts for 18% of the total electricity consumed in 2005, when seen in the context of a growing population in Singapore, the final figure will add up to a lot. Today, there are many options for households to cut down on their monthly bills. Many electronic devices draw power whenever they are plugged into an outlet, even when they are turned off or are fully charged, such as adapters that come with rechargeable battery-powered cordless phones, cell phones and digital cameras. Leaving electronics on standby, such as TVs, cable boxes and computer monitors, also waste energy. So we have to monitor how we use these electronics and appliances to cut down on our consumption of electricity. Now, with the introduction of energy labelling on appliances, households will have yet another option to cut waste. To help the consumers, the National Environment Agency must ensure that the energy-efficient labels attached to the products or their packaging convey easy to understand information.”
“Sir, in view of the recent accidents of the three children, is the Ministry inspecting the canals systematically to ensure their safety, because there is easy access of the children into the canals now? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the answer is "yes". We do it on a continuous basis but, at the end of the day, as mentioned in my reply, individual responsibility is also very important.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, with the principle of means-testing, which means that if people can afford a better ward, eg, B1, with better medical attention, in such a case, an elderly resident who is averse to air-conditioning may want a higher medical attention ward but without air-conditioning. What I am saying is that we are now going into a growing elderly population. This is a demand from the residents as well.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the MOS, in view of the demands of the elderly residents who are averse to air-conditioned rooms, whether Yishun Hospital and the existing hospitals as well will be providing more subsidised beds or non-airconditioned beds to cater to our elderly residents.”
“He was a colonial architect who had designed such other buildings as the Victoria Memorial Hall, Raffles Hotel, Teutonia Club (currently Goodwood Park Hotel) and Stamford House, among others. I must declare I am not a part of this movement to call for the preservation of this house in Katong, but what I want to say is that there should be incentives for owners of such buildings, if they choose not to sell them, to be compensated for preserving them. In doing so, the Government would thus be encouraging these owners to maintain them so that our future generation will not be deprived of a piece of our colourful history.”
“Also, some of these historically important private homes could be the targets of mischief, especially when they are unoccupied, or others degenerate into eyesores. A case in point about a house, which has some merits for conservation but was eventually lost, is the one at No. 3 Allenby Road. The house was left abandoned and it was mysteriously burnt down. The culprits have not been apprehended. However, the end result is a building which in 2004 was deemed worthy of conservation by the URA was lost. The owner's surveyors eventually declared it unsafe and it was demolished. With the above explanation, although modern conservation is important, what I would like to suggest is whether the Government can consider giving owners of properties/buildings with historical merit, to have some incentives for them to upkeep these structures, if possible, to the standards of their glorious past. These buildings may have been handed down by their forefathers and over the years the beneficiaries may, because of differences of views, eventually decide to sell them for redevelopment. We need to weigh the views of these owners and that of the conservationists. Older buildings require more maintenance. Restoring them to their former glory may be possible, but probably at a high cost. Then there may be the push and pull factors where there is no consensus of views among family members who own the property. I understand that one building in which a group of conservationists has been calling for its restoration is at No. 23 Amber Road. Built in 1912, it is the only residential building here designed by Regent A.J. Bidwell.”
“It would have deteriorated if the Government did not step in. At least the gangsters in Duxton Road area were also cleared out. However, the grouse from the former tenants remained that they were paid pittance, given up their premises for Government to make the millions. I would like to urge the Ministry to take another bold step, besides the demolition of the various dates of determining the amount of compensation and change to the market value at date of acquisition, to also clearly define these controversial phrases in this Act, "the public use, the public benefit and the public utility". Should urban conservation purpose be part of this definition of "public use"? This would give further clarity to the Act and the intended purposes of the Act. Removal of fire provision in section 33(2) There is one other section in which one of my residents has highlighted, and that is to consider the wider implications on the proposed removal of the fire provisions in section 33(2) of the Land Acquisition Act. The concern is that in removing this section, it may have repercussions on the URA's efforts to conserve and protect our heritage for the future generation. This provision is particularly important in view of the fast declining quaint and beautiful colonial homes, many of which have great historical and architectural merits for conservation. These properties are our national treasures and must be protected for our future generation. At present, there is no law to compel their owners to take care of these buildings or houses. To remove this section without putting other regulatory safeguards in place to promote urban conservation could lead to a situation where history would become just a rubble of broken bricks.”
“When kampong houses were acquired and land redeveloped immediately for public housing and public roads, the definition of "public use and public benefit" is clear to the affected people and to the general public. However, in the recent Teng Fuh Holding's court case, the land at Geylang Road was acquired for general development in 1983 and is still undeveloped today by the Government, as reported by the Business Times on 13th March 2007. The Court was quoted as saying that "in such prolonged inaction if not explained could constitute an arguable case of reasonable suspicion that the land was not needed for general development when acquired in 1983". "The only change in this case seems to be converting an owner into a tenant", as stated by source close to the deal, as reported again in the Today's newspaper on 17th October 2005. Another occasion when the land can be acquired under "public use and public benefit" is when it is done for urban conservation. Urban conservation began in the 1980s. The Government initiated active maintenance and restoration of select shophouses. In August 1987, 38 restored shophouses (27 parcels of land) in Tanjong Pagar were listed and sold for designated commercial uses. A new form of conservation was also introduced at China Square Centre and Far East Square. Building blocks were designated for conservation with 61 shophouses compulsorily acquired and sold and restored at developers' expense. Tras Street residents were compensated and asked to move out under compulsory acquisition. The houses were restored and upper floors become offices. Today, the area becomes an eatery and a club pubbing belt. Fundamentally, there was nothing illegal about the way Government did the acquisition. The place was under Rent Control.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the changes proposed in the Bill, in particular the valuation of land acquired which is to be based on the land's market value as at the date of acquisition. I must applaud the Government for taking this big step forward in compensating the affected landowners. In 1960s, the Government felt it necessary to acquire pieces of encumbered land in order to assemble them into large plots for implementation of comprehensive urban renewal plans. Thus, the Land Acquisition Act (1966) became operational on 17th June 1967. During the years of development in Singapore, this Act is one of the best used and the most controversial Act, and till today, from the political standpoint, the impact can still be felt in some quarters. Market value To ensure that the market value at acquisition is relevant to the affected person, the process of acquisition must be swift as the property cycle moves very fast, whether it is in the upswing or downswing cycle. The date of notification, Gazette and acquisition, and compensation must be done within a short period of time so that affected persons could source for alternative accommodation, whether it is for business or for housing. Any slight swing in the prices would affect the affordability because of the size of the property and values. Definition of public use This Act contains a few noble and controversial phrases which empower the State to acquire land for any residential, commercial or industrial purposes, with qualifying phrases such as "of public use, public benefit and public utility". These are powerful phrases without any definition in the Act.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, although MEWR is working with the lamp manufacturers, I think for the household itself, it is really the fittings because a lot of the light fixtures are not able to handle the energy-saving bulbs. She may want to work with the suppliers of light fixtures to look into that as well, in terms of delivering and bringing in such fixtures that allow for energy-saving bulbs. The other point is that I would like to thank MEWR for co-funding the energy audit in the Aljunied Town Council.”
“I just wanted to say that the communication channel is important because, in this case itself, the tremor was quite widespread and the information coming from MediaCorp was a bit late in that manner. So is there any way that the building owners will be able to receive some of these messages that can be passed on to the occupiers of the buildings? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Basically, like I have said, the drill is known to everybody. So once the tremor is felt, police contacts HDB and BCA to check all the buildings which are affected. It takes time for the calls to come in. Police will collate the information on which are the buildings being affected. I think Ms Indranee Rajah, who was in Ocean Towers, did not go down because the advisory was that buildings were safe from tremors. So, if residents take this cue, and stay where they are, get under cover and, as I have said, keep away from falling things, the tremor will pass. RISK ASSESSMENT AND HORIZON SCANNING SYSTEM (Update) 5. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security whether he will provide an update on the Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning system that was set up recently.”
“In terms of communication, Operations Tremor will provide a plan with the communication coming from a centre, which is the police. Police will work with MediaCorp, TV channels and radio to issue advisories. They will go out advising the residents what to do. But internally, in the building, it is up to the building management as to what sort of communication plans should be put in place.”
“Sir, in the case of fire evacuation of any building, it is specific to that building because a fire incident is specific to a building. But in a tremor, it is on a large scale. A lot of occupiers in the offices in Shenton Way did not know what to do. Some evacuated and some did not. My question is: who is coordinating this, unless what MOS is saying is that he confirms that no evacuation is needed when you feel the tremor? Next, the communication channel for the occupiers is not there. Many people are not receiving the information as to what has happened. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, as I have said, our buildings are safe from tremors which come from so far away. In fact, the drill is set out in the SCDF's Emergency Handbook, which is, unless new cracks appear in the building, on the walls, parapets, columns and so forth, it is just tremors per se. If you are inside the building, stay inside, get under cover, for example, under a table, and keep away from things that may fall on you, such as glass. If you are outside the building, keep in the open, away from buildings and any electrical poles. But I know that residents may still come down. On 6th March, there were two tremors. One was in the late morning and one in the early afternoon. Quite naturally, some residents came down, although, like I have said, the assurance is, unless there are cracks appearing arising from the tremor, just stay where you are. So far, we have an average of one to two tremors a year. No building has been declared unsafe. When this happens, Operations Tremor is activated and police then takes charge. Police then activates the engineers from BCA and HDB to inspect the buildings. In that incident, about 350 buildings were inspected.”
“Sir, I am glad that the Parliamentary Secretary has said that he is open to suggestions. But I would like to know when a study can be made and whether he can tell us when he is looking into it. Secondly, I hope he will include the two items - the lighting level as well as the shelters. Thirdly, the Parliamentary Secretary has not answered the second supplementary question, ie, is he setting up a coordinating body to help our private estate residents in maintaining their estates?”
“Sir, the Parliamentary Secretary is not supportive of the Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) for the private estates which is one way of coordinating the various agencies in upgrading the estates. I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to look into two systematic infrastructures. One is the lighting level. In the private estates, the lighting level is really not up-to-date. Secondly, it is the temporary shelters along the private estates because a lot of residents as well as school children walk to the bus stops and go to the basic amenities. These are two major improvements that are needed in the private estates. My second supplementary question is this. Without the Interim Upgrading Programme, would the Ministry consider setting up a body to coordinate the agencies, as he rightly said in his answer that there are many agencies involved in the private estates?”
“Singaporeans embrace new technology readily, looking at the number of people changing to PDA phones. This is accompanied by technology advances in mobile phones, and we could see a wider usage of the cards and enabled devices based on open platform for the convenience of everyone. Fare Concessions”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, ez-link card, a multi-purpose stored value card is the main mode of fare payment on public transport. I understand that the card is wholly-owned, marketed and sold by EZ-Link Pte Ltd, and this is the company that is the subsidiary of the Land Transport Authority. While I fully support the entrepreneurial spirit, I feel this association between a Government agency and private entity must be tempered with some care. My concern is that such close association may result in implementing transport solutions that are sub-optimised, knowingly or not. This is especially important and of much public interest as it affects all of us. We know that the ez-link system was developed using a proprietary technology perhaps to meet some critical and special transportation requirements. However, there are also indications that solutions using open platform and standards will bring about reduced overall operational costs as well as increased usage. We must learn from the experiences that Singapore market is too small for proprietary cards and readers that do not benefit the citizens in terms of usage and costs. Has LTA initiated migration to an open platform to take advantage of lower cost solutions available in market from multiple sources? If it has done so, when would the system be ready? Since the ez-link technology is held by LTA and with the Yellow Pages guideline, when is LTA hiving off this non-core business instead of this continued link to LTA, a statutory board? The reason is that if it continues to be within LTA umbrella, it has already a ready captive market and there is no push for the authority to look for cheaper solutions for the citizens and a wider usage of the cards.”
“With the increasing trend on the use of cars, can the Minister tell us, as we are working towards a world-class public transport system, how can we persuade and attract our population to use the public transport system? What are these world-class qualitative and quantitative measurements of our public transport system? And what internationally recognised benchmarks are there to benchmark one system against another? Connectivity, reliability, comfort and convenience are the four attributes that our commuters demand from our public transport system. How are these being measured? Do we have standards to note? Are we looking to set these measurable standards for these attributes that our commuters are demanding? How is LTA going to improve and adopt technology to ensure the timely arrival of our buses on the roads? The waiting time is most frustrating to the bus commuters. As more and more of our population are becoming elderly, what is the status of LTA's plan to make public transport elderly friendly and barrier free? The access to our MRT stations is very long. I have begun to notice that our elderly residents need to rest along the underground passage way to the MRT stations. Can LTA provide some seats for these people? Will there be more languages on our signboards? How is LTA planning to guide our elderly in taking the MRT, in terms of the connections between the two Lines now, and the Circle Line in future? My final concern: how is the Minister going to ensure that our public transport remains affordable to our low-income families?”
“Sir, I must, first, commend the Ministry of Transport for its role in building up our public transport system into what it is today. I remember that in 1978-1979, as an external auditor, it took me four hours' bus ride from Punggol end to Jurong Town in the morning. But there are still areas that I feel we can improve and do even better to make our system affordable and efficient. As our planning is projected on the assumption of a population of 6.5 million, the number of people travelling around the country would increase exponentially. This increase would lead to demands for more land to be converted for transportation, such as to extend and broaden the road networks, car parks, bus interchanges and new MRT lines. The work that needs to be done is of great magnitude and, as such, requires an extensive amount of planning and coordination. In light of this, I would like, first, to ask whether there are any long-term plans or policies that have been developed to ensure that Singapore is able to effectively meet the increasing land transport demands in the next 40-50 years. With our increasing diverse and a more socially active population, what will be the future composition of the different types of land transport in Singapore, eg, the composition between the use of cars and our public transport modes of buses and rail? Will our waterways be an option for transport? Perhaps those who live by the seafront will own boats instead of cars. Are there other means of alternative transport systems that LTA is looking at? Can the Minister describe to us the future scenario? Maybe we can have "flying" cars as well.”
“Sir, regarding the number of young couples in the Malay community, I would like to ask the Minister to work with MCYS in terms of extending help to these young families under the HOPE scheme. Under the HOPE scheme, the qualification is very high. It is at GCE "O" level. So the Minister might want to work with MCYS to see how we could help these young families and bring down that qualification level to help them with some of the financial schemes. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I think the HOPE scheme is designed to really catch a large group of young people with very low education. As mentioned by Mrs Yu-Foo yesterday, the self-help groups, including Mendaki, have been roped in to help to get more potential HOPE beneficiaries onto the programme. For the Malay community, it is a sensitive programme but I am glad to note that more Malay couples are now joining the programme. I would also like to thank MCYS for their assistance, because the programmes that we have been conducting within the Malay/Muslim community have received a lot of support from MCYS. The approach that we have taken in the Malay/Muslim community is mainstreaming. As and when there are programmes within MCYS or other agencies, we will mainstream the Malay/Muslim community. Where there are specific gaps, then we will step in. So, as mentioned in my reply, we are going to start two centres to deal with minor couples. This phenomenon is largely happening in the Malay community. They want to get married, they are still very young, but we need to guide them because they are likely to add to our divorce rate. These are efforts which are targeted at young couples who have decided to get married but whom we know are vulnerable to divorces. 1.30 pm”
“Although MOS Lui has mentioned about the five areas of assessment, schools with academic excellence is only one of the five areas. However, there are still principals who are asking students to drop subjects that they are taking for 'O' levels and 'A' levels that they cannot achieve 'B4' and above so as to score the perfect marks for the school banding and also for the teacher's promotion prospect. Can the Minister clarify whether these statements are true? RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew: I think the way it is being done now is that, in the earlier years, it is to expose them to as many subjects as they can possibly take within a certain limit. Let them find their respective areas of interest and then subsequently to scope it a little bit narrow, depending on their aptitude and abilities. So, yes, I do know of situations when students, for example, in the junior colleges, are asked to drop a fourth subject in order to concentrate on doing three 'A' level subjects. But it is not necessarily a bad thing, if they are to spend more time and focus on certain areas that are perhaps in their best interest and meet the interest of what they want to do going forward. So the schools will have the flexibility to advise their students on the appropriate steps to take in this particular area. 5.30 pm”
“Mr Chairman, I think the Minister of State has not answered my question. My question is: are the principals required to justify their action to the Ministry or are they at liberty just to push the children out of the school system if they are deemed not proper by the school? RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew: We have given a certain amount of flexibility to the principals. Yes, they are able to make such a move. But what the Ministry does is that we collate data and we look at this to make sure that there are no abuses in the system. The concern is this: you bring in a student, utilise him or her based on talent in sports, or in the arts, and then you find that maybe he or she is not quite suited to boost the academic performance of the Junior College when it is time to take the "A" levels, for instance. So we do watch this carefully but we also do not want to prescribe to the school and the principals as to exactly the kind of students that they can take in or the kind of students that they should retain or when they are allowed to, in a sense, send their children off. Because the whole idea about the Discretionary School Admission (DSA) system is to give greater flexibility to the school to admit students based on their own merit-based criteria.”
“No. These are the two twin students who have been asked by the principal to leave the school. The principal, who had accepted these two children, after giving them private tuition, assessed them and called them "Mercedes 350 that are not properly tuned". RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew: I think it depends on when that is taking place. Obviously, the through train programme could start from Secondary 1 or, in some instances, under the Integrated Programme, it could start from Secondary 3, all the way to the "A" levels, and they skip the "O" levels in between. I do not have the details of the case that she mentioned and exactly when they were asked to leave the school. But, sometimes, it is kinder to ask them to leave earlier rather than later. Because if you were to ask them to leave school only after a year in the school system - for example, if they come in at Secondary 3 and at the end of Secondary 3 in, say, one of the Junior Colleges (eg, Victoria Junior College, National Junior College or Temasek Junior College), they were asked to leave the school - the problem is that the curriculum that they had gone through in their first year of the Integrated Programme in the Junior College is very different from the curriculum that will prepare them for the "O" levels. So, you are actually kinder to tell them right upfront that maybe it is not quite a good fit, and ask them to go back to a secondary school, go through the "O" level route, and then come back to a Junior College or Polytechnic, based on the results that they get in their "O" levels. Maybe if the Member could give me more details of the case she mentioned, we can look at it in greater detail. 5.00 pm”
“We have seen in MPS the anguish of parents seeking help to put their children back to the school system after being pushed out by some principals. Can the Minister clarify if these principals are required to justify their action of pushing these students out of their schools? Are they at liberty to do so? I have just heard of a plight of two twin students. The principal, who had accepted them after his teachers' assessment of them - after two weeks of private tuition for two topics for two subjects - told them that they are equivalent to two Mercedes 350 that are not properly tuned. RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew: Principals asked their students to leave the school for a variety of reasons, although I would assure Mdm Cynthia Phua that the numbers are small. In discipline cases, they are a last resort. Because I think principals, teachers and educators recognise their responsibilities and do want to give students a second chance, a third chance if necessary, to reform and improve themselves. I did not quite get the Member's point about "Mercedes that are not properly tuned". I believe she was referring to the IP programme.”
“It bothers me because, from one generation of students to another, I find that they are heavily reliant on assessment books and tuition teachers. How can we give the needy students a level playing field to excel in school? One taxi driver told me that his savings are spent on his children's tuition fees monthly of about $300 as he wants them to do well in school. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Matthias Yao Chih) in the Chair] 4.25 pm”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, why are many still dependent on private tuition? Over the years, despite the many revisions and changes to improve our education system, our students are still very reliant on tuition in order to keep up with the pace of what is taught in the school. So high is the demand and so high is the price, at $100 per hour that some tutors fetch, that more and more tuition centres are being set up in Singapore. On the online service directory eguide.com.sg there are 419 listings of tuition companies in Singapore with many multiple centres islandwide. A Straits Times' report recently told the story of an undergraduate in NUS who started a small tuition centre out of his university hostel in 2004. As at the end of 2006, he was grossing $100,000 in business turnover. He reportedly received over 50 new students each month. This is a testament to the high demand for tuition centres. Though I applaud the entrepreneurial efforts of the undergraduate, I am at the same time concerned by this phenomenon, as it says something about our schools' education system. Is this because our schools are not doing enough to cater to the students' needs or is it because the schools are doing a good job, except that the parents are over-feeding their children? Another worry is whether this is an indication that our students are just average in their studies and it is the help from the tutors that gives them a boost in their studies? If the tutors can give them this boost, why can the teachers in our schools not fill this gap? Is there something missing in the teaching techniques and that the Ministry should re-examine the teachers' training programme?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I have just two clarifications. I would like to request the Minister to throw in little guppies into our little streams, because this is also a natural way of indicating the cleanliness of our waters. The second clarification is, in the management of food wastes in our hawker and market centres, is there any better way to dispose of our food wastes because, currently, it is very unhygienic? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I will leave it to the PUB to decide whether guppies or koi or whatever that is necessary to keep our water clean. We will explore all forms of biological methods. On food wastes, I agree entirely with Mdm Phua, and that is why we are encouraging food waste recycling. I think Mr Edwin Khew's plant will be ready by the end of this year, and will be the first food waste recyling plant in Singapore. Meanwhile, we will endeavour with all the hawkers' associations to find better ways of dealing with the food wastes being produced at our hawker centres.”
“What is the state of protection level of our two new sources of supply, that is, the NEWater and also the desalinated water? Presently, our water tariff does not encourage large families as the tariff is higher for those consuming 41 cubic metres and above per month. Although this works to encourage conservation of water and minimise wastage, large families require this additional amount of water out of necessity. My question then is whether the Ministry plans to review the current tariff rate to accommodate the needs of large families. 1.30 pm NEWater is one wonder as a result of research and development. There are many new technologies developing on the use of technology and in the management of our environment that we invest in, for example, the use of solar energy. Singapore is a sunny island. However, the application of solar energy is minimum. The other area is in the management of waste, for example, food waste. Presently, the disposal of food waste is very unhygienic in our markets and hawker centres. One final area of concern is that the airconditioned environment in our buildings is too cold. What is the Ministry's strategy on R&D on the use of energy and environmental management? Are more resources being put into this area? Is there any promising collaboration or emerging trend in this area?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, this plan to open up our water bodies is a brilliant move as this allows another of our limited resources to be used creatively and to enhance our living environment and living standards. I would like to congratulate PUB for the introduction of the ABC Waters Programme. While work is being done to allow accessibility to our water bodies, education and awareness programmes must step up to teach our children and adults alike, to keep our water bodies clean while using them. We must step up the ownership programme and allow our children to be protective over our environment. We must encourage each citizen to stand up and take on the responsibility that these water bodies belong to each and every one of us living in this beautiful island, and if anyone litters and causes harm to our water bodies, we must speak up. However, it is always very delicate to deliver this message directly to the culprit. Efforts must be made to teach our children this responsibility and the approach. Once our children are able to understand and take on these roles, I am convinced that our adults will not want to be left behind. My main concern is the timing. Once the water bodies are opened up and the people and the water relationships have not been built up and become "steady lovers", then there will definitely be additional cost to be borne by the citizens to realise this programme. Bold and collaborative efforts must be made to ensure that our water bodies are always clean and beautiful. Despite the four taps, our water resources continue to be limited. Will the Ministry ensure that we will continue to have sufficient water at an affordable price to meet the demands of our people, industries and businesses?”
“Is the Ministry expecting a spike in dengue cases, as what had happened in 2005, over the next few years? Is it a cycle or just a one-off situation? Dengue Vector Control”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I strongly support Dr Teo Ho Pin's call for dengue prevention and the share of the cost of Town Councils. I would like to urge the Ministry to look into the cost as, presently, it is as high as $1 for one residential unit per month. And this is just to add 20 inspectors to comb through the Aljunied Estate within the cycle of seven days. In addition, bolder efforts to make the community aware of the status of dengue outbreak cases and the call for community help are critical. 1.00 pm I give an example. Just before the Lunar New Year, there was an outbreak of dengue cases in Defu Industrial Estate. As advisor, I was informed and, together with merchant association members as well as our grassroots leaders, inspections were made. However, we found that most of the drains were inside the premises. The only way to inform the community at the industrial estate, ie, the workers, the tenants and the owners, is through big banners. We flooded the estate with about 20 big 12 feet by 12 feet red banners stating, "Dengue Fever Red Alert" at minor and major road junctions, calling for cooperation to inspect their own premises. I am pleased to note that for the past 10 days, I have not received any SMS on any fresh dengue fever case. For the reduction in dengue fever cases, the many-hands approach must be sought, and the community must readily be informed of the status of the dengue cases if there is an outbreak. The Aljunied Town Council will adopt the colour coded banners - white, orange and red - to indicate the level of dengue cases in our estates. I would urge the NEA to do so rather than a small white banner that NEA officers are putting up. In addition, can the Ministry let us know its key strategies in keeping the dengue fever at bay in Singapore?”
“I would like to congratulate the Ministry of National Development for the revitalisation measures for HDB shops. On behalf of Members of Parliament of the Aljunied GRC, I would like to say that Aljunied will offer one of the neighbourhood centres as a pilot.”