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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“If the drain has potholes or big holes, the agency in charge to repair is PUB, and the cleaning of drains is under the National Environment Agency (NEA). So the problem of clogging of drains cannot be resolved until both agencies work on it, ie, get the potholes repaired and then clean the drains. The residents are confused and would not be able to understand the fine differentiation of duties. So, in the meantime, the drains remain clogged with mosquitoes, and our residents are left at the risk of being bitten. I understand that in one medical centre, the doctors from different disciplines meet regularly to exchange views on their patients' case files in a holistic approach to patient care. Therefore, it would be good if this practice is expanded at ministerial level even more. This inter-Ministry committee offers not only a multi-disciplinary and multi-perspective approach to a problem. It also cuts out the argle-bargle when Ministry officials have to deal with each other later on. The complexities of today's economic, political and social environment demand more collective effort to be put in by officials from the different Ministries, either in policy formulation or implementation and operation measures. To conclude, I applaud the Prime Minister for his generosity towards the needy and the lower-income workers. The principle of sharing the goodies with the people is a policy that we will always adopt as part of our inclusive approach to achieve prosperity for all. Go the extra mile to help our older workers to get back to the job market and to help the lower-income workers. Enable the medical insurance to be portable, to be able to encourage our employers to engage our older workers. Adopt an inter-Ministry approach while we search for solutions to complex issues.”
“Because, for many people, from residents to even MPs, it is very time-consuming, tiring and frustrating having to deal with inter-Ministry issues. All too often, each Ministry will push to the other. The most classic example I have come across recently was when I asked for an additional lift for Kovan MRT Station. There is only one lift serving the residential estate but more to the market and hawker centres. The answer given was that there is no budget allocation from the Ministry of Finance. Sir, I am appealing for more budget for such essential amenities where many of our older residents use these lifts daily. Commuters go to the market and hawker centres daily. How do we justify spending millions on the artifacts beautifying our MRT stations but our residents have to struggle to get from one point to another? We have made progress in cheaper lifts for our HDB estates. So please do the same for our MRT stations. Hundreds and thousands use this transport system daily and we need to encourage them because of our limited land for private cars. I hope the Government will tap this inter-Ministry approach for some operation and implementation measures and to problem-solving on the ground issues. We used to have ZIP, the "zero in process" for the Government agencies and Ministries. However, this is not heard of in the present time. I have been receiving complaints from the residents of Government agencies pushing to one another, especially so now that many agencies have also outsourced their routine maintenance works. One other example is the clogging of open drains in the private estates. Mr Speaker, Sir, the issue is very complicating.”
“We need the help of the Ministry of Health to tie on this additional insurance with the basic MediShield, firstly, to minimise the over-coverage and also to allow the insurance company a big base to average the higher risks of these senior workers so that it is at a reasonable cost to the worker or his employer to make it portable to him. I would like to appeal for the good working tripartite relationship between NTUC, employer associations and Ministry of Health to relook at the paper lying on someone's desk and make the medical insurance scheme portable for a person when young so that the medical insurance that covers himself could continue to be with him wherever he works and whenever he needs to retrain and change jobs to suit his skill and age. We must start now. Even if we need to cut off at an age group, we would have to do so, as in the case of MediShield. This would enable our younger generation not to face the same situation as our senior workers now are facing. The employers will be more willing to employ the white-hair workers and let skill be the determining factor rather than the higher insurance cost, which would then be taken care of by the workers themselves, with the help from the tripartite relationship of the Government, employer associations and NTUC. On inter-Ministry approach, on a broader level, I note that we are moving towards a more inter-Ministry approach as we search for solutions, especially on policy formulation, from health issues to the focus on managing the effects of casino gambling. I have called for the setting up of more inter-Ministry bodies and committees to tackle the implementation of this Budget in the earlier part of my speech. Why?”
“For the many who could afford, it is fine. But for the senior worker who is looking for a job and has no sufficient insurance coverage for himself, he would have to bargain hard with his new employer. With that, many would not be able to find suitable employment. The Ministry of Health strongly believes that the comprehensive coverage without co-payment is not a sound insurance scheme for the people in the long term, which I fully agree. Once there is no co-payment, there will be abuses of the system not only at the insurance pay-out, but also at the medical care providers. The question is: how is the 41-year-old going to pay for his medical insurance premium if the insurance premium tripled and on the increase for a person aged 41 and above looking for employment? I am proposing the use of the 1% of the insurance premium, as set by the Ministry and Government agencies which pay to the civil servants' Medisave accounts, as a guided percentage to be paid by the employer. In addition, I would like to ask the Ministry of Health to allow for additional insurance premiums to be paid out of the individual's Medisave account, not for comprehensive coverage but with a cap for sufficient coverage in the working life of a person. Thirdly, I am appealing to the Prime Minister to put in more money in the Medisave for these older workers to be able to pay for the insurance premium, made portable as his personal insurance. The other issue is that the insurance company, as a business, would not take up this senior worker above age 41.”
“They must be flexible in the administration and implementation, so that the training budget, painstakingly set aside by the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, is within the reach of the people to whom they are meant. Next, portable medical insurance. This was highlighted five years ago. However, it has remained a written paper on someone's desk waiting to be adopted. This scheme is gravitating itself as a very important factor in the employment of older workers. For the past few years, many senior workers have realised that there is no longer life-long employment, not even in statutory boards. When there is life-long employment, the company's medical insurance premium would average out in a worker's working life. In current times, when there is no life-long employment, the cost of medical insurance is very expensive on the individual person if he needs to cover himself at age 41 and above. The cost of medical insurance for the individual or the new employer is tripled at least for a person aged 41, compared to a worker aged 30 and under. This has resulted in the reluctance of companies to employ workers above 41. This is definitely much more than looking at the white hair, as mentioned by Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee. At this point, I must congratulate and thank our Minister for Health for redesigning and giving each Singaporean a basic medical insurance coverage in our hospital care, ie, our MediShield. The question here is: is this basic medical hospital insurance sufficient to cover the active working life of an individual and also through his old age? Many do not think so and have to buy many other medical insurance policies on top of this basic coverage and also request for the employer to cover their medical hospital insurance.”
“I am currently arranging for our market and hawker stallholders to attend GEMS courses, introduced by Minister Raymond Lim, taking advantage of the coming market and hawker centre's two-day closure for washing. NTUC's Learning Hub has helped me to organise this session together with our grassroots leaders, as we believe that GEMS courses would help them to improve their services to our fellow Singaporeans. Although we are not in Orchard Road, we are now just a neighbourhood hub, downgraded from a town centre status by both the Minister for National Development and the Minister for Transport with the stroke of a pen in the town planning and the route of the transport system. We will conduct the course in Mandarin, with direct interpretation for our Malay stallholders. WDA insisted that the session must be for eight hours before the necessary funding can be made available. For these hawkers and stallholders, to tie them up for one whole day of the two-day closure means a lot to them. The second day closure is meant to be spent cleaning their stalls to get them ready for the next day's operation. Hence, it is a lot to ask them to spend one whole day for training. I really cannot understand WDA's rationale. I would have to raise funds for these people to attend the classes if I am not able to convince and persuade the stallholders to spend one whole day with me for the GEMS. This would mean that I would not be able to tap on the Government's funding of about $40 million of the Budget, ie, not benefiting from it. The agency implementing these training programmes must understand the mindset of the people. They must recognise that there are times when you can only make small gains but, yet, this is important, rather than try to attain the summit and never reach it.”
“The idea is not to put oneself in a position where we find ourselves and the workers in two opposite polar positions. If there is no way to bring them to the classrooms, can these older workers pick up other skill sets, like simple vocational skills training? Help them to adapt without going through the ABC route. Teach them the skills that they may be well more suited to. For example, mend shoes, repair clocks and watches, repair the new dual flush cisterns where Environment is going to make it compulsory as a water saving device, make handicraft, prune shrubs and landscape gardens, polish furniture and repair leather upholstery. With these skills, they can go out and either work for someone or set up their own little businesses. Offer them some seed funding and give them the stall licences and let them move on with life without having to agonise learning ABC. Limit the options to those who are without any primary qualifications and are above 50 years old. Provide the seed money for them to set up their own business. Offer them the second chance to be their own boss, and it may rekindle their interest to take up the challenge. In similar context, we have helped the older workers and the lower skilled workers in their 60s and 70s by the direct allocation of stalls in the markets and hawker centres. We saw how they were able to bring up their children and many have since progressed and done well in life. For example, I know of a hawker in Toa Payoh who brought up three sons. All of them graduated from universities and are doing very well. There have been concerted efforts to help this strata of people which today we are seeing in numbers again because of the globalisation of economies. In addition, some of these retraining courses are very long.”
“As a result, a percentage of our population, particularly the older and less skilled workers, is displaced. While the devastation they face is nowhere compared to the thousands who lost their homes and livelihoods from natural disasters as earthquakes and landslides, the sufferings they face deserve our full support and assistance. Indeed, the Government has acted promptly and put in place many schemes, including the latest measures announced in the Budget. I have three concerns. Older workers, however, thus far the efforts to help these workers navigate the terrain to get back to the mainstream workforce have not yielded sufficient numbers. The momentum has to pick up so that we can attract more to come forward and pick up new skills the way the infectious Latin America drum beats draw the crowds to the dance floor. For these older workers, the cost of living has moved up and those without jobs will find themselves still swimming in turbulent waters though they now have a lifeline thrown to them. Some of the retraining programmes require them to undergo classes to gain some literacy in English and Arithmetics. We have to recognise that these workers, some in their 50s, 60s and illiterate, will find it very difficult. I urge the Government to consider the mindset of these older generation of workers and to set up an inter-Ministry body to look at how we can better understand and motivate them, how we can come out with solutions that fit into their minds. I always believe that they want to help themselves. But what they want to do is not always what the civil servants and MPs think what they should do. They will remain obdurate to classroom learning no matter what you offer them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is indeed very challenging to be the last speaker to respond to the Budget Statement. However, this time I did not cut my speech, although I have seriously considered doing it after two days of speeches. Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak in this debate. Sir, the Budget 2006 financial package will certainly resonate well among the majority of heartlanders, especially the lower income and the elderly. At the core of this Budget is not just what the Government is giving out to the people. Rather, it is the principle behind the handout that is important. Just as it is easy to be distracted by the glitter in a diamond, the discerning buyer will look at it with the eye of a gemologist. She will examine the precious stone, not for its glitter, but its cut, grade, colour and clarity. I believe today Singaporeans are knowledgeable, mature and well-read to be able to appreciate that this is a Government that has the people close to its heart. It shows that the many feedback sessions, dialogue sessions and face-to-face engagement between the people and the Government at the constituencies and elsewhere did not fall on deaf ears. In difficult times, the people are called upon to tighten their belts. When there is a good harvest, the Government shares the harvest with the people. Our financial policy is effective because it is coherent, consistent and as predictable as it is possible, while maintaining scope for flexibility and the use of judgement as and when the situation requires. Over the past few years, there has been a shift in the global economic landscape which saw the emergence of India and China among the leading economies in Asia. We have to adjust our economy to keep pace with the tectonic movement in the global economy.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to commend the Minister who spoke in great detail and his understanding of Singaporeans' concern of the light penalty on Melvyn Tan's case. So I have cut three quarters of my speech as well as my comments. I would just like to say that no man can bring greater glory to himself and his family than by being prepared to lay down his life to honour and protect the sovereignty of his country. I see this as a wife and a mother of two growing sons. I strongly hold the view that as citizens, we must be prepared to stand up and be counted even in peacetime. Let us just take a determined stand on the side of all serving National Servicemen in our Armed Forces so that they know that we are solidly behind them. We appreciate their contributions and their service to the nation. Still, others serve with their lives. Let not these service sacrifices of all our servicemen go in vain if we allow others to look for a shunpike to avoid their service obligation for various reasons. Many families and parents have acknowledged the importance of National Service for the country's security and survival but have not seen it as a sacrifice but as a duty of a citizen and happy to fulfil their duties. Two years of National Service and 13 years of specialist liability is a long time and the $3,000 fine is definitely inadequate. I would like to urge the Minister to review the appropriate penalty for the NS dodger, irregardless of age, and suitability for active service. However, on the other hand, is the jail sentence appropriate at that age? Would MINDEF look into other appropriate penalties as well, for example, a certain period of compulsory community service in the community to serve the society? 4.14 pm”
“Sir, in the light of the recent reports of young girls offering sex for money to buy luxury goods, what is the Ministry going to highlight to any like-minded girls that they should seek help and counselling? Is it at the school level or beyond the school level? The second question is whether the Minister will consider giving more exposure to the Ministry's counselling service, if there is, on the website or through other public education media.”
“Sir, I understand that currently all the clinics have run out of the human influenza vaccines. The advice is for the elderly and children to have this jab before they travel. When will the nextstock come in and what is the quantity?”
“Just imagine that if the cards are seamless in our buses, our trains and our cars, we can switch modes of transport all the time and the cost could be cheaper for each card. I have not owned an ez-link card as it is ridiculous to pay $5 for deposit for this card. Finally, the amendments introduced the penalty fee system for buses and rail services for commuters who evade the fares. I understand there is a concern as the number of evasion of fares is high. This is the result that the existing system is not robust enough to minimise evasion. Once it is not robust, then uncertainty will definitely step in. Is it a case of evasion or is it a case of innocent error? I understand that presently, in the MRT gantry, a person can walk through the gantry following the other person in a hurry, that means with the tap itself, it is able to accept two persons going through the gantry. The commuter could have tapped the system and may not be able to register as well. I would like the PTC to review the robustness of the system before the implementation of the penalty system and allow for innocent errors to be compensated by the commuters. This has happened to many of us when our cashcard is not logged in properly after taking out to pay for carpark charges in our ERP IU console. And I sincerely appeal to PTC to really give a chance to the innocent people who have made a mistake or who genuinely have made a mistake in incurring or not paying the fare itself. On this note itself, I would like to wish PTC the best as it is going to have a heavy responsibility to ensure that we have an affordable and accessible transport system in Singapore. 4.40 pm”
“To be proactive, is there a guideline for the PTC to review the fare on a fixed interval period, and at the same time entertain ad hoc requests for review by the abovementioned bodies, for example, CASE and the unions? It is very difficult for commuters to accept after PTC has given the green light for fare hikes when the companies are generating profits. We just have the SMRT announcement on 30th June 2005 that SMRT's first quarter 2005 unaudited group profit was $23.92 million compared to $21 million for the first quarter 2004, and SBS Transit's second quarter 2005 profit was $11.59 million compared to $11.55 million in 2004. I congratulate these companies for their profitability. But they must not do this by increasing the fares. For the PTC, it has to show more transparency and give a better explanation of how it arrived at accepting the figures presented by the transport operators when they apply for fare revision. Otherwise, any recommendation by PTC would just be blown off in the face of logic. To a shop floor worker or student having to spend an additional 20-40 cents or more a day just to get to work or to school is a challenge. To the man about town, these may be loose coins, but to them and many others, these are not small change. The revision also introduces the regulatory regime for ticket payment system and services. The commuters' interest should not be considered for the payment mode between the two bus and rail operators alone. But PTC should ensure that the card that is used should be an open system, suitable for all retail and other trades as well. I will give you an example. The existing ez-link card system cannot be used without ERP system which uses the Nets card. Despite that, the ez-link card is the latest introduction into the transport system.”
“The PTC could perhaps require the transport operators to actively look at how they can incorporate facilities to make the buses more accessible to the less mobile elderly commuters. The steps on the buses are too high for the elderly. Why give them fare concession when you are extinguishing their joy of travelling, as the buses are inaccessible to them? We should start planning now because 10 years down the road, there will be even more elderly people within the community that need these lower-step buses. I welcome the relaxation of the rules where those who operate less than 10 buses need not go through the gamut of requirements to qualify for licences. It is my hope that these small operators can offer some relief to the heartlands by running feeder services to and from the housing estates to the train stations, especially on routes where the big transport operators refuse to service. PTC should consider letting go the licensing of network of these small operators to allow them to provide this kind of services for the convenience of residents, especially in the private estates too. The amendment to the Public Transport Act talks about the application for revision of fares and the formula that it applies. Invariably, this is about the upward revision of fares. At what juncture will the PTC intervene to ask the transport operators to lower the fares? Is there any mechanism where the PTC can step in to ask the operators to carry out a downward revision of fares if the occasion presents itself? Secondly, will the PTC ensure that there is sufficient opportunity for non-Government organisations, like CASE, the unions, and so forth, to make representation to the PTC before they make any recommendation on fare revision?”
“Currently, about 30-odd per cent of our population are between 40 and 59 years, and 11% and 12% are from the 60 and 80 years and beyond. So, at least, 42% are above 40. Our transport operators must pay attention to this demographics. While it is good to go to the aesthetics, decorating the stations with expensive art pieces, they should not overlook investing in lifts, guard rails and other facilities to ease the mobility for the elderly and the handicapped. The current escalators are too fast for the elderly, not to mention the handicapped. We should see their stunned look at the cascading escalators. Moving down the steep decline to the underground station is another hair-raising experience for them. Therefore, for these commuters, they face both physical barriers and psychological barriers. Providing lifts is one solution, and the provision is after many appeals in this House. In fact, when you think of mobility, it affects not just these people. Remember, anyone of us at any time faces mobility problem, even temporarily, because of a sprain or some other injury. So when public transport is more accessible to the less mobile, it benefits everybody in society. And, of course, do remember that when there is a fare increase, the less mobile bear the higher cost too. Ease of accessibility by the senior citizens should be one of the most important performance standards that the PTC should look at. Hence, I would like to call on the PTC, which not only has the role and responsibility to oversee the operators, but also review the provision of these facilities by the LTA, to ensure the mobility of the residents and the ease of accessibility of the commuters. On the same note, I now turn to the replacement programme for buses which I understand is on a 10-year cycle.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak on this amendment Bill. There are many factors that affect whether people choose to travel by public transport or not. Convenience, comfort, affordability and accessibility, especially in the case of the elderly and handicapped, are among the characteristics of a good transport system. Today, our public transport has evolved into a multi-faceted system where operators offer underground trains, buses and taxis, all rolled into one. The introduction of a bus service operator regime is timely. The North East Line has shown that the same transport company which runs the train services to also operate the bus services on the same route is not in the best interest of the community for the commuting public. Presently, we are still daunted by residents' requests for a service between nearby estates, for example, Sengkang and Hougang. Residents have to take two buses which in a car, it takes less than 10 minutes. While I understand that profitability is a consideration - as the operator is a profit-making company - the PTC has an important role to ensure that the providers of public transport also have a responsibility to provide more than just the minimum service. This has serious political and social impact. The building of kinship and community bonding should not be affected by the cost and inconvenience of the country's transport system. Next, I would like to touch on the mobility of the commuting public. If residents are not properly served by public transport, then access to employment, goods and services may be restricted. So the transport system has to be accessible to everyone, young and old and the handicapped. This is more on the provision of appropriate facilities to ensure mobility.”
“Sir, the SPS is not answering my question. Under the Estates Uprgrading Programme, the drains under the PUB will be covered. So I am asking, for the Estates Upgrading Programme, would the drains be covered or is there a review currently, because of the number of dengue cases, to leave the drains open? Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Under the first few phases of the Estates Upgrading Programme, for example, the one in Serangoon, the request from the local MP was to cover the drains. Indeed, this was done. In subsequent phases, I think some local MPs also requested to cover these drains, and we will cover them. But as far as PUB is concerned, the drains should be clean and water should flow. So it is not whether it is a covered drain or an open drain but it is a maintenance problem. We can cover the drains if there is enough budget in the EUP Programme and the local MPs request for it. In the case of Serangoon, for example, the reason why the drains were covered - I remember very clearly because I was in MND - the roads are very narrow, so by covering the drains, we actually provide a pedestrian footpath, so to speak. So that was the imperative to cover the drains.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am referring to the private estate open drains. Would the Minister consider enclosing these drains or leave them open? Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Sir, most of these drains in the private estates are today open. We leave them open for a while unless there is reason to cover them up.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary clarify if the drains would be covered or uncovered? And if it is covered, is the Minister going to review the need to cover such drains or to enclose such drains, in view of the dengue fever? Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Sir, these programmes cover all types of drains - small drains, big drains, covered drains and uncovered drains. And the policy now is that we will leave it to the Town Councils to open the drains, so long as it does not inhibit the flow of water.”
“BIOLOGICAL AGENTS AND TOXINS BILL "to prohibit or otherwise regulate the possession, use, import, transhipment, transfer and transportation of biological agents, inactivated biological agents and toxins, to provide for safe practices in the handling of such biological agents and toxins, and to make a related amendment to the Infectious Diseases Act (Chapter 137 of the 2003 Revised Edition)", presented by the Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Balaji Sadasivan); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament; and to be printed. INCOME TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Income Tax Act (Chapter 134 of the 2004 Revised Edition) and to make a consequential amendment to the Economic Expansion Incentives (Relief from Income Tax) Act (Chapter 86 of the 2005 Revised Edition)", recommendation of President signified; presented by the Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr Lim Hng Kiang); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament; and to be printed.”
“Can the Minister tell us specifically how do we eradicate these breeding grounds in covered drains as well as in three-storey gutters? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, as I have mentioned in my speech, as far as the drains are concerned, we are working together with MND to look at a long-term solution. But, meanwhile, we will continue to increase the frequency of our flushing of the drains to make sure that there are no pools. We will also look at the design, as Mr Mah has announced. But this is where you need the experts to come in, the pest control companies, to work together with NEA. This cannot be done by the public. It has to be done by the experts. Similarly, for gutters, we have referred to the committee to study further. But for Singaporeans who have homes with gutters, they can call in people to help them to check. In fact, over the weekend, Sir, we actually got SCDF officers who have those tall ladders to help us. An hon. Member: That is not their job. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Yes, I understand, but we need this only as a one-off exercise. But if home owners really need assistance, they can call up NEA, who can advise them what are the things that they can do with respect to the gutters. I think we have to step up our maintenance and vigilance, and we are more than happy to assist home owners. BILLS INTRODUCED PUBLIC TRANSPORT COUNCIL (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Public Transport Council Act (Chapter 259B of the 2000 Revised Edition) and to make a consequential amendment to the Land Transport Authority of Singapore Act (Chapter 158A of the 1996 Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for Transport (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament; and to be printed.”
“I am not surprised - although Mr Leong is surprised - that the number of breeding grounds has been reduced because there are two non-accessible areas that the residents and volunteers could not access. One, the three-storey gutters in private estates. Nobody could access them. Second, the carpark drains or the covered drains in private estates as well as in HDB estates. These are areas that are impossible to access. And in terms of the breeding grounds, you can only flush for a certain period of time, you cannot flush them always.”
“Sir, I just want to clarify with the Minister whether the 4,000 home-owners who have not retrofitted their windows are from the list of HDB known cases, ie, HDB's subsidised cases. I will give him an example. Aljunied Town Council has been monitoring the cases and it has also been helping the residents. In total, Aljunied Town Council has actually helped 9,000 cases to change their windows. This is on top of the 4,300 HDB cases that have been done by the Hougang Branch Office. The number of cases that have not changed their window rivets, which need to be changed, may not be the number that the Minister has stated so. In addition, because of a complaint, I have actually gone down to visit two blocks of flats. There are two categories of residents: one is those who are in financial difficulty and the other category is those who do not know how to call the agency. There are about 10 to 20 of these cases in each block. How is the Minister going to help these cases?”
“Sir, can the Parliamentary Secretary look into the current publicity materials for anti-smoking? The reason is that the current publicity materials are targeted at men, rather than women. He may want to send the right message also to our young ladies.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is it possible to let patients know whether the drugs are standard or non-standard because standard drugs mean that they are subsidised by the Government hospitals?”
“For non-Annex I countries, including Singapore, there are no emission reduction targets set for them under the KP. Nevertheless, we have been consulting and working closely with the various stakeholders to come up with realistic and viable climate change solutions. Examples include our first Roundtable on Climate Change in May 2005 which involved representatives from industry, academia, NGOs and the media, as well as our current review of the Singapore Green Plan 2012. Sir, we agree that acceding to the Kyoto Protocol would be consistent with Singapore's image as a responsible international citizen with a reputation for good domestic environmental practices, and we are now reviewing the timing of our accession to the Kyoto Protocol.”
“For example, we have found in the flower pots, gutters, in the common areas managed by the Town Councils, even in places where you have installation, such as the pump room, where there was a water leakage in one instance and the water puddle was small or large enough, depends on how you look at it, for the mosquitoes to breed. So our message to all households and property owners is that they have to check constantly, especially during this time of the year when you have a warm weather, with intermittent rain. These are ideal conditions for the mosquitoes to breed. KYOTO PROTOCOL (Singapore's delay in ratification) 8. Dr Geh Min asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether Singapore's delay in ratifying the Kyoto Protocol will damage our international reputation and credibility as a responsible member of the global community. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, climate change is now regarded as a key environmental challenge confronted by the global community. There is a need for concerted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As an island state, Singapore shares this global concern, and is supportive of the various international efforts taken to address this challenge. Sir, the Kyoto Protocol (KP) is an international agreement that reflects the parties' commitment to addressing climate change. It is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Singapore ratified the UNFCCC in 1997. The KP entered into force in February 2005, and legally commits 39 Annex I parties, covering mostly developed countries, to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5.2% below the 1990 levels by 2008 to 2012.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, two supplementary questions. Would the Minister give us a better idea on the causes, areas and locations? Is he able to give us statistics on how many of these cases are from HDB flats and how many are from the landed properties and, within the landed properties, how many are actually due to the containers within their households or within their compound itself, or how many are due to the building structures, like gutters? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I do not have the exact breakdown. But the figures that we have show that we have clusters within HDB estates and we do have clusters among landed properties. But in the case of HDB estates, we work very closely with the Town Councils who had been very helpful in making sure that in the public areas where Town Councils are responsible, they will check diligently. It is within the HDB flats where we need to work with the local constituents, the MPs and RC chairmen to educate the households to make sure that they check. For landed properties, it is a challenge. We also work with the local MPs, but we go house-to-house whenever there is a need to check. What is more important is for the public to be aware that they have a role to play, whether or not you are living in a landed property or HDB flat, if you have a puddle of water which is neglected, that will be attractive to Aedes mosquitoes and, therefore, they will start to procreate and then it will become a problem. The second question she asked is whether the instances of the breeding are basically from the containers. Most of them tend to be from the containers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, being a global economy, these two services are critical for our businesses as well as for individuals. Can the Senior Minister of State tell us exactly how do our charges compare to China, Malaysia and Korea? In addition, is his Ministry also looking into regional alliances with broadband service providers of other countries so that these regional alliances could bring down the cost of business across countries?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, while the Minister looks at the holistic approach to help these families, can the Minister work with the Ministry of National Development to quickly lessen this basic cost of housing? Because our current policy is that we do not favour downgrading and 50% of these households, as what the Minister has said just now, actually own 4-room flats.”
“Sir, can the Minister inform the House whether they have a profile of these chatroom abusers, their typical tactics and also the pattern that they operate so that we could advise our educators, that is, our teachers, principals as well as parents, on how to deal with them? The second question is whether the Minister will work with the Ministry of Education to form a special squad, basically to protect our young children who are using the chatrooms. In fact, I went in just as a simple messenger, although it requires the person who owns this account to access it. But if any of the experienced man could have just penetrated any of the students' accounts, he could access any of the private chatrooms straightaway.”
“As for public education, I am glad that Mrs Yu-Foo has just informed us that MCYS would start the public education now, even before the casino is up. I believe we should educate the very young who are in our primary school so that when they grow up, they are fully aware of the dangers of gambling. This will have to be done in earnest and continually reviewed so that it remains relevant to the changing situation. Grassroots organisations should also be mobilised to use their network to reach out to everyone in the heartlands by holding discussions and forums to explain the pitfalls of gambling and how to stay away from falling into the trap. I am pleased that the Government is setting up a National Council on Gambling and those who are opponents of the casinos will be invited to sit on the council to advise the Government on measure to mitigate the effects of gambling. I know in Singapore, we have the infrastructure to tackle some of the scourges related to casino operations. Where we need to, we are beefing up or putting up new Government agencies to look into these issues. I also support the move for an integrated resort because I am confident that the Government, with its well-oiled machinery at its disposal, will put in place the necessary filters to cushion the negative impact of gambling in our society. I hope and believe that I am in effect speaking for many Singaporeans when I say: I too have faith in the strength of our various cultures as well as in our people. We will not be a city of gamblers. We will not be what we are not.”
“There is more than the jobs: the spin-offs from the integrated resorts, world-class architecture and design, development and construction activities, real estate market and values, retail opportunities, services, hotels, food and entertainment, trade expositions, exhibitions, recreational activities, night life, spending and its multiplier effects, and many others to follow. The economic spin-offs are immense. Yes, I am equally concerned with some of the negative impact from gambling addiction, drug trafficking, money laundering and the other social impact on family life in our community. These are my real concerns. I am also particularly concerned for the housewives and the retirees. There will be people who will fall prey to glib-tongue racketeers and their fellow travellers. My fear is that local syndicates may lure these housewives and retirees, using underhand tactics and strip them of their hard-earned savings. They can be enticed into parting with their money under the guise of, say, a sure win bet, or they may be misled by some other quick return schemes. There must be awareness programmes of the dangers of gambling for the housewives and the elderly. Thus far, from the measures announced by the Government, they are very generic and I hope that there will be special focus groups that will take care of the housewives and retirees, particularly the elderly group. Our own band of illegal money-lenders will, I am sure, be looking to cash in on the situation, and I urge the authorities to come down hard on them. Only last week, one young man came to seek for advice. He borrowed $6,000 from the loan shark and had paid $12,000 over the past six months, but the loan shark is still after him.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the question of having a casino in Singapore has been well debated in and outside of Parliament and including my home. My husband and I had stood on the opposite position until the details of the resort concept were disclosed. I just want to state my position on the casino. To do so, I would like to share a little of our arguments at home. There were strong religious objections to contrast against a backdrop of supportive reasons that were based on economic values. In our humble opinion, we perceive these arguments from two platforms: one from a secular standpoint and the other from a divine or religious perspective. For me and my family, on the religious perspective based on our faith as Catholic Christians, it would compel us to stand against the setting up of the casino within the shores of Singapore. However, there is a need to understand that we are living in a secular community of diverse religions and backgrounds. The arguments for or against the casino must therefore also take on a secular and national perspective on the economics and future of Singapore. Our argument at home ends in this manner. For the religious within us, we quote from the Bible, "The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps." Let us then allow the "human minds" do our part for the society. For that, I would support the move to set up an integrated resort and casino. My reasons are straightforward. It is a question of economics. It is about creating jobs for Singaporeans, not 1,000, 2,000 but 35,000 jobs.”
“There is one more point. Ninety-five cases out of 105 cases currently pending in my division is a very high percentage. So it is not a matter of one or two urgent cases.”
“Sir, I would like to again reconfirm that for the six weeks of processing, we must definitely make a decision, whether we want to give the first help and then continue with the other help. But there must be a KPI on that part itself, and not the processing time. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: Sir, I have mentioned just now that we are giving flexibility to the CDCs. They may have cases which are very urgent. The Mayor and advisors should make a decision that we should give some interim help. It must depend on the background of the case. Like I said, we will take a holistic approach to look into the circumstances of the case.”
“Sir, I want to make a point of clarification with the Minister of State. She mentioned that 75% of the cases are processed within six weeks. What does she mean by "processed within six weeks"? In fact, this morning I have just gone through the list of the cases in my division. I have 105 cases. Out of 105, 93 cases are either pending investigation or recommendation, which means that less than 10% has been decided. That is a very low percentage.”
“Mr Chairman, I am glad that the HOPE scheme has helped 450 families. Many of these families that are targeted by HOPE will only find difficulty after the third child, which immediately disqualifies them. I would like to ask the Minister to identify these potential families earlier, maybe at the first-born, or even at the point of marriage.”
“There must be key performance indicators on the: (1) Number of cases helped; (2) Amount spent; (3) Timeframe when the needy families can get the basic financial help; and (4) Accountability for the administrative cost of managing these funds. I would use the example of Community Chest. It has prided itself on the low cost of the collection and administration of funds. 5.00 pm The Aged”
“Sir, CDCs were set up in 1997 as a district administration for community programmes. Over the last two years, the role of the CDCs has been more active, especially in local job placements and financial assistance. For job placements over the last two years, I hope the CDCs have realised that holding job fairs does not mean successful job placement. It requires personal counselling and even equipping residents with interview skills. During the last two years, for short-term financial help, the CDC has adopted a broad-brush approach to these applicants. This can be seen in the drop of at least two-thirds of the cases for six months' help and those given three months' help. This means that after three months, the cases are dropped off and presumably the residents are back to their feet. With the ComCare Fund, which is targeted at needy families, CDCs need to be more focused. It should be on a case-by-case basis. Many cases need financial help, lack family support and need counselling for themselves as well as their dependants. It must be more targeted, with a comprehensive understanding of the family situation, targeted counselling and assistance with follow-up, so that families can be self-reliant as soon as possible. The CDCs' quick and decisive response to the changing needs of the people is critical. With the increasing importance of the CDCs' role of self-help, more appropriate resources must be deployed to the CDCs. We need more social workers who are able to understand their family needs and provide the necessary counselling than general public relations and events organisers. In addition, with the increased budget for financial assistance, CDCs should be transparent in the use of the funds.”
“Sir, two points of clarification. The Minister has explained the standard and non-standard drugs. Could he clarify the level of subsidy for these drugs? The second point of clarification is: as the investigative test cost is high, does the hospital have a procedure to inform the patients of the cost before the test is being done?”
“Sir, as I have said before, I believe in this Minister for Health and is confident of his influence in the work in the Health Ministry. Within a short stint, he has shelled out the right remedies for the high healthcare cost. Firstly, he has allowed a direct comparison of medical costs of the various medical procedures. Medical costs automatically came down. Secondly, he has again hit on the nail. We know that he loves opera shows but I did not know that he is a tai chi expert. By deciding on a different funding structure and allocating resources to the hospital, he has again invisibly lowered the ward charges, reduced the stay-in days and lowered admission cost. Because of this invisible force, I would like to appeal to the Minister to look into two more areas, that is, the medicine cost, as well as the investigative test costs in the hospital bill. Based on the hospital bill that I have cited earlier, the medicine cost is high, about one-fifth of the total bill, which was $43,000 and a mere $3,000 subsidy only. Next, the high investigative test expenses. Again, for this case itself, it was $73,000, one-third of the bill. Many patients once warded have to go through many investigative tests and, again, a layman like us, is unable to assess whether the tests carried out are necessary and essential. Finally, I wish to thank the Minister for Health for the review of the MediShield and its coverage, so that health cost will not be a huge burden to our family when we are sick. Enhance it with a portable medical scheme as jobs are now not long term and people are most vulnerable between jobs. Means Testing”
“They should not stand aside and leave the house owners to engage their own consultants to resolve the issue. Road Pavements”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, over the years, one local situation seems to be haunting all the time, and this is on dengue fever. For the first two months of this year, we already have 1,921 dengue cases. The Ministry, I know, has been doing a great job of swing-fogging the estates, making spot checks on residents and public areas. 4.15 pm We need to understand the people's thinking before launching a public awareness programme. One phenomenon is that the people are adopting a callous attitude on prevention of Aedes mosquito breeding. They always think that it would not happen to them. People are used to mosquito bites previously and nothing has happened to them, and they do not think anything will ever happen to them. Secondly, many people still think that mosquitoes breed in dirty water at construction sites, open areas, vacant open spaces and even trees. And Town Councils have been inundated with calls of chopping down trees because of mosquitoes. Tell them that mosquitoes breed in clean water in the homes in six out of 10 cases - in flower vases, in pails and in flower pots. Tell them that the fatality rate of dengue fever in most countries is about 5%, and most fatal cases are among children and the elderly. Tell them the pain and the effects, and the likelihood of dying. Let them know that there is no vaccine for dengue fever. Besides education and publicity, there is one area which we need the relevant agencies - NEA and BCA - to work with the people. Presently, under BCA guidelines, roofs should not have gutters. It is not a regulation. Many houses, some 3-storey high, have roof gutters, and the residents do not have access. BCA should work closely with NEA and do some voluntary service proactively.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, smoking should be banned in all enclosed areas, including all pubs and certain areas in coffeeshops and hawker centres. We often have children, together with their parents, eating in the coffeeshops and hawker centres at one table, and a group of smokers puffing away at the next table. Invariably, the children and other non-smokers become passive smokers. If we take into consideration our older citizens, we should have a segregated smoking area in the coffeeshops and hawker centres. According to one local study done in February this year, it was found that pubs which ban smoking would see a plausible decrease in patronage and affect their revenues. However, based on a one-year study done in New York in 2003, I am told the results are different. After the smoking ban, there was actually a surge in businesses as non-smokers could now go to the pubs and enjoy a pint of beer in a smoke-free environment. One interim measure is to have a smokers' room in the pubs, as I have seen in Japan and Korea, where the rooms are isolated and installed with an effective exhaust system to extract the smoke. More important is to educate our young on the harmful effects of smoking and debunk the image that smoking is associated with a successful businessman or woman, or that it is cool to be seen with a cigarette in hand. We have done well in our drug education for the young. I hope the Environment Ministry could learn from MHA on drug education for children. My daughter is in Primary 5 and she has done two projects on drugs, but not on smoking. Reach out to the young, and the results would be better and last longer.”
“The other agencies that we can tap on are the civic groups as well as the professional bodies, eg, the various institutes of engineers, architects, estate managers, doctors and other civic groups besides the environmental protection groups. Economic Opportunities in the Environment Sector”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, our "Town Sparkles" Committee which I chair, and runs the programme for the 14 PAP Town Councils, has also addressed various issues on the environment, from dengue to good toilet habits. We need to keep on pushing the public service messages and the support of all Government agencies. The National Environment Agency (NEA) and HDB are represented in our "Town Sparkles" Committee. However, what we hope is that there can be greater concerted effort by all agencies to push the public education messages across the heartlands. Take public toilets, for instance. While there has been improvement from the past, we have to relentlessly push and reinforce the public messages to the masses - work with the coffeeshop association, work with the shop owners themselves, and with the community. Littering is also an issue which needs constant reminders from the Town Councils, the Residents' Committees, the NEA and the schools. Junk mails thrown on the HDB void decks are not uncommon. Recycling is still not catching up with our citizens. Our "Town Sparkles" campaign can achieve so much in addressing issues relating to living in a clean and healthy environment. We are only one of the many platforms to reach out. The Ministry should see what is lacking in its overall public education campaign. Why are people not paying as much attention to social issues like mosquito breeding, littering and recycling? Or should all the different campaigns or programmes be realigned and we have one big "Social Habits" programme? There are two more group agencies that we can tap on their expertise, ie, the regulatory bodies such as the BCA, HDB and MEWR's various departments, such as NEA and the Drainage and Sewage Department.”
“Sir, I want to address the concern of providing appropriate affordable housing for those who cannot afford to buy a flat but looking for a rental flat. The current rate for 1-room and 2-room rental flats is about $33 to $75 for household income below $800. For those with household income below $1,500, the 2-room rental is about $165. I find that after this, there is a wide gap. People have to rent a unit in the open market today. A 3-room or 4-room flat is from $700 to $1,300, depending on the proximity to a MRT station. What is HDB's role in meeting the needs of rental housing to the people? We have reached a stage where Singaporeans own about 90-odd per cent of HDB flats. What is the current demand for rental flats and the anticipated future demand, as our jobs are getting less stable and housing loans are big commitments. I would like the Ministry to bridge the gap by, firstly, allowing more flats to be let out by HDB owners, ie, relaxing the rule on minimum occupancy period, and also to make available more 3-room flats for rental through the buy-back from the public. Next, I would also like to appeal to the Ministry to review its debarment policy. We are talking about families who have sold their flats twice previously and are neither allowed to rent or purchase a flat from HDB. Most are forced to downgrade because of financial difficulties, and most of these cases would incur losses and left to the mercy of the open market. The debarment policy was instituted, I believe, to protect people from abusing the system of subsidised public housing for profit. Although the Minister has asked us to appeal for these cases, many appeals have been made but most cases have been rejected. I would like the Minister to look at it again. Rental of HDB flats”
“While many Singaporeans are pleased to read about the mushrooming of low-cost carriers and how they have made travelling across boundaries at a fraction of their original cost, the underlying question is: what is the current market share of low-cost carriers at the moment? What long-term strategies does the Ministry have in respect to budget airlines so that they do not cannibalise the profits of other local airlines? The drastic cutback in fares from these airlines also raises more than just eyebrows. It raises the question: how do these budget airlines balance their sums to remain profitable without sacrificing on maintenance to the aircraft to ensure their airworthiness and without compromising on safety standards? How is the Ministry monitoring the airworthiness of the aircraft owned by these budget airlines to protect the interests of the travelling public? I know they talk about no frills and no thrills, such as on-board entertainment, good meals and quick turnaround time at the airport. But are these all there is to it to be able to cut air fares more than 50%? Is what is cheap just as good as what is not cheap? Is travelling on low-cost carriers riskier than on the regular airlines? Air Services Agreement”