Denise Phua Lay Peng
Singapore
“Sir, as Singapore ages, disability and ageing will increasingly overlap. The line between disability services and elder care services will blur. Many adults with disabilities face similar challenges as seniors in varying degrees, but at a younger age.”
“But the SPED schools are run by a lot of the other professionals as well such as occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, coaches and so forth. And I ask for MOE, as it always looks at SPED educators, to also focus on this other very important group; because retention is capacity.”
“Are there other strategies that the Prime Minister will consider, like easier adoption procedures to have more people adopt, more of us Singaporeans adopting? The second is, in terms of immigration as well, to bring in people who are of the right profile and suitable profile to grow our Singaporean population?”
“Enterprise grants should include accessibility compliance requirements. Inclusion cannot rely on goodwill alone. It must be systemically built-in. And finally, move five: on strengthening intermediaries and social service agencies (SSAs). Sir, if AI is to be whole-of-society, then SSAs cannot be left behind.”
“When SSAs become AI-enabled, the most vulnerable of us benefit. In conclusion Sir, Budget 2026 sets an ambitious direction: AI ecosystems, SkillsFuture strengthening, innovation hubs such as Lorong AI and the future AI Park at one-north. Ambition is necessary, but it is execution that determines whether progress is shared.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her assurance, assuring the House that there are indeed alternative identification methods available for those who are unable to use facial recognition. Just a couple of supplementary questions. Number one, are these measures systemic and applicable for all fully digital or not fully digital banks?”
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“Thank you, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, for the answer. I am really not so concerned about the chewing gum but really another underlying issue. If Singaporeans were seeking liberty in so many areas and the Government does concede in some of these areas, then why not liberalise the chewing gum ban? I am quite perplexed by the fact that people, especially our detractors, remember Singapore for chewing gum ban and caning. I think this ban that has been effective for almost 20 years now need a review and a rethink. Let Singaporeans be accountable for the consequences and not be shaped by so many sticks around –”
“Sir, I ask the Minister to consider the above recommendations and I look forward to his response. With that, I support the Budget and thank the Minister, the Economic Strategies Committee and their support teams for all that they have done for Singapore. 4.21 pm”
“Sir , as a result of the five observations I have made, I seek the Minister's consideration of the following nine recommendations to fine-tune the implementation of the Budget: (1) Exempt VWO-run nursing homes and day activity centres which are serving the chronically sick and the disabled from foreign worker levy increases and grant them a generous foreign labour ceiling; (2) Appoint and fund Industry Productivity Champions to share, facilitate and account for industry-specific Productivity KPIs; (3) Pilot a nation-wide pervasive "Productivity and Innovation Suggestion Scheme" for all Singaporeans with cash incentives for suggestions accepted and applied; (4) Extend Post-Secondary Education Account to all pre-retiring Singaporeans attending MOM-approved courses; (5) Finance a Council for Fourth Age and deploy resources for a Masterplan to address the needs of the aged sick, those who are not attended to by the mission of the Council for Third Age; (6) Finance Mental Wellness Centres in school and community clusters for both the young and the old afflicted by mental health issues; (7) Provide Medisave top-ups for younger disabled who are currently not covered under MediShield, our basic healthcare insurance in our nation. Better still, fund the premium to give them the same rights to basic health insurance coverage; (8) Open and deposit into Special Needs Trust Accounts for disabled Singaporeans whose families are in the bottom 20% income level ; and (9) Invest in professional services for an effective communication matrix and plan to disseminate the numerous schemes of this Budget to the different target audiences so that they will buy into the vision and they will support our "whats" and "hows" of this Budget and stop asking "why".”
“The sad thing in Singapore is that those who are born with congenital illnesses are not even covered under the CPF-administered basic MediShield health insurance because they are considered burdens who would raise the premium rates for the rest of Singapore. Sir, if we wish to encourage couples to have babies, and since we cannot guarantee the condition of the babies, we must not deny these children who turn out less-than-perfect the rights to basic health coverage in the name of economics. And fourth, on financial literacy and planning. Sir, we need to continue to eyeball the findings that most Singaporeans are financially illiterate and are neither keen nor equipped to plan for their retirement. We need, as part of our vision, to take specific care of the young and elderly disabled and especially those from the lower income strata. MCYS and NCSS have done a good job in trying to serve this group with the setting up of the Special Needs Trust. But there are families below the average income level who cannot afford even the initial premium or deposit and who nonetheless need the service. I urge the Minister to use a scalpel and not a parang when considering top-ups for those who need a leg up in Singapore, and to not forget the disabled in the lower income category in Government's annual giving. Observation five – communication. Sir, many Singaporeans are either not engaged or disconnected, as one of my colleagues said, or unaware of how this important Budget may be relevant to them. There is definitely a need to communicate the key thrusts more effectively so that the average Singaporean, whether they are in business or work or just individuals, can easily understand, appreciate the "whys", "whats" and "hows" of this significant Budget.”
“For this category of employers, Sir, I would urge the Minister to consider exempting non-profit organisations from the limit quotas and increases in levy. Observation four – other pertinent issues. Sir, I urge the Minister not to forget the other pertinent issues that Singapore is facing. Just as productivity was sidelined in past years, please let us keep on our agenda some key concerns we have identified in the past. These include: One, the rapidly ageing population we have. Minister Lim Boon Heng has done a commendable job on the Council for Third Age and the wellness movement with the establishment of wellness centres for the elderly all over Singapore. But what about those who are in the so-called Fourth Age who are beyond the active ageing range and who may be immobile? Beyond tax relief, there is a need to direct resources to develop the masterplan for the mapping of services for this group. Can there be funds directed to form a Council for the Fourth Age or whatever name that is appropriate? The second pertinent issue is mental health. Sir, we need to address the worrisome trend that there is a growing population, including the young in the schools, who are afflicted with mental illnesses like depression, inability to stress-manage or cope with the expectations and pressures of our highly urbanised society. Thirdly, on fertility. Sir, I am surprised that nothing is mentioned in this year's Budget on babies. Has the Minister given up hope of saving the endangered species of the Singapore Baby, especially the Tiger Baby? And what happens if one decides to heed the Government's call to have babies, and the child turns out to be less than perfect?”
“A doctor who volunteered at a nursing home shared a real-life story of more than 10 Government-sponsored trainees on a professional conversion training scheme at the home. As the training progressed over the weeks, he told me almost 90% of these trainees dropped out from the training, leaving only one who finally signed up to work at the nursing home. The daily tasks of having to carry, wash, feed and diaper-change adult disabled patients – essentially basic care for the chronic sick – are tasks that most will not find appealing. At another nursing home, the management staff wrote to me that they are now highly anxious over the impact of the details of the scheme – the new tier system, and the levy increase on the impact of the home’s operational cost, and eventually may be the fees. This home is currently operating with almost 60% foreign staff. Thirdly, in the special-needs community where I serve, many day activity centres and residential homes serving moderate to severely disabled adults are also worried about the cost impact of this new direction. Some of these homes provide caregiving to physically big adults, mostly males, who at times are difficult to handle. Anyone who insists that the concerns of these centres and homes can be addressed if only they are more productive and innovative, should spend one week working there on the ground. Hence, Sir, although I am deeply grateful that the Minister has retained the generous income tax reliefs for donations to charity and made tax concessions for dependants who are disabled, I seek the Minister’s attention to reassure this bigger concern and assure those who are working in the chronic sick and disability sector.”
“How, for instance, did Hong Kong, a country whose service quality was famously low two decades ago, steered the way to its current excellent service level? How did Japan stay ahead of the pack for so long in the construction sector? Sir, these questions must form part of the new National Productivity and Continuing Education Council led by Deputy Prime Minister Teo. In fact, it will be good to know specifically what the new National Productivity Council will do differently from what SPRING and the other agencies have done? I do not think ad hoc testimonies in the NTUC weekly will provide or develop a pervasive culture of innovation and productivity. Will the new National Council simply be old wine in new wine skin? I was told that old wine when stored in new wine skin will lead to the bottle cracking and the wine spilling. Sir, unless the tools or productivity and innovation are learnt and applied by all levels in all sectors including the public sector, the Council members and the young in the schools, it is unlikely to form part of our country’s DNA. What we want to do and what we emphasise in this Budget may just fade away once the monetary incentive or pressure is lifted. Observation three – foreign worker levies. Sir, I am glad that the pace and quantum of the much-worried-about foreign worker levy is calibrated and well-paced. I want to add to the chorus of pleas for sectors which genuinely require foreign labour for work that cannot be substituted by technology. I am specifically referring to jobs that are shunned by locals in the nursing homes and day activity centres, especially for the moderate to severely disabled, like those in the MINDS homes and even some autism adult centres in St. Andrew's and the Autism Association.”
“Their muted responses are indicative of many who are at a loss of where to start and do not have the in-house capability to make this Budget relevant. A popular SME website wryly commented on its landing page, "most SME owners are too preoccupied with their daily operations to think of anything else". Singapore SMEs are awash with award schemes such as the Singapore Innovation Class, Singapore Quality Class, People Developer, Singapore Service Class and the like. Different help portals also offer free and useful information, such as the SME ToolKits and grants schemes and so forth. As early as 2007, Singapore-based SMEs have identified leadership training, team building, marketing and promotion, and business planning as key need areas. To equip SMEs with talented managers, SPRING had invested $60 million in a Business Leaders Initiative (BLI) to create a pipeline of 1,000 trained SME bosses, senior executives, and aspiring executives. Similarly, to encourage innovation and adoption of new technology, SPRING launched in August 2006, a $150 million Technology Innovation Programme (TIP) to co-fund innovation projects by SMEs and even to strengthen what are called Centres of Innovation (COIs). Sir, Singapore has been generous with supporting the SMEs through programmes. However, even our Prime Minister acknowledged last Sunday that most SMEs are still not operating at high levels of productivity, innovation or margin. As the gurus would say, insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting different results. What happened? Why were the outcomes less than ideal, despite what we put in? What were the gaps and the root causes of our lack? What are the lessons we can learn and apply from countries who are ahead of us?”
“In their minds, Singapore’s uniqueness is in the "fusion of East and West"; in our multi-racial and multi-cultural profile, our great food, our great schools, the discipline and a great place to raise their children. Add to that, our uniquely Singapore HDB flats, our fantastic festive light-ups at Chinatown, Little India, Geylang Serai, Kampong Glam, and our desires though less-than-perfect. But our desire to include those who are at risk of being left behind in our country as we grow. And now even a good philanthropy launch pad to serve the needy in Asia. Singapore has a distinctive culture and features of a brand that is appealing. Let us not keep trying to make ourselves the Switzerland, the London or the Paris of the East. Let us engage more Singaporeans to share a vision beyond economics and get the buy-in from all, if not most, Singaporeans. Let us tell our story better to attract both investments and potential citizens to our very own unique Singapore. Observation two – productivity and innovation. Money alone is not sufficient. Sir, making productivity and innovation second nature in companies and individuals in every sector as the Minister had said, cannot happen with money alone. As the Chinese saying goes, "you can bring the horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink". After the Budget announcement last week, I garnered the views of SME owners in the textile, food and beverage, carpentry, food wholesale, retail and construction industries. A couple of them whom I spoke to are even winners of past years’ SME awards. I asked them how they may be able to leverage on the new Productivity and Innovation Fund and initiatives announced at the Budget.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Budget 2010 is a budget of vision and courage. I commend the Minister for calling a spade, a spade and admit openly that our productivity in service, manufacturing and construction is 38% to 66% lower than the best in the world. Something big has to be done. Singapore is not at the bottom of the pile and you must remember that. But for a small country with a relatively small workforce, it is critical to proactively address the long-term gaps that were identified by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC). Sir, I have several observations and suggestions for the Minister's consideration. Observation one – the vision of the ESC. Sir, the vision of the Economic Strategies Committee forms the bedrock of this year's Budget. But the vision of Singapore as a country must be more than that of an economic committee of highly intellectual and qualified people. We are a country populated by people of mixed abilities, ages and needs. To embrace and to be inspired by the vision, we must try to engage as many Singaporeans as possible for the vision to be a shared one. From a young age, I have been told that Singapore should be like the Switzerland of the East or a global city like London or Paris. As someone who chose to make Singapore my home and my workplace, I for one do not want Singapore to become a copy of these western benchmarked cities. One month ago, a few of us in the House had a discussion with several professionals, and there were two successful doctors. Both were educated and lived overseas but both chose to return to Singapore to work and live.”
“Sir, it seems to me that much more is done by the Government and the NTUC for the pregnant women, the married women, the elderly, the PMETs, and so forth – and many of whom are able-bodied. The disabled actually need more support than just throwing them some funds. I just conducted a three-hour visit to the KFC call centre this morning. And I think they would benefit from some help from Government and NTUC especially if some more support and eye-balling of this group are provided; they being also the sons and daughters of Singapore although they are not able-bodied. Mr Hawazi Daipi: Sir, we have to identify the needs of the different types of disabled people. And we have set up committees and organisations to help them. For example, there is a Standing Committee on disability comprising very senior officials of the Government, Ministries and agencies. Among other things, they have identified jobs that may be suitable for the PWDs, for example, in the F&B sector. The hearing impaired, intellectually disabled and people with autism may be suitable to be trained. But training for them need not necessarily be centralised at a specific centre. What we need to do and will continue to do is to work with agencies and organisations that can help people with specific disabilities so that they can be trained for specific jobs in certain industries or occupations. And that is why we need to work with agencies, organisations including VWOs and not just focus on funding their training. So I agree with Ms Phua that we need to help them and I can assure her that we have set up the organisations and gathered concerned individuals and companies that are interested in helping them. 12.30 pm”
“Thank you, Senior Minister of State for the reply. It appears to me that the response seems to point to Town Councils as being the main agency to handle most of the problems that arise in HDB estates. I am not quite clear on the accountability of residents who need to support the Town Council in their work and also the different agencies. How do we prevent the Town Council officers, for example, from becoming the "punching bags" for anything that is not going right in the estate? The purpose of my question was really to have MND clarify the accountabilities of all the different stakeholders as we manage estates together to make sure that they become a better home for all of us.”
“Thank you, Sir. I would like to ask Senior Minister of State, if he would consider a study on how much of the dropout rate incidence is due to pitching ITE at quite a high level as compared to the past. It appears to me that ITEs now seem to operate like polytechnics and the polytechnics are now operating like the universities. I would like his comment on that.”
“Thank you, Minister, for the answers. The Minister mentioned just now that nationalising pre-school education creates an over-emphasis on academic teaching at the expense of developmental goals of our young children. He also cited the example of the findings of a Cambridge survey that state that entering formal school too early will result in over-emphasis on academics. My question relates to our country's definition of what education is. Is it too narrow to define education as purely academic? Why cannot subjects like social skills, daily learning skills, moral education, inculcating good habits and even working in teams or play skills be incorporated in our definition of education? And let this good education be available so that children of different backgrounds can have equal access to this kind of quality pre-school education in our country.”
“Thank you, Senior Parliamentary Secretary. I have come across residents whose flats are not acquired by compulsion by HDB, but they have been advised to actually sell their flats in the resale market and these are residents who subsequently have problems getting an alternative accommodation. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary please explain that?”
“Can the Ministry consider stepping up some publicity to build awareness for the new tightened criteria for rental flat applications? I am sure many of us have come across applicants who merely want some privacy for themselves or who do not want to impose on their children or who already have children who could take them in but decided not to. So if HDB or MND could consider stepping up some of these new tightened criteria, it will really help manage the expectations of the applicants.”
“Finally , Sir, I would also like to highlight to the Ministry on the coverage of PEIs supporting students with disabilities or special needs. As stated in the First Schedule, the proposed Bill covers only students with physical or intellectual disabilities. It omits those afflicted by the three highest developmental disabilities, such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Many of these students do not suffer from a physical or intellectual impairment and are not protected currently by the proposed Bill. I seek the Senior Minister of State's help to correct this particular clause to reflect the profile of this segment of the student body. In conclusion, Sir, the clean-up and consolidation of the private education industry is long overdue. Many students, both local and international, have been hurt in the last few years due to the lack of execution excellence of a brilliant strategy. The proposed Bill is critical not only to protect the current and future students; it serves to ensure that Singapore’s and MOE’s positive brand equity is not further dented and, if implemented well, this strategy and development may well be an important component to make Singapore’s dream of becoming a world-class education hub come true. Sir, I support this Bill.”
“Compulsory membership in a quality certification scheme with a development roadmap will not only inject quality into the sector but, over time, will also nurture high-potential smaller players to play leading roles in the industry. Thirdly, Sir, it is crucial for the Council to reinforce consumer education and awareness and provide transparency to both prospective students and employers in the industry. The current MOE website listing of only company names and contacts of private schools is grossly insufficient for consumers to make any informed choices. The independent US Office of Non-Public Education, which is part of the US Department of Education, for instance, publishes regular reports in several areas of state regulation of private schools. The topics include the status of private schools on registration, accreditation, licensing, teacher certifications, professional development, and so forth. In other countries, Education Departments have gone to the extent of ‘naming and shaming’ repeat offenders in order to deter unscrupulous operators. MOE, through its home page on private schools, has cautioned students to be selective and find out more about programmes and institutions before making any commitment but has offered no consolidated information on these bodies. It is welcome news that the new Council will adopt the best practices of other progressive countries and publish regular reports on key quality and financial benchmarks. These can help students, parents and employers to access key information of the registered PEIs before they decide to enroll or to employ. I commend and applaud the Ministry for addressing this need for consumer education and even setting up a student services centre for this.”
“In addition, I would like to request the Senior Minister of State to ensure that service standards are also set up especially on response times to give alerts on errant providers, as it is a known fact that the Government was alerted as early as 2007 to the case of Brookes Business School but action was delayed. My second input relates to quality assurance. In this respect, I beg to differ from my colleague, Mr Calvin Cheng, who deems that PEI registrations are sufficient to guarantee quality. Sir, quality must remain a key unique differentiator of Singapore’s private education sector if we wish to rise above the crowd in an industry where countries with similar aspirations can easily adopt a copycat strategy. The weakness of this Bill lies in what appears to be a wasted opportunity to inject quality into the DNA of the private education sector by making it compulsory for all PEIs to join a reasonably-tiered certification scheme. Part IV clause 49 states that the Council may establish one or more voluntary accreditation or certification schemes. I understand that a voluntary six-category EduTrust certification scheme will be launched by the Council to incentivise PEIs to improve their quality. Instead of making it voluntary, the Council should make membership in the Scheme compulsory and ensure all providers meet a set of minimum basic standards within 18 months of registration. To nurture industry players, a tiered roadmap to move from minimum basic to a Gold Standard should be developed and training and consulting solutions be made available to the players.”
“Student victims may also not be in a state to pay the new fees, especially if they had already lost the fees paid in the preceding year. One of my residents, who has been affected by the Brookes Business School saga, had taken up a bank loan to pay for his education. With no money now to pay for a similar course at another private school and no money to pay for legal costs to take action against Brookes, he has asked for my help to appeal for a deferment of the repayment of his private loan. It was taken up with the private bank and the appeal for deferment was successfully approved. Clause 60 of the Bill aims to provide teeth for the Council to direct errant providers to refund course fees paid by students and offer alternate placements at another PEI. Elsewhere, at the MOE website, it is written that the EduTrust scheme will also provide for the protection of student money. In reality, PEIs cannot possibly run their operations by putting up hefty dollar deposits into escrow accounts or pay hefty student insurance premiums. I seek clarification from the Ministry to ensure that there is indeed protection for victims in scams that lead to the entire closure of a private school or bankruptcy of the owners. Sir, in the case study of Brookes Business School where the owners received some $8 million in fees, can the Senior Minister of State advise what would be a reasonable sum that will balance the two seemingly opposing aims of consumer protection and good business sense?”
“This proceeded without enough consideration of the quality of slate of offerings and such is the flaw of key performance indicators (KPIs) that stress quantity and not quality. The second root cause relates to the lack of buy-in from the content expert player, the Ministry of Education, which had traditionally perceived itself as a provider of non-profit mainstream education with little to do with enterprise and other non-mainstream education. For many years, MOE has kept a distance from the private schools other than registering them as long as basic statutory requirements, such as building and fire safety requirements, are met. And, third, the Ministry's light touch strategy has led to an over-reliance on self-regulation in a sector characterised by more than a thousand PEIs of varying degrees of technical competence and financial strengths. Sir, having MOE finally come on board does not guarantee the success of Singapore's global school house business plan since the core strength of civil servants does not usually lie in enterprise. However, the entry of MOE due to its reputation as an excellent public education provider is much needed to restore the confidence and trust in private education. It is better late than never. I have four specific inputs to offer regarding the proposed Bill and the setting up of a Council for Private Education to register, regulate, audit and discipline errant providers. The first concerns the Council’s power to direct errant Private Education Institutions (PEIs) to refund course fees and offer alternative placements. Sir, currently, by the time a court orders an errant PEI to refund or place its students with an alternate institution, the guilty party may already not be in a financial position to do so.”
“Sir, I stand in support of the Private Education Bill. The strategy to turn Singapore into "a world-class education hub or a global school house" is a brilliant one that leverages on our country's stellar reputation in public education. The strategy not only serves an economic agenda to bring in additional revenue, if executed well, it will helpattract foreigners who, hopefully, will remain in Singapore as employees and citizens and will also draw more world-class R&D programmes here. It will even help to meet demands by local students who have not been able to attend Singapore's public universities and cannot afford to study abroad. However, the execution of this brilliant strategy had left much to be desired. Singapore's ambitious goal to build a world-class education hub has been dealt many blows – the latest being the peddling of fake degrees by and closure of private school, Brookes Business School, leaving more than 400 local and foreign students in the lurch. Over the years, rising complaints of these private schools ranged from poor quality programmes, forged signatures on student pass applications, bogus attendances and illegal employment of student-pass holders and, beyond the school walls, cheating of students by some unscrupulous hostel or HDB flat owners. In my view, this less than ideal state of affairs is due to several root causes. First, under-estimating the critical success factors required to be a world-class player in a competitive global marketplace. A time bomb was created when MTI's EDB and STB diligently pronounced the aspiration of the global school house and started promoting Singapore as an education destination.”
“I want to thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply and also the focus on this matter. On the ground, I think there are parties – the grassroots leaders or even the CDC staff – who try to help these distraught elderly parents. Most of them are usually ill-equipped to counsel or to mediate. At most, they can offer, what I would call, general advice. So I think there is a gap that needs to be closed. Also, contrary to what the Minister has just said, there appears to be an erosion of this moral value of filial piety and looking after one's ageing parents and even respect for the elderly. So amongst one, the young and, two, even amongst us adults who may sometimes be bad role models to the young, there is another gap which also needs to be addressed. Would the Minister consider then developing and resourcing a continuum of solutions to close these gaps? Solutions can range from cultivation of the desired values that we want to see in Singapore; counselling, mediating and then legislation, hopefully, as a last resort.”
“Thank you, Senior Minister of State, for the comprehensive reply. I have two supplementary questions. First, on private education schools, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State for his comment on a Forum letter of 22nd July 2009 that "credible private schools are not MOE's job and MOE in registering private schools is merely playing the Registrar of Companies' role". Indeed, if MOE feels that it is just the Registrar of Companies, then why dilute the precious equity of the MOE brand name? Why not just divorce MOE totally from private schools so that they cannot be known to market using the "MOE-registered" claim. And if MOE is not merely a registrar, then, may I ask the Senior Minister of State why the quality assurance framework is voluntary and what steps can MOE take to make sure it can ringfence its positive brand equity and remove any potential misunderstanding that MOE is running it and responsible for its quality? Second supplementary question: on quality assurance framework for special schools, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, if the quality assurance framework has been piloted since 2005, what is the outcome of all these pilot programmes? In fact, what is the impact on quality since all these quality assurance frameworks have been piloted? Would MOE consider expediting some of these frameworks so that there is more consistency in quality among all the different charity special schools and also to ensure that school principals and educators can report to and be accountable for one integrated framework and not have to report to so many agencies, sometimes up to four – MOE, NCSS, School Board and VW Board?”
“In conclusion, Sir, for Singapore and Singaporeans to truly emerge stronger when this crisis is over, I contend that: (1) The new Economic Strategies Committee and our leaders need to track the effectiveness of the Resilience Package that has been implemented, and be bold enough to change or abandon any schemes that do not serve the long-term good of Singapore; (2) All Singaporeans, young and especially adults, must develop a stronger sense of civic consciousness and graciousness; (3) Government must communicate, explain and uphold the three "Principles of Engagement" underlying Singapore's social support services, namely, (a) family as the first line of defence; (b) equality of opportunities for all; and (c) work before welfare. Sir, I always encourage people with disabilities and their families, when they are faced with life's challenges, to not keep asking, "Why Me?" and instead say, "Try Me!" I believe that Singapore will be a stronger player when we emerge from this economic crisis if, in the face of challenges, we can respond together "TRY US!" Sir, I support the Motion of Thanks to the President.”
“He visited several doctors and was given a medical certificate that certified him to be unfit for work for the rest of his life. Mr Tan, according to his support agency, has been seen to be walking within and outside his flat, and he enjoys playing with the children and his dog in the neighbourhood. He is a constant client at several social service agencies and is articulate in demanding that he be granted the full right of a 'public assistance' recipient. Several agency staff, when I asked them, are convinced that Mr Tan prefers welfare to work. He has written eloquent letters to them to demand for higher welfare quantum. Most recently, in one of his letters which was copied to me, Mr Tan threatened to tell The Straits Times if he does not get more monthly allowance. Sir, based on the testimony of the social workers working with him, Mr Tan is unlikely to receive more welfare from the State as they are convinced that he can at least work on a part-time job, being more qualified and healthier than other welfare applicants. Sir, I share this story not to pass judgment on Mr Tan but to illustrate the point that we need to repeatedly clarify and communicate more convincingly the gospel of 'Work Before Welfare' and other key principles in designing social service programmes.”
“Few of us would argue that those who are more talented or those who hold jobs of high accountability or risks should be paid more. But I want to put in a qualifier. Inequality of outcomes in life is acceptable, I believe, only as long as: (1) All Singaporeans have the opportunity to move up; (2) The living standards are improving for the average person; and (3) There is tangible help for those who genuinely need a leg-up, ie, (a) those who cannot make it due to their age, health or lack of family support; or (b) those who suffer temporary setbacks, eg, casualties of this economic recession. Sir, as leaders, we must do all we can to ensure that there is equality of opportunities to all Singaporeans, rich or poor, disabled or not. The third principle that I would like to speak on, in designing social service support, which I believe, must be communicated and contracted between Government and the rest of Singapore, is this: work must come before welfare. I share the stories of two of my residents – Mr Lim and Mr Tan (not their true names) – the facts of which are validated by the social service agency serving both of them. The first one – Mr Lim is a wheelchair-bound, middle-aged gentleman aged 57, I believe, who, despite his constant pain in his nerves and limbs, has been assisting at our neighbourhood link at Beach Road for the last four years. Despite his low English proficiency, Mr Lim has learnt the use of the computer and is the key data entry operator scanning the entry cards of all the elderly clients at this centre. He likes work. Mr Tan, another wheelchair-bound man in the same age group, lives in a rental flat. He has an NEA licence giving him permission to street-hawk, but Mr Tan has never exercised this licence.”
“But we must protect with gumption the principle that, whilst there is inequality of outcomes in life, there must never be, as much as possible, inequality of opportunities. Inequality of opportunities can be unproductive, leading to corruption, politics of envy and social unrest. If people are excluded from access to the "good life" and blocked by the elite from upward mobility, then they will look for other, possibly more violent, ways of getting their share of the economic pie. The needy and the disabled in our country must be accorded more than lip service equal opportunities in education, physical access, healthcare, security, employment and lifelong learning. The best antidote for inequality of opportunities is equal chance of access to quality education in pre-schools, mainstream primary and secondary schools, special schools and employment. Why should boarding schools, an elite feature in the Singapore education system, be a privilege only to the elite? In my work in the low-income and disability sectors, I find many children and youths from needy background who will benefit greatly from boarding schools. But many of them will never get close to this privilege due to the exclusivity of boarding schools. And why cannot the rest of the so-called non-elite schools enjoy the boarding school experience at some time in their school career? Why should children, unfortunately born with congenital diseases, be deprived of basic medical coverage linked to their disease and not be insured up to the same basic health quantum as their able-bodied peers? Sir, we need to ensure equality of opportunities to all. Inequality of outcomes in life is not inherently bad.”
“Out of the many applications for financial assistance in my GRC, only an average of about 36%, which are clear-cut welfare cases, gets approval from our Community Development Council (CDC). Although nearly all applicants get some form of temporary help through the ComCare Fund administered at the grassroots level, 65% of applicants are disappointed by the unsuccessful outcomes of their applications. Very often, after the investigation and house visits by CDC officers, applicants are found to have family members who can potentially support them but choose not to. To many of these applicants – most of them elderly – their first port of call is the Government because they do not want to bother their children, or their children have chosen to abandon them. Exercising their rights under the Parents Maintenance Act is not anyone's favoured course of action. Sir, we need to communicate, explain and seek understanding and more acceptance of this principle of "Family as the first line of defence" in our country, so that we can address the high expectations of Government's social service programmes which it is unable to fulfil. Principle 2 - Equality of opportunity. Sir, the second principle of social service support that we must uphold and seek agreement as much as possible, between Government and people is that there should be equality of opportunity to all, even if equality of outcomes cannot be guaranteed. Sir, to ensure a stronger and cohesive Singapore, the "Singapore Dream" must be potentially within the reach of every Singaporean. Many of us would agree that we are not equally talented and that, indeed, a CEO or a Cabinet Minister will earn more than a security guard or the rest of us.”
“Even NMP Siew Kum Hong himself, a proponent of free speech, had to file a police report recently for alleged untruths and insults hurled at him by some netizens. Sir, many of us take for granted those who pick up and clean up after us and reserve the words "please" and "thank you" for no one and especially not to those who are of lower social status than ourselves. "Think of yourself, but think of others too", we keep saying to the youths, on the flawed assumption that only the younger people of this country need that advice . But we need adult models too, as well as opportunities for all of us to perform our civic duties. All Singaporeans, especially us adults, must determine to practise basic courtesy, control and civic consciousness, so that Singapore is not just developed economically, politically but also civilly. Sir, on social services, I would like to highlight three principles of engagement. Ex-US President Dwight Eisenhower said, "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." Sir, in the provision of social services in Singapore, I believe that the principles of engagement between Government and its people are either not clear or, if they are clear, not fully accepted yet. Unless we hold crucial dialogues – not monologues – to clarify perspectives regarding these principles, there will always be tension between the Government and the people. Principle 1 – Family as the first line of defence. Sir, I believe that this principle underlying the design of many social service programmes in our country is either not communicated or accepted by those seeking Government's help.”
“Indeed, if we are to emerge stronger as a nation, as a people, Singapore needs to look beyond infrastructure. Sir, when I did a quick poll of several professionals on the topic "The Singapore I Would Like to See", almost all of them mentioned the need for our society to be more civil and gracious. In a National Graciousness Index Survey conducted by the agency, Singapore Kindness, Singaporeans scored 58 out of 100 marks. Earlier this year, a Singaporean even felt it necessary for him to quit his banking job to start a non-profit agency called Gracious Singapore Limited to help bring about a more gracious Singapore. Sir, I agree with the constant call by our leaders to be more gracious and develop a higher sense of civic consciousness. As I visited the temporary market in my ward with NEA officers and my grassroots leaders to urge food sellers to practise more stringent hygiene standards, it baffles me that we have to remind people in the food business to sell clean food. Is there not a moral obligation or a duty amongst us to do that without being reminded and graded? Recently, when a worker in my ward requested for visitors not to feed the many pigeons at a popular mall because of residents' complaints of litter and bird flu risk, the said worker was beaten up by an unhappy pigeon feeder with a big spade. Although many of my residents, I must say, return to say "thank you" after successful appeals on their behalf, I know of others who threaten to call the press when my fellow MPs and I do not give in to unreasonable demands or demands that are detriment to the good of their neighbourhood. Sometimes, the demands escalate to setting fires on their MPs, throwing chairs at them or threatening to beat them up.”
“Some say Singapore will be stronger in the long run if we bite the bullet and help affected workers make the transition now through specific skills training and more portable healthcare and social security packages. Sir, Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) or upgrading the workforce is definitely the right direction to head for a country whose main asset is human capital. However, I urge the Government to continue to hone the programme so that the billions of training dollars in some 800 courses will indeed reap skills upgrade in preparation for an upturn. Sir, in the field of training consulting, it has been well known that many training programmes fail to deliver expected organisational benefits or improvement in knowledge, skills or attitudes. This has led to the development of a well-known and time-tested model of measuring training effectiveness by Donald Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick's four-level model evaluates training effectiveness from reaction to learning, to behaviour changes and to actual results. Much training dollars go to waste if training does not impact changes at the high level in behaviour or organisational results. Sir, I applaud the Prime Minister's decision to commission an Economic Strategies Committee and I appeal to the Committee and the relevant Ministries to continue tracking the effectiveness of especially the big-ticket Jobs Credit, SPUR and SRI schemes. Let us fine-tune and even be confident enough to abandon or retire the schemes if they do not serve the purposes for which they were launched. Next, on civil society: about graciousness and civic consciousness. Sir, in his Address, President Nathan has urged us to match our first-class infrastructure and environment with graciousness.”
“In its response to public call to become more transparent, Temasek has placed itself under tremendous public pressure and, sometimes, expected to perform even better than seasoned private investors like Warren Buffet, Li Ka Shing and Oei Hong Leong, whose asset portfolios were shaved by the billions. In fact, local tycoon Oei Hong Leong, reputed to be an investor with the Midas touch, was reported to be suing Citibank for $1 billion loss in his investments. With so many Singaporeans giving investment advice on the hindsight, I am not certain that the captains and crew of Temasek and the like will be motivated to take on higher-risk ventures for higher returns. Singapore must find other ways to pay its bills. Hence, the new Economic Strategies Committee will have an essential and challenging task ahead. Sir, besides addressing the five strategies that the Prime Minister has outlined, I hope the Government and the Economic Strategies Committee will continue tracking the effectiveness of the Resilience Package of this year's Budget. Sir, there have been mixed evaluations of whether big-ticket measures, such as the Special Risk-sharing Initiative (SRI) and the Jobs Credit Scheme, have achieved their intended outcomes. Although saving jobs and companies is appealing and expected of governments, there is a school of thought which argues that, instead of indiscriminately doing this, might it not be wiser for Government to not overly hamper market forces and artificially resuscitate weaker companies and/or let go of jobs, especially in industries that are set to either disappear or go offshore anyway?”
“Sir, I stand in support of the Motion of Thanks to the President. Like many concerned Singaporeans, I am eager that Singapore and Singaporeans will indeed emerge stronger after this economic recession. I would like to provide inputs to strengthen Singapore in three areas – namely, economic development; civic consciousness and social services – so that we can realise our vision of a stronger Singapore as we move on to another 50 years and more of self-government. First, economic development. Sir, the Economic Strategies Committee announced by the Prime Minister yesterday is a much welcome move. The Committee has its work cut out for it in one of the most challenging global economic declines in 60 years. Singapore's traditional model of attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), especially global MNCs through tax and other incentives, needs updating for the following reasons: (1) The recession and the economic packages, including bailouts of financial institutions, have left governments worldwide with huge fiscal deficits, which they are compelled to reduce. President Obama is one of the latest to announce changes to the US tax regime, in order to raise more than US$200 billion from overseas US companies over the next decade. The writing is on the wall that Singapore's strategy to offer appealing tax incentives to encourage MNCs will soon lose its relevance, diluting the flow of foreign investments into Singapore. (2) MNC investments may continue to flock to investment destinations with larger hinterlands, like China and India. (3) The risk appetite of Singapore's sovereign wealth fund managers, like Temasek, is unlikely to increase with the increased scrutiny of the populace, including PAP MPs, NMPs and Opposition MPs in this House.”
“Abstention. Mr Christopher de Souza: No.”
“I thank the Minister for his clarification and his plan to implement the inter-agency committee on mental illness. I would like to ask the Minister to clarify what key gaps were identified; what strategies were proposed; what resources were given; and the KPIs that this inter-agency committee has come up with. This is because I still see quite a number of the patients not just in my district but in other MPs' as well and sometimes help comes a bit too late for some of these patients or ex-patients who are deemed as "at risk" in the neighbourhood.”
“Sir, in Singapore's aspiration to be an education hub, can I ask the Minister to clarify what are the success indicators by which the private education sector is measured? For example, would they include the number of foreign clients who are being let down or not let down, or maybe the number of satisfied clients in this sector? My second question is who owns the vision or this aspiration of Singapore as a private education hub? Is it MOE, EDB or SPRING? I think when everyone is in charge, then nobody is really accountable or no one might feel accountable.”
“Sir, if healthcare is considered an essential service that should normally be provided by the State, I would like to ask the Minister to clarify why is Government not running the community hospitals. Afterall, Ren Ci Hospital itself is run now by, I think, an MOH-appointed CEO and is located right next to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Are there not any benefits to, for example, reaping economies of scale? So, where is the line drawn or decision criteria by which Government makes decisions on whether or not to run a facility, especially in a service like healthcare?”
“I think MCYS really needs the support of MOM so that they can work together in the employment sector.”
“The Minister did not respond to my request to MOM to look into the interests of disabled employees in Singapore. They are probably the earliest casualties whenever there is an economic decline. We have legislations protecting pregnant Singapore women, and even the NTUC has set up a Migrant Workers' Forum, complete with hotlines and a lot of care, to look after non-Singaporean workers. I hope the Minister will consider and seriously ponder over my request. Please do not say "no" to me now or later.”
“The mutual trust and shared interests among the tripartite partners have enabled the unions, employers and the Government to work together during difficult times, to implement tough measures to help businesses and workers weather crises, minimise job losses, and reposition ourselves for growth in the future. Sir, we are not running a singles race. We are running a 4-by-100 metres relay. And who are the runners? The workers, unions, employers and the Government. The workers are not running alone. We are with them. If we run together as a team, we will not only win medals, but we will set new records. Job Recreation Programme”
“Our approach is to spur our athletes on by improving their odds of winning – subsidised training, quality equipment, better running shoes, good coaches – so that they can have an edge over other runners in the race. Likewise, we are enhancing the employability of Singaporeans through training opportunities under SPUR, and their cost competitiveness through Jobs Credit and WIS, thereby significantly tilting the balance in favour of local workers. This is in addition to the dependency ratio controls and the levies that we impose on employers. Having said that, we should nonetheless continue to improve the skills and quality of foreign workers coming here. The S-Pass introduced in July 2004 was meant to provide flexibility to employers, to address the shortfall of skilled manpower at the Diploma and post-secondary level. We will raise the criteria of S-Pass holders coming here to improve their quality. MOM will be briefing the industry shortly on these changes. Mr Ong Ah Heng raised a concern about phantom workers who might be used to skirt around the foreign worker dependency ratio framework. I would like to reassure Members that we are stepping up enforcement efforts to preserve the integrity of controls over foreign workers. MOM is currently investigating 33 cases of possible use of phantom workers. An owner of a food and beverage outlet has been charged in court for allegedly falsely declaring phantom workers in work permit applications. Our resilience to the economic downturn and our key strategies are all underpinned by Singapore's tripartism.”
“We should not undermine our competitive advantage of a flexible labour market or deviate from the fundamental policy to attract and retain talent, as we address the short-term challenges of the recession. Singapore has to remain an attractive place for businesses, so as to retain those which are here and attract new investments that will bring in more and better jobs for Singaporeans. This is what Dr Ahmad Magad talked about, in terms of job creation. Recently, we heard an announcement by Rolls Royce which is removing their global HQ for marine division from London to Singapore, and this will create jobs for Singaporeans. It is really like running a race in an athletic meet. One easy way to win the race is to get rid of those who are running faster than us. This way, if we get rid of enough runners, we will eventually be the winner, never mind if we are the only one running. But such a victory will be short-lived, because having run our own race, soon, we will have to compete not just in a local race but on the global stage, for example, at the Youth Olympics which will be held here in 2010. We cannot get rid of all the other competitors just because they are faster than us, and make it into a locals-only game. It is better for us to train our athletes, make them stronger and help them compete. Similarly, Singapore must compete globally to survive and progress. If we add restriction or cost to companies' access to foreign manpower when our economy slows down, they may very well relocate to countries where they can have unrestricted supply of cheap labour. Instead of hurting businesses and sending the wrong signal to investors, it is better for us to go for a win-win strategy. This is what we have done.”
“The Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) was established to develop professional adult trainers, and to conduct applied research into adult training to raise training quality and outcomes. Over the years, WDA has been building up a rigorous quality assurance system to ensure that training programmes offered by our CET Centres are relevant and benefit trainees. I am pleased to announce that three of our CET Centres will now be appointed as National CET Institutes (NCI). These are the Centre of Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE), the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) and At-Sunrice Globalchef Academy. They have established a top-quality, rigorous continuing education and training programme with excellent outcomes for training and placement. I look forward to them continuing to lead the way in building stronger industry capabilities and developing CET in Singapore. Thirdly, maintaining labour market flexibility. Several Members, such as Mr Ong Ah Heng, Mr Heng Chee How, Dr Ahmad Magad, Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Mrs Josephine Teo, have spoken on our foreign manpower policy. Foreign manpower augments our workforce on three fronts. First, as pointed out by Mr Heng Chee How, availability of foreign talent is a key competitive advantage that helps to anchor strategic investments and to bolster our growth industries. Second, we need foreign workers for jobs in sectors such as construction and marine, and in areas that Singaporeans might not have the required skills for, or are not willing to do. Third, foreign manpower helps keep our businesses globally competitive. The number of foreign workers will come down eventually as the economy slows down further.”
“The services sector, for example, can focus on the following. First, emphasise service excellence. We need to nurture a service culture among our service workers and professionals, so as to achieve excellence. This includes ensuring that they have the necessary language ability to service their customers effectively. Second, develop people. Employers and workers must continue to invest in industry-relevant skills upgrading, by leveraging on SPUR. They can also tap on SPRING-WDA's HR Capability Package which provides a framework, guidelines, tools and templates to help strengthen HR abilities to attract, develop and retain talent. Third, embrace constant innovation to stay ahead of competitors. Fourth, industry associations can initiate benchmarking and research projects to help industry players adopt best-in-class methods. 2.00 pm Next, promoting mobility. The second key strategy is promoting the mobility of our workers through skills upgrading. Our economy is constantly undergoing restructuring to keep pace with the changes in the global economic landscape. This is even more apparent in a downturn when the restructuring is faster and broader. Singaporeans will need to be equipped with skills not only to move upwards in their careers, but also to move across industries into new jobs. Last year, we launched the CET Masterplan, a blueprint for building up a first-class national Continuing Education and Training infrastructure over the next decade. This has allowed us to roll out SPUR in a very short span of time. The number of CET Centres has more than doubled from 18 to 42. The number of training places will be doubled to 230,000 this year.”
“While we tackle the challenges of the downturn, we must also keep our eyes on the future. Over the past few years, we have strengthened the competitiveness of our workforce, invested in skills upgrading, pushed for wage restructuring, re-balanced CPF contribution rates and implemented Workfare. We are now pushing for re-employment so that older workers remain employed beyond the statutory retirement age. We must press ahead with our efforts to build a globally competitive workforce, so that we can seize new opportunities when the economy recovers. Our three key strategies are: (a) Improving productivity; (b) Enhancing mobility for workers; and (c) Maintaining a flexible labour market to meet industry needs. Our ability to improve the standard of living over time depends on our ability to raise productivity. Improvements in real wages can only come about with sustained productivity growth over time. I thank Mrs Josephine Teo and Ms Denise Phua for their comments to step up efforts to improve our productivity. Over the 10-year period, from 1997-2007, Singapore's labour productivity grew by 2.4% per annum. However, in the last four years, labour productivity actually fell by 1.2%. There is room for improvement. My Ministry and the Ministry of Trade and Industry and co-leading an inter-agency committee to look into productivity issues. We will need to take a differentiated approach for the different industries, so that our strategies can be tailored to the specific needs of each industry. For their part, industries and companies must be prepared to take ownership and spearhead initiatives to raise productivity. In the current downturn, there is even greater impetus for companies to review their business models and operations, and aim for higher productivity.”
“To secure a better-paying job, she decided to switch to a different sector and signed up for the WSQ Higher Certificate in Therapy Services with Health Management International. When her training ends in May this year, she can look forward to finding a job in the healthcare sector as a therapist assistant earning about $1,100 a month, doubling her previous income. She will also be entitled to Workfare as well as the Special Payment, equivalent to about $100 a month. She will receive $5,900 of course fee subsidy and another $2,300 of training allowance in cash. This works out to over $8,000 in total, which is a generous support for her. In another example, Ms Debora Neo, aged 43, with a Masters in Business, was previously working as a Purchasing Projects Leader at an electronics company. She was retrenched in December last year, due to a downsizing exercise. After she went to a North East CDC job fair, she applied to join the PCP for Tourism, which is a 12-month work-study programme. Commencing next month, the programme will not only equip her with a WSQ Diploma in Tourism, but also offer her practical apprenticeship experience with Sentosa Leisure Group across four different business areas – retail, F&B, attractions and events. She has just been successfully selected for the programme and I wish her well in her endeavours. These examples show that if one is open to different possibilities, willing to undertake the necessary training, be flexible and embrace change, this economic downturn can actually open up new opportunities to rewarding careers. Just like the Chinese saying, "shan qiong shui jin yi wu lu, liu an hua ming you yi chun", we can therefore be more confident and adopt a positive attitude.”
“Let us monitor the progress of the programme for the time being. Mr Heng Chee How and Dr Lily Neo asked what more can be done to improve the sourcing of jobs and the efficiency of job-matching. Today, WDA already links up with the economic agencies like EDB to match job vacancies with job-seekers. WDA officers actively work with employers who are looking for skilled workers, to identify vacancies that can be matched to Singaporeans. Also, we have about 20 Place-and-Train (PnT) programmes, and will continue to work with employers to launch more in spite of the downturn. Mdm Cynthia Phua, Mrs Josephine Teo and Ms Denise Phua would be pleased to note that we have also enhanced WDA's website to be a one-stop resource portal for job-seekers. It has tips for job-seekers too, including how to write resumes. JobsNet has links to public and private sector job portals, information on recruitment events and the labour market, training opportunities as well as career search tips. While we do our utmost to help, job-seekers must ultimately take the driver's seat in managing their own careers, so that they can stay ahead of the curve. The Government can provide help and support, but job-seekers must have the right mindset and expectations, be proactive in their job search, be prepared to take up training, and be open to jobs in industries different from their previous occupations. Let us learn from two fellow Singaporeans. The first one is Mdm Hamidah Bte Abdul Ghani. She is 51 years old with secondary education. She had been unemployed for a few months when she first approached North West CDC Career Centre for help. Previously, she had worked in the hospitality industry in a range of jobs, such as a part-time towel attendant earning $500 a month.”
“PCPs will also be expanded to include tertiary level courses in areas where there is demand for skilled workers, such as social work, infocomms, logistics and hospitality. Dr Lim Wee Kiak will be pleased to know that since the PCP started in 2007, close to 580 trainees have been placed in jobs through the PCP. Another 520 trainees are currently still undergoing training in PCP, which can last up to three years. WDA has strengthened the career services and job matching capabilities of all the CDCs to cater to job-seekers, including PMETs. They have started regular workshops conducted in conjunction with private specialists, on personality self-assessment, resume writing (as Ms Denise Phua mentioned), interview tips, skills and jobs in demand, and meeting with potential employers. For PMETs who may have been in the same field for a long time and require more intensive help to transit to a new career, more specialised assistance will be provided through career consultants, supported by outplacement specialists and career coaches. Dr Lim Wee Kiak noted that it might be difficult for PMETs and their families to depend on the PCP allowance. This allowance of up to $1,000 a month for longer courses is a reasonable amount. By the way, in reply to Mr Teo Ser Luck, there are allowances for PCP for PMET trainees. As I have said, this allowance, although up to $1,000 a month is reasonable. It is not intended to support the needs of the entire family. PMETs typically have more resources and should tap on these resources first. The Government is also providing additional help for households through GST Credits, personal income tax rebates, rebates for utilities, property tax, and service and conservancy charges, and so on.”
“But some job-seekers may not have the skills to take up these jobs. They may need to re-skill to move into new careers in a less familiar industry and they may need help to find opportunities in these industries. We will help them, through training under SPUR, through career counselling, and through job matching services. SPUR benefits all job-seekers, whether they are less-educated and low-skilled, or PMETs. For the less-educated and low-skilled workers, whom Dr Ahmad Magad asked about just now, other than the generous 90% course-fee subsidy for SPUR training, they may also receive a training allowance. Unemployed job seekers can approach career consultants at the Community Development Councils (CDCs) and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). The career consultants will assess the job-seeker's training needs as well as his commitment to find a job after training, in deciding whether he will receive a training allowance. Job-seekers may also be advised to take up Employability Skills System (ESS) modules to close gaps in language proficiency and numeracy skills. In addition, low-wage workers will be eligible for WIS and the WIS Special Payment, which I have elaborated on earlier. This rigorous and yet flexible approach is better than a rigid set of criteria for granting training allowance, as suggested by Mr Low Thia Khiang, which may not cater to the varied needs of different individuals. For PMETs, the subsidy rate for SPUR-approved PMET courses has been increased from 80% to 90%. This makes skills training even more affordable. The range of Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP) which helps unemployed PMETs to up-skill or convert to new sectors, will be doubled from the currently to around 40 by the end of this year.”