Desmond Choo
Singapore
“Through these expanded volunteer networks, we are building something more than a collection of programmes. We are strengthening a culture, a culture where service is valued, where sacrifice is understood and where defence is embraced as a shared mission. We are strengthening the very foundation of our national defence.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to thank Prime Minister for his Ministerial Statement. The Labour Movement has surveyed our unionists. They are rightly worried about growth issues, loss of jobs and cost of living, but they have also expressed confidence that the People's Action Party Government will stay us through these difficult times.”
“Chairman, I would like to thank Minister Tan See Leng, Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State Zaqy and Minister of State Gan Siow Huang for their comprehensive responses and driving policy changes; and also Permanent Secretaries Ng Chee Khern, Jeffrey Siow, and their team of MOM officers, for their dedication in b…”
“Mr Chairman, just two clarifications. One, why is the Ministry raising the S Pass qualifying salary despite the labour market being already quite tight and the potential economic headwinds? What is the expected impact on the local workforce's wages?”
“Chairman, we have seen a surge in overseas travel as Singaporeans continue to embrace travelling in the new post-pandemic norm. Singaporeans are no longer sticking to the usual destinations but, increasingly, also to less-travelled destinations.”
“Since our Independence, Singapore has maintained the importance of capacity-building as a pillar of regional cooperation. In 1992, the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) was established in our effort to pay forward the help we received in our formative years. It serves as a platform to provide technical assistance to the world.”
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“Chairman, I would like to thank Minister Tan See Leng, Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon and Minister of State Gan Siow Huang for the very thoughtful and comprehensive responses. Of course, to Permanent Secretary Ng Chee Khern and his team of MOM officers for their tireless work. With this, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $3,056,864,300 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $131,871,700 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]”
“Chairman, I have two clarifications. The first is for Minister. It is very good news that we are adjusting the EP qualifying salary. It will help our younger Singaporeans to get jobs. But we also have the SOL. Does making access to EPs easier via the SOL undermine our efforts to localise or bring in more of our Singaporeans into these jobs? The second one is for Dr Koh. Dr Koh, it is very good news to adjust the $600 matching to $2,000, I think it will help a lot of the lower-wage Singaporeans. My point is on the $20,000 lifetime care. Firstly, are there many of our Singaporeans reaching that cap or already exceeded, so that is why we have a $20,000 lifetime matching limit? And under what circumstances will MOM look to lifting or adjusting this cap?”
“Together with the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation Packages, it provides for a robust social compact. It is also very good news for caregivers and homemakers, who prioritise the well-being of their loved ones at the expense of putting off their careers. While the Earn and Save Bonus component of the Majulah Package offers support to eligible working caregivers, there remain concerns for those who have not been working or of low income. First, for the lower income, would the Package allow them to achieve basic retirement adequacy by the time they retire? Second, for those who are not working, such as homemakers and caregivers, without the Earn and Save component, achieving retirement adequacy would appear to be more difficult. I have two suggestions for the Ministry to consider. First, for the lower-income employed residents: to provide a higher quantum of top-ups so that they can achieve the BRS. The current way of topping up or supporting such residents is via ComCare or other forms of social assistance. Topping up via work can preserve work ethics and the dignity of work. Second, for homemakers and caregivers: to expand upon the quantum of matched retirement savings, so that employers and family members can help them to reach BRS. The current limit is up to $600 top-up per year. This would likely not be enough, especially for those who have been homemakers or caregivers for most of their working lives. Such earned or matched top-ups are also aligned with our social compact. Those who have contributed and needed help would be helped by those with more. It also acknowledges the value of unpaid labour and provides them with enhanced financial security in retirement. Expanding Home Protection Scheme (HPS) Coverage”
“Mr Chairman, the recent announcement of the closing of the Special Account (SA) for CPF members above the age of 55 years old has generated much discussion. This is not surprising because of how central CPF savings are in providing for retirement adequacy. A key factor contributing to its effectiveness is the provision of high and risk-free interest rates on CPF monies. With CPF contributions earning up to 4.08% per annum on the SA, Singaporeans benefit from a secure avenue for retirement adequacy. In a world of financial uncertainty, the CPF scheme offers guaranteed tangible benefits to every Singaporean and bolstering our economic resilience. This is also testament to the effectiveness of the CPF system. Could the Ministry shed more light on why it is timely to make this policy move to close the SA now? How many CPF members will be affected by this closure? And how many CPF members would benefit from the raising of the ERS? During my recent house visit, a Tampines resident shared with me that it was logical to earn fixed deposit rates. The money should be naturally locked up for longer and not withdrawn easily, as in a savings account. However, she was concerned about what her options are, going forward, if she exceeds the enhanced retirement sum. It is understandable that residents would want to maximise their retirement monies, especially as we are likely to be in a higher inflation rate but slower growth environment for quite some time. Can the Ministry provide more information on its website or other channels on the options that residents could explore if they wanted to get more than the 2.5% from the OA? Majulah Package The Majulah Package will benefit our lower- to middle-income young seniors.”
“Mr Chairman, with an ageing population and local workforce growth that is slowing to zero, we need to augment our workforce with either more capital or labour, so that Singapore's economy can continue to maintain its vibrancy. Without a thriving economy, everyone suffers the adverse consequences of wage stagnation and loss of jobs. But we need to do it carefully to maintain the centrality of a Singaporean Core. That must be our unwavering commitment to our Singaporean workers. There have been significant moves, especially the COMPASS scheme and the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Can the Ministry update on how COMPASS has helped to support Singapore's economic needs since its implementation? And how has SOL allowed companies to fill hard-to-fill jobs or roles, so that companies can continue to preserve and create jobs for locals? Our local workforce has also been improving in quality, with median wages increasing annually. This is also evident among the graduates. Based on the latest Graduate Employment Survey, the median gross monthly salary among fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment increased by 2.7%, to S$4,313 from S$4,200 in 2022. The figure increased by 10.5% between 2021 and 2022. This also means that we need to ensure that our EP holders must not unduly compete against them because EP holders tend to have more work experience and might be prepared to take a lower pay. How would the Ministry adjust the qualifying salary to balance the needs of our Singaporean Core and business needs? Shortage Occupation List – Manpower Gaps and Opportunities”
“The PW Mark was implemented to distinguish employers that have leaned into providing progressive wages voluntarily. We can consider distinguishing progressive and inclusive employers which have significantly improved their business processes, training and job roles to help older workers succeed. Incentives can be provided to such employers, especially in the absence of the WorkPro. Perhaps, there is now a renewed need to reinstate WorkPro, which was previously implemented as a scheme for companies to receive grants of up to $425,000 to implement age-friendly workplaces with an emphasis on retaining older workers. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Future-ready Workforce”
“In the longer term, I hope to see the implementation of paid statutory caregiving leave for all workers. Closing the gender pay gap requires us not to only confront the societal and caregiving expectations of women, but also the structural barriers that limit women's economic opportunities. Mr Chairman, next, I will speak on supporting our older workers to stay gainfully employed. I have spoken on the importance of harnessing the experience and expertise that our older workers bring to the table, especially in light of our ageing demographics. We have made significant strides in raising the retirement and re-employment ages for Singaporean workers. And I am heartened that our older workers do appreciate our efforts in doing so. I understand from the Ministry that between 2017 and 2021, around 97% of resident employees were offered and accepted re-employment contracts after reaching the retirement age. Could the Ministry clarify how many percent of these employees were offered re-employment contracts of one year and whether the re-employment contracts were subsequently extended? On training our older workers, the findings from NTUC's survey conducted in 2022 underscore the keen interest older workers have in upscaling. Yet six out of 10, or of all workers, were of the view that older workers were given fewer training opportunities as compared to the younger ones. Re-employed workers might get even less training opportunities. On another front, as training participation declines with age, it is crucial to implement age-universal job redesign strategies. Ironically, older workers actually need more training because their odds of skills obsolescence are higher.”
“Women often bear a disproportionate burden of caregiving responsibilities, and this can be at the expense of their careers. How do we help them to manage their careers and caregiving duties? This caregiving is beyond those required for children. It includes supporting elderly parents too. We must support our women better, offer affordable childcare, flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and flexible caregiving policies. We have, indeed, made strides in ensuring affordable childcare and I look forward to the release of the tripartite guidelines on FWAs. I hope that we can also consider implementing leave policies to support employees in caring for elderly parents, particularly considering Singapore's ageing population. Employers have reasonable concerns because there would already be too many leave provisions when manpower is already tight. The reality is maternity and childcare leave consumption will continue to decrease because of our low total fertility rate. The statistics also show that caregiving can take a worker out of the workforce. Some have questioned if a few days of caregiving leave could make a difference? My answer is yes, because it underscores our commitment to helping our workers. We have to start somewhere, no matter how small the first step is. The number of employers offering paid family care leave in Singapore has doubled from 15% in 2012 to 30% in 2020. This is, indeed, encouraging. But we must remember that workers' caregiving responsibilities will only increase in the future. We must start addressing this now. Our workers need our support to care for their dependents, young and elderly alike. I wish to call on all businesses in Singapore to take concrete steps in re-examining their leave policies and consider offering caregiving leave.”
“This is perhaps what we call the "motherhood penalty" and we owe a duty to doing right by our mothers. The solutions are not easy to come by. In 2018, Iceland passed the Equal Pay Standard legislation, which requires companies with 25 or more employees to prove that they pay employees of all genders equally for the same work or work of equal value. Under the Equal Pay Standard, companies must undergo a certification process every three years, during which they are required to analyse their wage structures, identify and rectify any gender-based wage disparities. Failure to comply can result in fines and sanctions. Iceland's pay gap closed by 3.4% subsequent to this passing of the legislation. While this might be too bold a move for us at this stage or it needs to be contextualised to our needs, there are other steps that we can take. First, there must be greater disclosure and transparency in the gender composition of senior management roles and compensation. Some employers are rightly concerned about wage transparency, but we can do so like today when board directors' fees are declared in broad tiers. It is still a positive step forward. We can start with the listed companies in the Public Service. Greater transparency and reporting requirements can spur organisations to review and improve or change their practices. I encourage HR practitioners to examine and improve upon the performance evaluation criteria that have embedded undue biases, for example, ranking a mother on maternity leave with other colleagues on the same basis is inherently biased. Next, we must broaden our caregiving support. There are entrenched societal norms of women in Singapore.”
“According to a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) study in January 2020, the authors stated that even though the model can explain for more than half of the unadjusted gender pay gap, the unexplained component could reflect the effects of parenthood, caregiving responsibilities and unmeasured employment characteristics, such as work experience, firm type and job scope as well as discrimination. The same study also observed that more women are primary caregivers, and this could be one of the reasons for the gender pay gap. In essence, the increase in caregiving responsibilities could have resulted in women exiting the workforce and also getting paid less. We need to tackle this structural problem of the gender pay gap. I agree that it is multifaceted as the 2020 study has noted. I would like to examine two facets of this issue and suggest possible remedies. Human resources practices. Conceptually, the human resource practice of performance grading could have inherent biases against women. For example, if there is a good performance grade to be given and the choice was between two employees, both are as good but one was away on maternity leave for 16 weeks, which employee would be more likely to get the good grade? This is done for a good reason. The organisation should rightly reward the employee who had contributed more over the full year. But we can imagine that if this persists over multiple childbirths, and promotion depends on multi-year performance consistency, then we can imagine a mother's progression being derailed. It seems plausible that this could have resulted in women and mothers not being able to scale the heights of their professions. We must guard against such well-intended human resource practice driving unintended biases against women.”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head S of the Estimates be reduced by $100". Mr Chairman, our workforce is ageing and growth is slowing to zero gradually. Therefore, we must have as high a workforce participation rate as possible. Our female workforce participation rate has improved over the years. Over the last 10 years, it has improved from 58.1% to 62.6%, but it still lags behind the rates for males. When women have at least one child, the participation rate drops by 10% to 16% compared to women with no children in 2018. This suggests that caregiving responsibilities reduces workforce participation. There exists also a gender pay gap. According to the Ministry's 2018 statistics, the unadjusted gender pay gap is 16.3%. Labour market factors, such as men being over-represented in higher paying occupations such as managing directors, chief executive officers (CEOs) and general managers accounted for roughly 7% of the gap. The natural question is why not more women are taking on such top jobs? Some academics attribute this to women not taking on higher paying roles that tend to demand for work to be prioritised over personal responsibilities. Women are also increasingly better educated than men in Singapore, especially in the younger age brackets; 64% of females aged 25 to 34 years old have university education compared to 56% for men. Singapore's adjusted gender pay gap is 6% in 2018. This was 8.8% in 2002. There has clearly been progress over the years. What the adjusted gender pay gap means too is after adjusting for education, age, occupation and industry, women in Singapore earn on average 6% less than their male counterparts. This difference is magnified when we consider disparity over a 40- to 50-year-long career.”
“With a young and still-growing population of 650 million, Singapore can have access to a large market and pool of talent. Our companies must seize the limited window to expand in the region. How has MTI helped our Singapore companies to expand in the region? What are the future plans to help SMEs go regional? Lastly, we must seize the opportunity provided by AI for Singapore to continue to punch above our weight. AI has the potential to improve our workers' productivity tremendously. Yet, AI will require significant resources, especially power and talent, for R&D. How is the Ministry ensuring that Singapore has the requisite infrastructure and talent for companies to keep pace and deepen AI work? 12.45 pm Supporting Industry Transformation”
“Mr Chairman, Singapore has been bracing itself for a period of slow growth and high inflation as Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has pointed out in his Budget Speech this year. Our population is rapidly ageing, our local workforce growth will eventually slow down to zero. An ageing population will lead to increase in social spending, decreased consumption and decreased labour output. There are also constraints of land, power and carbon. How will our GDP look like over the next decade? Studies have shown that super ageing Japan's GDP was expected to drop by about 5% relative to the baseline scenario of a stationary population. We must not let this happen to Singapore. Could the Ministry share what are its overarching plans over the next 10 years to grow our GDP despite our constraints? I have three suggestions for the Ministry to consider. First, we must increase the amount of capital and adoption of innovation and technology by our SMEs. Singapore is already amongst the world's leaders in automation, especially in industrial robots. It was just behind South Korea in 2021. For our growth to continue, we need to intensify automation and innovation in our SMEs. What is the current progress and plans to intensify capital investment and adoption of innovation by SMEs? Could the Ministry provide an update on the take-up of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) T-UP programme and how can we continue to improve take-up by SMEs? Next, we need to have more of our companies operating abroad to bring in income and job opportunities. Economically, we need to focus on our gross national income (GNI) per capita as much as GDP per capita. Singapore is fortunate to be in Southeast Asia, one of the fastest growing regions in the world.”
“If adversaries were to scale up such attacks, existing military responses would not be sustainable. We have not even examined how a swarm drone attack could be successfully defended, especially when it could be fully autonomous in time to come. Large swarms of drones can overwhelm conventional defences. This leads to questions on whether current air defences are adequate. The threat that I have described is just one that we are aware of today. But bad actors are continuing to find even more creative and cost-effective ways to evade and weaken conventional military defences. These tactics could exploit new technologies or commercially available, dual-use platforms. How is MINDEF/SAF meeting the drones challenge? Given the rapidly changing security environment, what is MINDEF/SAF doing to safeguard against emerging and evolving technologies and tactics that can be used to undermine our security? How is MINDEF training its personnel to meet evolving threats? Threats in the Digital Domain”
“Chairman, in January this year, Houthi rebels fired what the Associated Press reported as their "largest-ever barrage of drones and missiles" targeting shipping in the Red Sea. And just days ago, the US Central Command said that it had observed the Houthis using underwater drones against ships for the first time. There is growing commentary on the increasingly consequential role drones will play as a terrorist tactic and in the wars of the future. Many of these drones are relatively inexpensive. They can also be deployed at scale and pose a significant threat to our security. One-way attack drones, like the ones that the Houthis are using in the Red Sea, are estimated to cost roughly US$2,000. In its attacks on 7 October 2023, Hamas deployed commercial quadcopter drones with explosives to disrupt Israeli military infrastructure. In the Ukrainian-Russian war, drones have changed the complex of what was a conventional war. The attacks have changed because of attack and kamikaze drones. There were reports of commercial drones being retrofitted with explosives to attack conventional armies. Furthermore, there has been greater use of drones for surveillance and to direct artillery fire. Even the most advanced militaries are still grappling with how best to respond to these threats and new developments. One British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report described how the United States (US) Marine Corps had modified its fighter jets to serve an air defence role, in response to Houthi drone attacks. The US' interceptions have proven to be effective. However, one can imagine that the risks to servicemen to perform these missions are significant and the cost of each mission is high.”
“We need to increase both the number and diversity of opportunities. For example, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) inked the memorandum of understanding for the Singapore-Shanghai Lawyers Exchange Programme. Lawyers can learn new skills from their counterparts and also enter new markets. I hope that there can be more of such partnerships by other Ministries and businesses, especially that of our MNCs. The Global Ready Talent Internship Programme encourages Singapore enterprises to train young local talent through local and overseas internships. Could the Ministry look into expanding the reach of the programme to more host companies, whether based in Singapore or otherwise? Perhaps there is scope to remove the 30% local shareholding condition to expand the reach of such programmes to our MNCs. Mr Speaker, Sir, the future is tumultuous, but we can master it as we always had. In this new chapter, we need to help our young workers to put on the full armour of adaptability and resilience in a world whereby they may be assailed on all fronts. We need to help our young workers understand the new economy's impact on their livelihoods and strengthen their career paths. In doing so, we can forge a path towards a more just, equitable and sustainable future. NTUC will remain alongside each and every worker through the uncertain times because #EveryWorkerMatters. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion. [Applause.]”
“Beyond this, there would be instances, such as in legal services, where a degree is needed for career transition. Would the Government consider also providing subsidies for second degrees? Next, companies must also be fair and transparent with their employees in the use of AI and how it would impact them. It is not desirable to stand in the way of progress, but it is equally undesirable to have sudden dislocation and displacement of workers. The failure to manage the transition well might cause disturbances as large as what the US automakers faced with strikes by workers concerned by the job losses due to the transition to EVs. It was also what happened with the Writers Guild of America strike. "Just transition" also requires providing younger Singaporeans with more opportunities for transition. Career trials for younger Singaporeans can help in navigating a complex workplace. WSG Career Trial encourages jobseekers above the age of 16 to go through a short-term trial before considering formal employment. The supply and diversity of these trials are needed to cater to the broad interests of our students. Could the Government consider enhancing subsidies to host companies to increase the supply of such career trials? NTUC has engaged more than 10,000 young people in a landmark Youth Task Force report last year to develop ways to help our younger Singaporeans. It launched the NTUC Career Starter Lab to enable our younger people to transition smoothly to the workforce via career trials and mentorship. The Labour Movement will always do its part alongside the Government to help our young workers. Lastly, on overseas work exposure. It can equip our youth with invaluable skills and opportunities to pivot when necessary.”
“To this, I wish to speak on key areas ensuring a “just transition" to the new economy for our young workers. Over the past three Budgets, I have called on the Government to provide subsidies for Singaporeans to pursue a second degree or diploma to remain future-ready. I am heartened with the Government's move in Budget 2024 to enable Singaporeans middle-aged and above to receive full Government subsidies to pursue a second diploma. There is also the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, with a SkillsFuture credit of $4,000 and monthly training allowance of up to $3,000. Our workers and unionists appreciate that these are substantive support to transit into new careers. As part of a "just transition" for younger workers in trades that would be adversely impacted by large structural shifts of AI and green transition, I hope that the Government can provide similar support to our younger workers. For example, one of the young persons we met was Darren, a 24-year-old ITE student studying business administration. He aspires to open an automotive workshop in the future but he would need automotive skills, especially those pertaining to EVs. He would need support to pick up these skills to make the career transition. Younger Singaporeans ITE and polytechnic diploma holders might take as long as five years before being able to tap on their SkillsFuture credits. Furthermore, for those affected or displaced by AI or the green transition, they would arguably need the same support as those in their middle-age. I hope that the Government can consider lowering the SkillsFuture Credit eligibility age down from the current 25 years old to empower more younger people to upskill and reskill, and to provide subsidised diplomas for those affected by AI and green transition.”
“There would be a greater emphasis on analysis, working with clients and strategic thinking. For our young Singaporeans and workers, they would either be riding this tremendous wave or be sunk by it. Their era would be defined by AI. How can we ensure that our youths are AI-ready? Should IHLs include AI as part of all courses? And do all our workers and educators now need to have AI booster courses? The next challenge is that of green transition and the impact on jobs and training. Take, for example, our nation's vision to achieve 100% cleaner energy vehicles by 2040. ITE currently offers automotive technology and engineering courses, which primes its students with appropriate skillsets for electric vehicles (EVs). However, what would happen to our workers who only have skills to repair internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles? Those students with mechanical engineering skills would need to acquire new skills quickly. Should they not be able to transition fast enough, they would be out of work. We must embrace the green transition whether we like it or not. Man cannot reverse climate change. Today, 52% of Singaporeans or young Singaporeans foresee the need to upskill to adapt to the rise of AI and this is especially so among our younger people. They will need to retrain shortly after graduation if they find themselves on the wrong side of the economic transition. At the heart of this endeavour lies the concept of a "just transition". This is more than just adapting to economic shifts. It embodies a worker-centric approach to ensuring that the transitions our workers undergo are fair, equitable and sustainable. This was also the point raised by Minister of State Desmond Tan.”
“Our younger people are naturally anxious about transiting to the workforce. Our year-long Every Worker Matters Conversations run by NTUC in 2023 also reflected similar sentiments. This year’s Budget builds capabilities to help our young Singaporeans to succeed. Investment in innovation and training systems can bring in new enterprises to create better jobs for them. So, the future is a bright one. However, young Singaporeans still face two rather formidable challenges: one, transition to an economy shaped by AI and climate change; and two, navigating the workplace that ironically has more options and thus, harder to land on a desired career. I will take them in turn. We are at the doorsteps of a seismic shift in the economy with the rise of AI. Just not too long ago, coding was deemed as the skill of the new economy. Even I was tempted to take up coding, but I could not really do it. It was almost a must-have for young people to seize new opportunities and thrive. Yet today, AI can already perform entry-level coding easily and some even for free. ChatGPT could do it. That, I could do. We can only imagine that, in time, it would be capable of, if not already so, sophisticated coding. What does that leave for the many students and young people who have been learning coding in school? And this is just coding that might be adversely impacted. Most young people would need to work with AI regardless of their occupations or industries in the future. How do they work with AI, co-pilot it to become more creative and better in exercising human judgement? AI would lead to job creation and job losses. AI advances and adoption by companies would be non-linear and, therefore, highly disruptive. The core job requirements and skills for many jobs would have changed.”
“Income inequality is now the lowest in over two decades. This is owed, in no small part, to the schemes to uplift lower-wage workers through expanding PWM and reforming the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS), as Member Melvin Yong had pointed out. The Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS) was launched in 2022 to support employers to adjust to the expanded PWM. In Budget 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a further $1 billion top-up to PWCS. This is complemented by raising the minimum qualifying salary under the WIS Scheme. WIS was enhanced in 2020, 2023 and will be again in 2025. Collectively, this will benefit around half a million Singaporeans. Enabling Employment Credit was also created in 2023 to help workers with special needs or disabilities. There were also decisive moves on Workplace Fairness and Platform Workers over this term of Government. The net effect is a tapestry and trampoline of support schemes that help workers of all ages, abilities and skills. This was built across successive Budgets, working with the unions and employers. Indeed, we must always find ways to improve on the Budgets to help Singaporeans further. This is our duty as Parliamentarians. But we can do so today from a place of strength and comfort. It is from this foundation of strength that I would like to examine how we could support our younger workers. Global uncertainties, such as shifting supply chains and geopolitical tensions, have resulted in fewer jobs being created. This year, the Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey showed that the proportion of university graduates who found employment within six months of taking their final exams dropped to 89.6% in 2023 from 93.8% the year before.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join the debate. When Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered the Budget two weeks ago, my immediate reaction as the Chairperson of the GPC for Manpower was that it was a Budget that had workers' interest at the very core. Headlined by the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme with a second subsidised diploma and generous training allowance, workers would find significant help in the workplace. The natural question was whether the Budget had missed out on certain aspects of supporting workers and to ask for them during the debate. Yet, we do know a single year’s of Budget does not make for robust and thoughtful national capabilities. Each successive year’s Budget should build on each other. It is worth examining how this term of Government has built up critical employment infrastructure. The Budgets from 2020 to 2022 were focused on preserving lives and livelihoods. For example, the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) was highly successful in supporting local hires during COVID-19. From FY2020 to 2021, $6.2 billion was spent on JGI to boost local hires. It supported close to 709,000 local hires by 83,000 firms between September 2020 and February 2022. It also led to an increase of about 90,200 local hires. This roughly translates to a significant spending of $8,700 per local worker who has benefited from the JGI. Similarly, the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package provided jobs, traineeship opportunities and skills enhancement programmes. Over FY2020 to FY2021, $2.2 billion was set aside for SGUnited. From April 2020 to April 2022, more than 200,000 local jobseekers benefited. Around eight of our 10 trainees secured employment. There was further progress in creating a more equitable society.”
“We are sculpting a legal framework that allows us, as members of this House, to protect the public. Speaker Sir, notwithstanding the suggestions mentioned, I rise to support the Bill.”
“Further, under section 40H(1)(b), in the case where the alleged victim is between 14 and 16 years old, both the alleged victim and the alleged victim’s parent or guardian consent would be required for the FME. Could the Ministry kindly clarify the rationale for this? Finally, on the enhancement of the powers of police and law enforcement agencies by updating section 34 of the CPC. In the context of criminal investigations, where time is often of the essence, it becomes imperative to equip the police and law enforcement agencies with powers that allow for swift and decisive action. Under the proposed amendments, the police will be empowered to conduct searches without a warrant when they have reason to believe that the relevant evidence is in the possession or power of a suspect of an arrestable offence, allowing searches of arrested persons at the point of arrest for safety reasons. In this regard, could the Ministry clarify how it will ensure the judicious use of these enhanced powers by the police to prevent overreach and protect the rights of individuals? What are the review and training mechanisms in place to guide officers? It is also proposed for the powers of non-police law enforcement agencies to be enhanced to deal with matters arising from predicate offences under their purview. This is especially important in ensuring that the suitable law enforcement agency deals with the matters they are most familiar with, which is important to maximise operational efficiency considering Singapore’s size. Mr Speaker, as we navigate these amendments, let us remember that the success of these changes lies not only in their crafting but in the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders.”
“The time sensitivity of FMEs is paramount since forensic evidence can rapidly deteriorate, degrade, or become contaminated, leaving no viable substitutes. The FME, intimately connected with privacy, dignity, and the pursuit of truth, demands a careful recalibration of our legal approach. Under the FME framework, the police now have the express power to require accused persons to undergo FME where relevant to an investigation. It is also an offence for accused persons to refuse to undergo the FME without reasonable excuse, and the Courts may also draw negative inferences in such cases if a trial is to be held. Could the Ministry clarify under what circumstances would the refusal be done under a “reasonable excuse”? There are safeguards to the conducting of the FME, which include the requirement to ensure that there is no danger to the individual and the requirement for qualified medical professionals to conduct physical medical examinations and the collection of invasive samples, save for blood samples by way of pricking a finger. A key safeguard proposed by the Ministry is implementing measures to minimise leakage and unauthorised sharing of materials obtained through the FME procedure. Could the Ministry clarify what measures, cybersecurity or otherwise, it will take to ensure that these photographs are held in the utmost confidence? What are the measures to protect against unauthorised collection of visual evidence such as photographs? Further, under the proposed section 40H, informed consent will generally be required from the alleged victims and/or their authorised decision-maker, depending on the age of the alleged victim. Would the Ministry consider developing standardized guidelines for obtaining informed consent for FME procedures?”
“Had such perpetrators remained behind bars, more innocent lives would have been spared from the lifelong trauma of sexual abuse. These are exactly the type of offenders that the new SPP and the SEPP aims to tackle. With the new sentencing regime, it allows for the Courts to better protect the public. It also provides the necessary flexibility to strike a balance between punitive measures and rehabilitation. These amendments will provide the Courts, and not the Government, with the necessary levers to tailor sentences based on the severity of offences, for public protection. It is notable that the SEPP is limited to serious offences, such as culpable homicide, rape, sexual offences involving vulnerable persons such as persons with mental disabilities and minors; and the courts may consider reports, that is, risk assessment reports by appointed professionals. Could the Ministry consider mandating such reports for all SEPP-related sentences? I believe that this would strike a better balance between the rights of individuals and the pursuit of justice. Further, the SEPP regime provides that if the offender is assessed to pose a risk to society and therefore would continue to be imprisoned at the end of the SEPP term, regular reviews will be done to assess their suitability for release. Can the Ministry consider enshrining the frequency of this review into the legislation? This would ensure that whilst the protection of the public rightly remains at the forefront, the individual rights and liberties of these offenders are still given due consideration. Next, on the new FME legislative framework. FMEs are critical to bringing perpetrators to justice, especially in the case of sexual offences.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join this debate. The proposed amendments represent a significant move towards ensuring that our criminal justice system remains effective, fair and transparent. In recent years, several egregious cases that have highlighted the need for a comprehensive review of our criminal justice system. Of the many faces that criminality can take, sexual crimes remain a key concern in Singapore. There are close to 10,000 reports of sexual assault between 2019 and 2022. The number of sexual assault cases involving victims below 16 years old allegedly committed by family members increased by 61% in 2019 to 2022. At its core, the Bill aims to strengthen the state’s levers to tackle crime, especially those that I mentioned earlier, and I will be speaking on three key aspects: first, introduction of new sentences for public protection; second, the FME Legislative Framework; and third, enhancing the powers of police and law enforcement agencies. First, on the new sentencing framework for public protection. The impetus for the proposed law is apparent in wake of the alarming egregious cases. As mentioned by the Minister earlier, in 2001, a diagnosed paedophile served a term of 19 years jail and received 24 strokes of the cane for the rape of his stepdaughter. Within three years of his release from prison, he sexually assaulted his two grandnieces. For his depravity, he was sentenced to the maximum 20 years’ preventive detention. And just last year, a man was sentenced to 18 years’ preventive detention and 12 strokes of the cane for, amongst other charges, aggravated sexual assault. This was also shortly after he had served his 16-year jail term for rape.”
“I would like to thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply about how Singapore will support the efforts. Does he also foresee that if the situation does not improve or the tension at the Red Sea escalates, that Singapore will also similarly increase our support to international task forces or supporting humanitarian support in the area?”
“Based on MAS' latest projections, inflation is coming down. We are continuing to extend our different packages of support and by keeping our workflow productive, we can sustain real wages and our quality of life. With this, I support the amended Motion.”
“Real income growth at the 20th percentile saw even stronger growth at 2.9% per annum, narrowing the gap with the middle-income earner. We acknowledge that sustaining such real wage growth is immensely difficult, year on year. While we might not succeed every year, we must keep our focus on longer-term growth, for longer-term well-being. In providing real wage increases for our workers, we cannot do this alone. We work with our tripartite partners on the NWC to promote fair and sustainable wage increases. This year's NWC again demonstrates the resolve of tripartite partners to help workers cope with the cost-of-living increases. Amidst increases in business costs, the NWC recommended a one-off payment, a lumpsum payment for all workers to cope with cost of living, with higher amounts for lower- to middle-income workers. What about our lower-wage workers – the ones who need more help? We have expanded the coverage of the Progressive Wage Model. The Government co-shares the cost of wage increases with employers through the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme. Today, up to nine out of 10 lower-wage workers are covered by the Progressive Wage measures. This year, NWC recommended increasing the salaries of lower-wage workers by 5.5% to 7.5%, or at least $85 to $155 per month. This is higher than inflation. NWC has also recommended increases in the Progressive Wage requirements for administrators and drivers. The new requirements that will come into effect in 2024 will uplift 43,500 administrators and 8,400 drivers. So, more help is on the way. Mr Speaker, Sir, the world is faced with inflation in nearly every country. Some societies have been worse than others. We are glad that our policies as a whole are working. There is already light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Our policies have resulted in record levels of direct foreign investment commitments for the last three years – even more jobs for Singaporeans. Today, we have nearly 88,000 job vacancies, or two vacancies for every unemployed person; more than one in five vacancies in growth sectors with higher-paying jobs. We must continue to help our workers to secure good jobs. With no jobs, it can be worse than any inflation or inflation issues. Jobs provide dignity. Together with Workforce Singapore and NTUC's e2i, we have strengthened our job placement. We have a Job Security Council to help our people get jobs, even in the deepest of COVID-19. Recently, I visited a job fair organised by the Northeast CDC and e2i. There were 1,000 vacancies on offer, not as many jobseekers. I was secretly glad to hear from the employers that they found it difficult to hire locals and that they were improving their wages and workplace conditions to out-compete rivals. These are good signs for our local workers. Our workforce must also be productive. A highly skilled workforce has been a cornerstone of Singapore's success and even more important in today's world, where skills are valued more than ever. This is not easy work because it takes years to get the policies right and see results. The Industry Transformation Maps can provide that longer-term solution. At NTUC, we are glad that the Government is providing us with support to form Company Training Committees (CTCs). These CTCs are now the backbone of many companies who are tranforming their businesses, with better wage outcomes for workers. As shared by the Senior Minister of State for Manpower yesterday, over the last five years, between June 2017 and June 2022, real median income rose by 1.8% per annum.”
“Many thanks to the donors, partners and volunteers working with us on these initiatives. And there will be more to come for our residents. By coming together to work on programmes to uplift the less privilege and provide opportunities to the next generation, we not only help our families to combat inflation but also strengthen our social compact. The examples of NTUC FairPrice Group and the CDC partnerships show that everyone can play a part in supporting one another to tide through difficult times. We can mitigate the impact of price increases and in doing so, strengthen our community. Our overall Government policies will help to keep the increase in Singapore's food prices much lower than the increase in global food and commodity prices – below 4%, compared to 25% globally between March 2020 and May 2022. There is still more work to be done, but we can do so together. Beyond the broad and many-stakeholders approach in solving our cost of living issues, the most important work is to keep wages ahead of inflation – real wage increase. No country can shield their citizens from cost issues in the longer term and do it sustainably. There are no quick workarounds with rising costs. Many countries have resorted to things like price caps but only to abandon them when the bill size gets too monstrous. The crux is to make sure that our workers can have real wage growth. This is where we must invest our resources, time and effort. So, what can we do? The key is a tight labour market and a productive workforce. A tight labour market gives workers bargaining power to command pay increases. We can keep it tight by continuing to bring in good quality investments that create jobs for Singaporeans.”
“Our special assistance care fund launched in August 2022 has dispersed more than $2 million to 8,000 members to alleviate the cost of living. Across areas, such as eldercare, education, community service, our social enterprises collectively dispersed about $12 million in 2022. NTUC certainly does not sit idly by but leans in to care for our workers and residents. On another front, just over the recent two months, the five Community Development Councils (CDCs) have launched a total of $40 million worth of funds to help residents cope with rising costs of living. This is in addition to the $600 million CDC vouchers that were issued island-wide over the past three years to support residents and small businesses. The CDCs have put in place a wide range of assistance schemes to help low-income families with food, utilities education, transport, diapers, spectacles, mobility aides and more, with the new funds, for example. I will go through all the five CDCs. There are some examples. Residents living Central Singapore can look forward to school bus fare subsidies, a neighbourhood job scheme, assistance for families with children living in rental flats. Southwest residents will get more help for education, food, transportation and daily expenses. Southeast residents will have a new EduCare fund to give additional help to low-income families, to students in primary and secondary schools. Northwest residents will have a new support grant. We will focus on uplifting the least privileged, providing upscaling skills, connecting partners live in community. Residents in the Northeast CDC would all have new internship mentoring opportunities, comprehensive financial support for school-going children.”
“FairPrice Group releases supplies on regular prices even if there are external global factors like logistics issues experienced during COVID that can cause huge upswings in prices. This can help to moderate domestic prices, especially during crisis. The question is: what about the non-crisis time? NTUC is committed to helping Singaporeans meet this difficult inflation challenge. FairPrice, for example, has an extensive range of household brands too. In fact, 2000 items across 54 categories. They are priced at a minimum of 10% to 15% below comparable brands and quality. FairPrice Group's Pioneer Generation, Merdeka Generation and CHAS blue discount schemes have brought about $65.5 million worth of savings since 2015. I know the aunties and uncles in my constituency, Tampines-Changkat, are very discriminating when it comes to prices and quality. They know exactly which days to shop for the best deals and we will welcome more of them to do that. But we will not rest on our laurels. In 2022, FairPrice started the "stretch a dollar" programme, giving a 5% discount on 100 essential items every Friday. At Kopitiam and FoodFare, prices of coffee and tea and the breakfast set were reduced or held constant throughout last year despite significant business cost increases. FairPrice and other social enterprises face the same cost pressures as any other commercial entities. So, those who use the FairPrice mobile app can also enjoy 10% off their meals at Kopitiam outlets island-wide. We note keenly that lower-income workers require the most help. The Labour Movement charity and corporate philanthropy arms also provide support for low-income families and individuals.”
“Our workers' common feedback is that there is just too many packages to remember, not that there are too many, but too many to remember. But these packages will ultimately be judged by its outcomes. MOF's 2022 studies suggested that the COL support measures fully covered the effects of rising prices for the bottom 40% of households and retiree households and half of the average expenditure increase for the middle 20% of households. The Deputy Prime Minister also assured Parliament that the support measures combined will fully covered the increases in spending by the lower-income households this year, due to inflation and the GST rate increases and substantially cover the increases in spending by middle-income households. For our lower-wage and senior workers, the Prime Minister has announced at this year's National Day Rally that there will be further enhancement to the Workfare Incentive Scheme (WIS), Silver Support and matched retirement savings schemes, with details to be announced in 2024. These schemes, taken together, provide a good balance between cash and CPF MediSave savings, immediate and future needs. We need to deal with this current period of high inflation, but not forget the long-term structure challenges, such as the healthcare needs of an older population. The Labour Movement stands ready to support our workers. Cost of living issues should not be tackled by the Government alone. Enterprises have their roles to play too. In NTUC, the FairPirce Group plays its time-honoured role to source and stockpile essential supplies for the nation. We can all remember how Singapore still had some goods on the shelves even in the deepest of COVID. It protects of people against price shocks experienced is so many other countries.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of the amended Motion by the hon Member Mr Liang Eng Hwa. Inflation and consequently elevated cost of living are very important issues. In the Labour Movement, this is a core concern that we have monitored closely over the years. The effects are felt by all – workers, consumers and businesses. Our older and lower wage workers would understandably be even more affected. During our "every worker matters" conversation concluded recently, more than half the workers aged 50 and above and workers at 20th percentile of income, felt that they were most impacted by the price of cooked food, groceries and utilities. This was exactly the items most susceptible to fall out from COVID, the Ukrainian-Russian war and other geopolitical events. With so much of our inflation being imported and affected by major global events, workers and residents often wonder what can be done. Many of our workers and residents have already made lifestyle changes where possible by switching from eating out to cooking at home or by switching from private transport to public transport. With our workers taking action to manage cost, national policies have also helped our workers. The Singapore dollar, as Mr Liang Eng Hwa has pointed out, is much stronger than many other currencies now. It is a fact not lost amongst our workers and residents who travelled in the region and beyond. The Government is providing targeted support to cushion the impact of inflation, particularly for middle- to lower-income and retiree households. Our workers welcome the $10 billion enhanced Assurance Package (AP), the Cost of Living (COL) support package and the new Majulah package. The latter itself will cover 1.4 million older residents.”
“Mr Speaker, I have two clarifications for Minister of State Tan. I want to thank the Minister of State for reassuring us that there is a good plan laid out to strengthen our banking system. The first supplementary question is, over the last eight months as the Minister of State had pointed out, there were different parts of the digital banking system that has failed. Is the regulatory regime sufficiently tough enough of a deterrence to get the bank to focus its attention on strengthening the system? Because quite certainly, the non-essential items that were proposed, for example, merger and acquisitions (M&As) really depends on whether they have any in the pipeline. If they do not, then this will be nothing short of a slap on the wrist. How do these punishments compare to what we have in regimes overseas? The second one is, through the course of the last eight months, there were various breakdowns. Certainly, DBS would have the system to warn consumers and users of the banking system, that there was a possible disruption and they should prepare for alternative ways of conducting business. Because many consumers were caught out – some of them were in restaurants, some of them were running their businesses. But they were not warned of these until they had to start to pay. Nowadays, we get alerts quite frequently using the app or SMSes. Is this something the MAS will get DBS to consider?”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to ask a clarification of Minister Josephine Teo which may be better addressed by Minister Tan See Leng. She shared in her speech that there are frameworks to access work pass applications. Quite a few of the suspects were clearly holding on to work passes and they were staying in very expensive places. I would like to clarify with the Minister for Manpower what are these checks that MOM does and how do these checks contribute to the overall anti-money laundering effort? Furthermore, how does MOM intend to improve the way these checks are conducted, in light of the money laundering incident, to support the WOG effort? My third clarification is: if there were instances of these cases whereby the suspects were staying in places that were very expensive, were they surfaced and how were these addressed?”
“I have a clarification for the Minister of State Alvin Tan on the role of family offices. In this case, how many family offices were involved and how will MAS strengthen the regulatory regime for family offices?”
“Mr Speaker Sir, the proposed amendments support our young families, particularly on the pivotal role that fathers play in a child's upbringing. Societal norms, work and family structures are evolving. Families are faced with competing caregiving responsibilities for their young and old. Fathers want to actively participate in their child’s upbringing, and both fathers and mothers want to share the duty of caring for their elderly parents. These amendments can help families to better cope with their caregiving responsibilities. Fathers will have the support and encouragement to be more engaged and present in the precious moments of their children's lives. It will also indirectly help to provide support to their wives.”
“Could the Minister share more on under what circumstances would the proposed changes improve Home Team’s operational effectiveness? Mr Speaker, the proposed amendments to the Immigration Act mark a significant stride towards modernising our immigration processes and bolstering our nation's security. These changes are essential to adapt to the evolving challenges posed by technological advancements, increasing traveller demands, and emerging threats. By updating the Act, Singapore demonstrates its commitment to effective border management while embracing technology in line with our digital nation blueprint and greater operational efficiencies at our borders. Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“Under this initiative, the passenger's digital identity and flight information undergo backend processing to generate a unique token, which is then used along with their biometric data to confirm their identity and travel details at different automated touchpoints. While the Ministry has stated that this data will be retained for a “short time” with adequate “safeguards”, there may still be concerns about the necessity and potential risks associated with holding such sensitive information. We are also constantly at risk of cyber-attacks. What are the cyber-security provisions to ensure the integrity of the NCC? What are the contingency plans during data breaches? In recent months, there has also been significant delays at our immigration checkpoints due to technological glitches. How is the Ministry and the ICA stepping up to prevent such incidents? Perhaps the Ministry could share the measures we are taking to prevent a system-level breakdown like the one we suffered as recent as March 2023. Next, the NCC will put Singapore as trendsetter in the global security landscape. However, additional value will be created for Singapore and our visitors if other jurisdictions come on board and integrate the NCC in their security administration. Could the Ministry share whether there are plans for us to work with regional partners to integrate the NCC as a cross-border initiative? Lastly, on strengthening border controls. ICA personnel currently possess the ability to make arrests for non-immigration violations occurring within or near authorised zones and detain vehicles for immigration-related infractions. When non-immigration violations beyond authorised areas are identified at checkpoints, ICA relies on police officers to effect arrests or detentions.”
“Furthermore, I would like to call on the Ministry to provide operators with a suitable transition timeframe to ensure compliance with NBDs. We must ensure that operators have sufficient time to adjust their operational design and workflow to comply with NBDs without unduly impacting their other business objectives. Lastly, on the proposed amendments which grants ICA officers the authority to require travellers to furnish particulars about themselves upon arrival. As currently proposed, this power may be exercised by ICA officers to furnish particulars about themselves “as that officer may require”. I would like to ask the Minister on what grounds and circumstances can such powers be exercised? This will guide officers in their duties and also passengers in their adherence to the requests. Next, on digitalising and automating processes. ICA's NCC is an excellent initiative. Given the current security environment, increased travellers’ demands, and the nation’s ageing workforce, there is a pressing need for secure and streamlined immigration clearance procedures. The NCC aims to automate routine tasks and allocate human resources to more critical functions. Could the Ministry share if manpower and operational workstreams are ready for the NCC? Furthermore, what is the net impact on the ICA officers? How can they be trained and upskilled for a smooth transition? Perhaps we can redeploy affected ICA officers to other roles with higher human touch, or even providing courses for upskilling to help ICA officers transition into working alongside the NCC effectively. Under the amendments, it is now proposed that digital versions of permits and passes can be used to verify immigration status.”
“There are four points that I would like to highlight for the Ministry’s consideration. Firstly, it is worthwhile reviewing whether failure to comply with NBDs should be considered a strict liability offence. Human errors or technological glitches are realities in any operational system. Strict liability offences do not account for genuine mistakes or errors made in judgement made by transport operators. I would like to ask the Minister how can the Ministry balance between being thorough while yet being compassionate or flexible in cases where the breach of an NBD was not deliberate. Furthermore, Singapore's reputation as an international transportation hub depends not only on security measures but also on its ability to facilitate smooth travel for passengers. Overly harsh penalties for transport operators could deter them from serving Singapore, potentially reducing our attractiveness as a transit point for travellers and cargo. I call on the Ministry to consider to strike a balance between our objective of making Singapore an international transport hub and safeguarding our security. Second, it is currently proposed for NBDs to cover individuals who are both entering and transiting in Singapore. I believe that there is, indeed, value for NBDs to apply to transit passengers. Singapore cannot become an easy transit point for undesirable characters. Could the Ministry share how many instances of undesirable characters that have transited through our checkpoints in recent years and how these could have been avoided if we had NBDs? Next, on the electronic service of giving notices of NBDs. Could the Ministry clarify how long in advance does the controller need to inform operators that an NBD is issued in relation to a passenger or crew they are ferrying?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we need to harness technological advancements to enhance our immigration procedures and bolster border security. The integration of cutting-edge methods, such as biometrics and data analysis, into our immigration processes improves security and overall travellers' experience. We can be secure without being burdensome. The proposed amendments enable the ICA to achieve greater operational efficiencies from future-proofing against new and evolving challenges, digitalise and automate immigration processes, strengthening border controls and efficient administration of immigration passes and permits. I will address them in turn. First, on future-proofing against new and evolving challenges. Mr Speaker, currently, airline, ship and train operators must submit advance passenger and crew information. Under the proposed sections 23C and 23D, the ICA will be empowered to collect advance passenger and crew information for entry into Singapore’s checkpoints via buses. This would unify the ICA’s powers to do so across all modes of entry, as entry into Singapore via buses is not covered under the Immigration Act. There is no reason why entry by bus should be considered less of a security threat compared to entry by air or sea. This unification of security measures gets us closer to completing our nation’s security infrastructure to collecting information. In addition, the introduction of NBDs to direct transport operators to deny boarding to undesirable individuals, particularly those who pose a threat to our safety and security, is a crucial enhancement. It prevents such individuals from travelling to Singapore in the first place, instead of only being turned back at our checkpoints on arrival.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I have two supplementary questions. The first is that we know lots of residents who might not be familiar with English and they tend to be older residents. So, what are the additional safeguards put in place to help these vulnerable residents? We do see some of these marketers doing ambush tactics in the heartlands, going after these residents. This is my key concern for them. So, the second supplementary question is: has MAS monitored how many victims of such ambush marketing tactics have subsequently asked to withdraw their investments and, if they want to do so, are the remedial actions and recourse easily accessible to them?”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to press "yes." My vote is not registered.”
“We will continue to work with them closely and see how we can improve the protection. For the breakdown of the estimated total amount lost in concert ticket scams, in 2018, the amount was $84,000; in 2019, it was $66,000; in 2020, $9,000; in 2021, $3,000; in 2022, $175,000; and for 2023 up till 10 July, it was $518,000.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I have two supplementary questions. Because of acts like Taylor Swift, Singapore is fast becoming an international hub or at least a regional hub for entertainment. It is important that we safeguard the trust factor of Singapore being a place for such entertainment. To this extent, how can the concert operators and concert promoters do more to safeguard, especially in the transfer of tickets and verification of authenticity, including to a certain extent, non-transferability of certain tickets, so that it is tagged to a particular person, making it, of course, harder to resell? I know that it affects business. But if you want to grow this as a hub, I think it is worthwhile considering. Will the Ministry consider that? Secondly, could the Minister of State share the estimated total amount lost due to such scam concert tickets over the last five years? Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. Indeed, today, we are seeing many popular performers, such as Taylor Swift and Coldplay. They have chosen to perform in Singapore after the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions. We realised that the scammers took advantage of these ticket sales to these concerts to perpetrate scams. As such, as I have shared, we continue to work and take the multifaceted approach where we work with the platform operators as well as the organisers of concerts, in this case, not only to make sure that we, as far as possible, close the gap, but at the same time, would also go upstream and share with the public on what they should look out for and always go to the authorised ticket sellers, even the resellers. This is an ongoing process.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. I have two supplementary questions. First, with the shrinking population that we have, how have the automation features within the new class of submarines be able to cater for the diminishing number of servicemen that we will have? Second, how are we enhancing the interoperability of our Navy, especially the submarines, with regional navies to enhance regional security?”