Desmond Lee
Singapore
“The Leadership, Enrichment, Achievement, Participation and Service (LEAPS) 2.0 is a framework for recognising student participation and achievement in secondary school co-curricular programmes.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) is mindful of the impact that rising temperatures may have on our students, teachers and officials taking part in the National School Games. Matches are scheduled only after students have had the time to train and become progressively more heat acclimatised.”
“As shared in Parliament in March 2026, the proportion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools has remained stable, at around 7% of the overall student population. This stability is observed across both primary and secondary schools.”
“The Ministry recruits and assesses applicants based on merit and suitability for the teaching profession, regardless of gender. We look for individuals with a passion for teaching, a belief in the potential of every child, and who possess the values and character to make a positive difference in students' lives.”
“Over the past five years, an average of 750 teachers resigned from the Education Service annually, representing a resignation rate of around 2%.”
“MOE has also progressively strengthened open access within the Primary 1 Registration Framework through Phase 2C, which is open to students regardless of whether they have prior connections to the school. MOE had increased the number of reserved Phase 2C places from zero to 20 in 2014; and from 20 to 40 in 2022.”
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“SERS was introduced in 1995 as part of our estate renewal strategy for older HDB estates. It allows us to optimise land through the redevelopment of selected HDB precincts which have high development value. SERS involves compulsory acquisition and is, therefore, highly selective. The identification of suitable sites and the pace of SERS require careful site-by-site evaluation of various factors, including the redevelopment potential of the site, the availability of suitable replacement sites to rehouse the flat owners involved and the Government's financial resources. While the age of the precinct is a consideration, there is no fixed age criterion to determine if a precinct is suitable for SERS. Given these considerations, HDB has estimated that only around 5% of all HDB flats are suitable for SERS. However, I would like to emphasise that this is not a target. Most of the projects with high redevelopment potential have already been selected. To date, about 41,000 flats across 82 sites have been announced for SERS and we do not expect many more sites to be eligible. As SERS information is market-sensitive, we cannot share the details of the remaining blocks to be redeveloped or other related information ahead of any SERS announcement.”
“For instance, to help with the higher cost of materials, HDB has extended the period of protection against steel price fluctuations and supplied contractors with more concreting materials at protected prices. To tackle manpower shortages, HDB has worked with firms to safely recruit workers from various countries and co-shared the cost of bringing in the migrant workers. With the pandemic situation stabilising, the situation in the construction industry has started to show some signs of improvement. Nonetheless, with new uncertainties, such as the ongoing geopolitical crisis and potential supply chain disruptions, HDB is closely monitoring the prices of key construction materials and remains ready to extend further assistance as necessary. With the various assistance measures put in place, HDB is working hard on the ground to minimise delays to our existing BTO projects while leaning forward to support homebuyers who may be affected by the delays. HDB remains committed to its mission to deliver public housing to Singaporeans and will spare no effort to recover as much of the delays as possible and to keep our BTO programme on track.”
“Arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, tightened border controls for foreign workers and supply chain disruptions, we earlier updated that ongoing projects were delayed by about six to 12 months beyond their original Estimated Completion Dates (ECDs). HDB is in the process of informing flat buyers of the extent of delays that have materialised. Nevertheless, HDB has worked closely with contractors to mitigate the extent of the delays. For ongoing projects, we expect that most flat buyers will be able to move into their new homes within four to five years after booking their flats, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The current median waiting times of projects launched in 2020 and 2021, after factoring in delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are about 4.5 years and 3.8 years respectively. We have not observed any significant further disruptions to the supply of construction materials arising from the Ukraine-Russia conflict thus far, and the progress of BTO projects has not been affected. Nonetheless, over the last quarter, the prices of steel rebars and Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) have increased by about 17% and 7% respectively. HDB has worked with its contractors to enhance their existing stockpiles of building materials by procuring them in advance to mitigate potential disruptions. HDB is also closely monitoring the prices of the construction materials and has worked hard to strengthen the resilience of our public housing programme. HDB has been providing extensive assistance to help contractors complete ongoing BTO projects in a timely manner, without affecting safety and quality.”
“HDB stopped building Executive Apartments and Executive Maisonettes, collectively termed as Executive flats, in August 1995, after the introduction of the Executive Condominium (EC) Housing Scheme. EC units provide a housing option for Singaporeans, in addition to HDB flats. New EC units are sold with initial eligibility and ownership restrictions to keep prices affordable. Eligible first-timer citizen families can enjoy the CPF Housing Grant when buying EC units from property developers. EC units become private properties after 10 years, thus meeting the private housing aspirations of Singaporeans. There are no plans to reintroduce new Executive flats. Home seekers can consider the wide range of housing types currently available for new builds and the resale market.”
“The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)'s Central Business District Incentive Scheme (CBDI) is intended to encourage the conversion of existing older office buildings in the CBD into mixed-use developments, so as to inject a larger live-in population and greater amenity mix to rejuvenate the CBD. URA's Strategic Development Incentive Scheme (SDI) encourages the redevelopment of older buildings and precincts in strategic areas across Singapore to positively transform the surrounding urban environment. To date, URA has received 12 outline applications under CBDI, of which eight have been given in-principle approval. URA has received and given in-principle approval for four outline applications under SDI. Developments approved under CBDI are allowed a maximum increase of 25% or 30% in their development intensity, based on their Master Plan Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) or Approved GPR, whichever is higher. For SDI, the allowable increase is dependent on the specifics of each site, such as the urban and architectural design concepts, infrastructure capacity, environmental contributions to the surrounding areas. We will continue to monitor the market trends and needs, engage developers and industry professionals, to work towards rejuvenating our CBD and other strategic areas.”
“HDB imposes trade mix controls in smaller rental shop clusters within our HDB Build-to-Order (BTO) developments to ensure that the basic needs of our residents are met. These controls are also imposed for shops in standalone HDB shopping complexes to ensure that there is sufficient variety of shops to serve residents. For traditional neighbourhood centres (NCs), which typically house a larger number of shops, HDB allows for greater market flexibility in the trade mix. The larger number of shops provides sufficient opportunity for market forces to determine a good trade mix, while still ensuring that residents’ essential needs are met and local heritage is preserved. However, HDB does set quotas on trades which may cause potential disamenities, for example, eating establishments with noise and exhaust air pollution, massage parlours. Such quotas are also imposed for sold shops for cases where the sold shop owners seek HDB’s approval for a change of use to these trades. With the rise of online retailers and services complemented with enabling infrastructure like federated lockers, the commercial and retail sector will have to innovate to remain relevant. HDB is in the midst of conducting a Heartland Shops Study which seeks to study the social and economic value of heartland shops for various stakeholders, including residents, the community and business owners. We will consider strengthening policy levers if the study reveals that HDB should play a more proactive role in curating trade mix in our heartland commercial spaces.”
“For HDB rental premises, both the tenants and sub-tenants, if any, must comply with HDB's tenancy terms for the premises. Tenants are required to seek prior approval from HDB if they wish to sublet part of their premises. In the event of any breach of tenancy terms by the tenant or their sub-tenants, HDB may take appropriate enforcement action as provided for under the Tenancy Agreement with the tenant, such as serving Notice to Quit to recover the premises. For tenants who sublet their premises illegally, HDB can impose graduated financial penalties and debar the tenant from future tenders for a fixed period. Where there are breaches of tenancy conditions, HDB will consider the facts of each case to determine the appropriate enforcement action to be taken. Considerations include whether safety is compromised, the tenant's willingness to rectify the infringement, as well as the severity of the contraventions as well as any complaints against the tenant/sub-tenant, for example, whether multiple or isolated complaints were received. If the tenant or sub-tenant does not take the necessary rectification actions, HDB may terminate the tenancy agreement and pursue legal action, if necessary. For sold shops, the owners and operators are required to comply with licensing requirements by the various authorities, such as SPF, SCDF and SFA for fire safety and application of trade-specific licences such as liquor licence and massage establishment licence.”
“We will continue to review the EIA framework to strike an effective balance that can support a diversity of values and aspirations across the generations and will provide updates on further enhancements when ready.”
“We adopt a systematic framework to determine and mitigate the potential impact of new developments on the environment. Environmental studies, like Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), may be imposed as part of the planning process, to inform our understanding of the development’s potential impact and the adequacy of the proposed mitigation measures. As Singapore’s physical and operating environments change over the years, we have continually reviewed the EIA framework to ensure that it remains relevant and robust. In 2020, in consultation with the nature community, we rolled out a series of enhancements to increase the rigour of environmental studies conducted, strengthen enforcement of environmental measures imposed, and improve transparency of environmental study findings. Agencies are studying ways to further strengthen the framework, such as exploring the use of technology to improve project management and monitoring, and reviewing the centralisation of EIA consultants. NParks is also carrying out an islandwide Ecological Profiling Exercise (EPE), in partnership with members of the nature community, to build a more comprehensive picture of Singapore’s ecosystem and ecological connectivity. The first iteration of the EPE, which studied the ecological profile of green spaces and modelled terrestrial, coastal and marine connectivity across Singapore in consultation with a Scientific Advisory Panel, was completed recently and the findings will be shared later this year. We recognise that our planning strategies must adapt and be nimble to respond to the evolving needs and aspirations of Singaporeans.”
“HDB flats are designed to provide a living environment that is functional and comfortable. For instance, bedrooms are built with large windows to optimise natural lighting and ventilation, while kitchens are designed to be open to increase the sense of spaciousness. HDB flat sizes have not changed since 1997, but average household sizes have decreased. HDB flats are also designed to give residents flexibility to reconfigure spaces in their homes to meet their needs, including working from home. For example, columns in new flats are pushed to the edges wherever possible, to better accommodate changes in layout. Many homeowners have personalised their homes through renovation and creative furnishing. Given Singapore’s land constraints, HDB has to strike a balance between the size of HDB flats and the supply of flats. We will continue to gather views and ideas to improve the design of public housing to better meet residents’ needs.”
“For HIP projects tendered in 2020 under the new extended HIP, HDB has included the checking and replacement of faulty RCCBs. EMA also conducts periodic educational campaigns on electrical safety in partnership with agencies, such as HDB and Enterprise Singapore (ESG). For example, in July 2021, EMA sent out information leaflets in utility bills to remind homeowners to test their RCCBs. Flat owners should check that their entire flat is protected by RCCB and test their RCCBs regularly to ensure the safety of electrical circuits, especially in older homes. Flat owners can contact HDB if they need help to locate their RCCBs or to find electrical contractors whom they can engage to do the checks. HDB will continue to work with EMA on efforts to raise awareness and improve electrical safety for HDB residents.”
“Flats built before 1985, which comprise about 30% of our current HDB housing stock, were provided with fuses. RCCBs became a requirement from 1985, and this applied to new homes (including HDB flats) built on or after 1985 as well as older homes (including flats) that underwent substantive renovations. Over the years, most of these flats, which are close to 40 years old, would have undergone renovations, would likely have had their electrical circuit rewired and installed with RCCBs in line with the regulatory requirements. Based on a sample survey of about 1,800 HDB flats built before 1985, it is estimated that less than 1% of such flats do not have RCCB protection covering the entire unit. To ensure electrical safety in residential premises, including HDB flats, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) regulates electrical installations in Singapore via the Electricity (Electrical Installations) Regulations. These regulations require all electrical works, such as the installation of electrical wiring and RCCBs, to be undertaken by a licensed electrical worker (LEW). The regulations also require the LEW to ensure that the electrical works meet the industry technical and safety requirements and standards. After the completion of the electrical installations, the LEW is required to apply to SP Group for inspection and testing of the installations. This is to ensure that they have been installed correctly and are safe and fit for operation, before the electricity supply can be turned on. Since August 2020, HDB has included the option to rewire non-compliant water heaters for flats undergoing the Home Improvement Programme (HIP). HDB has also advised flat owners to replace RCCBs which are found faulty during HIP.”
“This is to ensure that they have been installed correctly and are safe and fit for operation, before the electricity supply can be turned on. Since August 2020, HDB has included the option to rewire non-compliant water heaters for flats undergoing the Home Improvement Programme (HIP). HDB has also advised flat owners to replace RCCBs which are found faulty during HIP. For HIP projects tendered in 2020 under the new extended HIP, HDB has included the checking and replacement of faulty RCCBs. EMA also conducts periodic educational campaigns on electrical safety, in partnership with agencies, such as HDB and Enterprise Singapore (ESG). For example, in July 2021, EMA sent out information leaflets in utility bills to remind homeowners to test their RCCBs. Flat owners should check that their entire flat is protected by RCCB and test their RCCBs regularly to ensure the safety of electrical circuits, especially in older homes. Flat owners can contact HDB should they need help in locating their RCCB and finding electrical contractors whom they can engage for the checks. HDB will continue to work with EMA on efforts to raise awareness and improve electrical safety for HDB residents.”
“From 2014 to end-2021, there have been four separate electrocution incidents taking place in HDB flats, involving five deaths and one injury. HDB does not have data of such incidents prior to 2014. Of the four cases, one involved an electrical circuit without RCCB and two electrical circuits with faulty circuit-breakers. Flats built before 1985, which comprise about 30% of our current HDB housing stock, were provided with fuses. RCCBs became a requirement from 1985 and this applied to new homes (including HDB flats) built on or after 1985 as well as older homes (including flats) that underwent substantive renovations. Over the years, most of these flats, which are close to 40 years old, would have undergone renovations, would likely have had their electrical circuit rewired and installed with RCCBs, in line with the regulatory requirements. Based on a sample survey of about 1,800 HDB flats built before 1985, it is estimated that less than 1% of such flats do not have RCCB protection covering the entire unit. To ensure electrical safety in residential premises, including HDB flats, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) regulates electrical installations in Singapore via the Electricity (Electrical Installations) Regulations. These regulations require all electrical works, such as the installation of electrical wiring and RCCBs, to be undertaken by a licensed electrical worker (LEW). The regulations also require the LEW to ensure that the electrical works meet the industry technical and safety requirements and standards. After the completion of the electrical installations, the LEW is required to apply to SP Group for inspection and testing of the installations.”
“We can do this by not feeding wildlife, keeping our residential areas clean and appreciating wildlife from a safe distance.”
“NParks adopts a science-based approach to manage the population of wildlife in Singapore, including wild boars and monkeys. This includes conducting population studies and research to better understand the distribution of these species. For example, NParks carries out tracking studies to monitor changes in the wild boar population and to identify hotspots. Based on its findings, the wild boar population in our nature reserves has remained relatively constant. NParks is also conducting a study to analyse the population trends of long-tailed macaques. NParks' studies inform its measures to manage the population of wild boars and monkeys. For example, to reduce the availability of food sources at wild boar hotspots, NParks carries out habitat modification, such as removing oil palms. NParks also works with public agencies and developers to erect hoardings to prevent wildlife like wild boars from straying into nearby residential areas. To safeguard public safety, NParks carries out population control measures where needed. NParks also works closely with stakeholders on public education and outreach, to promote human-wildlife co-existence. A key area is to discourage the feeding of wildlife. Intentional feeding or irresponsibly discarding food waste can alter the natural foraging behaviour of wildlife and lead them to rely on humans for food. NParks also works closely with other public agencies, grassroots organisations and Town Councils to engage the community on proper refuse management and to deter illegal wildlife feeding. In addition, NParks works with these stakeholders to develop educational resources and to advise the community on how to respond to wildlife sightings. All of us need to play our part to live in harmony with wildlife.”
“In 2019, URA introduced the Central Business District Incentive Scheme (CBDI) to encourage the conversion of existing, older office buildings in the CBD into mixed-use developments, so as to inject a larger live-in population and greater amenity mix to rejuvenate the CBD. To date, URA has received 12 outline applications under the CBDI, of which eight have been given in-principle approval. When completed, the mixed-use developments would provide a wider diversity of uses, enable better connectivity and create a more intimate, people-friendly environment, so that our CBD will not only be a place to work, but also a vibrant place to live and play in. COVID-19 has further accelerated the rise of digitalisation and telecommuting, with trends like work-from-home and work-away-from office taking shape. These trends provide a stronger impetus to our existing efforts on decentralisation, to bring jobs and amenities closer to homes, and strengthen the development of regional centres, such as Jurong Lake District, one-north and Paya Lebar Central. We will continue to monitor the market trends and needs, engage developers and industry professionals and review our plans to ensure that they stay relevant.”
“The property cooling measures introduced in December last year are intended to promote a stable and sustainable property market, housing affordability and financial prudence. There are early signs that the measures may have moderated the pace of price increase in the housing market. Based on URA’s latest flash estimate of the Property Price Index, prices increased by 0.4% in the first quarter of 2022, compared to 5.0% in the fourth quarter of 2021. For the public housing market, the HDB Resale Price Index reflected a price increase of 2.3% in the first quarter of 2022 based on flash estimates, compared to 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021. The number of residential units transacted in the first two months of 2022 was around 3,400 and 4,500 for private housing and HDB resale flats respectively. Compared to the same period in 2021, the volume of transactions has decreased by 43.1% and 8.1% for private housing and HDB resale flats respectively. The Government will continue to monitor the property market, with a view to promote a stable and sustainable market.”
“Water hammering occurs in a piping system when water flowing through the pipe is subject to a sudden change in flow direction or forced to stop abruptly. This results in vibration in the pipes which might generate a banging or high-pitched sound and is more common in cases where the water flow rate is high. Water hammering may occur when the water supply to an appliance, for example, certain models of bidets and washing machines, is shut off abruptly, or due to faulty sanitary fittings within the flat or at the common area. HDB does not track water hammering feedback from residents. To prevent water hammering, at the upstream design stage for HDB flats, HDB's consultants ensure that the water reticulation system is designed for an optimal water flow rate to each dwelling unit. In common areas, Town Councils should conduct regular checks to ensure that the pressure reducing valves (PRVs) installed along the potable water distribution pipes are functioning well with the correct pressure setting. PUB also encourages households to install more water-efficient fittings to conserve water, and the lower flow rates may help to reduce the occurrence of water hammering. If water hammering occurs due to faulty sanitary fittings within the unit or at the common area, HDB will advise the flat owner or the Town Council respectively to rectify the issue. Only licensed plumbers approved by PUB are permitted to carry out maintenance work relating to water services and sanitary fittings in HDB flats. Under SS 636 (Singapore Standard on Code of Practice for Water Services), all licensed plumbers are required to inspect water pipes under the stipulated pressure and flow conditions when maintaining or installing these fittings, to prevent occurrences of water hammering.”
“HDB is committed to helping Singaporeans, particularly first-timers and lower- to middle-income families, own a home. The income ceiling helps to ensure that housing subsidies are prioritised for those who need them most. In September 2019, the Government introduced the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) to strengthen support for lower- to upper-middle income households looking to buy their first home. Eligible first-timer families with a monthly household income of $9,000 or below may receive an EHG of up to $80,000, when they buy a new or resale flat, regardless of their choice of flat type and location. The EHG quantum is tiered by household income, to provide more support for lower-income households. Nevertheless, first-timer families whose monthly household incomes are between the EHG qualifying household income of $9,000 and the subsidised housing income ceiling of $14,000, can still qualify for other housing subsidies. New flats sold by HDB are priced with a generous market discount, while those buying a resale flat may enjoy a CPF Housing Grant of up to $50,000 and a Proximity Housing Grant of up to $30,000. The current housing subsidies provided to first-timer families with monthly household incomes between $9,000 and $14,000 are substantial and continue to provide these families with a variety of affordable housing options. As such, there are no plans to increase the EHG income ceiling at this juncture. Nevertheless, the Government will continue to monitor the housing market conditions closely to ensure that housing remains affordable and accessible for all Singaporeans, especially those planning to buy their first home.”
“BCA requires all new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major addition and alteration works to comply with the Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment. Under the current edition of the Code, offices, business parks, shopping centres and multi-purpose complexes with a GFA of 10,000 square metres or more are required to provide at least one lactation room. This requirement also applies to mixed-use developments where the non-residential component has a GFA of 10,000 square metres or more. In addition, hospitals, polyclinics, transport stations and recreational developments, such as sports complexes and theme parks, regardless of size, are also required to provide at least one lactation room. The requirements under the Code have been benchmarked against other jurisdictions and are meant to serve as a baseline. Building owners are encouraged to provide additional accessibility and inclusive features, such as lactation rooms, beyond the minimum requirements. To incentivise this, BCA’s Accessibility Fund provides co-funding of up to 80% to building owners who undertake upgrading works to enhance the accessibility and inclusiveness of their buildings. Currently, BCA does not collect data on the number of lactation rooms provided in each building. However, BCA is aware of several buildings, such as City Square Mall and Our Tampines Hub, that provide more lactation rooms than required under the Code. BCA is studying how data on accessibility in buildings, including the provision of lactation rooms, can be collected to facilitate our efforts to enhance the accessibility and inclusiveness of the built environment.”
“Let me address the Member's first question. The SupportGoWhere portal provides a digital enabler to help families to navigate support schemes and to be able to make the applications digitally. But we are mindful that many of our clients, including seniors, are more comfortable face-to-face, maybe on the phone, and befrienders will be a big plus. And so, all that remains – in fact, that remains core – because, in this line of work, in social service delivery, it is high-touch, high-feel. It is really an emotional connection. But a digital platform adds another layer of support. Even in the real-world space, I have described earlier streamlined action protocols, One Client View (OneCV) and Case Connect working in the backend to enable organisations to work around the client's needs and their families, even as the client approaches the Social Services Office (SSO) physically. And for clients who approach the SSO, way before COVID-19 or just before COVID-19, we had already put in place video conferencing capacities to enable a client of the SSO to communicate not just with the SSO officer physically but virtually be able to link-up with the HDB officer and, of course, with other agencies as well. So, that remains an important way to support those who may not be so digitally inclined to seek help that way.”
“At the same time, this will also empower our frontline colleagues and social work professionals so that they, too, can focus on the most meaningful part of their mission – to support their clients through their challenges. Finally, we hope that our efforts will also galvanise the wider community to join us, with the assurance that their contributions will have greater impact. From community and religious groups to corporate partners, many give their time and resources generously to tackle inequality; ComLink and our other efforts to strengthen social service delivery help them achieve greater social impact by better identifying the specific needs of low-income families, through befriending and data integration across agencies; and minimising duplication and wastage across agencies, through stronger coordination of our efforts. Through asset-based community development and tighter social, health and community collaboration, we focus not only on the needs and gaps that exist in our society, but also the strengths that we can grow, nurture and tap on. This means building up resources in the community, investing in our families and creating the conditions that enable families to achieve their aspirations. We need all the help that we can get. We invite everyone to join the MSFCare Network, which Minister Masagos Zulkifli launched earlier this year, to explore volunteering and giving opportunities and connect with like-minded people in making a difference to our society. Let us work together to build a caring and cohesive society, so that all families can be more resilient and benefit from our society of opportunities. [Applause.]”
“Given how closely befrienders work with ComLink families, we agree with Mr Don Wee that befrienders must be trustworthy and adequately trained. Many of these befrienders are referred to us by community partners. And MSF interviews and conducts suitability assessments on all befrienders. We also have a training roadmap to equip our befrienders with the skills, knowledge and tact to support families. As a start, our volunteer befrienders will be paired with MSF colleagues to befriend these families. This way, we tap on both the expertise of our colleagues and the energies of the community. Looking ahead, we will strengthen backroom integration across agencies. Many ComLink families are also supported by other programmes, such as KidSTART for children up to six years old, UPLIFT for Primary and Secondary school students, or M3's Project DIAN for Malay-Muslim families. Agencies that run these programmes often carry out similar functions. For instance, they need a database to support the families' progress and a system to train and manage volunteers. We will, therefore, try to consolidate some of these common systems and processes across agencies and manage them centrally. This will also reduce coordination costs and enable us to provide more integrated support as we gear our systems to look at the progress of families more holistically, instead of along agency- or programme-specific lines. To sum up, I have set out the many things that we are doing to transform our social service delivery ecosystem along our new paradigm. These are not technical fixes or technical changes. These manifest the shift that Minister Masagos Zulkifli talked about in our social service paradigm.”
“As I have explained, ComLink goes beyond episodic transactions with families, towards building longer-term relationships with them, partnering them, empowering them to grow. This is a much more impactful but intensive approach, involving many agencies and partners. As we scale up ComLink, we expect to run up against significant fiscal and manpower constraints. To find ways to better manage our resources while ensuring greater impact, we have been running learning pilots with some of our ComLink families since last year. We are streamlining our front-end interactions with the families. Instead of burdening families with the need to interact with many different agencies and their frontline officers, we assign a pair of befrienders to each family to serve as a constant touchpoint. These befrienders journey with the family, celebrating their achievements and encouraging them through setbacks. Over time, they build rapport and trust, allowing them to better understand the family's unique circumstances and encourage the family towards their goals. The befrienders share their understanding of the families with the SSO. SSO officers then serve as overall coordinator, pulling in other agencies to support the family where necessary and aligning agencies' efforts and their schemes and programmes around the family's common plan. We have seen good results from our befriender pilot. With befrienders, we can consolidate the manpower needed for public outreach across different agencies and programmes. But more importantly, families and befrienders have the opportunity to develop trust and deeper relationships and the families are often more motivated to follow through on their plans. We will, therefore, scale up the pilot this year to support more ComLink families.”
“These are the ways that we are transforming our delivery of social services, to provide more comprehensive, convenient and coordinated support. This approach is exemplified by our flagship initiative, which we launched in 2019 – Community Link, or ComLink for short – which several Members spoke about. ComLink supports families with children living in public rental housing to achieve three long-term outcomes that we mentioned earlier – stability in meeting basic needs; self-reliance where they can support themselves; and finally, social mobility, so that they can improve their circumstances. ComLink embodies the proactive family-centric approach that we are moving towards. We proactively reach out to families to understand their needs and aspirations. We draw relevant data across agencies, with the families' consent, to get a 360-degree view of their situation as best as possible. We work with the family and across agencies to develop goals and a dynamic common action plan. And we then bring in customised programmes and services tailored to their needs, with the support of community partners, donors, corporates and volunteers. Throughout this process, the family is working with us on their action plans and taking greater charge of their future. We announced during last year's COS that we will scale up ComLink nationwide to support over 14,000 families over the next few years. Mr Faisal Manap asked how we can build strong relationships with these families. Let me share some of the new ideas that we are trying out and what we have learnt so far. My colleague, Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, will then elaborate on our progress in scaling up ComLink.”
“For instance, by the end of 2022, eligible ComCare clients will be automatically referred for the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) for medical and dental subsidies at participating clinics. We expect 30,000 ComCare families to benefit from the schemes bundle that we will progressively roll out. Mrs Tan's example illustrates how we are organising support around the needs of families, rather than have them come around our agencies or programmes. We will continue to make our processes even more convenient for families by digitalising our social services, while ensuring that in-person support remains available for those who prefer face-to-face interactions. Today, we have the SupportGoWhere portal, which consolidates information across Government schemes into one website for easy reference. But users still need to approach the various agencies separately to apply for the schemes. So, we will enhance the SupportGoWhere portal so that users can also check their eligibility for different schemes, apply for assistance directly and receive prompt updates on their application on a single platform. By the second quarter of 2022, families can apply for ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance (SMTA) and submit relevant documents through the portal directly instead of having to apply in-person at an SSO. They will then receive a phone or video call from SSO officers to understand their situation and assess their application. For those who prefer to speak to an SSO officer in person, they can still visit the SSO. We will progressively support more schemes application on this portal. These improvements will reduce the burden on families-in-need, allowing them to better focus on longer-term goals.”
“For Mrs Tan, once the SSO officers assess that she qualifies for ComCare, they will also assess whether her children are eligible for Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) and MOE financial assistance (FAS). OneCV and SAPs will reduce the number of times that clients have to be interviewed and means-tested. They also reduce the administrative load for our frontline colleagues. However, in some cases, SAPs still require families to submit separate applications for different schemes, which can be administratively cumbersome. Ms Joan Pereira and Mr Leon Perera will be glad to know that we will further streamline this process, so that eligible ComCare families automatically receive help from the relevant schemes, doing away with additional applications for each scheme. Since 2018, eligible ComCare clients automatically receive MediFund assistance and bursaries for full-time Polytechnic and ITE students. We will expand on this effort, to build a "schemes bundle" to support families with school-going children. By the end of the second quarter of this year, ComCare clients like Mrs Tan, whose children are in Government or Government-aided schools, will automatically receive MOE Financial Assistance, without needing to apply at their children's schools. Mrs Tan's Primary school-age children are enrolled at an MSF-registered Student Care Centre (SCC). So, they will also automatically qualify for maximum SCFA subsidies for 12 months. This applies to children with special needs who attend special SCCs, too. This schemes bundle covers Mrs Tan's children from Primary school to pre-tertiary studies, including after-school care. She need not worry about submitting and tracking multiple applications. We will progressively bundle together more schemes that cover other domains.”
“Going forward, we will extend this training to our community partners and volunteers, so that families can get comprehensive support as soon as possible. WSG can link Mrs Tan up with an SSO using Case Connect, our new online platform which we launched last year. Through Case Connect, agencies can refer cases to one another, share case updates, discuss next steps and bring in more partners if required. This makes it a lot easier for our colleagues to coordinate with one another and keep track of all case updates to have greater impact. The SSO then assesses Mrs Tan for ComCare assistance. To do this, they can use another digital system – One Client View, or OneCV, which was also launched last year. OneCV allows our frontline colleagues to pull the client's relevant information, with the client's consent, from other agencies seamlessly. 11.45 am For instance, Mrs Tan does not have to submit her CPF statements or her children's birth certificates for her ComCare application. Instead, she just provides her consent for the SSO to draw the relevant data from Government agencies backend. We will continue to enhance Case Connect and OneCV and extend them to more organisations progressively. The SSO assesses that Mrs Tan qualifies for ComCare. But she may need other assistance, too, for example, support with school fees for her children, from MOE. So, we have set up what we call Streamlined Assessment Protocols, or SAPs. These allow ComCare families to easily access different forms of support based on just one means-testing assessment, rather than being assessed separately for each scheme. We have done this across six agencies so far, covering schemes on digital access, rental housing, healthcare, education and childcare.”
“The transformation will take time and we have already started work a few years ago; improving inter-agency processes and officers' capabilities, building systems and enabling platforms and, importantly, strengthening and building relationships of trust within local networks on the ground to provide holistic support to families in need. We call this our "3C"s approach, which we have shared in Parliament over the last few years – providing Comprehensive, Convenient and Coordinated support. Comprehensive – in addressing presenting issues, as well as deeper root causes; Convenient support – so that families can focus their energies on improving their lives; and Coordinated – across different agencies and partners. Through this approach, we seek to empower the family to secure a brighter future – by, first, stabilising their circumstances, then enabling them to grow in self-reliance by building up skills and resources and, ultimately, to achieve social mobility. Let me illustrate how we are translating this paradigm shift into action, using a "fly-through" of a hypothetical ComCare client – let us call her Mrs Tan. Mrs Tan is a working mother with school-going children and she recently lost her job. Her first step might be to visit Workforce Singapore (WSG), to find work, amongst other organisations. But WSG officers do not just help Mrs Tan look for a job or upskilling opportunities. They also find out about her situation. And when they realise that she is in financial hardship, they will proactively link her up with a Social Service Office (SSO). That is what we are training our frontline officers to do – to identify the various needs of a client, beyond their presenting issues and connect them with the relevant support.”
“Mdm Chairman, Minister Masagos Zulkifli spoke about families as an important anchor of our society. We want all our families and every Singaporean to succeed. Over the years, we have put in place many programmes and schemes to enable Singaporeans to do well in areas, – such as housing, healthcare, education, employment, skills, social support and more, and provided additional help to those who have less. But some families face an array of challenges that may prevent them from seizing the opportunities in front of them – debt and financial difficulties, health problems, job instability, children struggling in school, family conflict, mindset barriers, housing insecurity, mental health issues and more. These are often complex, deep-seated and interlocking, unlike the kinds of difficulties that most families face from time to time, and they cannot be resolved by one Government agency, community partner, one social worker or on its own. Ms Ng Ling Ling asked how MSF will better support such families and Mr Leon Perera also made a few suggestions. Policies, programmes and partnerships are important, but paradigms and processes are crucial, too. The way that our ecosystem works together and integrates together to deliver social services matters. As Minister Masagos Zulkifli said, we are making a fundamental shift in our paradigm. We want to be proactive in our approach, put the family at the centre, tap on their strengths and that of the community around them, organise our collective resources around them and try to go as far upstream as we can, so that we provide holistic support that addresses their various needs. This is a deep shift in how we deliver social services, from a programme- or agency-centric approach, towards a family-centred one.”
“In responding to neighbourly disputes that arise from disturbances created by residents, Government agencies will first seek to fact-find and facilitate dialogue and discussion among neighbours, in order to enhance mutual understanding and achieve a consensus among the neighbours involved. This addresses the root cause of the problem while strengthening the relationship among neighbours. Most cases of neighbour disputes are resolved through such efforts at dialogue and mediation. We do recognise that, for some cases, the persons involved could persist in creating disturbances for the neighbourhood. The Member would be aware of an ongoing interagency review of the Community Dispute Management Framework (CDMF), which has been studying different ways to more effectively address egregious and persistent cases of neighbour disputes, involving disturbances, such as noise. MND is taking part in this review. We are considering ways to strengthen the management of neighbour disputes, so that residents are held to greater responsibility for their actions. While there are, currently, no plans to adopt a demerit point system, we do intend to consult the public on ideas and suggestions that can help establish clearer norms for daily life in the community. We are also studying ways to empower agencies to take more decisive actions in addressing protracted and egregious dispute cases.”
“All flats that are bought back, we are likely to prioritise them for home ownership, put subsidies and put them out as balance flats to meet housing demand. But depending on circumstances and on location, we may also consider them for PPHS or other uses, subject, of course, to EIP. Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: For the number of appeals, we have seen the number of appeals going down over the years, from 2019 to today. So, with these changes, we hope we can support the home owners better.”
“Thank you, Chairman. I just want to make two factual clarifications. I misspoke earlier in response to Mr Louis Chua. I said that the resale grant is up to $180,000. It should be $160,000. And in relation to the Leader of the Opposition, when I mentioned the MCPS adjustments for the first PLH and second PLH, it was 30% to 20%. So, it is a cut of 10 percentage points, rather than five percentage points.”
“As I have said, HDB, when considering this buyback option for the seller, will appoint a professional valuer. We will look at the inputs and then make a fair offer, taking into account the specific circumstances that the family is in. Certainly, we cannot match the highest possible resale prices in the area. But we will make sure the offer is fair, the seller will be told and given time to consider. He can, of course, write to HDB if he feels that he disagrees with the quantum, but that is an offer that HDB makes after taking in inputs. On seniors living alone and if they face these difficulties, please ask them to approach the HDB branch office and we will do what we can to support them if they face difficulties carrying out the process in order to avail themselves of some of these support mechanisms.”
“So, HDB has now one more tool in the toolkit to help some of these families address their personal pain points, in order for society as a whole in Singapore to understand and support the policy of EIP, to keep our estates ethnically diverse. The Member's point is about the reverse, people who want to buy a resale flat in an area that is near their parents' homes, but are facing a constraint because the seller cannot sell to them. In those cases again, I would say, put an appeal through. Let HDB take a look because it works both ways. They cannot buy, seller also wants to sell. And then, we will have a look globally at both the buyer and seller's situation.”
“I will take the second question first. In the joint segment on the Green Plan, I had shared briefly about efforts that we will be undertaking under HDB Green Towns. For existing flats, we have committed to emplace solar panels on the roofs of 8,400 blocks and have done so for about 2,700, which is roughly around 30%. We aim to put solar panels on as many HDB rooftops as possible, subject to studies like loading, technical considerations, whether it gets adequate exposure to the sun and so on. And for new BTOs, to make every HDB rooftop solar panel-ready, so that when the SolarNova contracts come their way, they are ready to be fitted out with solar panels. The pneumatic waste management system under the HDB Green print in both Ang Mo Kio and Yuhua has shown that they are best done for new BTOs. Likewise, for the rainwater harvesting pilot in Yuhua. But for existing BTO flats, we are piloting cool paints on the surfaces of existing HDB blocks to reflect more heat away and to make the ambient environment in the homes more liveable and, in that regard, help families manage the cost of keeping their homes cool at the hottest times of the day or year. And, of course, making every effort to green our HDB towns as much as possible and, hence, the OneMillionTrees, getting people heavily involved in HDB towns to plant as many trees in the town as possible. So, these are just some of the many things we are doing to retrofit, or to help our existing estates to be greener and more sustainable. On EIP, our announcement focuses on those who are EIP-constrained and, despite marketing their flats for up to six months at reasonable prices, they are not able to sell and can show to HDB their efforts.”
“So, to plan for a BTO programme requires many years of planning ahead of time. And, wherever possible, we will advance it in order to allow shorter waiting time flats to be launched. In addition to that, as I have said in my speech earlier, we have both Sale of Balance Flats options as well as the Open Selection of Flats, where we put the balance units from all over the island and allow people to select. In fact, one is coming up, starting this month. I look forward to residents who need immediate housing to apply for those. As for affordability of resale flats, there are certain areas which are very popular, the flats' resale prices are higher. But part of it is in the last year or so, because of COVID-19, because of concerns about construction delays, coupled with the ongoing socio-demographic trend of household formation and smaller households, had resulted in greater demand for resale flats; particularly in some areas which are very popular. In fact, for the last six out of seven years, resale prices have been trending downwards. We provide generous subsidies for those buying resale flats, up to $180,000 [Please refer to "Committee of Supply – Head T (Ministry of National Development) for a clarification of the number, Official Report, 8 March 2022, Vol 95, Issue No 56, "Budget" section.], depending on income level, to help with the affordability of resale flats. But we also have put in place the Prime Location Public Housing flats to ensure that, in some very prime locations, eventually, when they become resold on the market and became resale flats themselves, we have enough mechanisms and levers to try to ensure that they remain affordable, not just at first launch, but, over time.”
“The Member asked if more shorter waiting time flats can be built. The answer is that we are doing everything we can to do so. The reason why flats have shorter waiting times and, in the case of the most recent launch – two in Yishun, if I am not wrong – it is two years plus to get the flat. That is because the land was available, we were able to carry out the very significant land preparation and infrastructure development to enable those two projects to be launched ahead of time, ahead of our BTO launch, so that when people actually select the flat, the time to them collecting the keys is much less. But that requires us to not just do land preparation and that work is very significant – you have to clear encumbrances, do land preparation, you may need to clear the land, provide the services, the roads. That work takes time. Singapore is land-scarce. So, where does this land come from to meet all these needs, or growing needs? To which, the Workers' Party would like to add more demand, which we will look at. But we will have to take land from greenfield sites. And the Workers' Party has said, "Please keep as much greenery as possible". But some of these sites, we will have to use. So, please support when the studies are out. Some are greenfield sites. Some of them are brownfield sites, which means they have been cleared of their previous use and the land is ready to be developed. But often, brownfield sites are still being used – whether they are used for businesses and industry or for nurseries, farming or retail or whatever, and we have to give the user of the land the time to be able to clear out and then we take over. And if there is a delay in that, that will affect our land preparation, that will affect our launch, that may cause delay to our housing plan.”
“But we will have to make priorities for different groups, based on income, nationality, number of chances they got owning a home based on their family obligations and then make some adjustments, helping those who may need more help and giving them more support. So, that is where we are and we continue to look at the needs of Singaporeans and the housing options that they have.”
“I thank the Leader of the Opposition for that. The census makes clear the social demographic trends in Singapore, including that of singles or even of delayed marriage and parenthood. But this is not something that is news to us. We have been looking at social demographic trends all the while and, therefore, the moves on singles through the years, both in allowing them to apply for BTO flats and also adjusting the grants' eligibility along the way. So, we will continue to look at our HDB eligibility criteria and make adjustments where we can. As both the Senior Minister of State Sim Ann and myself have said, our priorities are to make sure that we deliver the flats that people are waiting for and also address the significant demand from newly-formed households as well as nuclearising households. In fact, in a paper that the Workers' Party itself put out in 2019, they cited data from, I believe it is the Department of Statistics, showing the family size or the median family size per household, coming down very sharply. And that, of course, comes through in the form of greater demand, both for married households, households with seniors, singles and so on. But as Senior Minister of State Sim Ann said, both sides of the House, we all want to provide for Singaporeans and meet as many needs as we can and to help as many people achieve their home ownership aspirations as possible. We both want to do that. But we live in a situation where both land and resources pose real constraints. And, in fact, if neither land nor resources were constrained, we want to meet everyone's needs all the time.”
“As I have said before, each group has a specific quota so that we make space for every group that has needs for housing. But if we provide absolute priority for certain groups, like the Leader of the Opposition mentioned, households, then, even if you make adjustments for singles, as proposed, it will not come to fruition because all their spaces will be taken up. So, the reality that the Leader of the Opposition now recognises also is that we will have to make adjustments along the way, but also balance the needs of different groups for it.”
“And if the Leader of the Opposition looks at the Hansard and he is not satisfied about the response in any way and needs more clarification, we welcome him to put forward a further request and we will clarify. On singles, Senior Minister of State Sim Ann had explained that we want to be responsive to the evolving aspirations of all Singaporeans. A number of years ago, singles could not buy HDB BTO flats. But keeping an eye on how society is evolving and that more Singaporeans are either choosing to remain single as a matter of choice or becoming single because of circumstance – they have caregiving obligations and so on – that group is growing and we wanted to provide for them. Hence, we made the decision to provide BTO eligibility for singles quite a number of years ago, but, certainly, less than 10 years ago. And along the way, we have adjusted the grants and made more flexibilities to accommodate singles and to provide for them. But every group that has eligibility for HDB BTOs, there will always be constraints. So, even for married families, there are income ceilings, there are different criteria – citizenship, household type. And then, for singles, when they apply, they have caregiving obligations and they put their parents as essential occupiers, they can get housing – BTO, not just resale. Or if they are much older and their parents are no longer around and they want to have mutual care and support for single siblings living with each other, we also provide eligibility for them. The Leader of the Opposition earlier said that he wanted the priorities to be real priorities, not a gamble – you have high priority but, actually, it is really just a ballot and a gamble and more chances.”
“But we reduced it because we had a bigger objective, or equally important objective, of allowing inclusion in these estates and allowing people who used to live in other parts of Singapore to also have a fair opportunity to buy a flat in some of these very prime locations. So, that is first. On EIP, when EIP was introduced in 1989, the resale market was really nascent. The number of resale transactions back then pales in comparison with the resale market that we see today. In fact, all the way to the year 2000, if my memory serves me right, people could surrender their flats to HDB for any reason and not just because of EIP. And it took a period of time for the resale market to become mature in Singapore. When the resale market became mature, HDB stopped the buyback option as a last resort. And then, we put in the various measures that we put in place that I have articulated before – waiving EIP on exceptional basis; giving home buyers more time to sell if they feel the constraint and so on. So, that is my response to the Leader of the Opposition's question, if I got him right, in terms of when the buyback option was last used. Then, the Leader of the Opposition had asked the question about the written Parliamentary Question for data and I had explained that we received a request for significant data-sets by the Leader of the Opposition. We had endeavoured to give the data that we were able to provide. And for the second Parliamentary Question that there were constraints with regard to neighbourhoods, neighbourhood names, boundaries and so on, it is all in the reply.”
“One, of course, because of the current pandemic situation where people are concerned about housing delays and more people put in applications earlier or based on location and attributes. Some are extremely attractive and lots of people will apply for them. So, in terms of the data we put out, we want it to be practical and useful for home buyers. And whether the Married Child Priority Scheme can be raised, in a way when you talk about "X" number of dwelling units or units in any particular launch in any particular location, it is almost like a zero-sum game because, you have, say, 1,000 units and you have a certain percentage for married children, a certain percentage for other groups, for seniors, based on typology, if you increase one group in terms of quota, then you must eat into other groups and, ultimately, the second-timers will be squeezed out. So, we want to make sure that we provide a balance. HDB looks at all the data, not just for individual sites, but overall launches across the years, and also looks at long-term demographic trends and data, to decide whether we need to make any adjustments to the quotas and priority schemes. Therefore, we keep a very close eye on this. For the prime location public housing, if the Leader of the Opposition recalls, we had made some adjustments to the MCPS, by reducing the quota available to them, if I recall, five percentage points [Please refer to "Committee of Supply – Head T (Ministry of National Development)" for a clarification on the number, Official Report, 8 March 2022, Vol 95, Issue No 56, Budget section.], because we considered it and we said that, yes, we want to ensure that children who want to live near their parents in the area can get access to some of these flats.”
“I thank the Leader of the Opposition for sharing his immediate reaction to the change to EIP where we will introduce the buyback to support EIP-constrained families on a case-by-case basis. But let me first talk about the priority schemes. I said in the speech that we provide data for individual BTO launches. So, let us, say, we launch in a particular area, like Tengah. Each BTO launch, we put out a couple of locations and we say what kinds of housing typologies are available in each location and we specify the application rates for each project, at each launch on a daily basis. That will, in our view, give potential home buyers the most practical and meaningful data that they will then be able to use in determining whether to make an application for that flat in that location or not. So, we provide that data, not only for the location, but for each housing typology. We think that the data we put out needs to be practical and meaningful for flat buyers. And the Leader of the Opposition mentioned that he, anecdotally, hears of cases of people who cannot get flats. We have said that virtually all who apply as first-timers for non-mature estate BTO flats, virtually all, on the third try, should be able to get their flat. Of course, those who apply for balance flats or flats in mature estates, particularly where the attributes are very attractive, demand will, naturally, be high across all the possible priority schemes. So, for each launch, for each site, we have allocated quotas for each group, for example, for married children and their parents; for multi-generation families, where relevant; for the Tenant Priority Scheme. For ASSIST, you should be a widowed or divorced second-timer with children. 6.15 pm The application rates will vary for a variety of reasons.”
“The implementation of the HIA framework marks an important milestone in the maturation of our heritage evaluation process and we will continue to refine this process along the way. Keeping public housing affordable and accessible, transforming the built environment sector and growing Singapore into a City in Nature and safeguarding our built heritage – these are some of the key priorities that we are working on. We have to do all these, while meeting the evolving needs and aspirations of Singaporeans, all within the confines of our small city state. This is a big challenge. There will be difficult trade-offs. But it is also due to tight constraints like these that the most creative and resourceful ideas are born. As part of our Long-Term Plan Review, we are reaching out to Singaporeans from all walks of life, to hear their goals and dreams and aspirations for our future city. My colleague Senior Minister of State Sim Ann will give an update on this. We hope all Singaporeans will walk with us on this journey, as we build a better city, together. [Applause.]”
“They will be meaningfully adapted for contemporary use. Part of the parade square will also be retained as an open space. For buildings and spaces which cannot be retained in their entirety, we will explore how to sustain their heritage significance in the design of the new housing estate. HDB and SPF have also formed a dedicated workgroup chaired by Minister of State Faishal Ibrahim with Police and heritage stakeholders and have started to discuss how to celebrate the rich heritage of the Old Police Academy. In response to Mr Xie Yao Quan, we are glad to announce that we will formally implement the structured heritage impact assessment, or HIA, framework. Under this new framework, developing agencies for public projects that are likely to cause major impact to significant heritage sites will need to consult URA and NHB, to determine if a heritage study is required. For sites that require an HIA, which is the most extensive of heritage studies that may be imposed, agencies will engage consultants to provide an additional and more detailed assessment on the significance of each heritage element and the recommended interventions. The HIA will complement URA and NHB's existing processes. Findings will be shared, unless there are security or other concerns, and members of the public will be invited to give feedback. Heritage communities and other stakeholders will continue to be engaged throughout the process. We expect such detailed and in-depth HIAs to only be necessary for larger-scale public development projects in areas of rich and complex heritage significance. For other projects, URA and NHB's existing processes remain adequate.”
“Despite our short nation-building history, our conservation efforts have achieved good success, with close to 7,200 heritage buildings gazetted for conservation. Over the years, we have continued to refine our approach to safeguard our built heritage and expand our engagement efforts with the heritage community and key stakeholders. For example, we formalised constructive working relationships with the heritage community by setting up public-private-people partnerships like the Heritage and Identity Partnership (HIP) and NHB's Heritage Advisory Panel (HAP). These partnerships allow us to tap on their expertise upstream at the planning and design stages of developments to optimise how we conserve and celebrate our built heritage. We have been developing a structured framework to evaluate when and how additional heritage impact studies should be conducted as part of the planning process. In 2018, URA, HDB and NHB commissioned NUS' Department of Architecture to pilot a large-scale detailed heritage study of the Old Police Academy. The Old Police Academy played an important role in the professional development of Police officers from the 1920s until 2005. And since 2016, the Singapore Police Force (SPF), URA and HDB have been engaging the larger Police fraternity on how we could celebrate and sustain the heritage of the Old Police Academy. The heritage study report was also published for public feedback last year. Members of the public who wrote in include a former trainee who shared his memories of the place. He suggested retaining certain roads and certain road names. Taking into consideration the study findings and the feedback received, we plan to conserve six buildings, including four within the new housing estate.”
“In January, we launched the eastern half of Phase 1 of the Round Island Route. Covering a total distance of 75 kilometres, this green connection makes the journey from Rower’s Bay to Berlayer Creek more seamless and accessible. 4.45 pm Prof Koh Lian Pin asked what more we can do to involve Singaporeans in nature conservation. This is an important point. Being a City in Nature is not just about our living environment. It is about who we are as a people – how we respect nature, take care of it, steward it responsibly. We are encouraged by the strong support of our community partners. Over 320,000 trees have been planted under the OneMillionTrees movement, involving over 30,000 members of the community. Many volunteers have also helped restore and enhance our green spaces, through the Friends of the Park initiative. And last December, through our City in Nature Conversations, we heard many thoughtful suggestions on how to advance our greening journey. We invite Singaporeans to join us in realising our vision of a City in Nature and grow a greener, more liveable and sustainable home. Besides stewarding our natural resources, we also want to safeguard our history and heritage. As we look to the future, we must also remember our past. Our built heritage is important because it gives present and future generations a sense of place, identity and rootedness. Our built heritage has significant intangible value that we should safeguard. Today, heritage conservation is an important consideration in our planning process. When evaluating development proposals, URA works closely with the National Heritage Board (NHB) to determine the conservation merit of our buildings, consult relevant stakeholders and calibrate how to balance conservation with development.”