Edward Chia Bing Hui
Singapore
“So, I therefore call on the Government to develop a transport jobs and skills roadmap, aligned with our future transport strategy, to identify emerging jobs, the skills required and the training pathways to help Singaporeans seize these opportunities.”
“Thank you, Speaker. The Senior Minister of State also pointed out that at some point Singapore will have a land constraint and looking at the constraints, we, therefore, need to look at maximising the available EV charging infrastructures and, therefore, utilisation rate.”
“Sir, this Bill is a strong step forward. Its success will depend on building credible, liquid instruments that are fully integrated into Singapore's capital markets ecosystem. With continued focus on adaptability, ecosystem strength and investor clarity, Singapore can realise the full potential of this framework.”
“Sir, I have three supplementary questions. First of all, frontier models require a significant amount of compute and are likely to be concentrated among well-resourced organisations, leading to concerns about accessibility and uneven capabilities.”
“Question No 5, Sir. The Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information (Mr Tan Kiat How) (for the Minister for Digital Development and Information): Mr Speaker, Sir, my response will cover the questions raised by Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Edward Chia in today's Order Paper.”
“Could the Minister clarify the criteria and safeguards for granting such waivers, and how consistency will be ensured? It would be important to avoid unintended circumvention or uneven application across businesses. Finally, on transition and unintended behaviours. I note that there will be a transition period before full implementation.”
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“Mr Chairman, Sir, Budget 2023 continued to pave the way towards a more inclusive and liveable Singapore. I am heartened that our young people will be better able to realise their housing aspirations and our seniors will also be better equipped to age-in-place. In pursuit of a more inclusive Singapore, we need to continue to empower those who are vulnerable. Today, as a Member of the PAP senior group, I would like to draw attention to two such groups: our lower-income seniors and older women. Since its introduction in 2012, the EASE programme has been instrumental in making our public housing flats more elderly-friendly for our senior residents. I welcome the $295 million top-up to the HIP and EASE programme as announced in Budget 2023. I am also encouraged that 1-, 2- and 3- room flat residents can receive subsidies of up to 95% for EASE programme upgrading works. It is crucial that seniors in the lower-income strata be able to comfortably age-in-place. Hence, I would like to seek updates on how many lower-income seniors or seniors living 1- and 2- room flats have benefited from the EASE programme. Also, is the Ministry considering an expansion of supportable items, such as features that are in CCAs? Against the backdrop of a rapidly ageing population, Singapore is also witnessing the feminisation of ageing, where women outlive men. While the life expectancies of both men and women have been increasing, the life expectancy of women continues to be higher than that of men over the years. Older women are also more likely to spend more years in disability than men, with higher reported rates of morbidity and lower mobility. In terms of carrying out everyday activities, older women are twice as likely to report some level of difficulty as compared to men.”
“Lastly, our national agenda on building a climate-resilient nation requires a strategic financial plan to ensure that monetary resources are well spent on long-term benefits. Therefore, how will these infrastructure-related project costs be financed? Coastal and Flood Resilience”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, being a small city-state, Singapore is not shielded from the impact of climate change. The average temperature has increased, rainfall has become more unpredictable and intense in recent years. Singapore will remain more vulnerable to worsening climate changes. As a low-lying island with 30% of our island being less than five metres above the Singapore Height Datum which is used as a reference for height measurement, rising sea levels pose the most immediate threat to us. 7.00 pm If we take into account the compounding effects of mean sea level rise of one metre by 2100 as projected by PUB, sea levels could potentially go up by four to five metres if we include other activities such as storm surges and land subsidence. The Government has taken the lead in advocating for a climate-resilient Singapore with adaptation efforts, one including protecting Singapore from sea level rise. I would like to raise the following questions. First, with the proposed plans of raising platforms for new critical infrastructure to be at least five to 5.5 metres above the mean sea level, how often will this measurement be reviewed by MSE? Given that there can be drastic climate effects in a short period of time, what are the plans to ensure that infrastructure planning is capable to meet with these changes? Second, MSE's publicly available information shared about the development of engineering projects for coastal protection measures. What would be the scope in engineering solutions and the timeline that MSE is looking at? In addition, will MSE work with relevant Ministries on creating new job opportunities and local business capabilities for these projects?”
“Thank you, Chairman. I would like to thank Senior Minister of State Zaqy for announcing that MOM will launch an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for human resource (HR) professionals. I feel that this will really support HR professionals in their expanded role. I also note that he mentioned the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) has certification and playbooks. I would like to further ask if there is further support for HR professionals in the area of job transformation, change management and redesign, so that they can better support the organisation in the future of work and also execute such transformation. He also mentioned that IHRP has skills badges for HR professionals. May I ask how many HR professionals have attained these skills badges and what are the plans to expand this initiative?”
“Overall, we must also not neglect our SMEs, especially micro ones which do not have the necessary resources to expand HR roles. To help our SMEs cope with the evolving needs of aHR manager, I would re-emphasise on the need for a chief human resources officer (CHRO) as a similar service to the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA)’s Chief Technology Officer-as-a-service. Such a service can support SMEs in access to gain access to HR resources and expertise. Furthering Strengthening HR in Singapore”
“I would also propose for MOM to have regular surveying of salaries of specific skills level published, much like how universities publish graduate employment survey and the average salary level for specific graduate course degrees. This can provide a further guide to fairly align salary range with levels of skills. While we push for nationwide efforts to recognise and value skills the same way as one’s qualifications, such a change will require human resource (HR) managers and employers to take the first step. HR managers are key to making structural changes and fine-tuning workplace policies. Since COVID-19, the role of a HR manager has significantly evolved which includes the need for more nuanced recruitment as an increasingly complex economy requires more differentiated skills. With constant changes to our economy, HR managers also have to be involved in redesigning jobs for the employees. Likewise, with MOM’s more targeted foreign worker policies, this creates additional complexities to the role of a HR manager. Therefore, I propose for MOM to introduce an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for the HR industry and support our HR professionals’ expanded roles which can make a significant improvement in recruitment and valuing skills. While HR managers obtain the relevant expertise in their expanded role, they would also need to refresh their knowledge on job roles and the necessary skill sets. Hence, I would like to ask how MOM would assist employers and HR managers to better understand the granularity of each profession and skills requirement which dovetails with SSG’s skills framework so that recruitment is not merely based on paper qualifications but also on skills certifications.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, we need to better recognise and value skill sets in the job market. While there are continuing efforts to address starting salaries and career progression for different job roles and sectors, more can be done to address the growing wage disparity between graduates and non-graduates. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong shared in his recent speech at the IPS Singapore Perspectives that today, the median starting pay for a university graduate is double that of an ITE graduate, and 1.5 times that of a polytechnic graduate. As our workforce becomes increasingly competitive, a widening gap can lead to negative outcomes. We do not wish for a situation where many young and promising Singaporeans would eventually feel undervalued despite having the relevant skill sets simply because of a lack of necessary qualifications. 2.15 pm Mitigating such outcomes does not mean to devalue paper qualifications but it is about having an equal recognition for skills and competencies. In the US, companies like Google and IBM have reportedly reduced the need for paper qualifications in some tech roles. IBM has shifted away from degree requirements with less than one-third of its IT jobs requiring one. We do not see Google and IBM being less competitive in the tech world when changing its focus on one’s level of competency. There is a greater need to recognise skills especially craftmanship. The Career Progression Model proposed by NTUC is a good example of uplifting the work prospects and salaries of skilled essential tradesmen. I am supportive of this model which has a clear framework and structured skills training so that quality standards can be assured. Such national-level efforts can ensure that essential skills are continuously and increasingly recognised.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, increasing access to public sector contracts and reducing cost and time to transact with Government at the tender and operational stages can significantly help grow our SMEs and startups. Supporting Net-zero Transition”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, SMEs make up 99% of all businesses in Singapore's economy, employing nearly seven out of 10 workers and contributing close to half of our GDP. We should look for ways to further grow SMEs to large local enterprises (LLEs) to increase their scale and per capita contribution to our economy. Accordingly, I call upon MOF to facilitate more procurement opportunities for SMEs. What can MOF do to help support the growth of promising SMEs through Government procurements? In 2021, more than 80% of the procurement opportunities were open to SMEs. How can we further ensure that more such opportunities are made available for SMEs? Currently, a gap exists in contract value threshold for a request for quotations and tender. Also, can the Government review financial grading requirements for certain types of products and services to crowd source more innovative solutions? Some of these solutions can be provided by startups who may not meet the required financial grading due to the stage of their companies' growth. By doing so, the Government can tap on new innovations. An “in-between” or middle ground can exist, where there is a “tender-lite system” which can provide SMEs and startups procure opportunities more readily. Tenders do take significant time and resources for SMEs and startups which translates to opportunity costs. In relation to the point on opportunity costs, can the Government streamline its processes to help businesses save time and money in their transactions with Government agencies? Can these digital solutions and innovations in turn encourage more efficient ways of doing business between companies and their suppliers and customers?”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would like to first thank the Deputy Prime Minister for affirming that the Government is not going away from being pro-enterprise or pro-growth and not leaning towards pro-redistribution. I would just like to seek further clarification in terms of the consultations with employers. To what extent is it not just about what Government can do for employers, but also about what the employers can also share in the social compact renewal, especially for all the Forward SG conversations and our SMEs consulted in depth in their role in this renewed social compact?”
“First, that we remain competitive and relevant by constantly benchmarking on two key areas, customer experience and human capital management, and equipping our enterprises with the ability to account for carbon as more MNEs and regional economic blocks are factoring supply chain carbon footprint in their purchasing evaluations. And second, that we continue to build a climate resilient nation and turning this into a new exportable economic value. Overall, this Budget will continue to strengthen our common resilience agenda and reinforce Singapore's strong social compact. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Budget.”
“Are the existing foreign worker policies sustainable? There are fiscal implications, we continue to need tax revenue from an aging tax base. Also, it is important to note that foreigners do not just compliment Singaporeans in the workforce but also contribute to taxes and do not receive much of the social benefits. Hence, I call on the Government to continue to ensure Singaporeans have access to the best jobs. But growing jobs for Singaporeans is a non-zero-sum game. Employers need complimentary manpower to stay competitive and relevant. Sectors still recovering from the pandemic need help to transform while those that are ready should be enabled to seize emerging opportunities. I, hence, call on the Government to continue to review more targeted manpower measures vis-à-vis key growth areas that bolster our economy with better jobs, higher wages and support our transition to a greener economy. Mr Speaker, Sir, there are growing sentiments amongst SMEs and certain business segments that the Government appears to be shifting from a pro-growth, pro-business approach to one that is more pro-redistribution. While I do not believe that this is the case as supporting society and businesses goes hand-in-hand, I hope that the Deputy Prime Minister can allay such concerns. We need SMEs to feel that they are being supported in their growth journey, so that we have more large local enterprises (LLEs). LLEs and SMEs are rooted to Singapore and can provide longer-term jobs for Singaporeans. Mr Speaker, Sir, for Singapore to continue to provide good jobs and for our seniors to have sufficient retirement adequacy, for our young to achieve their dreams in Singapore and not have to leave Singapore for greener pastures, we need to ensure two things that I have touched on in my speech.”
“A very important aspect of "resilience" is climate resilience and adaptation, something which cannot be ignored. Singapore is not insulated from the impact of climate change. From 1980 to 2020, the annual mean temperature has increased from 26.9°C to 28.0°C. The mean sea level in the Straits of Singapore has also increased at the rate of 1.2 millimetres to 1.7 millimetres per year. Last year, I spoke on climate resilience and adaptation. I am heartened that this year, it is mentioned in the Deputy Prime Minister's Budget. No matter what we do to advance the green economy and reduce the rate of temperature increases, we are already experiencing the effects of climate change. We need to safeguard our island. Climate adaptation should not just be seen as a defensive mechanism. We should regard this as an offensive strategy by turning this into a new exportable technology and service to societies around the world. As Singapore is not endowed with renewable energy resources such as land for solar energy production or large river dams for hydropower production, our ability to create value in this area is limited. However, Singapore has built up deep expertise in engineering and design over the past few decades. Climate change adaptation is a tremendous economic opportunity for Singaporeans. Sir, bringing back the issue to a pertinent concern: the average age of our Singaporean workforce in comparison to the region. Indeed, there are manpower constraints as businesses continue to face issues. If businesses do not have the available manpower, they will be hard pressed to deliver the best service experience in a timely manner. With our ageing workforce and low birth rates, in comparison to the younger workforce in the region, in the longer run, other concerns emerge.”
“Like financial accounting, carbon accounting quantifies the impact of an organisation's business activities. There is now a focus on "Scope 3" of accounting, referring to indirect emissions that occur in the value chain of a company and are not already included in Scope 1 and 2. Tackling Scope 3 presents an additional layer of complexities, including opaque carbon accounting and tracking practices, the need to work collaboratively with customers, supply networks and industry groups; and the difficulty of keeping stakeholders engaged in a complex change effort. As such, Scope 3 measurements and management can be daunting for many companies in Singapore because the data coverage is comprehensive while the data sources fall out of the companies' direct control. Collecting this data requires collaboration with companies' value chain partners and is an important effort. I would like to call on the Government to first assist local enterprises to adopt a nationally recognised standard of carbon accounting; and second, to rapidly support enterprises to build internal capabilities and tools to account for carbon. This will be seen as an effort to future-proof our industries and dovetails with the Singapore Green Plan. I have heard of cases where MNEs prefer one hotel over another to conduct their yearly corporate conferences and Dinner and Dance (D&D) because it is more sustainable. Therefore, by equipping our local enterprises with the abilities and tools to account for carbon, we future-proof their relevance in a world increasingly being traded by green measurements. We can build this new capability on our competitive advantage, on our reputation as a trusted, transparent financial hub. I will now move on to the importance of building a resilient nation.”
“Any form of transformation needs to begin with human capital improvements. Human capital practices form a foundation for any ability to attract and retain talent. This foundation would also maximise the value of the new Job-Skills Integrator scheme announced in this Budget. Conversely, if an employer has a weak human capital quotient, the resource to integrate jobs and skills would be wasted, as there will be eventual churn than integration. Certainly, we need to support employers to execute more progressive HR policies and I will share more recommendations during MOM's Committee of Supply debates. Sir, we need to constantly benchmark our industries domestically and regionally. Two key areas of benchmarking, customer experience and human capital quotient, these provides a constant health check for employers on competitiveness based on perceived value to customers and manpower talents. To stay competitive in the global markets, aspects such as the cost issue may be difficult to compete on. But we can be a strong contender in the realms of service culture, overall value and experience underpinned by strong human capital management. Sir, before I proceed to my next point, I would like to declare that I am a business owner of a food waste valorisation company, which assists clients to reduce carbon footprint attributed to food waste disposal. We need to support employers to compete on environment sustainability credentials as more MNEs and regional economic blocs are actualising emission cuts' targets and factoring this in their purchasing evaluations. Therefore, there is an increasing emphasis on carbon accounting in global supply chains. Carbon accounting is a way of measuring how much greenhouse gas an organisation emits.”
“It measures a gamut of customer satisfaction including customer expectations, the perceived overall quality of the product and service as well as its value. Can this review be expanded to do a horizon-scanning against other comparable and emerging economies? Our enterprises will also need to compete for, grow and retain talent. To do so, our enterprises will need to benchmark human capital standards vis-à-vis industry and regional peers. At present, the Institute of Human Resource Professionals has a free Human Capital Diagnostic Tool (HCDT). The self-diagnostic HCDT Navigator covers 11 areas of human capital measurements and provides a diagnostic report within 30 minutes. A more comprehensive diagnostic is led by a qualified assessor, the result is an organisation report detailing the calculated human capital maturity level for processes and practices. Employers will then be able to assess key areas to improve and benchmark against industry peers. This is a good tool that needs greater awareness amongst employers and be scaled up as every organisation's basic tool kit. Through more tools like this, we can encourage higher adoption of human capital diagnostic and benchmarking. In my Adjournment Motion on strengthening mental wellness at the workplace, I proposed that Enterprise SG grants, such as the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) and the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) include a survey on employees' well-being before and after the implementation of the project to measure potential improvements on employees' wellness, in addition to employee's value add gains. I would like to reiterate the call and make a further recommendation to include the HCDT diagnostic tool as a key requirement for all Enterprise SG grants.”
“The importance of building strong relationships between organisations and their customers has taken on added significance. As economies around the world develop in sophistication, consumers are offered greater choice and form higher expectations. Higher expectations specifically on the overall customer experience. Singapore can do more to improve our service culture. The honesty in accepting that service levels can be improved marks the first step towards building a strong service culture. With it, comes the commitment to improve and it is believed that it is not an impossible task. Soft skills such as tone, general demeanour and body language need to be further developed. Indeed, these "soft skills" are important horizontal skill sets that apply across industries and engender greater self-awareness. This is attainable for us. Our national airlines, Singapore Airlines, is a stellar example of what excellent customer experience is around the world. How can we achieve this in other sectors? These soft skills are a part of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG)'s Critical Core Skills and that it is a good start. Under the "Interacting with Others" cluster, identifying internal and external needs of customers to deliver an effective customer experience is mentioned as a key competency. How can we encourage more employers to send their employees for training in these areas, to support businesses and workers' growth? Importantly, how do we evaluate the effectiveness of this training? One way to evaluate is to scale up national benchmarks yearly when measuring service delivery and customer service standards. We currently have the Institute of Service Excellence at Singapore Management University (SMU) doing a robust yearly review of the Customer Satisfaction Index in Singapore.”
“4 years, Malaysia at 30.4 years, Cambodia at 25.6 years and Vietnam at 31.9 years old. It is clear we are dealing with an ageing population and a higher average age of our workforce. Our monthly average operating costs to do business is approximately 64% to 76% higher than other countries in the ASEAN region. Despite the high costs, Singapore is still the top choice for companies with higher value-added manufacturing with complex processes and automation requirements. However, other countries with a larger, younger and increasingly educated labour force are catching up. The external environment is also becoming more hostile due to geopolitical tensions and rivalries. This has led to greater onshoring of key manufacturing processes which threatens our livelihoods. To safeguard our livelihoods and provide real wage growth for Singaporeans, we need to stay relevant in this new environment. I would lay out three key areas of focus in my speech. First, we need to support employers to compete and stay relevant by providing higher value products and better service experience. Second, we need to ensure employers can compete for, grow and retain talent. Third, we need to support employers to compete on environmental sustainability credentials as more multinational enterprises (MNEs) and regional economic blocs are actualising emission cut targets and factoring this in their purchasing evaluations. First, our nation needs to stay relevant on providing the best customer experience value. We are no longer competing based on costs, but rather on perceived value. To ensure continued real income growth for Singaporeans, we must support local employers to compete and stay relevant on higher value products and services.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I welcome the 2023 National Budget announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Lawrence Wong. The crux of this Budget focuses on keeping our economy competitive and innovative, equipping our workers and providing a fuller range of opportunities for everyone to reach their potential. Mr Speaker, Sir, as a Member of Parliament serving in Zhenghua, having done walkabouts at our coffee shops and hawker centers, visited homes of our constituents, and from my interactions at Meet-the-People sessions, there are some concerns raised by my residents. Like all parents, they hope to secure the children's future. They want to ensure that their parents can have an adequate and dignified retirement. They are concerned on whether they can keep up with the cost of living. These are on-going concerns of Zhenghua families which forms the central motivation of my speech. As a nation, we need to ensure that we have the fiscal capabilities and revenue to sustain our social and healthcare needs. To ensure continued real income growth for Singaporeans and adequate retirement savings, we must support local employers to compete and stay relevant on higher value products and services. How do we achieve this? First, by remaining competitive and relevant in an increasingly hostile world. And second, by continuing to build a resilient nation. I will first touch on remaining competitive and relevant in the global market. As Singapore's workforce ages and the cost of doing business increases, we run the risks of pricing ourselves out of the region and becoming irrelevant. While doing a regional comparison scan, Singapore has the highest median age of any population in Southeast Asia in 2022. We stand at 42.1 years old, compared to Indonesia at 29.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, every employer and employee has the power to be a force for good and wellness. Let us walk this journey together and empower them.”
“Focusing on a smaller pool of EAP providers who meet the required standards will also make it easier to ensure that consultancy and counselling services are delivered consistently, with quality. Mr Speaker, Sir, over the course of the pandemic, we have witnessed the reframing of mental wellness in the workplace from a "nice-to-have" to a critical business imperative. The normalisation of workplace mental wellness struggles has catalysed a shift in company cultures and employers' perceptions surrounding mental well-being. We are now presented with a golden opportunity which will determine the state of workplace mental wellness in the future. Hence, we need to be intentional in entrenching mental wellness as an organisational priority and sustaining growing wellness policies and programmes. In this Motion, I have laid out six key processes to achieve these goals. Our employers can and want to take the lead in this pursuit. Hence, I call on the Government to: (a) harmonise the existing resources in a one-stop shop for employers; (b) signal the importance of regular workplace well-being screening by scaling up the adoption of the iWorkHealth tool; (c) expand the Mental Health Framework for employers that systematically maps out the different parts of an employee's well-being journey and identifies the relevant initiatives and key stakeholders to provide support; (d) expand HR systems in-house or as a service to include skillsets that directly enhance workplace well-being; (e) scale up training programmes for employers and employees on peer support, organisational structure, workplace culture and regular check-ins; and (f) expand EAP services to include consultancy on workplace well-being transformation.”
“Learning circles comprising individuals who have completed the peer-to-peer training serve as a regular check-in and forum to share lived experiences and best practices at various workplaces. A suggestion to expand on our call for managerial training is to create specific modules for SME business owners. Such modules take into account the unique context of SMEs and work closely with trade associations to curate the course content and co-delivery. As it is often said, "it is lonely at the top." SME employers can feel isolated. Hence, working with trade associations on the co-delivery of such training programmes can also create organic opportunities where employers provide employer-peer support and check-ins. Even with frameworks and training programmes, some employers and managers might still require more customised and sustained guidance when implementing mental wellness interventions. One possible solution might be for Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providers to go beyond counselling services and include consultancy services for employers and managers. Consultancy resources are especially crucial for SMEs that might still be building up their health and well-being capabilities. Consultants will guide employers in making sense of the aggregated data derived from mental health assessments and work with employers to devise a workplace mental health strategy. I propose that the Government offer funding packages to assist EAP providers in offering consultancy services. To harness economies of scale and build depth of services, Government funding can be channelled to a smaller pool of organisations instead of being spread more thinly across multiple EAP providers.”
“These courses can be introduced in a tiered fashion, with tier 1 being peer support training, directed at all employees and Tier 2 being managerial training, directed at those in leadership positions, with more extensive structural discussions on organisational structure and workplace culture. During peer support training, employees can be trained to notice distress signals from colleagues, direct colleagues to the appropriate mental health services and resources and provide psychological first aid. The NUS Health and Well-being team, for instance, has launched an NUS Peer Support System that provides a two-day training programme for peer supporters. After the training, NUS peer supporters meet quarterly to check in with one another. They will also be given the opportunity to participate in elective modules to refresh and enhance their peer support skills. The goal is to have around 30% of the NUS workforce trained in peer support skills to have a critical mass to push for cultural change. Managerial training should encompass peer support training in addition to other aspects that capitalise on managers' proximity and frequency of interactions with employees. Managerial training can include more in-depth discussions on organisational structure, shaping a mentally healthy workplace culture and cultivating stronger networks of connection between a manager and the staff. After training, there should be regular check-ins and a framework as well so that there is follow-through for the training provided. A notable example is the Young NTUC WSQ-certified training in peer-to-peer mental wellbeing support at workplaces.”
“Hence, it would be helpful to arrive at a collective definition of the additional skillsets required of HR teams or relevant personnel to support workplace mental well-being. Based on our consultations with existing well-being managers, these skillsets include knowledge in organisational psychology, corporate policy development and designing evidence-based health and well-being corporate programmes. Given the specificity and interdisciplinary nature of skillsets required to support workplace mental well-being, there is a shortage of people who can fill these positions and we need to do more to bridge this skills gap. Before I proceed with my recommendations on bridging the skills gap, I acknowledge that not all companies have the capacity to upskill their HR managers or incorporate new responsibilities into their job scopes. This might be more prevalent in micro enterprises. In such cases, can we think of outsourcing this work to a central intermediary so that more similarly sized companies can lean on it? For larger SMEs, would a tax incentive be enough to upskill relevant individuals in the company? During the MOM Committee of Supply debate in 2022, I called for MOM to consider offering CHRO-as-a-service similar to IMDA's CTO-as-a-service. Such measures are necessary to bring all our SMEs up to speed rather than only those who can afford mental wellness interventions. For companies that are willing and able to address the skills gap, I would like to call for SkillsFuture to push for new Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses.”
“It provides employers with a guide on how to devise their own workplace mental wellness strategy by breaking it down into outcomes, targets and how-tos. However, there is room for it to be more robust, by considering mental well-being along a spectrum and proposing interventions that target different states of mental health. In addition, interventions that can be undertaken by different levels of staff, senior leaders, human resources (HR), Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and so on, and of different natures – culture and strategy, systems, infrastructure, support services and resources – should be included as well. I would like to propose that MOM continue enhancing this guide, so that employers can better apply it when formulating their workplace mental wellness strategy, along with regular mental wellness assessments. Once a mental wellness strategy has been devised, interventions can then be implemented. But the question that follows is – who will be tasked to put these interventions into place? While establishing a health and wellness team might not always be a viable solution for SMEs with leaner teams and tighter wellness budgets, a cost-effective alternative can be to broaden the job scope of current HR managers, teams or other relevant managers to include workplace mental well-being. Incorporating well-being interventions into HR systems signals that mental health is not a tangential concern but an organisational priority. Such a reframing of mental wellness in the workplace is necessary for real change to happen. I must emphasise that reconceptualising the role of HR is not meant to increase the workload of our already saturated HR managers. Instead, it is to bring our HR systems up to speed with the growing needs of our workforce.”
“In contrast, reactive mental health interventions, like workplace counselling for employees generated lower returns of £3.1 for every £1 invested. In the spirit of a whole-of-Government approach to preventive healthcare, may I also clarify if MOM has shared aggregated data gathered from the iWorkHealth tool with other Government agencies, so that they too can recalibrate policies to better respond to emerging trends from the workplace? Upon assessing the mental health of employees and identifying workplace stressors, the next step is for employers to develop a strategy to support employees' mental well-being. It is important for employers to go beyond a single programme to combat workplace mental health issues, since the positive effects of these initiatives are often limited to the objectives of that programme. Instead, a workplace mental health integrated strategy can synchronise efforts across the organisation. This results in a more unified, holistic, structured and sustainable approach towards improving workplace mental health. An example of a comprehensive and pioneering workplace mental health strategy that other organisations can take inspiration from is the WellNUS Workplace Mental Health Framework, designed by the Health and Well-being team at NUS. The WellNUS Workplace Mental Health Framework systematically maps out the different parts of an employee's well-being journey and identifies the key relevant initiatives and key stakeholders to provide support. The framework aims to support employees at every stage along the mental health spectrum from well states to states that may benefit from intervention and to recovery and back-to-work transition stages. Presently, the WSH Council has launched a playbook on workplace mental well-being.”
“Additionally, what other plans does the Ministry have to enhance the effectiveness and capabilities of the tool? To further signal the importance of workplace mental wellness assessments, I propose that Enterprise SG grants, such as the Enterprise Development Grant and the Productivity Solutions Grant, include a survey on employees' well-being before and after the implementation of a project to measure potential improvement of employees' wellness, in addition to employees' value-added gains. This will ensure that any company transformation takes into account the human wellness element to ensure better sustainability of outcomes. This also signals to employers the importance of well-being and that, in turn, goes hand-in-hand with any transformation. We will also need to incentivise and recognise employers. I propose that one way to incentivise adoption can be to acknowledge companies who have integrated it into their workflow at the Annual Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) awards hosted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). As a proactive intervention, the workplace mental health assessment aligns with the wider Healthier SG strategy of preventive healthcare. Proactive mental health interventions have been proven to generate a higher return on investments compared to reactive mental health interventions. A 2021 survey by Deloitte among UK companies revealed that the highest rate of returns from employer mental health interventions came from screening, with a return of £6.3 for every £1 invested. Other proactive mental health interventions, like awareness training and managers' training, also generated high returns of £5.3 and £6 respectively for every £1 invested.”
“To illustrate the usefulness of workplace mental health assessments, I would like to share a real-life case study that came up in my conversation with an employer. After completing the assessment, the employer received aggregated data that showed that teams with higher manager-to-staff ratios had higher stresses and anxiety levels compared to teams with lower manager-to-staff ratios. With this information, the employer inferred that managers who have larger teams had fewer opportunities to check in with their staff and offer mentorship and support. This might have translated into higher levels of stress and anxiety among their staff. To address this issue, the employer proceeded to transition into a more hierarchical organisational structure that allowed for the formation of smaller teams, according to more clearly delineated management levels and job scopes. With lower manager-to-staff ratios, this allowed for more intra-team engagement. In the next round of workplace mental health assessment, the employer noted lower workplace stress and anxiety levels, suggesting the positive effects of the restructuring exercise. This case study highlights the value of the data gathered from workplace mental health assessments. As illustrated, the data can direct recalibration of company policies and structures and concretely improve workplace mental wellness. At this point, I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower for an update on the iWorkHealth tool since its implementation. What is the present take-up rate of the iWorkHealth tool among organisations and what adoption targets have MOM laid out? With the Government being the largest employer in Singapore, what percentage of Government Ministries and Statutory Boards have adopted the iWorkhealth tool?”
“Before I proceed further, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to members of the Young People's Action Party (YP) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Health and Well-being team for their contributions to the following recommendations. The first step in any organisation's mental wellness journey is to assess the state of their employees' mental health regularly. This can be achieved using a workplace mental health assessment tool. I must stress that the confidentiality of the results from each employee's mental health assessment should be upheld at all costs. Employers should only receive an aggregated set of results to identify workplace stressors and track changes in overall workplace mental wellness over time. At present, employers can utilise the iWorkHealth tool, an online, self-administered psychosocial health assessment tool for companies and their employees. It was developed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Institute, in partnership with the WSH Council, Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Health Promotion Board (HPB). The tool provides employees with a survey questionnaire that covers stress-related factors in the workplace including job demands, job control, job recognition, organisation culture and relationships with supervisors and co-workers. Upon completing this survey, employers will receive an aggregated anonymised department and company report identifying key workplace stressors, extent of workplace stress and the overall state of the mental well-being of their employees. Participating employees will receive individual reports on their mental well-being scores and workplace stressors.”
“60, reduces average annual medical expenses by 13.3% and increases the average yearly income per person by 6.5%. Retraining and hiring costs are also reduced, which averages to about $3,650 per employee in Singapore. These benefits were echoed by many business leaders at the CNA Leadership Summit 2022, who underscored tangible returns like increased productivity and higher employee retention after investing in mental well-being interventions. Making an economic case for mental wellness at the workplace is crucial when seeking support from investors, shareholders and Government agencies, especially when it comes to financing mental health support. Hence, equipping employers with tools to measure outcomes of mental wellness investments, benchmarking with industry standards and recognition in the form of awards will help employers seek buy-in and support from stakeholders. In this regard, I would like to ask that the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) include this important area in their new framework around Corporate Purpose for the recently-launched new Company of Good programme. A Company of Good in Singapore must take care of their people in the workplace. So, when NVPC recognises them with this award, this can create positive ripple effects for corporate action on their priorities. Upon establishing the case for workplace mental wellness intervention, the natural question that follows is: how should we go about taking action? In the following part of my speech, I will lay out a roadmap for implementing workplace mental wellness interventions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the fragility and importance of mental wellness at the workplace. Workplace stressors, such as increased work demands, evolving work processes and blurred work-life boundaries became more pronounced. When not adequately managed, we witnessed how these work stressors eroded employee productivity and motivation, and negatively affected workplace mental wellness. It can be said that the pandemic marked a watershed moment in our fight for better workplace mental wellness. The pandemic revealed cracks in our workplaces and gave employers the impetus to build organisational resilience. It is heartening that there are some employers in both the public and private sectors who have heeded the call to improve workplace mental wellness. Employers want to do more. Let us build on this momentum to support employers. As of 2021, only about 47% of Singapore employers provide mental wellness benefits, compared to over 80% in the US. According to reports, this lower level of employer engagement is a result of cost constraints, lack of awareness of mental wellness resources and scepticism about the returns of workplace mental wellness interventions. To enable our employers to overcome these barriers, I believe that the Government can step up its efforts to increase the awareness of mental health resources and support employers in implementing better workplace mental health policies and practices, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). First, I will lay out the economic case for better workplace mental wellness. According to the Mental Health Toolkit for Employers published by the National Council of Social Services (NCSS), every $1 invested in workplace adjustments generates an average return of $5.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister, what are the evaluation and success metrics of this new M-SEP scheme, in terms of evaluating how effective and successful this scheme is. Second, if there are other local firms who may not be part of the Condition 1, but are able to meet these metrics, will the Ministry be open to listening to their appeals?”
“First, the impact on relevant stakeholders, such as vehicle repair and maintenance companies, EVCOs and residents; second, the relevant concerns in specific clauses of the Bill; and lastly, questions raised by MCSTs. Notwithstanding my clarifications and suggestions, I support the Bill.”
“I wish to also highlight the Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST)-related Act amendments and the questions and concerns raised by these stakeholders when I interacted with them. First, there are some challenges that can result in social issues, the first of which is the issue of idling. Residents may become unhappy with MCSTs and Town Councils and neighbourly disputes may occur. How can we prevent idling? Market-based solutions, such as imposing an idling charge, may not solve the issue as EVCOs, technically, achieve better unit economies for imposing idling charges. I seek the Ministry to study this potential issue and update the by laws that provide Town Councils and MCSTs greater authority to enforce penalties on idling. Second, MCSTs have shared that, despite the amendments to the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act where the threshold for MCSTs will be a simple majority of votes, there are still challenges. When the demand for EVs goes up, who will bear the expansion and upgrading cost of substations for higher power provisions? As condominiums are considered private housing, there are no Government grants to co-fund power upgrades for chargers. Some condominiums do not have sufficient power supply to allocate for EV chargers. LTA provides the EV common charger grant to support condominiums in installing EV chargers. I would like to ask about the application and disbursement rate for this LTA grant. As there are now market-based solutions where EVCOs lease lots from MCSTs to install chargers and recover investments from the revenue of usage, is this grant still relevant? Would providing grants for MCSTs to co-fund power upgrades be considered instead? In conclusion, Mr Speaker, Sir, I raised three broad areas in my speech.”
“Regulators will need to take into account the lead time required as we do not want a situation where providers are not able to enter the market because they were not able to complete the relevant training by the deadline. These are similar points made the hon Members, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Ang Wei Neng, earlier. The availability of sufficient charger equipment specialists is essential for the timely deployment of EV chargers and ensure market price for endorsements remains competitive. This can also address potential job losses in the ICE vehicle repair and maintenance industry. Third, as it is common for hardware manufacturers to enforce the need to engage their staff or approved maintenance contractors for repairs and servicing, does LTA anticipate such market practices imposed by EV charger manufacturers? If so, would independent charger equipment specialists be able to certify a charger is fit for use? This would have implications for the cost levied on EVCOs and end users. Lastly, can the same competent person perform the role of LEW and charger equipment specialist? Under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, or CPFTA, Part 2, clause 5, there is a provision for registering a controlled goods supplier. In clause 6, there is also a provision to add items into the controlled goods list. Hence, would there be any reconciliation between the EV Charging Bill and CPFTA? Would EV chargers be added to this list, be parked under the CPFTA's safety mark? Since there is already an existing safety regulation under controlled goods, parking EV chargers under the same regulation would prevent double certification and duplication of man-hour efforts by regulators.”
“Within domestic premises, such as landed property, with fixed charging stations, the registered responsible persons are subjected to these periodic inspections. How then will LTA ensure that the competent persons have the authority to enter the private premises? For example, SP officers have previously faced challenges in conducting checks of these private estates' power meters when these were installed inside the home. Clause 24 deals with unlawful installation of fixed EV chargers. The proposed framework would require in future two competent persons, an LEW and a charger equipment specialist, with different expertise, to inspect the safety of the charger. First, as the Bill is vague on how the Ministry would determine if one is a charger equipment specialist, it will be useful if there is a framework in identifying this competent person. The eligibility criteria can take reference from the LEW skills structure to be considered as an industry specialist/competent person. Second, will LTA look into having a skills transformation roadmap to allow for upskilling of workers to be a charger equipment specialist? Also, is LTA working with CET institutions to create curriculums to ensure that sufficient training capacity dovetails with the demand for training of charger equipment specialists? How many competent persons can LTA produce in the following five years and beyond? Do we anticipate enough talent in Singapore to increase the volume of competent persons required by the market? Training centres may not be able to cope with the sudden influx of demand for training.”
“The proposed licensing regime raises three challenges: first, higher compliance costs; second, the tedious entry into market may prevent smaller businesses from attempting this shift and, hence, limiting market competition; and third, the licensing and certification costs may, subsequently, be passed on to consumers. While MOT and LTA propose keeping compliance costs reasonable, has there been an estimated range for this? What would the payment structure be like? Would it be a one-time payment, for instance, a monthly instalment, or are there any renewable fees? Under the licensing requirements, EVCOs are subjected to the following set of requirements, such as data sharing, third party liability insurance, payment methods, cybersecurity protections and service downtime recovery. In this situation, what if EVCOs are unable to afford to ensure the relevant cybersecurity protection and liability insurance? In the future, when there are newer types of technology in EV chargers, would EVCOs need to go through the entire licensing process again and what if the costs associated with that are prohibitive? Lastly, this Bill states the need for two competent persons to certify a charger unit for both deployment and regular checks. Will the Ministry provide guidance on the endorsement cost which competent persons should charge, or will the Ministry leave this to market pricing? Moving on to the second part of my speech, where I seek to clarify a few technical points in the Bill. Clause 25 imposes an obligation on the registered responsible person for an EV charger to cause EV chargers to be inspected by a prescribed competent person in accordance with the prescribed frequency and standards.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to highlight the impact on three stakeholders: vehicle repair and maintenance companies, EV charging operators (EVCOs) and residents. First, I would like to speak about this Bill's impact on employees in vehicle repair and maintenance companies. With the expansion of the EV charging network, consumers may now be more inclined to purchase an EV as it poses greater convenience to them and contributes better to Singapore's Green Plan 2030. What would then be the indirect impact on employees in vehicle maintenance and repair companies and how will the Government ensure that the employees do not lose their job because their skills are now deemed less relevant and if the workforce does not have the skills required as the auto industry shifts to electric vehicles and digital services? In the USA, for instance, earlier this year in August, Ford terminated 3,000 staff, both permanent and contract, in mostly North America and India. This was part of their restructuring efforts to better compete in the race to develop EVs. Reason for termination was due to employees' lack of skills to shift to EVs and digital services in car manufacturing. According to CNN in 2019, building an electric car requires about 30% less labour than a traditional ICE vehicle. In general, EVs have lesser parts than an ICE vehicle. While Singapore does not manufacture ICE vehicles, we do have a considerable number of ICE vehicle repair and maintenance workshops. The amount of repair and maintenance works is directly proportional to the amount of manufactured parts in a vehicle. Second, the impact on EVCOs. By 2025, every multi-storey car park will have at least three EV charging points.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister, based on the recent reports on the FTX collapse, it seems to suggest that there are weak governance controls on the moving of customers' funds. There really is not any obligation to put funds into trust accounts in banks for safeguarding because digital assets are mainly on chain and not in the vault. I note that the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned that there is now a consultation on reviews of regulatory approaches. I would like to ask if MAS is looking into regulating digital assets' custody to mandate Web3 companies to put customers' digital assets into licensed custodians that perhaps use multi-party computational wallets to manage these funds and would need the asset owners' approval before the moving of such funds. This could help to reduce the risk of misuse of digital assets.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I also thank the Minister of State for sharing that SP is looking into technology systems to account for sub-accounts' excess energy. But in some cases, most of the excess energy generated by sub-account holders are being subsumed by the master account holder, because there is no total aggregated excess energy. In this case, would SP be able to track that, since there is no aggregated excess? If it is very much based on a commercial agreement, then, we need to help sub-account holders who are usually tenants, because they are already in asymmetrical structural relationship to negotiate with the master account holder. In this case, the master account holders are benefiting from the excess energy.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister of State for her reply. Can the Minister of State elaborate on what are the constraints faced by sub-account holders in selling back the excess energy to master account holders, especially when there are now technical solutions such as bidirectional private meters? Secondly, can MTI consider mandating master account holders to compensate sub-account holders through either EMA's framework or a fair tenancy industry code of conduct framework? Because it is important to help businesses adopt solar energy and fully benefit from it. In turn, this supports our Singapore Green Plan.”
“For example, those with committed healthier plans should not be paying as much when premiums increase with age. Such co-related pricing will make our Integrated Plans relevant and useful. This would provide another incentive for individuals to take charge of their preventive health plan. Mdm Deputy Speaker, the business model enabling the provision of healthcare services is still largely based on reactive care. As we take the bold step to shift the model to one of preventive care, we will need to engage various aspects of society, including employers and insurers, to recalibrate various cost calculations and incentives. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I have touched on two main sections in my speech. First, on the micro level, let us place individual Singaporeans first in this journey by providing virtual doctors and fitness coaches by tapping on the private sector for more options. Second, at the macro level, let us engage employers and insurers in recalibrating benefits, costs and incentivise them to better align with our model. The easier we make this to follow, the more we can guide Singaporeans to a society where we can all keep costs sustainable, maintain a comfortable standard of living and, most importantly, age well in the decades to come.”
“One question for clarification will be how the Ministry intends to work with employers in assisting their employees to enrol in family doctor national enrolment programmes. Many Singaporeans rely on the provision of medical benefits from their employers and are restricted to a fixed panel of doctors. Also, in some cases, such services are provided by corporatised clinics where doctors are less rooted to a specific clinic or location. Another added complication is when an employer changes healthcare providers or when an employee moves to a new company. While Singaporeans can choose to see the panel doctors for episodic care despite enrolling in the national programme, it derails from the core idea of keeping to one primary care doctor, limiting the true benefit of having a dedicated family doctor. The area of interest of Singaporeans will be the co-payment or full payment by their employers under their existing employment contracts. Employers need to embrace Healthier SG so that every Singaporean feels assured that this is in line with their personal healthcare journey. This is all part of an evolving workplace environment and, as such, MOM needs to work very closely with MOH for this initiative. Another key ecosystem partner in the provision of healthcare is insurers. MOH and the monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) should encourage the Life Insurance Association to find sustainable ways to integrate this to an individual's MediSave-related policies. Such preventive efforts need to be rewarded and if our insurance actuaries can understand the percentage of population making serious efforts to live better, their calculations of risks need to take this into consideration.”
“Much like the relationship between a resident and a GP is a personal one that takes into account individual preferences, so will the relationship be with a fitness coach. To provide Singaporeans with greater choices, would MOH look into collaborating with private fitness service providers? As these service providers are all across the island in different fitness centres and gyms, they are well-placed to provide community care. MOH could also consider engaging self-employed persons (SEPs) with domain expertise as Healthier SG ambassadors and health coaches. Such approaches will, in turn, encourage diversity of offerings to cater to different individuals and tap on expertise and knowledge in the private sector. It would be a missed opportunity if we do not harness the choice private sector and self-employed individuals provide to Singaporeans. This will keep Healthier SG relevant to our citizens' preferences and also enable new innovative services like digital clinician services to participate. At the systems level, designing this programme to have high inter-operability with innovative delivery models will enable Healthier SG to tap on the private sector's ability to discover leaner and effective models of preventive healthcare. This will ensure longer-term success, especially with the backdrop of manpower constraints and rising costs. Next, I will touch on the ecosystem partnerships that are required to scale up Healthier SG. As shared, employers are providing employees with medical care plans. Healthier SG's proactive, preventive approach needs to harmonise with employers. The strong support of the Singapore Business Federation and the Singapore National Employers Federation will be needed to help companies to remodel corporate health plans with this new approach.”
“With regard to the national enrollment programme, it was stated that Singaporeans will be allowed up to four changes in the initial enrollment period but it was unclear how long the enrollment period would be. Furthermore, would there be a need for Singaporeans to indicate a reason for wanting to switch clinics? Given the increasing levels of tech literacy, Singaporeans are also turning to virtual doctor appointments and companies are offering such services as part of their medical benefits. Would the Government consider this group of GPs in terms of medication subsidy and capitation funding? Whether it is changing GPs or being able to access virtual clinician services, it will be very important for this programme to allow Singaporeans to make choices at key life stages. Indeed, while the GP would be the critical first touchpoint in this relationship, it would be ideal for individual Singaporeans to have a fitness coach who can journey with him or her on a regular basis. A little exercise goes a long way and the new Singapore National Physical Activity Guidelines launched by national bodies Sport Singapore and the Health Promotion Board rationalise official guidance towards healthy activity. Having access to fitness coaches would allow for a deeper collaboration between MOH with SportsSG, HPB and People's Association, especially with the vast range of community fitness centres that the Government has invested in for Singaporeans over the years. By understanding that every Singaporean will need a fitness coach or ambassador or advisor nearer to where he or she lives to execute this preventive health plan, we keep our communities close to our Singaporeans.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Healthier SG White Paper is timely and critical for all Singaporeans today and augurs well for our long-term sustainability. The White Paper has set a bold direction and has completely redesigned the way we deliver healthcare – from one that is reactively caring to one that is proactively preventive. This is a sea change. As we are more user-led in solutions, we will be better able to identify patterns and similarities where solutions can be scaled up. Prioritising those above 55 is crucial, given that about one in four Singaporeans will be 65 years old and older in 2030. This White Paper shows our ability to turn a potential adversity of the silver tsunami into a possible silver lining. We cater to our seniors first and eventually scale this to a nationwide system for those above 40. In time, I hope this would be scaled up to all Singaporeans. Most importantly, Singaporeans now know that this Government will co-design a preventive health plan with them. This partnership will require every Singaporean to play their part in co-solutioning. I rise in support of the White Paper on Healthier SG. Gathered ground sentiments largely welcome this initiative. Many are pleased with the preventive measures in place. To enhance this White Paper, some came forward to share their opinions, which will be categorised into two main sections. First, I will share concerns from the perspective of the individual Singaporean, following which, I will touch on ecosystem partnerships that are required to scale up Healthier SG. I will now touch on the ground sentiment from residents I have interacted with.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Minister for sharing some of the spin-off benefits that SMEs will actually benefit from this new ONE Pass. SMEs collectively employ a large majority of Singaporeans and are facing intense competition for talent to support every stage of their business growth. I appreciate that he also shared about support for vertical sectors but I think SMEs require support every different stage of business growth and are already facing a intense competition from larger enterprises. So, I would like to ask the Minister, is there further direct support, direct benefits for SMEs to give them the support to find the talent that enables them to be the future large local enterprises (LLEs) and to reduce being further disadvantage in this intense competition for talent.”
“Thank you, Madam. I would like to ask the Minister of State if MTI is also looking at spurring adoption of energy-efficient measures upstream, at a more system level besides focusing on equipment. In addition, food services businesses use a wide range of equipment and some of them could be very energy intensive. Will MTI consider widening the range of equipment considered, as this could be helpful to many businesses and reduce potential equipment wastage?”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with regard to the $1.5 billion targeted support measure, can he elaborate how it specifically helps two groups: families and caregivers who continue to face cost pressures as they look after aged and ill parents; and parents and caregivers with special needs children, who are likely to find providing care continually difficult to be sustained.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. The Singaporean couple at the heart of the matter are, actually, residents of Zhenghua. As their Member of Parliament, I have communicated with them on several occasions and having to cremate one's child is an emotional journey for any parent. The father told me that it was never his intention to cast any blame on the hospital or the healthcare workers when he posted on social media. His intention was to really seek answers for the two hours of wait time that he and his wife experienced at the A&E. It was so because he was unable to seek answers or any response over a period of five days and this included the time when his wife was being treated at a high dependency ward. He finally got a response from a patient care officer when his post went viral. Therefore, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, following this incident and with the objective of improving protocols, would MOH be assessing how hospitals should improve the provision of critical information to patients in a timely manner with empathy? I do believe that greater transparency will strengthen the trust that Singaporeans already have in our healthcare institutions.”