Edwin Tong Chun Fai
Singapore
“These questions have been answered in the reply to Questions Nos 26 to 31 for Oral Answer on today's Order Paper. [Please refer to "Addressing Issues Identified in Legal Profession Sustainability Study", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time secti…”
“I am answering in my capacity as the Minister charged with the responsibility for the People's Association. The Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers Scheme was first introduced in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with two key objectives: one, to help Singaporean households cope with daily expenses; and two, to support hawker…”
“If the incident is a result of bilateral obligations relating to data protection and inviolability of equipment not being complied with, then the Government will consider all available legal and diplomatic options, in accordance with the bilateral RTS Link treaties, as well as the relevant international law.”
“In 2024, community sentences under part 17 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 (CPC) were imposed in 86 criminal cases handled by the State Courts.”
“It is a five-minute journey across both ways; and with the availability of closed circuit television coverage and the real-time monitoring that will be done by the officers on both sides, we did not think that this will be necessary.”
“The Ministry of Law will provide an oral reply to this Parliamentary Question, together with other Parliamentary Questions which have been filed on this topic at the next available opportunity.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,221 lines we hold for Edwin Tong Chun Fai, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 12 of 45.
“The judging panel for busking auditions is focused on assessing whether the performance of auditioning applicants meet the minimum standards, and takes into account factors, such as the applicants' responsiveness to real-life situations and their ability to engage audiences in real-time. These evaluations have helped ensure the quality and suitability of busking performances in our public spaces. Given the high volume of live auditions, it is not feasible to provide individual feedback to applicants. The National Arts Council (NAC) regularly reviews the busking scheme in various ways, including through surveys and consultation with stakeholders. NAC will continue to identify suitable platforms to engage stakeholders from the busking community to improve policies and processes.”
“Sport Singapore launched the ActiveSG app in 2014 to encourage more Singaporeans and residents to pursue active lifestyles by offering a seamless and convenient avenue to search and book ActiveSG facilities and programmes. Since the launch, there has been a total of 2.4 million downloads with close to six million transactions conducted via the app's Active Wallet and ActiveSG website. Singaporeans who do not have the ActiveSG app can still access all ActiveSG Sport Centres. They may approach any ActiveSG Sport Centre guest office with their identification card to (a) create and validate their membership accounts, (b) book facilities and programmes as well as (c) top up their accounts through the Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) or credit card payment. Once completed, they can enter the facility by scanning any card bearing their identity barcode.”
“These questions have been addressed in the Ministerial Statement at today's Parliament Sitting. [Please refer to "Rentals of State Properties", Official Report, 3 July 2023, Vol 95, Issue 105, Ministerial Statements section.]”
“Mr Leong, it is because there is a guide rent. The guide rent is determined by an independent valuer and I would suggest not to second guess that. The whole point of appointing an MA with a valuer who looks at it independently is so that we can get an assessment, a baseline. And if, indeed, there is a basis to push the guide rent up in a way in which is the market standard and coheres with the market, of course, we will do so. But this is the guide rent, and we follow the guide rent and, as I said earlier in my speech, we do not let properties out below the guide rent. So, I hope that answers your question.”
“Mr Leong, I have answered all three questions previously. I will try and answer them again. On your first one, I said, yes. In fact, there are examples in the media of how we have spent this amount, more than $500,000, on the maintenance and refurbishment of other properties. I also mentioned that this is because there are conservation obligations and that is why we had appointed a consultant to advise us on what works need to be done for each of them. Second, you asked about the swimming pool. Yes, if you would like to rent one and you want to put a pool in, we welcome that. Third, there is no preferential treatment. We go by the guide rent. The guide rent will assess the condition, the location, the comparables and then make a judgement on what the appropriate rental is, for that property. And in this case, you say it is below the average. It is because of the state of the condition of the property. It was in poor condition, having been vacant for about five years or so. But that is a factor that the guide rent takes into account. The point is that Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met the guide rent and that is why it was let to Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.”
“On the Member's second point, it is the call of the MA. It is the MA's discretion and whether it is the Minister or some other person trying to rent, they take the same position as you have heard Senior Minister Teo explain earlier. There is no VIP treatment or VIP track, regardless of the identity or the profile of the tenant. If you meet the guide rent, you are able to clear the profile of the right tenant that we want, in particular, if you are able to offer more capex to enhance, that is the tenant profile that we would want to seek. I also want to pick up while I am on that, on one of the questions the Member has filed for written answer, which is on whether or not there is a record of which other Ministers and public figures stay at these state properties, the point consistent with what I have said earlier is that SLA does not maintain a separate record. There is no list of which Ministers, which Members of Parliament, which public figures are staying at state properties. On the Member's first point about installing modern facilities, again, you got to take it in the round. If you are able to cluster them and rejuvenate and maybe invite an external private sector party to work with you to place-make and to modernise, then yes, in those cases, it has been done and we will continue on that. But obviously you do not want to install and retrofit a property in a particular way only for a tenant to want to do it in a different way. So, for some of these, we maintain it as it is, we make the basic additions from time to time, but we also rely on the tenant who comes in, such as in these two examples, to retrofit and to enhance the property.”
“As I mentioned earlier, if you are a tenant, we encourage the tenants to come and improve the facilities and make enhancements to the property. So, all of these eventually, when it comes to a fresh tenancy, will be taken into account. One of the rules that SLA internally looks at and has in mind is, if it is the same tenant who made the investments renewing it at the second "+3" and the third "+3", then you would take it all in the round. You would consider this but you also consider the fact that this is the very tenant who put in the capex in the first place to bring about those enhancements. Because if you did not do that and you simply at every renewal, in the 3+3+3, charge a higher rental because of what he has done, then no tenant would then eventually take this up and it would work against SLA. So, with that caveat, otherwise the improvements and enhancements will be taken into account at subsequent renewals of tenancies.”
“31 Ridout Road? Sorry, 31 Ridout Road, about the discount and so on, to the average. But Mr Leong, the guide rent for 31 Ridout Road is determined based on the market methodologies that I have outlined earlier. They were, in fact, determined, in this case, by an MA and the valuer and they cohere with what the guide rent is and the offer is not below the guide rent which, by the way, is a key consideration for SLA. And so, it is not below the guide rent. And when you compare it against the average, the way average works, you will have some above and some below. But is it within the guide rent? It is. And that is why SLA accepted the offer. I hope that clarifies the Member's four points.”
“What do we have to do in terms of the works which we have to incur anyway? How can you bring it all together and ensure that we can maximise the returns? The Member mentioned the trees. The trees, look, if they are decayed, there is a report that the arborist puts up. I think the Member used the words, "Why do we still go and help to take care of the trees?" Well, we are the landlord. We own the property. And in the event that the tenant does not want to take ownership of the maintenance, then that falls on SLA. So, of course, we will be involved. Of course, we will be interested. If a tree falls on a neighbouring property, that is SLA's responsibility. So, we take care to ensure that if the trees are found to be posing a safety concern, then we must work with the arborist, work with NParks, get the approval and then get them removed. Those are where the girth is a metre or more. On the Member's last point, I am not sure I can comprehend what the Member is trying to ask me. It has got to do with 26 Ridout Road as far as I could figure out.”
“The amount of time we take to recover, this is a factor to assess and judge whether we should proceed with this particular set of works at this time or otherwise, or maybe we can scale down or scale back if there is no tenant. But otherwise, it is taken in the round and assessed together. And if we take Ridout Road as an example, 2.2 years as Mr Leong Mun Wai has said, I think it is slightly less than that. But I will take the Member's 2.2 years. You have a tenant coming in, prepared to put in enhancements like the swimming pool which, by the way, we encourage – I think the Member heard me say earlier, we encourage. One of the ways in which SLA has been thinking of restructuring its tenancy framework is to try to encourage tenants to come in and put in capital expenditure (capex), so that these properties can both be maintained as well as enhanced for subsequent purposes. So, if a pool is there, put in at the cost of the tenant, at the expiry of the lease, that pool becomes the property of SLA. And that goes towards enhancing the value of the property for subsequent tenancies. So, in fact, we encourage that. And so, when we do that, we look at the amount of time it takes for the recovery versus the improvements that this tenant is offering. This tenant is offering to come in with $400,000 to $500,000 worth of improvements, asking for 3+3+3 years, what is a reasonable commercial landlord going to do in that situation in the context of the market that you have seen? I think I have sent round the chart. So, Members can see that. And, earlier on, to Mr Leon Perera's question, it is a 71% occupancy at that point of time. So, these are factors that we take into consideration and we assess based on each individual tenant. What are you offering? How are you enhancing?”
“Thank you, Sir. Sir, the preparatory works that Mr Leong speaks about, I thought I did spend a fair bit of my speech explaining it. But let me just recap. These are conservation properties and so there is a need to upkeep them, maintain them, based on conservation guidelines. There is a requirement on SLA, as the owner and landlord of these properties, to ensure that not just are they managed from a tenantability perspective, but also that we meet, cohere with, match up to conservation guidelines in how we maintain the property. Let us be clear. These obligations to maintain them based on conservation guidelines are on SLA, whether there is a tenant or otherwise. So, these are expenditures that have to be incurred to maintain the property. I spent some time detailing some of the elements that we have to take into account when we maintain the property and that is irrespective of whether there is a tenant. But we try to do it at a time when there is going to be a confirmed tenancy so that the income stream received from the monthly rentals can go towards paying off the cost of the maintenance. And that is what happened in this case, for both 26 and 31 Ridout Road. And Mr Leong Mun Wai will be aware that we have had several examples of this talked about in the media a few days ago. Those are all examples of properties, heritage properties, where significant expenditure was needed for the reasons that I have outlined – I would not go into it again – and which we had done over and above what Members have seen in 26 and 31 Ridout Road. In terms of the period of time, number of months or years that it takes to recover back, as I said, the starting point is, even if there is no tenant, you would still have to incur these expenses to upkeep, to maintain.”
“I think Assoc Prof Jamus Lim might have confused the facts. The rental at 26 Ridout Road was granted on the basis of a 3+3+3. So, what was done was to take the land cost and amortise it with an imputed interest across a nine-year period. That is where you get to $2,000. I hope that clarifies. It is not four years.”
“Can I ask the Member what he means by "four years"? Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: As far as I understand it, the rental was extended by a 3+2 and the time that the land clearance was implemented—”
“First of all, when you are valuing land for the purposes of HDB, you are looking at the question of selling HDB property with a leasehold interest of 99 years. It is a very different proposition from valuing the appropriate rental to be collected from a heritage black and white property like this. Yes, there are different parameters, different baskets, but that is because the intrinsic nature of the property in question calls for this difference. Could the Member please repeat his second question? Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: Thank you. My second question has to do with the land clearance cost of $172,000. And I believe that was amortised to something in the order of $2,000 a month. At least based on my independent calculations for the extended rental period of four years, it comes up to something closer to $4,000, rather than $2,000. So, I am wondering what kind of assumptions SLA applied.”
“I keep making this point about the market and maybe I will say that again. You have got to look at the market. I mentioned in my speech that we look at comparables. You cannot take a HDB property and try and say what is the value of a black and white property for rental, based on the same principles, just as you cannot take a terrace house or a condominium and apply that as a comparable to what you do when you want to value for rental and find the right valuation for a black and white property, as we see here. It has got to be comparable in a sense to the land size, age of the property, condition of the property, you look at the comparables and then maybe you make adjustments for outliers and for the specific condition and location of this particular property. That has been the methodology that has been used. I took some care to explain it, but now the Member, along with others, question that again; and now the Member uses the word "anomalous". It is not anomalous. It is market practice. The tables that I keep going back to – I would encourage Members to please have a look at them – tell us that right across Singapore, across all different locations, where black and white bungalows can be found, for which 87% of them are managed by external professional MAs who have their own valuation teams, they assess based on market price and market methodology. The Member's point about looking at a raid on Reserves, which the Member makes it obviously to try and make the point that there is a distinction, and that the Member is trying to second guess that distinction and perhaps suggest that there are some inequality and perhaps unfair treatment. But the Member will know that you got to look at it as a different comparable.”
“The MA and each of their real estate agents in their network would, in fact, have the full list of all the assets that are available for renting. All the Black and Whites, in this case, available for renting would be something known by the MA and they would want that advertised as much as they can through their networks. So, the purpose of not listing it on SPIO is not for transparency reasons, Mr Leon Perera. It is to ensure that the right strategy is adopted to ensure that we market it in the right way that coheres with the dynamics and movements of the market at the relevant time.”
“To Mr Leon Perera's first question on market conditions, the market conditions are set out in, well, first, Members can see the table that I circulated earlier. I think that tells you what the rental index was for URA as a whole. And in addition, specifically on Ridout Road, you will see from Senior Minister Teo's report, one of the annexes, that at the material time, it was at 71%. So, I think that answers the Member's first question. On the Member's second question, he said that the Black and Whites were not put on SPIO because "we do not want too much transparency". I would say, please do not put words in my mouth, or put it in my speech. This was not the case. That is not the reason why it is not on SPIO, and I think if the Member has heard the subsequent debate that we have had on this, on the list of properties, how it is accessed and so on, there is nothing confidential about this. There is no secret list of properties that only certain people can rent. Going back to first principles, SLA is the landlord and I told Members in my speech that we want to maximise occupancy. We want these properties to be rented. What is the best way in which they can be rented? In an up market, you want to make sure that it is as exposed as possible because there is more demand than there is supply. In a down market, it is the contrary. But not for lack of transparency reasons, as the Member tries to suggest. It is because you do not want to have yourselves have each property bid against itself, to have more supply than demand exhibited on all the portals. So, what is being done in those situations is for some properties, at the discretion of the MAs, to be listed on SPIO. Other properties might well find their way on other property portals like Property Guru and so on.”
“Thank you, Sir, I want to go back to the point that Mr Pritam Singh raised about the valuation, and I think he said SLA's valuers. I was quite careful to say it is not just SLA's valuers. This is a view that is taken of the market, and we have to be guided by the market, market forces in how we look at this. When we say that it is the GFA that is the main factor that determines the price and the marketability, it is not just an SLA or a policy position. It is that taken by the industry, by the market. I pointed Members to the Annex in Senior Minister Teo's report because that represents all the Black and Whites in Singapore. The majority of these Black and Whites – to be precise, 87% of them – are managed by professional MAs. Each time they do a transaction, they use their own inhouse, independent valuers to make that assessment as to what the guide rent ought to be. They are not told by SLA what the guide rent should be or how to determine it, but they go back to market forces. So, this is a factor that is looked at and it has to be looked at in the context of what are the right market forces to it. I mentioned, too, in my speech, that each of these MAs, their arrangement with SLA incentivises them to maximise occupancy and drive rental. That is their key performance index (KPI). So, there is no incentive for them to try to assess a guide rent otherwise than by market forces. So, I hope that puts this matter to rest because it is not that GFA is the only factor, neither did I say that. Land is, of course, relevant. Location, condition and all these are factors that I think I mentioned. They are all relevant. But the main factor, when it comes to a black and white heritage property, is really the GFA.”
“And I would assure Mr Xie Yao Quan that SLA is very innovative in not just how it plans, moving forward, but also with the partnerships that it forms with the private sector to ensure that we optimise the uses not just from a pure revenue-generation perspective, but also making sure that we look at lifestyle, social uses and, in some cases, also social causes as well.”
“Sir, I have spent a large part of my speech outlining precisely that. We have a variety of different properties: heritage properties, the older ones. Black and Whites are one category of them. And I have also outlined that as we manage them, as they get older in the portfolio, where possible, we try to look at other uses. I have cited a number of examples to Members in this House. And I would like to assure Mr Xie Yao Quan that, moving forward, we will continue to do so. The buildings themselves, the properties, are the heritage buildings. If they are conserved, it is as a building. Sometimes, it makes sense to look at it in the context of the surrounding area, the land in which it sits on or the adjacent property. And you do not want to remove it from the adjacent property and use it for other purposes that do not cohere with the status and symbol of the heritage properties. So, in terms of the land that is used, as I have cited in my examples, I think some of them, we have broadened it, we have mixed it up with other developments so that it is sufficiently vibrant, you make up the place and have a certain theme to it, like we do at one-north at Rochester Commons, which I have cited. Other times, you want to ensure that the setting is preserved. It is not just the building itself or the property, but the setting in which it occurs, in which case, you need more land. But yet, other occasions, I have cited Seletar where you would take the view that there is minimal heritage value, probably more to be gained by combining it, en bloc, redeveloping it, as we did in Seletar. And then, it becomes an industrial estate. So, these are the different uses that we have done in the past. We will continue to evolve this.”
“To Ms Poh Li San's first question, the property remains on the market until the lease is signed and confirmed. So, at any point in time up till the time when it is off the market, that is, when a tenant confirms his tenancy, it continues to be marketed. So, to answer the Member's question whether before, during or even after, as long as the incoming tenant has not confirmed, it remains on the market and it will be marketed by the agents.”
“Neither did they have any transactions with SLA, as far as we can tell, from the quick checks that we have done since these allegations began to surface online.”
“I thank Ms Nadia Samdin for the question. As I explained earlier, we put in place a system where an external consultant is engaged to study and have regard to the conservation guidelines and study the state of the property and make recommendations to SLA as to what works needed to be carried out, and also how they need to be carried out, given the conservation guidelines. So, this is external to SLA. They are consultants and they make a recommendation to us. After that is done, as I said, we time it such that we try not to disrupt the existing tenancy, if there is a tenant that is in place occupying the premises. And we also try and time it such that once this is done, there is a greater prospect of a confirmed tenancy so that the rental income stream can then be used to meet the cost of these works that have to be done. And that was what was done in 26 Ridout Road. And when the works are confirmed and we accept the recommendations of the consultant, the works are then carried out by a separate contractor, not the consultant. And in this case, what happened was we put up an open tender and a term contractor was then appointed to carry out the works. In addition, there was also an appointment of a conservation specialist to advise on certain aspects to cohere with the conservation guidelines. The suggestion that Minister Shanmugam's son or his company, Livspace, was appointed – and I think the sting of these allegations is that there is a preference given to this – is completely scurrilous and unwarranted. There is no basis to suggest that. For both 26 and 31 Ridout Road, the works that were recommended by the consultant was then done and awarded to a contractor through a tender, and Livspace was not an appointed contractor.”
“And that is also something that, not just SLA does, but also the MAs that are engaged by SLA. That is how they also approached the issue. And that is what they do as well. That is not to say that because it is not on SPIO, that it is not marketed. The Member seems to suggest that because it is not on SPIO, therefore it is less exposed. But remember I said that each of these agents also has their own property portals. And, in fact, the property portals will be shared amongst the real estate agents. When they come in, if you make a serious inquiry, an agent who is familiar with this segment of the market will know where to access the information. You might see one or two on SPIO that you might want to have a view, but when you get there and you talk to the agents and if you are a serious prospect for tenancy, this agent will have access to others. So, in a softer market, that is how it is done. And that is the position that has been taken, not just by SLA, but also by its MAs.”
“Whilst I appreciate the point the Member is making that, right now, if you look at it today, there is a spike and, presumably, that also has an impact on the rental market for Black and Whites. That is true, because when we look at the performance of rental markets, rentals for Black and Whites now, it is obviously very different from when it was in 2018, 2019 and so on. And you must bear in mind also that in 2021 and 2022, there was still the COVID-19 overhang over the market at that point in time. So, these are factors that really – I am not a property agent and I am not a real estate expert, but I go back to the first point I made to the Member, which is, this is looked at by an external professional MA – in this case, it was Colliers – which managed the renewal and they have their own inhouse expert valuers and I would not second-guess that. On the Member's second point, I think the words are "a raid on the Reserves" because we do direct tenancy and not a tender process. I have explained that in some detail. You have to adopt a method that coheres with the movement of the market. If the market is on its uptrend, there is a lot of demand with limited supply, then I think you want to make sure that you put it out as much as you can, as publicly as you can, so that there is a really big showing of the properties on offer that is being supplied so that the demand can match up with the supply. But when you have the converse situation in a falling market or a softening market or a more depressed market, then you might end up with a situation where having more or listing everything will mean that you are simply competing against yourself. There are many more options than the demand meets. So, you have to attenuate based on that.”
“Sir, for Mr Louis Chua's clarification, 31 Ridout Road was managed by an external professional MA which looked at the renewal and also did internal valuations independently to assess what the appropriate rental would be upon renewal. That is the process and that was what was done and the guide rent for the renewal was met and that is why it was renewed. To the Member's point about the movement of the market, if Members were to just pick up the table I gave out earlier and look at the chart, renewal was done for 31 Ridout Road around the early part of 2022, the first quarter. There were some discussions over the fact that there were some disamenities, I think, and there were some noise issues and so on. So, the precise start date was subject to negotiations. But the discussions took place around this period – end of 2021 and early 2022. And if Members look at the chart that I have produced, this is the URA rental index, you will see that, at that level, at that location, the rate was – if you look at the horizontal lines across – similar to when the lease was entered into. So, it roughly accounts for this. Beyond that, I think the Member also made the comparison with private detached homes, GCBs and so on. I would ask the Member to also bear in mind what I said earlier, about these properties being intrinsically older. So, leaving aside that they are spruced up and made habitable and so on, there is also a question of these fundamentally being older, not possessing the usual amenities and facilities that you might expect to see in a GCB or a bungalow of this comparable size. So, I think that accounts for the difference in the market.”
“In a selective audit, AGO has the discretion to decide what areas they choose to audit using a risk-based approach and also decide on the specific timing and timeframe of such audits. Sir, I have sketched out how all parties concerned operated in accordance with their usual processes and procedures. I thank Members for their questions. It has provided me with an opportunity to lay out the facts clearly, fully, relating to these two tenancies. I welcome any further clarifications that Members may have subsequently.”
“The previous tenant of 26 Ridout Road had pre-terminated their lease and no viable offers were received in the intervening period for either property. In addition, in the case of 26 Ridout Road, the cost of maintaining the additional heavily vegetated area would then fall on the tenant and this would have been in the order of $25,000 per year. In these circumstances, there was every reasonable, commercial basis for SLA to have entered into those transactions. The terms of both leases were standard and did not contain any unusual clauses. They were entirely at arms-length and did not deviate from usual processes. The specific valuer handling the request for valuation did not know the potential tenant. And Senior Minister Teo has explained how Minister Shanmugam had removed himself from the chain of command and decision-making process. Sir, one last question to address and that is Mr Gerald Giam's question on whether the bidding process at SLA is audited by the Auditor-General's Office (AGO). AGO conducts annual audits for Government Financial Statements and these include receipts collected by SLA on MinLaw's behalf. These receipts include rental income from state land and buildings. The Government Financial Statements audit does not cover the revenue tendering process of state properties as the audit objective in that case is to ascertain whether the receipts reported are accurate. However, in addition to the annual audits, AGO also carries out selective audits of Statutory Boards in rotation. AGO last audited SLA in financial year 2018/2019. This covered the period April 2016 through to June 2018.”
“Approval was granted by NParks to remove 24 such trees after an independent arborist's assessment showed that these trees were at risk of failure and posed safety concerns. Likewise, the trees were felled after NParks gave the approval and this was done prior to the start of the tenancy. Sir, as I wrap up, I would like to address Members Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Ms Hazel Poa's questions about whether SLA had deviated from its usual processes in the rental of the two properties. Mr Murali Pillai also asked if the process was fair, transparent and competitive. Sir, let me go back to CPIB's conclusions. It found no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing in either of the two rental transactions. It had examined the direct letting of the properties to Ministers Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan and found that they were applied fairly. The internal processes and standards as regards marketing, valuation and leasing were adhered to scrupulously by SLA, with no preferential treatment being given to either Minister. The Ministers had access only to publicly available information concerning the leases. I have described in detail how SLA handled the process. For both properties, offers of rental were made which met the guide rent. In addition, both tenants would be making substantial capital expenditure to renovate and enhance the properties. SLA would then be able to retain these enhancements at the end of the tenancy period. This would add value to any subsequent tenancy for SLA, and also be set off against the works which SLA had to undertake to renovate and refurbish the properties which I had taken Members through. It should also be borne in mind that both these offers were made at a time when the rental market in Singapore was depressed.”
“The legal obligations arising from any mishaps or failure to maintain the land properly within the tenancy boundary falls on the tenant. On each occasion, before any decision about the tree – any of the trees felled – was made, an arborist was brought in for a tree inspection. For the trees that were removed, the reports found evidence of various problems that posed safety concerns, such as wound decay on main trunks and on buttress roots. Nineteen trees of girth size more than one metre were removed on various occasions since the tenancy commenced about four-and-a-half years ago, each time upon feedback that the trees may pose safety issues. For 18 of the 19 trees, there were independent arborist reports. These reports set out the condition of the trees in detail and found either decayed buttress roots, structural defects, termite infestations, poor structural form and vigour, or severe leaning resulting in high potential for failure. The reports were the basis upon which approval was then sought and obtained from NParks for every one of these trees. NParks also conducted site visits to inspect the trees in person, where necessary. And it was only thereafter that the trees were removed. The one tree which did not require an arborist report had failed in bad weather. NParks' approval was obtained to fell or remove the rest of the tree that had already failed. The MA has also replaced 17 trees in the property over the last five years, and the tenant has also replanted trees in the property in addition to those replaced by the MA at his cost. No 31 Ridout Road was also in the Tree Conservation Area. Likewise, felling of any trees with more than a one-metre girth needs NParks' approval.”
“All improvement works undertaken by the tenant become the property of the landlord and revert to state ownership when the property is returned to SLA. This, as I mentioned earlier, is an established practice for all tenancies requiring capital expenditure. These works are in the nature of capital expenditures and they seek to enhance the value of the properties. Minister Balakrishnan similarly undertook improvement works with a cost of around $200,000, including installing air-conditioning, upgrading the toilets and building a pavilion as an extension of the property's garage. Many trees were also planted. URA approved the retention of the pavilion as it did not affect the façade of the conserved building. Next, Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leon Perera have asked about the trees within the two properties that were felled. Both properties are located within the Tree Conservation Area. Any tree within a Tree Conservation Area with more than a one-metre girth would require National Parks Board (NParks) approval to be felled. Prior to the tenancy of 26 Ridout Road, trees of less than one-metre girth were removed by SLA as part of the clearing of the additional land. NParks' approval was not required for these trees. After the tenancy commenced, the tenant periodically raised concerns about the structural and health conditions of the older trees, including, in one instance, after a neighbour expressed concerns about safety. There were legitimate concerns that some trees, such as decayed trees and those with poor vigour or structural defects, would pose safety issues. This, in fact, was the specific issue that Minister Shanmugam was concerned about and which explained why he was not keen to have the additional vegetated land fenced into his tenancy.”
“A similar building management inspection was also undertaken by an external consultant for 31 Ridout Road and the works to be done were identified and proposed by the consultant. This included extensive works to the roof, which was assessed to be in a bad state, as well as other heritage features. For 31 Ridout Road, these works, as recommended by the consultant, cost around $452,000 out of the total of $570,500 spent on 31 Ridout Road. In addition, SLA also did the usual sprucing up works prior to the commencement of a tenancy. These are the usual works done shortly before the property is handed over to a new tenant to ensure that the property is habitable. For 26 Ridout Road, the works included painting, pest control and the removal of mould. All of these cost around $140,000. For 31 Ridout Road, the works included general repairs to the staircase, the perimeter of the house, fixing windows, painting, pest control and, in this case, also snake combing. The total cost of the sprucing up works for 31 Ridout Road cost around $118,000. The works done by SLA were in keeping with SLA's general practices, as I described earlier in my speech. On the clearance of the additional land for 26 Ridout Road, as I mentioned, the costs were fully recovered from the tenant by amortising it through the rental collected over the period of tenancy. Turning to the works done by the tenants themselves, Minister Shanmugam offered to and did invest in substantial improvement works to the property. These included a new air-conditioning system, building a new carpark shelter, constructing a swimming pool, installing garden lights and upgrading the toilets as well as adding trees and other planting. Minister Shanmugam spent in excess of $400,000 on these improvement works.”
“Structural strengthening or supports like steel or reinforced concrete roof beams, if required to be added, have to be done in a way which is sensitively designed to minimise visual impact on the traditional timber system to be retained. Another example is the architectural features on the building facades. The original fanlights, windows, doors and vents are to be retained and restored. Internally, owners may be required to keep such original finishes of the internal ceiling, wall and floor that give a distinctive character to the building. Thus, all works have to be done in a manner which preserves the architectural style and features of the "black and white bungalows" as defined by URA. And all of this has a significant impact on the costs of the repairs. Therefore, SLA's practice is to engage an external consultant to assess the state of the property and determine the works which have to be done, bearing in mind the relevant conservation guidelines. While these works are done in periodic cycles, where practical, SLA tries to do them in the lead up to a confirmed tenancy, to avoid disrupting existing tenants and to ensure that the costs of the works done can be recovered from a prospective tenant. For 26 Ridout Road, SLA engaged a consultant who had experience in dealing with heritage properties to survey the property and identify the necessary works to be done. I would add that this consultant was engaged before a bid was made for 26 Ridout Road. The works identified by the external consultant were in the nature of structural items, such as timber beams, rafters and columns and other heritage features. Together, this aspect, as assessed by the external consultant, cost about $375,000 out of the total amount of $515,400 incurred for 26 Ridout Road.”
“But the SLA valuation department and the SLA valuer who assessed the guide rent on 26 Ridout Road, did not know that the prospective tenant was Minister Shanmugam. As CPIB has established, the valuer did not even know that Minister Shanmugam and SLA had settled on a rent of $26,500. She had assessed the guide rent not knowing the identity of the prospective tenant or the rent he had already agreed to pay. Mr Leong Mun Wai asked whether the President's agreement is required when not awarding state properties to the highest bidder. This issue does not arise in the context of the rental of state properties that I have outlined. For state land and state properties, the President's agreement is required if such land or properties are to be disposed of below fair market value such that there would be a draw on Past Reserves. The grant of tenancies of state properties by SLA is not a disposal of state properties. Next, let me turn to the works on the properties. Mr Leong Mun Wai and Mr Leon Perera have asked about the improvement and maintenance works carried out at both properties. Let me explain this. For context, Members will recall that both these properties have been gazetted for conservation and SLA is responsible for the maintenance works based on the conservation and restoration guidelines that I mentioned earlier. Let me illustrate what this means, with a few examples relevant to the two properties. For the main roof, the original profile, pitch, height and eaves projection have to be retained and restored. Owners are required to keep the original roof tile material, colour and profile, if it is a unique feature of the building.”
“The guide rent is not revealed to bidders or their agents in this process. On Mr Louis Chua's question as to the publication of tender awards on SLA's website, the highest bid rent in the tender and tender results are published on SPIO for six months. Ms Hazel Poa asked about the reason for this six-month period. The short answer to this is that, after six months, valuations would be outdated as the market might have shifted and the information is less market relevant. Therefore, it is no longer listed on SPIO after six months. The second modality is direct letting. Under direct letting, the MA or SLA receives the bid offers directly. Their offers can be accepted if the bids meet or exceed the prevailing guide rent. These offers are not published. The decision as to whether to allocate specific properties to direct letting or open bidding, within an estate for which direct letting is permitted, is left to the discretion of the relevant MA or the SLA portfolio manager. In making this decision, the following general trend is considered. Estates identified for direct letting are generally one of two categories: those with low occupancy rates or which otherwise have been assessed to benefit from direct letting due to their specific circumstances. One example will be in an estate where many units have become available at the same time, together, such that there is bidding fatigue from the earlier batches of units that were released. Ms Hazel Poa asked if SLA was aware of the identity behind the bid for the leasing of 26 Ridout Road. The answer is yes. SLA has to know the identity of the prospective tenant in order to process and assess the bid.”
“For instance, in a falling market, such as in 2018, the valuer takes into account the trends in the neighbouring comparable properties, making adjustments for outliers where appropriate. The valuation is for the purposes of determining the guide rent for a given property. The independent SLA valuation team, which looks at valuation for Black and Whites, will assess the market value and give the leasing division a baseline that must be achieved for the property in question. They, meaning the SLA valuation team, do not know the identities of the prospective tenants or the actual rents eventually negotiated by the parties. I turn to the final aspect in managing Black and Whites – the leasing process. Mr Leong Mun Wai, Mr Murali Pillai and Mr Leon Perera have raised specific questions on SLA's bidding process, including how long the bidding was open for 26 Ridout Road after Minister Shanmugam's bid was received. In general, there are two modalities for leasing of all residential state properties and that includes Black and Whites: the first is open bidding; the other is direct letting. In this case, both 26 and 31 Ridout Road were allocated on the basis of direct letting. Let me explain these two modalities. Today, under an open bidding allocation, the property would be listed on SPIO for at least 14 days. This is called the notice period. Thereafter, there is a five-day bidding window. During the notice period, either SLA or the MA, depending on which property is being asked about, whether it is under their portfolio or otherwise, will then organise open houses for the property in question. Once the bidding window closes, the tenancy is offered to the highest bidder. This is subject to the bid meeting the guide rent and satisfying other due diligence checks on the bidder.”
“This process, for both properties, was consistent with the approach taken by SLA in all other properties marketed by MAs, with the MAs exercising discretion on how to market the property. Sir, let me now turn to valuation. Upon successful marketing, when a prospective tenant makes an inquiry, it would be necessary to conduct a valuation to ascertain the valuation of the property being considered for leasing. These valuations are conducted by professional valuers within the MA or SLA respectively. The valuation team uses established industry principles and methods for valuation. Factors, such as location, use, floor area, physical condition of the property and prevailing market conditions, will be taken into account. The SLA valuation team operates separately and independently from the team in charge of leasing. Typically, the leasing team would submit a request for valuation of a particular property, setting out the parameters of the proposed lease of the property, and the valuation team will then determine the guide rent for the property. SLA's valuation team uses the direct comparison method when undertaking valuations. This is an accepted industry methodology for rental valuations. The premise is that a potential tenant would be willing to pay similar rent to a comparable property that is available for rental and this gives a good gauge of the market. Hence, when valuing a Black and White, a comparable property is considered, which takes into account the factors identified earlier – location, floor area, condition and so on. The valuation team also has regard to the prevailing market conditions and other contextual factors.”
“Subsequently, from 1 April, Colliers International Consultancy and Valuation (Singapore) Pte Ltd took over as the MA. In both these cases, as was the case for the entire Ridout Road estate, the MAs decided how the properties would be marketed. They could also tap into, and they did, their network of private agents, advertise on social media and so on, and allow for there to be this exchange of information between agents, who might, for example, in some cases, choose to co-broke the marketing of a property. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim had asked what steps were taken by SLA to market the two properties to be leased. As highlighted, both of them were under the same MA and they decided on the best way to market them. For 26 Ridout Road, it was marketed by the MA from the time the previous tenant pre-terminated in December 2013. The usual methods, as I have outlined above, would have been carried out. However, there were no offers. The MA then decided to undertake some minor works to make the property more presentable to prospective tenants. This was done around late 2016. Thereafter, the property was marketed by the MA again. The usual methods of marketing would have been deployed. The MA had also broadcast the property to their network of private agents who deal with and transact in such properties. For 31 Ridout Road, the MA undertook the usual methods of marketing as I have outlined above. In this case, it chose to list the property on SPIO. In addition, it also granted a local film company access to film an interactive arts performance at the property. This was then used opportunistically to also showcase the property.”
“This practice was implemented following a review in August 2022, taking into account prevailing market conditions at that time. At the material time, in 2018/2019, there was no requirement to list all the properties on SPIO. SLA and its MA had the discretion on whether to list the properties they managed on SPIO. For completeness and context, let me explain SLA's policy and thinking on whether to list its properties on SPIO, driven by the prevailing market conditions. In 2007, experiencing high demand, SLA required open bidding, which, in turn, necessitated listing all residential properties managed by its MAs to be put on SPIO. Later, the market softened. The success rate of residential state properties allocated through open bidding dropped. SLA then adjusted its policy to allow direct letting for specified estates, particularly for those with less than 80% occupancy. SLA's MAs had the discretion to decide how to market the properties which were under their portfolio to maximise outcomes. In August 2022, as the market revived and picked up, SLA reverted to requiring all properties to be listed on SPIO. I should add that these are operational concerns decided by SLA. The usual methods employed by the MAs to market the properties include: (a) listing available properties on property portals; (b) circulating the relevant information through its network of agents; (c) listing on social media as appropriate; and (d) placing "To Lease" or "To Let" signages on the properties themselves. The Ridout Road estate was managed by two professional MAs at the relevant time. Nos 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were managed by the same MA and that was DTZ Facilities and Engineering (S) Limited. They were managing them up to 31 March 2018.”
“It is not uncommon for SLA to become involved in handling the management of a property under an MA's purview, for example, when there are requests beyond the scope of an MA's mandate, for example, when the scope of works to be done exceeds the usual works that would be done by the MA or where discussions arise on issues that the MA does not usually handle, such as privacy, security and other issues. This is when the MA, which serves as the agent, goes back to the principal – in this case, SLA – for directions. When marketing a property, the aim is to maximise occupancy, which the MAs are incentivised to do under the terms of their agreement with SLA. As with all forms of marketing and advertising, it is necessary to adapt the strategy to match prevailing market conditions. The general market practice in the real estate industry is that when market conditions are good and demand exceeds supply, almost all vacant properties will be posted on public platforms. In the case of state properties, this will be the State Property Information Online portal, referred to in its abbreviation as SPIO. This is because in a buoyant market, with strong interest, take-up will be likely. When property market conditions are poor, however, and supply exceeds demand, or if occupancy in certain estates is low, SLA and its MAs would avoid listing all vacant properties online. Listing all properties would result in them visibly competing for the limited demand. This runs the risk of driving the price down, depressing outcomes for the landlord. In respect of property marketing, today, all residential state properties available for rent are listed on SPIO. They are listed for at least 14 days.”
“Various Members of this House, including Mr Louis Chua, Mr Murali Pillai, Mr Don Wee, Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leon Perera have asked about aspects of the process by which SLA manages such leases. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin also asked about SLA's standard tenancy operating procedures. Let me deal with those. Sir, SLA manages land resources for Singapore's economic and social development. Therefore, SLA supports social uses, even whilst it seeks to maximise occupancy of Black and Whites. Managing Black and Whites, like any portfolio of real estate assets, requires an appreciation of market conditions and its dynamics and being adaptable to the demands of the market. In respect of its portfolio of Black and Whites, some properties are managed directly by SLA, and others are managed by MAs. SLA diversifies the management of its portfolio to include private sector MAs as they are professional organisations, experienced in managing properties in the public and private markets. In addition to their expertise, they have their own networks and portals through which they can market the properties that they are managing. This allows SLA to access a wider market. SLA works closely with its MAs, who are incentivised by the terms of the arrangement to maximise occupancy and drive rentals, as well as to reduce costs. The MAs are given a broad discretion to manage the properties, consulting SLA from time to time as may be necessary, depending on the circumstances of each case.”
“Thank you, Sir. Members can also access the handout through the app on their mobile devices. Members will see that this is data available from URA. It shows the rental index from 2015 through to first quarter 2023, roughly by a quarter basis. The demand for leasing generally, and Black and Whites specifically, was much lower at that time in the period 2017 to 2019 compared to today. The occupancy rates of state properties have generally moved in tandem with market conditions. Rents of private detached homes and Black and Whites typically trended in the same direction from 2012 to 2019, though the former plunged more severely from 2020 to third quarter 2022 and recovered more aggressively from late 2022 to 2023. This trend also has a direct correlation to the occupancy rates at the Ridout properties. In January 2018, the occupancy at Ridout Road estate was 71%. This increased to 100% occupancy in January 2022 and has stayed at 100% since that time. In 2019, four tenants, out of 14 Black and Whites in the vicinity, requested to pre-terminate their tenancies. Since 2020, no tenant has requested a pre-termination. When the rents by land area of private detached homes in Good Class Bungalow (GCB) areas are compared against Black and Whites, there is also a significant divergence. The average land area rent per square foot per month for private detached homes in GCB areas is between three and five times higher, compared to the comparable rent by land area for Black and Whites. One reason for this is, of course, the average land area for Black and Whites is usually larger than private detached homes in GCB areas. Sir, with that background, let me turn to the various questions raised on SLA's management of Black and Whites.”
“Pasar malams, also known as trade fairs, are organised by different entities. Each trade fair is different and different considerations go into the tender and other specifications of each fair. Consequently, the costs and proceeds would vary from trade fair to trade fair. ”
“These initiatives are complemented by the National Arts Council and National Heritage Board's ongoing efforts to build capabilities among the arts and cultural organisations, museums, practitioners, as well as volunteers to strengthen inclusive programming. For sporting events organised by Sport Singapore (SportSG) involving individuals with special needs, SportSG ensures that there is a designated calm or quiet room available for participants who may experience sensory overload during the event. SportSG is also in the process of identifying suitable rooms in our existing Sports Centres which can be repurposed into such calm or quiet spaces and training its Sport Centres staff to be equipped to render the necessary support.”
“Our publicly funded arts, heritage and sports facilities allow people from different backgrounds and abilities to come together to create common experiences, develop empathy for one another and build shared memories. We strive to ensure that these cultural and sports facilities are accessible to all Singaporeans, including individuals with sensory needs. Some of our cultural institutions have dedicated sensory rooms and programmes for individuals with sensory needs and we are progressively doing more to ensure our spaces are inclusive. The National Museum of Singapore's (NMS's) Quiet Room, and National Gallery Singapore's (NGS's) Calm Room, are safe spaces for visitors who might experience sensory overload to calm down before resuming their museum visits, particularly individuals on the autism spectrum. NMS has recently launched the Reunion Space and Café, a dedicated social space for seniors, which also has features sensitive to those with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Our cultural institutions work closely with community partners, such as SG Enable, to introduce inclusive programming and initiatives for people with additional needs and their caregivers. NMS opens an hour earlier on selected days monthly, also known as "Quiet Mornings", to allow these visitors to learn about Singapore's heritage in a quieter and calmer environment. Esplanade also presents Relaxed Performances under its PLAYtime! series, with modifications, such as adjusted lightings and sound levels and calm spaces. Both Esplanade and NGS have also worked with the Agency for Integrated Care to become dementia-friendly spaces.”
“The Raikan Cahaya Ramadan 2023 bazaar was organised by One Kampong Gelam, an association comprising businesses and tenants in Kampong Gelam to enliven and promote the district. The bazaar's end date was determined by One Kampong Gelam.”
“NAC will engage and consult stakeholders from the larger busking community on the feasibility of the new ideas and gather their views on the design and implementation.”
“The National Arts Council (NAC) Busking Scheme aims to enliven our city life and energise urban spaces. Today, there are more than 70 designated busking locations islandwide and over 300 licensed buskers performing a variety of art forms, such as music, street theatre and the visual arts. Reflecting a vibrant diversity, the licensed buskers include group and individual performers of different ages and various levels of experience, as well as persons with disabilities. Through live auditions, NAC seeks to provide a fair and level playing field for applicants to enter and remain on the busking scheme and to ensure that buskers are evaluated fairly. The live audition format allows for a robust evaluation of a busker's in-person performance, which takes into account the busker's responsiveness to situations and ability to engage audiences in real-time. Such evaluations have helped ensure the quality of busking performances in our public spaces. With four auditions held in a year, buskers have the flexibility to choose from the different available slots and dates based on their schedules. NAC regularly reviews the busking scheme and seeks feedback from the busking community. NAC is currently studying the feasibility of simplifying the renewal process for buskers with good track records. For instance, by conducting online auditions or reviewing submitted video recordings, while at the same time ensuring that the quality of busking acts and the fairness of the audition process are not compromised. Meanwhile, NAC will continue to conduct live auditions for new and aspiring buskers and keep this avenue open for buskers who are less digitally savvy.”
“The People’s Association (PA) offers a wide range of facilities and services to cater to different needs, as well as provide common spaces for people to connect and build new friendships through a variety of activities. Members of the public are welcome to book the community facilities for their social and recreational activities but are required to state the purpose of their booking on the application form. These forms state that community facilities should not be used for any religious, political and/or unlawful purposes. Should there be any reports of alleged misuse which come to PA’s attention, PA will investigate and take such action as may be appropriate.”
“Whilst a substantial majority of neighbourhood noise feedback occurs in the Housing and Development Board estates today, private estate residents can also avail themselves of various features of the proposed CDMF, such as mandatory mediation and an enhanced CDRT framework, in the appropriate cases. We will also consider the extent to which any other enhancements to the framework can eventually also benefit residents in private estates, with adjustments as may be appropriate. We should add that CDMF should not take away from the community’s capacity to resolve disputes. Hence, the new pilot unit leveraging stronger laws will focus mainly on intervening in serious disputes. What qualifies as serious will be considered on a case-by-case basis, having regard to the context and circumstances in which the dispute has arisen. A public consultation is estimated to take place within the next few months and will elaborate on these proposed criteria and enhancements. Members and the public are welcome to share feedback when the public consultation is launched.”