Gan Kim Yong
Singapore
“Consumer complaints relating to the secondary resale market for tickets to major events and concerts have generally remained low. Nonetheless, to protect the public from scams on secondary ticket resale platforms, the Police have imposed Code of Practice requirements under the Online Criminal Harms Act to require designated online service…”
“Singapore does not condone the use of forced labour. We criminalise forced labour in Singapore under various laws. Relevant Government Ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force, play their part in investigating complaints of suspected breaches in domestic laws that relat…”
“The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) discontinued the PayNow nickname feature as scammers had been exploiting the use of nicknames to impersonate legitimate entities and trusted individuals.”
“As of end-2025, around 6,900 private residential buildings have registered their solar installations with SP Group for the export of excess solar-generated electricity to the grid. The installed solar capacity of these residential buildings is 115.3 megawatt-peak (MWp), or around 5.5% of all current installed solar capacity in Singapore.”
“The one-year pilot extension of liquor trading hours has seen strong interest from businesses. As of 31 May 2026, the Police have approved 88 applications for the extension of liquor trading hours from public entertainment outlets in these areas.”
“The Government does not make projections of domestic or regional demand for renewable diesel or sustainable aviation fuel. Demand depends on commercial considerations, evolving market conditions and regulatory developments across different jurisdictions.”
The complete record
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“My Ministry will continue to work with the relevant Government agencies such as Ministry of National Development (MND) and Ministry of Transport (MOT) to improve safety in tree pruning works along public roads. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS DRAINAGE AT FLOOD-PRONE AREAS 1. Dr Ong Seh Hong asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) when was the drainage system within Eunos, Kembangan, Changi Road and Telok Kurau areas last upgraded; (b) what else can be done to flush stagnant water in the drains in these areas even in dry weather; and (c) will the Ministry consider prioritising its upgrading of the drainage system for these flood prone areas. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: The Eunos, Kembangan, Changi Road and Telok Kurau areas are served by two major canals – Joo Chiat Outlet Drain and Siglap Canal. Joo Chiat Outlet Drain was enlarged in 2005. Work to upgrade a tributary of Siglap Canal, Lorong L Telok Kurau Outlet Drain, is in progress and expected to be completed in early 2011. This will alleviate flooding in the Telok Kurau area. For Lorong 104 to 106 Changi, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) will upgrade two covered sections of the drains within this year. The upgrading of roadside drains at these locations has also been brought forward to the first quarter of 2011 and is expected to be completed in two years. This project will improve the flow of water in the drains, thus alleviating floods in the area and preventing stagnant water from accumulating in the drains. PUB will also continue to conduct weekly inspection and cleansing of the drains to remove debris and flush stagnant water. Notwithstanding the drainage improvement projects, floods could still occur during intense storms as the area is generally low-lying.”
“Recognising that crane operations constitute a significant workplace safety risk, MOM has been working with the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council's National Crane Safety Taskforce since July 2009, to enhance the safety standards involving all lorry crane-related activities. Arising from the work of the taskforce, MOM is working towards mandatory training for all lorry crane operators and is considering the possibility of introducing a licensing scheme for these operators. MOM and the WSH Council will consult the industry on this matter. In response to earlier suggestions to prune trees after bus operating hours (between 1.00 am and 5.00 am), NParks had previously conducted a trial. It was found to be unsuitable as there is reduced visibility at night, which makes it difficult for workers to identify branches which need pruning. Artificial lighting, which casts deep shadows on the underside of the trees, makes pruning work within the tree crown difficult and unsafe. Additional pruning is still needed during the day to prune the outstanding branches missed during the night. Night-time pruning also disturbs the peace and quiet in residential and hotel areas, with noise generated by chainsaws and brightness from intense lighting. Instead of night-time pruning, it is more practical to ensure that tree pruning contractors adhere to safety requirements at all times, and that the operators are well-trained to handle the equipment. For example, NParks, which procures tree pruning services from private contractors, requires these contractors to comply with LTA's Code of Practice for Traffic Control at Work Zones on safety procedures for works carried out on public streets as part of its contractual agreement.”
“The recent accident involving an SBS Transit bus and a lorry crane along Chai Chee Street, which left one commuter dead and eight others injured, was indeed a tragic one. In light of the accident, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), with the relevant agencies, has reviewed the adequacy of safety procedures for roadside works, as well as the training and competency framework for lorry crane operators. Our review has affirmed that on road traffic control for road works, there are already extensive legislation and guidelines under the Street Works (Works on Public Street) Regulations enforced by the Land Transport Authority. To supplement these regulations, LTA also promulgated a Code of Practice for Traffic Control at Work Zones. In 2008, the Workplace Safety and Health Council also issued Guidelines on Landscape and Horticulture Works, specific to the sector. With respect to roadside works, the Guidelines reiterate LTA's regulatory requirements. While the case is still being investigated, joint inspections and operations by MOM and LTA indicate that compliance of these guidelines is not at the level we expect it to be. Areas that require closer attention include adequate demarcation of the worksite and a proper traffic control plan. MOM and LTA will continue to conduct ground enforcement and work with the industry to raise the level of compliance. Secondly, in the area of crane operations, this is regulated under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. It is the employer's duty to ensure that only trained and competent personnel are allowed to operate lorry cranes.”
“Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Finance (a) if he will provide an update on the recommendations of the Economic Strategic Committee (ESC) Report; and (b) what are the major recommendations that have been implemented.”
“For work done in 2009, 314,000 Singaporeans received Workfare Income Supplements. Four-fifths were 45 years or older, while slightly more than one-quarter were aged 60 or older. More than half of the recipients worked in retail and wholesale trade, administrative and support services, hotels and restaurants, construction and personal services. The median gross income of recipients was $822. This was about 1.7% higher than the median gross income of $808 in 2008. For low-wage workers to achieve income security, they must first work regularly. Therefore, the WIS scheme is designed to encourage regular work. Second, once they are in regular work, we should help grow the incomes of low-wage workers by raising their productivity. To this end, we have just introduced the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme to help low-wage workers train and acquire new skills, including basic literacy skills, so that they can earn more. The national effort to raise productivity led by National Productivity and Continuing Education Council will also benefit low-wage workers, as with higher productivity, workers can command higher wages. Mr Omar bin Wahab, aged 66, is an example of someone who has benefited from training. Mr Omar joined the security sector after a career change in 2004. His readiness to pick up new skills enabled him to move into a new industry. He recently completed the Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) in Security and became a security guard supervisor at a condominium. His enthusiasm for upgrading has led to an improvement in his income, previously he earned $1,200 per month; he now earns about $1,400 per month. RECOMMENDATIONS BY ECONOMIC STRATEGIC COMMITTEE (Update on implementation) 33.”
“Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the supply of nearly 16,000 Built-to-Order (BTO) flats will help lower the prevailing Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) amount in the resale market; and (b) besides increasing the number of new flats, what other measures is the Ministry exploring to correct the current imbalance in the HDB resale market.”
“While MOH continues to study and review how Medisave can be used for intermediate and long-term care, the original purpose of Medisave which is to help Singaporeans with their hospitalisation expenses after retirement must be preserved. On the question of mental capacity posed by Mdm Ho Geok Choo, let me explain that we currently allow early withdrawal of CPF monies by members who are permanently incapacitated. Therefore, a member who is mentally disordered and incapable of managing himself has to be shown to be permanently so, to guard against pre-mature withdrawal of his CPF savings. The amendment does not change current policy but preserves the requirement for permanent incapacity. Mdm Ho has also asked how the Board determines permanent lack of capacity. The CPF Board relies on the professional assessment of doctors to ascertain if a member's lack of capacity is likely to be permanent. I believe I have answered most of the questions. Once again, I would like to thank Members in the House for their support of the Bill. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Gan Kim Yong]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." – [Mr Mah Bow Tan]. Adjourned accordingly at Fourteen minutes to Six o'clock pm to a date to be fixed. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER NOT ANSWERED BY 3.00 PM BUILT-TO-ORDER FLATS (Impact of BTO flat supply on resale prices) 17.”
“But going forward, as many of these LAs may move towards an auto-renewal process which does not require an application to be made, this amendment will allow the LAs to continue to enforce the requirement, despite the absence of an application process. I assure Mdm Halimah that CPF Board will provide sufficient notice. It is our practice to send out reminders to self-employed persons six to eight weeks before his licence is due for renewal, so that he can settle any outstanding Medisave liabilities. In addition, the CPF Board reminds self-employed persons annually to make Medisave payments. We will also allow self-employed persons to pay via instalment plans if they require a longer time to settle the arrears. Assoc. Prof. Straughan has asked what other treatment and services are covered by the amendment of section 16A(1). The amendment is not an expansion of the use of Medisave. It is just to align the CPF Act with our current policies on the use of Medisave that are already defined in the CPF regulations. This includes inpatient hospitalisation at acute hospitals, community hospitals and chronic-sick hospitals. It also covers outpatient treatment for cancer, chronic diseases and others. CPF members can already use Medisave for inpatient palliative care in hospices. I understand that the Ministry of Health is working with providers to offer home palliative care services. To better cater for institutional and step-down care, the Medisave withdrawal limits for community hospitals and day rehabilitation centres have been increased since 1st June this year.”
“If they do not respond to these advertisements, the third condition is that there has been no account-activity for 10 years. Mdm Halimah and Ms Sylvia Lim wanted to know what steps the Board will take to locate beneficiaries before funds are transferred to the CPF general fund. The Board does its best to locate the beneficiaries. For example, the Board will send letters of enquiry to the person who had notified the Board of the member's death. The Board will also go through its own records as well as residential listings to track down these beneficiaries. If necessary, the Board will publish the case on the Ministry of Finance (MOF) unclaimed monies website for one year, and also place advertisements in the local newspapers calling for beneficiaries to come forward and claim the monies. Mdm Halimah asked about the status of monies which will be transferred to the general monies of the fund. Let me clarify that the objective of the transfer is to consolidate the monies for ease of management. The general monies will remain as part of the overall Central Provident Fund. What is more important is that valid claimants can still approach CPF Board at any time, even after the seven years to claim the monies including interest. That means the monies will be returned to the member's account with interest. On Mdm Halimah's comments on Medisave contributions for self-employed persons, let me first clarify that this amendment extends the powers of non-renewal to cases where licences can be automatically renewed without application. Today, the way the Act is drafted, it requires an application to be made, so that the licensing authority (LA) can reject the application.”
“The CPF Board has a member education programme which promotes retirement planning. The Board produces education materials and runs events such as talks for CPF members reaching 55 years of age to promote these messages. The Board also has a dedicated financial planning website, IM$avvy. The Board is also an active member of MoneySENSE, the National Financial Education Programme, led by MAS. The Board will continue to help its members plan for their retirement. I will now address Mdm Halimah's queries on disbursement of CPF assets to beneficiaries. In the last five years, the CPF Board has been able to locate and make payment to nominees in 98% of all such cases. Two percent of the cases remain outstanding, despite the Board's efforts to locate the nominees and disburse the monies. These include cases when nominees either did not respond to the CPF Board letters or could not be located because of insufficient or inaccurate information provided by the member on the nomination form, or some nominees might have relocated overseas. Over the last few years, we have on average about 280 cases of beneficiaries not coming forward to claim the monies of deceased members, involving about $2.4 million each year. As for Mdm Halimah's question on when a member will be considered dormant, I have explained that in my earlier speech. Firstly, this is if the record shows that the member has attained a prescribed age, which is now set at 100 years. For some who live beyond 100 years, there is a second condition, and that is if the member has not responded to any notices that the Board has sent to them or advertisements that we placed in newspapers to ask them to come forward.”
“Hence, it is necessary and appropriate for CPF LIFE to similarly take in such additional monies in the Retirement Account between age 55 and DDA. This intention is not new. This intention was also stated clearly in the report of the National Lifelong Income Committee in 2008. We had not amended the Act for this purpose last year, because the earlier amendments last year were meant to facilitate older members to opt-in. It was meant as an opt-in scheme. As it is an opt-in scheme, the second premium was incorporated as part of the scheme design. So it was already in the CPF LIFE scheme for the opt-in cohort. Now we are making this amendment in the Act to build it in as a feature for the auto-included cohort. I agree with Mdm Ho Geok Choo that public education is important to help members understand how to select the plans. Since last September, the CPF Board has sent direct mailers to every eligible opt-in member with information on CPF LIFE. The Board has also reached out through various media channels, the CPF website as well as regular talks and roadshows on CPF LIFE. Members can also approach the CPF Board directly for help and advice. When choosing a plan, members should consider whether they prefer to have a higher payout and provide less for their beneficiaries when they pass on, or they prefer to leave more for their beneficiaries and accept a lower payout. These are trade-offs for them to decide. Once they have decided, they should then select the CPF LIFE plan that would best suit their needs and criteria. We have simplified CPF LIFE into four plans. Many members have found the materials provided to them helpful in understanding and selecting the plans. I also agree with Mdm Ho on the importance of helping Singaporeans plan for retirement.”
“Secondly, the Government provides the L-Bonus, or CPF LIFE bonus of up to $4,000 for those born before 1963, to help them to have more savings for CPF LIFE. Thirdly, we have gradually liberalised the minimum sum topping-up scheme over the years, so that by now, besides family members, even employers and friends can also top up the Retirement Accounts of members with low balances. During the Second Reading of the CPF Act last July, Assoc. Prof. Straughan had suggested introducing a GIRO system to facilitate top-up for CPF members. She will be happy to know that we have taken her suggestion on board and CPF Board has started offering this service since April this year. All these measures will help CPF members increase their retirement savings in order to participate in CPF LIFE. The rationale behind having the second auto-inclusion at the Draw-Down Age that Mdm Halimah asked about is to help include those who have missed auto-inclusion at age 55, but who have accumulated more savings by their Draw-Down Age. For the first auto-included CPF LIFE cohort, the participation rate among active members is projected to increase from 70% to over 80% with auto-inclusion at the Draw-Down Age. Mdm Halimah and Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the additional premium at Draw-Down Age (DDA) for those who are already participating in CPF LIFE. Let me clarify, this is no different from the current practice under the Minimum Sum Scheme, where all the balances in the Retirement Account, up to the minimum sum, will have to be set aside until DDA, including contributions and interests received between age 55 and DDA. The member will then receive a payout for 20 years from DDA, under the Minimum Sum Scheme.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I want to thank Mdm Ho Geok Choo, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mdm Halimah Yacob and Assoc. Prof. Paulin Straughan for their support of the Bill. Let me respond to their comments and questions. Assoc. Prof. Straughan asked about those who might not have $40,000 in the CPF Retirement Account. Currently, two-thirds of all working age resident CPF members are active members. The CPF Board projects that for the first auto-inclusion cohort in 2013, around 70% of active members will have at least $40,000 in their retirement savings account. Therefore, all these will be auto-included in CPF LIFE. This ratio will improve and become higher for younger cohorts, because they would have a longer time to accumulate savings and benefit from interest income. However, Assoc. Prof. Straughan may be under the impression that there is a minimum savings level in the Retirement Account to qualify for CPF LIFE. I assure her that this is not so. Let me reiterate that there is no minimum balance needed to qualify to participate in CPF LIFE. Members with lower CPF balances can still opt-in to the scheme, as I mentioned in my Second Reading speech. On top of that, we have several schemes to help members with low balances. First, we help them work and save more. The Workfare Income Supplement scheme encourages older low-wage workers to continue to work and to save for their retirement. We are also introducing re-employment legislation which was highlighted by my colleague, Minister Lim Boon Heng earlier today. This will also encourage them and provide more opportunities for older workers to continue working to build up their retirement savings.”
“Madam, the amendments in this Bill will refine the CPF system to better serve our members. On this note, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move. Question proposed. 5.14 pm”
“The changes relating to unclaimed CPF monies and SDS will come into effect on 1st January 2011. Streamlining the administration of the CPF Act Finally, this Bill clarifies and streamlines the administration of the CPF Act in a few areas. First, it is a long-standing practice of the Public Trustee, which disburses CPF monies of deceased members without nomination, to reimburse reasonable funeral expenses from the CPF monies to persons who would have been entitled to receive the CPF monies. Section 25 will be amended to formalise this administrative practice that the Public Trustee has been carrying out as a service. Second, some Licensing Agencies (LAs) currently assist the CPF Board in enforcing Medisave contributions by self-employed persons (SEPs). The LAs will not approve the applications for renewal of their licences, should they default on their contributions. As some LAs may move to an auto-renewal licensing regime and self-employed persons may no longer need to apply for the renewal of their licences, section 13A(1) will be amended to empower such LAs to continue enforcing Medisave contributions, even when no application to renew a licence is required. Third, the Board allows the withdrawal of CPF monies of a member who is "mentally disordered and incapable of managing himself". Sections 2 and 15 will be amended to allow the CPF Board to adopt the standard of "lack of capacity" within the meaning of section 4 of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) to bring the CPF Act into alignment with MCA. Lastly, section 16A(1) will be amended to permit Medisave withdrawals with respect to psychiatric and other treatment or services approved by the Minister for Health. This will update the CPF Act and bring it in line with the current policy.”
“CPF members purchased these shares with their OA monies. We will also streamline the administration of unclaimed SDS by amending section 26. To reduce the number of unclaimed SDS cases, a new section 26A will empower CPF Board to sell the SDS of members who died without nomination under the instruction of the legal representatives of the deceased’s estate, and to pay them the proceeds of the sale, along with any dividends and proceeds from capital reduction exercises accumulated following the members' demise. These legal representatives refer to the representatives appointed to administer the estate through the Grant of Probate or the Letter of Administration. In the absence of such legal representatives, the CPF Board may receive instruction from the next-of-kin to sell the shares and pay him the proceeds. This will be less costly and more convenient for the beneficiaries as they no longer need to obtain the Grant of Probate or Letter of Administration in order to claim the SDS. Upon a member’s death, dividends and proceeds from his unclaimed SDS will be held in a non-interest bearing account. Since these dividends and proceeds are received on assets held on behalf of beneficiaries as part of the member’s estate, they should not attract CPF interest. The same treatment will be applied to the SDS of members whose accounts have been deemed dormant. Unclaimed SDS of members who have been deceased or dormant for seven years will be sold with all proceeds and dividends transferred to the general monies of the Fund to ease management and treated as unclaimed CPF monies, as I explained earlier. I want to assure the House that valid claimants can approach the CPF Board at any time to claim the monies that are due to them.”
“The deceased member’s CPF monies will be kept in their respective accounts to facilitate claims up to six months after his demise, as some claims, such as hospital bills, are usually made only after his demise. If monies are still left unclaimed seven years after the member’s death, these monies will be transferred into the general monies of the Fund, as unclaimed monies of deceased members should not accrue interest indefinitely. Section 6 will be amended to provide for the cessation of interest on the unclaimed monies once they are transferred to the general monies of the Fund. A similar arrangement will also be applied to dormant CPF accounts. A CPF account is deemed dormant if a combination of factors is satisfied, including: firstly, if the CPF records show that the member has attained a prescribed age; currently, that is set to 100 years. Of course, I know, some do live beyond 100 years and, therefore, there are additional conditions that have to be satisfied. Secondly, if the member does not respond to notices from the CPF Board or advertisements placed in the newspapers to satisfy the CPF Board that he is still alive. Thirdly, if there has been no account activity for the last 10 years. Even then, in the event that the CPF Board subsequently learns that a dormant member is still alive, the CPF Board will restore the monies to the member’s original accounts with interest. The amendments to section 13 enable the CPF Board to do so. Besides CPF monies, the CPF Board is also currently obliged to hold unclaimed Special Discounted Shares (SDS) of members who died without nomination. The SDS programme was introduced under the National Share Ownership Scheme in 1993 to give Singaporeans a greater stake in the economy.”
“Currently, CPF savings have to be disbursed directly to the nominees upon the death of a member. Some members have requested for their CPF savings to be transferred directly to their nominees’ CPF accounts instead so as to help provide for their healthcare and retirement needs. I think this is a sensible request. Therefore, sections 15, 20 and 25 will be amended to offer members this option. This option will become available from 1st January 2011 onwards. Madam, the next area of change concerns unclaimed CPF monies. This includes monies of deceased members which have not been claimed by the beneficiaries, which the CPF Board is currently required to hold indefinitely. This is not desirable as the assets should be disbursed to beneficiaries as far as possible. We are, therefore, amending sections 15 and 20 to allow the CPF Board to automatically disburse a member’s CPF monies to his nominees, once it is notified of his demise. CPF Board will no longer need to wait for nominees to apply for the bequeathed monies before they can be disbursed. Nevertheless, some CPF monies may continue to remain unclaimed for various reasons, for example, nominees with incomplete or inaccurate details on record may not be contactable. We will streamline how such CPF monies are managed. The amendment to section 13 will allow CPF to transfer all unclaimed monies in the subsidiary accounts into the Ordinary Account (OA) of the member six months after his death and they will earn the OA interest rate. Since the member has passed on, we should cease paying the higher interest rates of the Special, Medisave and Retirement Accounts and the extra 1% interest, which are meant to improve the member's retirement and healthcare savings.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Madam, this Bill will amend the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Act to provide for the full implementation of the CPF LIFE scheme in 2013, and to facilitate the disbursement of CPF assets to beneficiaries, as well as to streamline the administration of the CPF. CPF LIFE CPF LIFE was made available in September last year to allow older members, in this case those who turn 55 before 2013, to opt in to the scheme. Younger members turning 55 from 2013 onwards with at least $40,000 in their Retirement Accounts will automatically be included into CPF LIFE. While members with lower balances will not be automatically included, they can still opt-in. Between age 55 and their CPF Draw-Down Age (DDA), members’ CPF balances typically continue to grow due to property refunds, top-ups, interest income as well as employment contribution if the member continues to work. Members who are not auto-included at age 55 due to low balances may be able to increase their CPF savings significantly by the time they reach their DDA. I had announced at the Committee of Supply (COS) debate earlier this year that we will also auto-include those with $60,000 in their Retirement Accounts when they reach DDA. Section 27K of the CPF Act will be amended to provide for this. For members who are already on CPF LIFE before DDA, we should similarly include any additional monies received in their Retirement Accounts between age 55 and their DDA for the members’ CPF LIFE, so that they can have a higher monthly LIFE income. We are, therefore, amending section 27L to do so. Disbursement of CPF assets to beneficiaries Madam, we are also refining the disbursement of CPF assets of deceased members.”
“The eight Sarawakians involved in the violent robbery at the Kallang area were all issued with valid work permits. Five were working as cleaners, while the other three were working as a labourer, a technician and a delivery man. All had been working in Singapore for a period of several years, ranging from between one and six years. APPENDICES”
“Under the Retirement Age Act (RAA), the retirement age of an employee shall be not less than 62 years of age unless they are exempted from the provisions of the Act. Employees who are currently exempted from the provisions of the RAA include foreign employees on work passes, employees whose job requirements are physically demanding, and employees on retirement benefit schemes introduced before the enactment of the RAA in 1993, which allow employees to retire and receive their retirement benefits earlier than the minimum statutory retirement age. This includes some employees in petroleum companies who could receive their retirement benefits at their contractual retirement age. Notwithstanding this, many of these employees are offered re-employment by their companies if they meet certain criteria. As we prepare for the introduction of re-employment legislation to be in place in 2012, MOM is also reviewing these exemptions with the view to allow more employees to enjoy re-employment opportunities. As part of the review process, MOM will also consult the unions and employers to ensure that their views and inputs are taken into consideration. VIOLENT THEFT IN KALLANG INVOLVING SARAWAKIANS 12. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Manpower with regard to the Sarawakians accused of committing violent theft in Kallang, (a) whether each of them was in Singapore on a valid work permit, and if so, for what occupations; and (b) how long they had been working in Singapore before the incidents.”
“Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Manpower with the introduction of the re-employment legislation, whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the exemption clauses under the existing law which allows employers to retire their employees before the official retirement age, especially in the petroleum sector where some employees are retired at the age of 55 years.”
“The requirements governing foreign worker housing are stated clearly on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website, for the easy reference of employers as well as owners and operators of foreign worker housing. There is therefore no need for a unified code. The Foreign Worker Housing Coordinating Committee, co-chaired by MOM and the Ministry of National Development (MND), coordinates proactive enforcement efforts by government agencies with respect to foreign worker housing. Since 2009, over 20,000 foreign workers have been re-located to acceptable housing. Over the same period, enforcement action was taken against over 2,000 employers for breach of work permit conditions to provide acceptable housing and over 700 owners and operators of illegal dormitories for breach of land use rules. More than 1,000 fines were issued for fire safety and environmental health violations. These were the result of inspections by MOM and agencies such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and the National Environment Agency (NEA). These efforts have produced positive outcomes. MOM received 22% fewer complaints about unacceptable foreign worker housing in the second half of 2009, compared to the first half of 2009. The number of these complaints further decreased by another 28% in the first half of 2010. The relevant Government agencies will continue to coordinate efforts to proactively detect and act against parties who breach the foreign worker housing requirements. REVIEW OF EARLY RETIREMENT IN LIGHT OF RE-EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION 11.”
“Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether he can provide an update on the Ministry's plans to coordinate with other Government agencies on enforcement efforts pertaining to migrant worker housing; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider the introduction of a unified code of rules to govern this area.”
“The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) works with the Ministry of National Development, Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on the supply of housing for foreign workers (FWs). MOM also works with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), and the National Environment Agency (NEA) to conduct housing inspections and take joint enforcement action against parties responsible for the illegal housing of FWs. Since 2009, MOM has taken enforcement action against more than 1,800 employers, and decanted more than 21,000 FWs from unacceptable housing. This includes workers who were housed in private apartments and landed housing premises. MOM had also put up posters at private residential premises that have been used repeatedly as illegal workers' quarters to notify the public and prospective tenants that the sites cannot be used as workers' quarters. This initiative has been successful, as majority of such premises have not been reactivated as FW housing. MOM's targeted enforcement approach against areas with clusters of illegal FW housing has also resulted in the reduction of FWs being housed illegally. Foreign workers were educated on Singapore laws and social norms through guidebooks, training courses and regular road shows, to minimise potential social disamenities. In addition, uniformed Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) and Security Officers (SOs) have been deployed in locations with high concentrations of FWs, since early 2009. This has been well-received by residents and the number of FW-related complaints have been reduced. FOREIGN WORKER HOUSING 10.”
“When a CPF member turns 55, his Special and Ordinary Accounts balances will be transferred to his Retirement Account to make up his Minimum Sum. Therefore the 0.5% increase in Special Account contributions will help members meet their Minimum Sum requirement. The other 0.5% increase in Medisave contribution will help a member attain the Medisave Minimum Sum, which will cater for member's healthcare costs in retirement. If Medisave balances reach the Medisave Contribution Ceiling, which is set $5,000 above the Medisave Minimum Sum, the excess contributions will be channelled to a member's Special Account or Retirement Account which will again help members meet their Minimum Sum requirement. ACTION AGAINST UNAUTHORISED FLYERS 41. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for National Development given the increasing nuisance of flyers being pasted/left by the various vendors at HDB flats (a) will the Ministry be taking action against these vendors to stop them from defacing public property; (b) what is the remedy for HDB residents when flyers are stuck on their doors or iron-grille gates; and (c) whether the Ministry will direct property broking firms to look at other alternative means of advertising their services instead of distributing unsolicited flyers and pamphlets.”
“Mr Calvin Cheng asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports given the recent announcements of mega churches being involved in property investment and development, what regulations will be put in place to ensure that religious institutions do not abuse their charitable status to dabble in commercial interests.”
“Employers are obligated to contribute to the CPF of their workers. Defaults by employers will adversely affect their employees' CPF savings. There are stiff penalties for non-compliance, including fines and punitive interest on unpaid contributions. CPF Board conducts checks on employers to enforce against non-payment. It also follows up on complaints received. CPF Board tracks, on a monthly basis, the number of employers who owe CPF for at least two consecutive months. Last year, there were 5,733 such employers, or about 5% of all active employers. However, the majority of these employers have paid up their arrears. As of end December 2009, 573 remained in arrears, and the outstanding CPF contribution they owed totalled $3.3 million and affected about 3,500 employees. Most late payment cases were compounded, with 271 employers being eventually convicted in court in 2009 for failing to pay CPF contributions. Such employers often cite poor business or cash flow problems as reasons for failing to pay CPF on time. CPF Board also conducts audits and investigations on under-payment and non-payment of CPF. In 2009, such investigations uncovered about 3,000 errant employers, or about .6% of all active employers, and about 7,500 affected employees. CPF Board's intervention efforts led to the recovery of $30.4 million in unpaid CPF from these employers. CPF Board also regularly conducts briefings and seminars for both employers and employees to help them better understand their rights and obligations. In addition, through tripartite efforts, 24,000 informal workers were converted to formal employment, enabling them to receive CPF regularly. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS' INVOLVEMENT IN COMMERCIAL INTERESTS 31.”
“To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what lessons can be drawn from the teething problems at the Integrated Resorts so as to safeguard Singapore's reputation as a top hub for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). 12. Mr Calvin Cheng asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Integrated Resorts (IRs) are merely keeping to the letter rather than the spirit of the requirement for the IRs to have a significant area of non-gaming facilities, when presently the casinos are fully functional but a significant proportion of their hotel rooms and entertainment facilities are not fully ready.”
“The effort to drive productivity is an urgent one. We have seen productivity decline over the last few years. In fact, during the recession in 2009, productivity took a further dive. So it is important for us to send the right message to our companies, to take advantage of the various schemes we have put in place to invest in productivity. From the Ministry of Manpower's point of view, we will provide the necessary training as well as consultancy services to our various schemes, through SPRING and so on, to help companies adjust. There will be companies which face manpower pressure, partly because they might have lost Singaporean or local workers, and as a result, their available quota might have been reduced, because they have fewer local workers now. There may be companies who are applying for foreign workers, but their candidates do not satisfy our criteria because, as I have said, we have improved and stepped up the skills criteria for foreign workers. It is important for these employers to look for better quality candidates when they apply for work permits or S passes. For specific cases, Members can refer them to me and I will look into them to see whether there are reasons that they were rejected. I would use my best endeavour to explain what the reasons are and see whether we can help companies adjust to this new paradigm of driving economic growth through productivity and innovation, rather than through labour force expansion. SINGAPORE AS HUB FOR MEETINGS, INCENTIVES, CONVENTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS The following Question stood in the name of Mdm Ho Geok Choo – 11.”
“In addition, MOM has stepped up enforcement to prevent circumvention of our foreign manpower regulatory framework. Now that the economy is recovering strongly, we can expect the labour market to tighten. I urge companies, especially those which are highly dependent on foreign workers, to act now to improve productivity rather than continue to rely on low-cost, low-skilled labour inputs. Many initiatives were announced in Budget 2010 to help companies streamline their business processes, improve their products and services, explore new markets, and upgrade the skills of their workforce. Companies should take full advantage of these initiatives to invest early in productivity-enhancing measures and develop a competitive advantage to achieve sustainable growth in the long term.”
“Our strategy in dealing with the recession was to help businesses stay afloat and retain the capabilities as well as to help workers keep their jobs and upgrade their skills. We did this by leveraging on the strong support from our Tripartite Partners and through the Resilience Package as well as SPUR. The strategy has proven to be effective. We have kept unemployment low and helped the economy to rebound strongly. This year, we expect the economy to grow between 7% and 9%. However, going forward, we need to make a decisive shift towards innovation and productivity rather than to rely on labour force growth to drive economic growth. For this reason, we will raise the foreign worker levy to moderate companies’ dependence and reliance on foreign manpower and encourage them to invest in productivity. To give companies time to adjust, these increases will be implemented in gradual steps starting from 1st July this year. We have not adjusted the overall dependency ratios. The current dependency ratios are carefully calibrated to strike a balance between moderating demand for foreign workers and allowing growth companies room to expand. There is, therefore, no need to tweak the overall dependency ratios for now. As part of our efforts to improve productivity, we need to raise the skills criteria of our foreign workforce. For example, we recalibrated the S Pass criteria last year so that only the more experienced and qualified applicants would be eligible. During my Ministry’s COS debate earlier this year, I announced that there will be greater differentiation in levy rates between skilled and unskilled work permit holders to encourage companies to hire the better skilled ones. The criteria for skilled work permit holders have also been refined.”
“Sir, with your permission, I will take Question Nos 9 and 10 together.”
“They have retained them, to retain the experience and expertise within the companies. There are employers who are errant and we will deal with them jointly with our tripartite partners. As I explained, there are cases that we actually would insist on a reinstatement or compensation to be paid to the affected workers. SKILLS ACCOUNT FOR LIFELONG LEARNING 14. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Manpower in light of the Ministry's announcement during Budget 2010 on the establishment of a Skills Account based on the UK model to promote a lifelong learning culture, when will this Skills Account be set up and what form will it take.”
“Sir, the nature of work in the labour market is quite varied. There will be occasions where certain employees and workers were engaged for a fixed term of employment, related to certain specific projects. When the projects are completed, employers will have to release the workers because these workers were employed for specific purposes. So the Act does exempt contracts of shorter duration of up to two years. But at the same time, when complaints are received by the Ministry, we will look at the nature of the complaints. We will also examine the practices of the employer to detect whether there are signs of discrimination. We will also look at the circumstances surrounding the dismissal or the termination of contract, whether it is based on age, or a valid reason for the termination, such as performance or upon completion of a project, or disciplinary action. We do take into account various factors to ensure that these older workers are fairly treated. The objective is to ensure that there are opportunities for older workers to continue to work. We will encourage employers to work with us through our tripartite efforts and TAFEP. We will provide assistance and advise employers when they are unsure if their practices are deemed to be acceptable or discriminatory. If we continue to educate the employers, over the long term, the employers will be able to benefit from this pool of workers that is available as our manpower resources. From our experience during the recession, we have seen that the employment rate of older workers has been maintained at 57.2%, despite the general slowdown in economy and rise in unemployment rate. This speaks well of our employers who are able to appreciate the value of experienced workers.”
“I would like to encourage employers to tap on the resources and work with TAFEP to build inclusive workplaces for employees of all ages.”
“Sir, under the Retirement Age Act, it is an offence for an employer to dismiss an employee who is below the statutory retirement age of 62 years on the ground of age. An employee who is so dismissed can make an appeal to the Minister for Manpower. If the employer is found to have unlawfully dismissed the employee on the ground of age, the Minister may order the employer to reinstate the employee in his former employment or pay compensation. Employers generally comply with the law and will not dismiss an employee on the ground of age. Hence, complaints of violations of such nature are very few. In the past three years, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) received a total of six complaints of such a nature. Of the six complaints received, three were resolved amicably following conciliation by MOM, with the complainants either being reinstated or granted payment by their employers. For the remaining three cases, two had no valid grounds and were rejected, and in one case, the employer was ordered to compensate the employee. Employees who experience age discrimination at the workplace can also seek advice and assistance from the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP), of which Mdm Halimah is a co-chair. TAFEP will advise the employers on the appropriate practices and employers approached by TAFEP generally accept its advice and change their practices. TAFEP has also been proactively engaging employers to promote employment practices that are fair and merit-based, including age-friendly practices. Resources available to employers include training programmes for supervisors on managing mature workers and publications on companies’ best practices.”
“If we slow down, the economy will slow down and there will be less to share. To answer Mr Low's point on productivity growth, the ultimate objective is to benefit local workers – Singaporeans – so that they see improvement in their wages. That is stated in the ESC report and also repeated by Minister for Finance during his Budget speech. But in order for us to do so, we have to ensure that local workers' productivity will improve. At the same time, we cannot ignore the foreign workers. They must also improve in order for the whole economy to progress and achieve sustainable inclusive growth.”
“Sir, the point of productivity drive is to achieve sustainable inclusive growth, rather than expanding total labour force. We have to drive it through productivity improvement. Therefore it is important for us to raise the productivity of the entire economy. We have to mobilise the whole nation, everyone included. We have to bear in mind that foreign workers today constitute about one-third of our overall labour force. It is like a space shuttle. A space shuttle has three booster engines. If we switch off one engine and run only on two – ie, the local workforce of two million – I think the shuttle will be much slower. It may not be able to run properly and if it is not balanced, it may just run around in circles. I think it is important for us to bear in mind that we have three engines; that we must have all three engines firing so that the shuttle can go as fast as it can. This one-third of foreign workers in Singapore must also continue to raise their productivity. Otherwise, we will see that the local workforce will raise the productivity, but one-third of the foreign labour force will remain where they are today. The economy will then be lopsided and we will not be able to realise the full potential of our productivity improvement. Therefore it is important for us to bear in mind that as we raise the productivity of local workers, we must also make sure our foreign workforce's quality and productivity will also be improved. If we are able to achieve this and the economy is growing strongly, the businesses are doing well, we have productivity growth, high value-added businesses, then we will have a lot more to share. Singaporeans – our own local workers – will then be able to benefit from this growth.”
“But it is better for the respective parent Ministry or host Ministry to look at these issues separately and see how best they can help these organisations cope with challenges, not just foreign worker levy, but many other challenges as we move ahead.”
“Sir, as I mentioned in my speech yesterday, we will engage the various industries to explain to them the levy changes and to understand better what are their challenges. I will hesitate to make too many exceptions, because once it is considered that one particular sector has special requirements, I am sure that there will be many sectors that say that they are equally deserving of special consideration. It is probably better for us to maintain the foreign worker levy framework as a macro- and broad-based system that applies to all industries and sectors. We have differentiation between broad sectors – construction, marine process, manufacturing and services. But within those sectors, while each industry has its own peculiar requirements, it is better to leave it to the various industry champions. For example, for the tourism-related hospitality industries in need of special help and support, STB will be able to look at what other ways they can help them by giving them support incentives, grants as well as training programmes. Similiarly, construction sector has its own different requirements and the Ministry of National Development will also have programmes to help them. For the volunteering sector, for example, it would be better for the Ministry of Health for the health-related organisations, or MCYS to look at how they can more directly, help and support these organisations to achieve the Ministries' respective objectives. This is better managed that way. 2.15 pm I understand that different industries, businesses or organisations will face different challenges.”
“So it is important for us to work together to ensure the economy grows strongly and jobs are created, both for the young as well as the old. We will ensure that we put in place measures to help older workers to remain employable and to continue to improve their employability so that they can remain productive.”
“Sir, the tripartite partners have been working very closely over the last two to three years in profiling our older workforce and presenting the values that older workers offer, including experience. In fact, many of the older workers are very patient and they become very good mentors to help the younger workers acquire skills and settle into their new jobs. Older workers have value and we are working together with the tripartite partners to promote them and to make employers more aware of the contributions of older workers. I am quite encouraged by the employment statistics in 2009, despite the economic downturn. Employment rate of older workers, age 55 to 64 has remained at 57.4%. This is despite the fact that the overall employment rate has softened because of the recession. This goes to show that our employers actually do value older workers. I am encouraged and confident that when we introduce re-employment legislation, employers would continue to support this move. We will continue to monitor the employment rate of workers that are nearing age 62 when re-employment kicks in. In fact, we are monitoring employment rate of those who are 40 years old. If they are out of job between 40 and 50 years old, they would not be there by 50 years old and 62 years old. We are monitoring what we call, mature workers. They are not old yet, they are just mature and maturing. So we will monitor the employment rate to ensure that they stay employed. The real strategy is to ensure our economy continues to grow and there will continue to be new job opportunities created for both the old and the young. Otherwise, the companies will be facing tremendous pressure to keep their cost low to survive when the economy is not growing.”
“Mr Chairman, I will respond in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] I would like to thank Mr Ang Mong Seng for these questions. During the debate of Ministry of National Development’s Budget, the Minister has already mentioned how to improve the productivity in the construction industry. In the next few years, a substantial sum of money will be invested to improve the productivity in the construction industry. As I said earlier when answering Ms Jessica Tan’s question, the transformation of our construction industry does not mean 10 foreign workers will be replaced by 10 local workers. If that is the case, the process is not changed and there will be no increase in productivity. We have to find other ways, such as automation, mechanisation and the use of pre-fabrication technology, to increase the productivity. If we can do so, then we will not have to depend so much on foreign workers and there will still be savings and productivity enhancement even with the increased foreign worker levy. In addition, the Ministry of National Development has launched schemes to attract more Singaporeans to join the construction industry to do high value-added jobs such as supervisors or high skilled workers. Singaporeans should be able to undertake such jobs. The Ministry has a series of packages to attract Singaporeans into the industry.”
“Sir, I hope that answers the Member's question. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan: Sir, I have two clarifications for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. His response was so refreshing. It is good to hear of these progressive employers who have augmented benefits for the employees. May I suggest that MOM gives these employers more presents and publicity, so that potential employees can seek them out and it will be a win-win situation for all of us? My second clarification has to do with the FDW response. I am glad to note that we have good processes in place to protect the FDWs. That is a decent and right thing to do. My question is on the recourse that employers can take if they find themselves stuck with a poor fit but they face barriers for termination or transfer because the agencies are not willing to honour the contract. What can these employers do?”
“For the others, we require them to have either a skills evaluation test certificate from ITE or an assessment certificate from WDA. So there is a criteria framework for skills definition for purposes of skilled levy. But having said that, these skills criteria will also change over time. Not only they are different from sector to sector, they also will change over time. As we move towards different business, we need to have different definitions. For example, recently, we introduced the English language proficiency requirement for certain services industries' foreign workers to qualify for skilled levy, particularly in hospitality. In the middle of last year, we also tightened the skills requirement for S Passes. So from time to time, we will need to continue to tighten these skills requirements. As to the suggestion of testing foreign worker skills before they come to Singapore, the construction sector already does that. They have set up training centres as well as testing centres overseas. Because in the construction sector, the skills required are quite well-defined. So it is easier for them to do so. But for different business and industries, say, for example the services sector, because it is so diverse and it is very difficult for us to have a single point of training or certification. Workers also come from quite a variety of sources. So it is better to leave this for the employers to decide how best to do so. We provide some guidelines on the test and requirements for the test so that the employers, if they need, they can always set up some arrangements with the agents overseas to provide prior training or testing before they come. But the official testing should be done in Singapore so as to ensure the integrity of the test results.”
“Sir, with regard to the change in the construction foreign worker levy, I should explain that, currently, in the construction sector, there are not many unskilled workers, because most of them are required to have some basic skills before they are allowed to work on a worksite. In fact, we are going to remove the entire unskilled category, and therefore, we are going to eliminate the levy rate for unskilled workers. So the new term, "basic skilled" workers are the skilled workers today. In fact, the Ministry of National Development is going to create another category higher than "basic skilled", which requires even more skills and experience to qualify for the skilled levy. In other words, it is not a reduction in the levy but, in fact, it is an increase, because we should really compare the new "basic skilled" levy with the skilled levy today. So there is an increase. We want to encourage construction workers to continue to upgrade their skills and the sector as a whole, improve their productivity level. The Member also asked about the definition of "skills" and how we can test them better. I think it is very difficult to have an academic definition of skills, because skills, as I have mentioned just now in my reply to Mdm Halimah Yacob, have got to be related to the work that they do. They must have an impact on the outcome of work performance and they will vary from sector to sector. The construction sector, for example, has its own set of criteria. The manufacturing sector also has its own set of criteria for skilled workers, in particular, for the foreign worker's definition. In the manufacturing sector, we require them to have at least a SPM qualification for those who come from traditional sources.”
“Sir, I would encourage employers, big or small, to tap on our programmes, like the WTS that we recently announced. We will also find ways to customise our training programmes to suit different employer profiles. So, if you need the workers to work in the daytime, make time for them to go for training after work-hours. So for our training programmes, especially in our structured training programme, Workfare Skill-Up, we will customise our programme so that we can suit the different profiles of our employers' and employees' needs. We will also be talking about instituting training-in-place, at the worksite where they are working, so as to minimise disruption to work and reduce the time taken to travel from workplace to training place. We will try our best to make it as convenient as possible for both the workers as well as the employers. But, ultimately, workers and employers themselves must take responsibility of their training outcomes. Sir, I will leave the third question to my Senior Parliamentary Secretary to answer.”
“Sir, I will keep my reply short. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked about the link between training, career progression and career prospects. Sir, I would like to stress that this is precisely the reason why we have to ensure that our training is outcome-based. We want to encourage our workers to go for training that are relevant to their work outcome. Some of them may have unrealistic expectations. They may expect to be promoted immediately after training. But I would encourage them to be patient and work with us. In fact, today, we have set up a system where we help to profile the workers, understand their skills and career paths, and help them to design training programmes that would suit them and that would enhance their capability in their job. So the whole idea is, hopefully, we will be able to help them do their job better or help them to be able to take on better jobs. These are the outcomes that we want to put into our training programmes. It is also for that reason that we engage the industry players very closely so that in the process of developing these training programmes, we ensure that they remain relevant to the industry and the skills that we impart are valued by the employers. On the second point which is also a related point, that is, how do we encourage smaller companies to also send their workers for training, given that they have very limited resources. First, I think I should stress that sending workers for training is the responsibility of the employers. The Government can help, support and provide the programmes and incentive schemes, like the Workfare Training Scheme (WTS) that we just announced yesterday. But, ultimately, employers must take responsibility for the outcome of raising productivity, by training their workers.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2010/2011, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”