Gerald Giam Yean Song
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. The focus of my supplementary question will be on the film classification guidelines, which currently state that, quote, "Chinese films meant for theatrical release should generally be in Mandarin, in line with the Speak Mandarin Campaign.”
“Mr Speaker, we cannot allow physical infrastructure expansion to blind us to the shifting digital geography of global trade nor should we allow frontier technology to reduce the economic agency of our transport workers.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his replies. I understand the difficulty in getting the exact numbers. But is there an order of magnitude that the Government can provide as to how many such fees were collected and what is the total quantum? Just an order of magnitude, does not have to be an exact number.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Ng Chee Meng for acknowledging my OJT proposal. I am aware of the work of CTCs, but my proposal goes beyond what the CTCs currently provide. First is the depth of the wage support, and second is the structural design of OJT.”
“I thank the Minister for responding to my question just now. I am glad to hear that there will be more precise matching with the help of SWDA's the integrated intelligence function. But can I ask if this function will be provided to all jobseekers who approach SWDA or its agencies, like e2i, to seek for job assistance?”
“Sir, can the Minister elaborate a bit more about how SWDA will enhance the job search assistance programme? Specifically, will career counsellors move beyond basic resume editing and portal referrals to leverage real time vacancy data for proactive matching and advocate for candidates?”
The complete record
Every one of 984 lines we hold for Gerald Giam Yean Song, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 11 of 20.
“I hope DIS, CSA, HTX and GovTech plan to establish a common communication platform, so as to not only share information occasionally but actively work together on a regular basis to counter the cyber threats that Singapore faces. I note that a Digital Ops-Tech Centre will be established as a centre of excellence for SAF's digital expertise, partnering with the Defence Tech Community, whole-of-Government digital agencies, academia and the industry, to remain innovative in its approaches and culture. Could the Minister elaborate more on how this partnership will work in practice? The DIS will likely have significant capabilities and powers to intrude in the private space of the functionaries of would-be adversaries. What protections are in place to make sure that such capabilities are not turned on citizens or abused? It is necessary in any developed democracy to put in place legal safeguards and channels for recourse to prevent the abuse of power by current and future governments. One form of oversight would be for MINDEF to provide confidential reports to a cross-party Parliamentary Select Committee for Defence, which can then scrutinise those reports and ask questions in a confidential setting. I note that DIS will focus efforts to attract and develop both military and non-uniformed digital experts to grow SAF's digital workforce. Will the need for a high level of security clearance mean that DIS will hire only Singapore Citizens? Will DIS be engaging technology contractors to supplement their own manpower? If so, how will it ensure that the contractors and their employees, who may be reporting to foreign managers based in other countries, how will they ensure that they would not leak sensitive information?”
“In modern warfare, cyber attacks are likely to be one of the first modes of attack, because they can be employed so easily without any detection – the Gerasimov doctrine, which the Minister alluded to earlier in his speech. The DIS aims to bolster SAF's capability to defend Singapore in the digital battlefield. With the establishment of the DIS, the other armed services must be careful not to develop a mindset that the DIS alone is responsible for all things digital in SAF. In the commercial world, there is now much less distinction between tech companies and non-tech companies. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has forced all companies to become technology companies in some form or shape. Those that do not digitalise will find themselves losing customers to more digital-savvy competitors and may even go out of business. Similarly, in the military realm, every armed service – the Army, Navy, Air Force and DIS – will need to use digital capabilities to keep ahead of our nation's potential adversaries. Digitalisation, cyber defence and cybersecurity cannot be left to the DIS alone to handle. Could the Minister share the broad parameters regarding which digital responsibilities fall under the purview of DIS and which do not? The DIS will not be the first technology-focused agency to be set up within the Government. How will the role of DIS be different from that of the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) in countering cyber threats to Singapore? How will these agencies, together with the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), work together, so that knowledge and information is shared, where appropriate and duplication of work is avoided?”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, in my speech today, I will be focusing on the amendments to the Singapore Armed Forces Act to establish a new Digital and Intelligence Service, or DIS. MINDEF plans to establish a DIS, which will be a fourth armed service, alongside the Army, Navy and Air Force. This is timely, given the growing importance of cyber warfare and cyber defence. Cyber warfare involves attacks on critical infrastructure systems of an adversary. These could include "soft kills" that damage key operating software or hardware without kinetic action, such as through hacking. The objective is to weaken the target country by compromising its core systems. Cyber warfare takes many forms. Cyber attackers may conduct espionage using spear-phishing attacks to gain remote access to an adversary's computer to extract sensitive information. They may hack critical infrastructure like the electrical power grid, which will disrupt communications and even cause deaths if, say, life-supporting medical equipment is shut down. Or they may crash modern economic facilities like banks and payment systems. Propaganda attacks may be employed to control the hearts and minds of the people living in the targeted country or make them lose faith in their own country and sympathise with the enemy. These are not hypothetical scenarios. They have been employed by nation-states for many years. With the digitalisation of almost everything, the cyber threat is increasing by the day. Up until recently, a war was usually fought by sending the air force to bomb the target nation's critical infrastructure and defence installations before any ground troops were sent in.”
“Yes, my second question was how will SportSG be able to bring in more marquee events when SHPL, with all its international expertise, was not able to?”
“Sir, could the Government not have tapped on international private sector experience using the procurement model? Secondly, how would SportSG bring in more marquee events when SHPL, with all this international experience, could not? Lastly, will the Sports Hub and Kallang Alive precinct be used to host all national sports competitions and national school games and can SportSG make greater efforts to market such events to a wider audience? This will inspire our young athletes to push themselves harder, increase the public attendance at such competitions and also free up other community sports facilities to the general public. These facilities, as some might be aware, tend to be blocked booked by the National Sports Associations for competitions and training, to the consternation of some members of the public.”
“Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. I am not sure if my question on the introduction of a National Cancer Care Appeals Board was answered. I understand from the ACE website, which the Senior Parliamentary Secretary just referred to, that it takes about 10 to 11 months from the time the pharmaceutical firms submit their pre-submission form to ACE to the time the Drug Advisory Committee (DAC) meets. However, for individual cancer patients, for whom time is of the essence, anything more than one week may be too long to wait for a decision on a drug subsidy approval. Can we, therefore, have a National Cancer Care Appeals Board which can make rigorous yet speedy decisions to subsidise drugs for these patients to get the life-saving drugs that they need? DAC can then take the necessary time to review the drug for inclusion into the Cancer Drug List to benefit patients at the national level. Secondly, has MOH modelled out how many patients per year will be adversely affected by these changes to the insurance schemes and how much in cost savings are expected and what is the price in human lives that MOH is prepared to accept in order to achieve these cost savings?”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, before 1 June 2022, almost all our live and chilled chicken imports were from Malaysia. May I ask why more regional countries had not been approved earlier, for live and chilled chicken imports before we faced this crisis, so as to ensure better food supply resilience. I note the Minister just said that food safety is paramount but that has not hindered our diversification efforts, so what has? Secondly, as Malaysia's export restrictions are still in place, what is SFA doing to incentivise poultry importers to import chicken from alternative sources that are already approved so as to increase supply and lower the price of chicken in Singapore. For example, can import fees for live and chilled poultry from all approved suppliers be waived until Malaysia completely lifts its export restrictions on chicken?”
“With the support of the Government, businesses, community and Singaporeans, we can strive to be a more inclusive society and better recognise the sacrifices of our caregivers. I support the Motion.”
“How many requests for respite care did the Agency for Integrated Care receive in 2021? Is there sufficient public awareness of the availability of respite care services? What plans does the Government have to expand the availability and accessibility of respite care? Finally, long-term residential care facilities may be the only option for many families. Some elderly caregivers lack the strength to even lift their disabled spouses or adult children to bathe or transfer them. Some elderly care recipients are single, with no children to care for them. I am not suggesting that everyone rush to put their parents in nursing homes. However, the reality is that with longer lifespans, fewer children and more Singaporeans working overseas, we can expect an increasing demand for long-term residential care for elders and the disabled. There continues to be high demand for nursing homes and adult disability home places in Singapore. As of end-2020, 90% of the 16,300 nursing home beds were utilised, up from 85% in June 2019. Can MOF, MOH and MSF elaborate on their plans to expand nursing homes and adult disability homes up to 2030? How much of our population's future demand will this expansion meet? What are the Ministries doing to ensure that care homes are able to attract enough qualified professionals, including Singaporeans? Mr Speaker, caregiving is a huge weight for any individual to bear and caregivers have made a lot of economic and social sacrifices. Yet, they continue to press on, out of love and duty to their family. As a nation, we will need a paradigm shift in our thinking towards caregivers and share some of their burdens.”
“Fifth, home-based caregiving services must be made more accessible to all households, especially lower-income ones. The White Paper proposes broadening the Household Services Scheme (HSS) to include basic child- and elder-minding services. However, the HSS is not currently subsidised by the Government, even though households likely to benefit most are those without the means to employ a live-in domestic worker. At $20 an hour or more, the cost of home-based caregiving services is a stretch for many such households. MSF should extend means-tested subsidies to Singaporean families which procure home-based caregiving services for their elderly or disabled family members, if those members are not able to attend centre-based programmes. By caring for their loved ones at home, caregivers save the Government subsidies it would otherwise disburse to care centres. Some of these savings can be passed on to families by increasing subsidies for home-based care. Sixth, short-term and ad hoc respite care services will allow caregivers to run errands, respond to unexpected developments or just get a short break from caregiving. All full-time caregivers deserve an option to take a day off a week, where they can draw on a shared pool of suitably-qualified respite home care workers or place their loved ones in care centres during their day-off. Full Government subsidies should be made available to those from lower-income households. Currently, respite care services are provided at some senior care centres and nursing homes. As at end December 2021, there were over 450 respite care places, according to the Minister for Health in response to a Parliamentary Question by Ms Nadia Samdin. This is a very small number, considering there are some 210,000 caregivers in Singapore.”
“Caregivers should be provided more financial support to offset the costs of home-based caregiving. This support should aim to match the subsidy given to patients in long-term care facilities. The White Paper stated that the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) quantum will be increased next year from $200 to up to $400 per month for low-income households living in HDB flats. To qualify, care recipients must require assistance to perform three or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as eating, bathing, dressing or toileting. I would like to ask the Minister for Health what was the basis for arriving at $400 a month for low-income families and $250 for low- to middle-income ones. I am also concerned that some patients with dementia may not qualify for HCG. This is because the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, such as forgetting, impulsivity, wandering and getting lost, are different from the ambulatory and dexterity competencies of ADLs. Can the Minister clarify if dementia sufferers can claim for HCG? HCG is meant to defray the cost of caregiving expenses rather than financially compensate caregivers. Currently, any financial compensation schemes in place are mainly through family members, such as the Retirement Sum Topping Up Scheme. Over and above financial support, family caregivers should receive some form of financial compensation for their caregiving work. This would mean allowing them to claim a modest allowance on top of HCG so that they will have more savings for their retirement. If the caregiver and their family members are low-income earners, the Government should step in to top up their CPF Special Accounts or Retirement Accounts, without the need for matching contribution by family members.”
“The first three days should be paid by the employer, with the remaining days paid by the Government. An additional two days should be granted if the employee has more than one care recipient. This means that if an employee has one child and one parent to care for, he or she will be entitled to eight days of paid Family Care Leave, of which three days are paid for by their employer and five days by the Government. The Government rejected previous calls to legislate eldercare leave, citing business cost concerns by employers, manpower constraints and the employability of caregivers. Having the Government bear more costs of Family Care Leave will limit the financial strain on employers and minimise any employment discrimination against caregivers. Third, we should recognise the skills and work experience of caregivers. During the caregiving years, a caregiver gains important skills, such as people management, negotiation, conflict resolution and budgeting, as well as domain knowledge, such as healthcare, food and nutrition knowledge. Employers should consider caregiving experience as work experience, just like the Civil Service does for National Service, with corresponding salary increments. Recognising caregivers’ skills and experience could also open up employment opportunities for them in the care sector, which, in turn, can contribute much-needed manpower to our health and social care system as our society ages. The Public Service should take the lead to steer this mindset shift, and the Government should encourage the private sector to do likewise. Such a paradigm shift will signal that caregiving is, indeed, valued by society. Fourth, we need to adjust our approach to financial support and compensation for caregivers.”
“I repeat the call in the Workers’ Party’s 2020 Manifesto that all informal caregivers of elderly or disabled family members should be entitled to ask for FWAs that are feasible for their line of work and fair to both the employer and the employee. Employers should be required to provide reasons if the request cannot be met. It is in the interest of all organisations, large and small, to have meaningful FWAs in place. Employers who fail to do so may lose capable employees to competitors. In fact, having good FWAs can be a company’s competitive advantage in attracting talent. The underlying premise is the basic principle that "a happy worker is a productive worker". Second, we need to legislate Family Care Leave. Most caregivers remain in paid employment, which places extremely heavy demands on their time. The demands of both work and caregiving responsibilities are often concurrent, making it difficult to set aside one to handle the other. Civil servants are currently eligible for two days of parent-care leave per year. However, according to an MOM survey, only 20% of private companies offered such leave benefits in 2018. There have been many calls for the legislation of Family Care Leave by Members of Parliament from the Workers' Party, PAP, Nominated Members of Parliament, as well as AWARE and the Singapore Alliance for Women in Ageing, among others. The Government should legislate Family Care Leave soon. This will help in recognising that caregivers’ contributions are on par with that of parents with young children. Family care leave can supersede the current Childcare Leave. As a start, all Singaporean employees should be granted up to six days of leave to look after their young children or immediate family members with long-term illnesses or disabilities.”
“In his paper published in Insights in Public Health Journal, Dr Wayne Chong pointed out that unpaid informal caregivers of older adults not only pay the lion’s share of mental, emotional, social and financial costs of care, they also fork out non-trivial opportunity costs associated with caregiving, including lost wages, personal freedom and aspirations. These are enormous sacrifices. It is time for Singapore to provide a more comprehensive package of financial support and compensation to caregivers for their economic and social contributions to the nation. I would like to discuss seven ways our nation can share our caregivers’ burdens, many of which have been touched on in the White Paper. First, employers play a big part in creating a society that values the contributions of caregivers and shares some of their burdens. All employers should provide FWAs for their staff to better balance work and caregiving responsibilities. Managers should be given training to have a greater understanding of the unpredictable nature of caregiving so that they can be more empathetic towards their staff. The White Paper states that the Government will introduce a new set of Tripartite Guidelines on FWAs by 2024, which will require employers to "consider FWA requests from employees fairly and properly". The Government aims to create a workplace norm where employees "feel it is acceptable to request for FWAs, while maintaining employers' prerogative to accept or reject requests taking into account their business needs." Can the Minister for Manpower clarify if this means that employers can reject FWA requests without providing valid reasons? If so, it will give employers an escape clause from their FWA obligations.”
“We, as a nation, society and community, can and should do much more to share some of the weight on caregivers’ shoulders. In 2010, approximately 8% of residents aged between 18 and 69 years provided regular care to a friend or family member, with 37% of caregivers reporting that they had been providing care for almost a decade. These percentages have surely gone up since then and will likely increase further, given our ageing population. In my speech today, I will focus on Area 2 of the White Paper – the caregiving aspect. While caregivers in Singapore are more often women than men, I will not take a gender-specific approach to the problems or solutions. The role of caregiving does not solely apply to any gender and, most certainly, should not be borne only by women. Unpaid caregiving of family members incurs substantial direct expenses and opportunity costs. According to a 2019 answer by the Minister for Health to a Parliamentary Question by then-NMP Anthea Ong, about 6% of Singapore residents – male and female – cited caregiving to family members as the main reason for leaving their jobs or not looking for one. The majority were women aged 40 and above. In a reply by Minister of State Gan Siow Huang to Parliamentary Questions by Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Ms Joan Pereira earlier this year, 15% of women aged 25 to 64 cited family-related responsibilities as their main reason for being outside the labour force in 2020, while 6% worked part-time due to family or personal commitments.”
“Mr Speaker, whenever I visit the funeral wakes of my constituents, I try to speak with their caregiver to offer them comfort and find out how I can provide assistance to them and their families. As I listen to them relate how they looked after their loved ones in their final years, I am filled with admiration for their immense dedication and sacrifice. I have spoken to an elderly wife who changed the stoma bags of her husband, who was a cancer patient, for a period of time until he passed on. I have conversed with a son in his 50s, who changed his elderly mother’s soiled diapers several times a day, in a reversal of parent-child roles. I have a 72-year-old resident who continues to juggle her roles working as a cleaner and the sole caregiver to her disabled adult son and mentally incapacitated husband. These unsung heroes press on out of filial devotion to parents, duty to spouses, responsibility to their adult children and, most importantly, love for their family members. Unlike caregivers of young children, caregivers of elderly or disabled persons face a heavier load over time as the health of their loved ones deteriorates. They do not experience the same delight of young parents watching their children grow up. Their care recipients may not be able to express their appreciation well or may even inadvertently make hurtful remarks due to conditions like dementia. For caregivers, every day brings new challenges and new heartaches, until that inevitable day when they see their loved ones pass on. Caregivers of children with disabilities face an additional stressor of worrying about who will care for their children if they outlive them. It is a very heavy burden to carry.”
“Sir, since the Budget Statement, SP Group has announced that electricity tariff for April to June will rise by almost 10%. With this new development, could the Government consider a special additional tranche of U-Save rebates to help Singaporeans cope with this upcoming electricity hike? Secondly, I understand from the MOF Budget website that the January 2023 U-Save rebate is part of the Assurance Package (AP) to soften the impact of the upcoming GST hike, while the first three tranches of U-Save in 2022 are part of the Household Support Package (HSP). However, now in this handout, the January 2023 U-Save rebate is listed as part of the support for households. So, can I clarify that the January 2023 U-Save rebate is now part of the HSP and not the AP and, if so, should not there be an additional U-Save rebate for the AP? Lastly, I just want to clarify, the Second Minister, I think, did not answer my question about whether the Committee Against Profiteering (CAP) will address concerns that businesses could use reasons other than the rise in GST as a pretext to make unjustified price increases on essential products and services. Will the Minister please clarify on that?”
“I thank Minister of State Desmond Tan and Parliament Secretary Eric Chua for the comprehensive answers to my questions and concerns. Can I just ask two clarification questions? Can I confirm first that under this Bill, there is no minimum age for social gambling? And secondly, what will NCPG's approach be to discussing social gambling with minors, for example, will NCPG actively discourage children and youths from gambling even at home?”
“On balance, the job of public policy in the area of gambling is to maintain moderation. To allow responsible adults to take part in this activity, but not so much that they ruin themselves and to discourage impressionable children from taking up the habit in the first place. In summary, I would like to call on the Government to reassess its position on social gambling and to take a strong stand against gambling by children, especially in the area of loot boxes. We should complement policy levers with better education against gambling. More generally, I call on Parliament to take a stronger stance against gambling. I hope the Minister of State will be able to address the concerns I have raised in the Bills, but not withstanding these concerns. I support the Bills.”
“The Netherlands' gaming authority issues a legal opinion that some loot box system contravene the Dutch betting and gambling act, hence, requiring the relevant game developers to change their mechanics or face fines or even game prohibition. In Asia, China has imposed daily limits on the number of purchased loot boxes that a player can open, while Japan has banned complete gacha, which is a system that offers rare prizes to players who successfully obtain a complete set of items through random draws. Of course, game developers can and do find ways to circumvent these restrictions. But this is no reason to do nothing. The Government will just have to ensure that regulation is sufficiently nimble to keep up with technology. I have spoken of law and policy thus far, but no amount of regulations and restrictions will be able to completely eliminate gambling activities in Singapore. In fact, one argument against prohibition is that it might drive gambling activities underground. We therefore need active educational efforts to discourage gambling among our population. With the introduction of the Gambling Control Bill, will there be greater educational efforts to discourage Singaporeans, particularly young people, from participating in gambling activities and delaying their first gambling experience? I am glad to know that schools have since 2021 been trying to teach students about the ills of loot boxes. I would urge MOE to continue to assess the efficacy of such programmes. Have such educational efforts been found to genuinely reduce loot box use among youths? And if not, how can such outreach be improved? I understand that many Singaporeans gamble on occasion. However, the risk of problem and pathological gambling and its often accompanying financial ruin, is very real.”
“This could ameliorate the pernicious effects of gambling on not just young people but also on their families and society. I would now like to discuss the particularly challenging issue with respect to combatting gambling by minors, which is loot boxes. Loot boxes are virtual items within games that can be purchased and redeemed to receive another random desirable virtual item. Gaming companies have been pushing loot boxes in their games, especially in mobile games, leading to increased gaming spending and debt. Many consumers of loot boxes are children. Research from the UK has found that of the 93% of children who play video games, 25% to 40% have made loot box purchases. Other research has found consistently and unambiguously a link between loot boxes and problem gambling. This being so, I would like to ask the Minister of State as to how the Gambling Control Bill intends to regulate loot boxes in online games. Clause 9 of the Gambling Control Bill defines a lottery as a scheme to distribute prizes based on luck and prizes here refer to money, or money equivalents or anything of value. Can I ask the Minister of State whether the Gambling Control Bill considers such virtual rewards to be things of value, even when they cannot be monetised, such that operating any loot box system would be considered operating a lottery? If so, what will the regulatory regime for online game operators be like? Several other countries have already sought to regulate or restrict loot boxes in online games. Belgium's gaming commission has declared loot boxes to be gambling and hence, illegal.”
“As a matter of logical consistency then, should the Government not be cautious about making social gambling explicitly legal, so as to avoid being seen as issuing an official stamp of approval for gambling? On the other hand, as a practical matter, since social gambling has never been illegal, what is the concrete policy gain in providing this inadvertent signal of acceptability? I would therefore like to understand the Government's reasons for explicitly legalising social gambling. The Bill also does not proscribe social gambling by minors. May I ask the Minister of State, why there will be no restrictions on minors engaging in social gambling? I hope this does not mean the Government condones gambling by minors. How does the Government intend to communicate to children, adolescents and their parents that it discourages gambling by minors? I am also concerned how explicitly permitting gambling for children could provide a gateway for more problem gambling habits later in their lives. Current policy to prevent gambling by minors is inconsistent. While the minimum age is set at 18 for certain types of gambling, such as 4D, Toto or placing horse racing bets, it is set at 21 for casino gambling. In recent years, the Government has raised the minimum smokeing age from 18 to 21, so as to denormalise the use of cigarettes among adolescent youths, especially since most cultivate the habit between the ages of 18 and 21. The NCPG survey similarly found that 35% of Singapore residents had their first gambling experience between the ages of 18 and 24, the highest among all age groups. With this evidence in mind, can MHA consider taking the same approach as with smoking and harmonise the minimum gambling age to 21 across the board?”
“Madam, as Parliament sits today to debate the Gambling Control Bill and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Bill, a fact that should be at the forefront of our minds is this: Gambling may seem like harmless fun for many people, but it can be a scourge on families impacted by problem gambling. The National Council for Problem Gambling (NCPG)'s 2020 survey found that almost half of Singapore residents aged 18 and above participate in gambling activities, with 6% reporting that they lack self-control when gambling. The survey found that gamblers with poorer self-control are more likely to regret the way they have gambled, have emotional problems and have family quarrels. Worryingly, 37% of Singapore residents with no income reported participating in gambling. Regrettably, the avenues for Singaporeans to gamble have expanded over the years. Two casinos were opened in 2010 and in 2019, the Government raised the cap on the number of slot machines allowed and increased the floorspace allocated to gambling. In 2016, Singapore Pools and the Turf Club were allowed to operate online gambling services, including sports betting. This remains a concern, as according to the NCPG survey, 23% of gamblers who participated in sports gambling reported poor self-control. With this in mind, I would like to sound a note of caution about any further expansion of the space for gambling in Singapore. Social gambling is not disallowed by current legislation. This Bill explicitly legalises social gambling in Singapore. On one hand, the Government has said that in the past, the law can and should reflect social norms and attitudes.”
“Sir, one business in my constituency recently sought my help and they informed me that they were unable to sign up for TRECS contracts in March, despite applying on 15 February, which it the day that the contracting window opened. They told me that it was fully subscribed that very day. Can I confirm with the Minister, was TRECS fully subscribed for the month of Februrary and if so, how many businesses had to be turned away? Are there plans to increase capacity for TRECS in the months of April and May, given the over-subscription in the month of March? Lastly, taking into account the current global situation and over-subscribed TRECS, what measures has EMA planned to enhance Singapore's energy security and stabilise Singapore's wholesale electricity market?”
“I would like to seek the Minister's update on the review of the community dispute management framework, which commenced before last year's Committee of Supply. Can the Minister share who the members of the interagency committee conducting this review are and when the review will be completed? How many mediators does the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) currently have and is this sufficient to manage their workload? I have met residents who have a vexing dispute with their neighbours but are unwilling to let me refer them for mediation because they know their neighbour will not turn up for the session. Of the average of 735 cases per year registered at the CMC, 70% did not progress to mediation, mainly because one or both parties declined or did not respond to the invitation to mediate. To improve the take-up rate of mediation, could the Ministry consider these suggestions? First, once the CMC assesses a case to be suitable for mediation, can attendance of both parties be made compulsory? Second, if the dispute eventually goes to the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT), can the Tribunal be allowed to draw an adverse inference from their non-attendance? This potential penalty should be made clear to respondents when the invitation to the CMC is served. Next, I have received feedback from residents about the difficulty they face in filing CDRT evidence. For example, they need to save their audio or video recordings on a CD-ROM or DVD. Most people nowadays do not have a CD-ROM burner in their home. Can the CDRT update its processes to allow evidence to be uploaded on the web portal instead and to make the whole process more user-friendly for the layman? Dedicated Service for Neighbour Disputes”
“Thank you, Madam. I have some questions on the adult disability care. Is the staff-client ratio of adult disability care facilities lower than that of the teacher-student ratio at SPED schools? If so, why is there this disparity between the two? Because this is what causes the cliff effect for those who are graduating from SPED schools. And lastly, does MSF have any plans to close this gap, given that most SPED school graduates will need to attend post-18 disability care facilities?”
“This will produce both tangible and intangible benefits and returns for families, our society and our economy. Caring for Persons with Disabilities”
“Many residents with moderate to severe disabilities require care provided by adult disability care facilities, like day activity centres, adult disability homes, adult disability hostels and sheltered workshops. May I ask the Minister what is the current utilisation rate among each of these facilities and what are their staff-client ratios? How many individuals are on the waiting list for these centres currently? Based on publicly available information, I understand the waiting times, depending on centres, can vary from three months to two years? If there is insufficient capacity and inadequate staffing at these facilities, this can create a cliff effect for those with special needs. They would have been receiving care from special education schools, but have difficulty finding the same level of support after leaving school. As a result, their ageing parents often have to bear the full weight of caregiving and many worry about how their children will be cared for after they pass on. I would like to call for MSF to enhance its funding and support for the adult disability care facilities to be at least on par with what SPED schools receive. Such funding can help expand the capacity of care facilities and reduce their long waiting list. It can also go towards hiring and retaining more good staff, including Singaporeans with better pay and working conditions. All this will help enable the centres to conduct more meaningful and effective engagement and training activities for their clients and lighten the worries of their caregivers. Besides improving the welfare of their clients, it will also give their caregivers much needed respite and allow them to be economically active if they choose to.”
“I thank the Minister. I do not disagree with the principle that we must optimise, but I disagree with how it is sometimes optimised. Because I feel that sometimes, for example, for trunk services, yes, there is a need to ensure that the services are not running empty. But there is a small group of people – the elderly, disabled – who need to travel for long distances and they find it very inconvenient to transfer a lot. So, that is why I am asking, as a compromise, can mini or smaller buses be used?”
“Sir, for trunk services, if ridership has been low, can we use smaller buses or increase the intervals between buses instead of cutting services? This is for trunk services. And for feeder services, after bus 66 was re-routed, my residents were left with only bus 228 as a feeder service to Bedok Interchange. Many have told me that the intervals of 15 minutes or more are really too long and LTA would be aware of this because I have written many letters on behalf of my residents on this matter. So, can LTA increase the frequency of feeder bus services to make up for the reduction in other services? Lastly, while I agree there is a need for financial prudence, we must not be penny wise and pound foolish. If more commuters take public transport instead of private transport, it will lower our carbon footprint and reduce traffic congestion. So, does MOT take this into account when it reduces the bus services? 12.45 pm”
“Seniors and the disabled are only a comparatively small fraction of public transportation ridership. The financial impact would, therefore, correspondingly be much more limited. Our estimates, which are, admittedly, conservative, suggest added expenditures of between $0.3 billion and $0.4 billion a year, or an increase of 3% to 4% of the Ministry's current budget. Even if we are uncomfortable with completely unrestricted free usage, one reasonable accommodation would be to allow such free transport during off-peak hours, where there is, typically, some spare capacity in our bus and train systems in any case. If so, the opportunity cost of not implementing such a free transportation scheme may well exceed the cost of doing so.”
“Free transport for seniors will allow those who wish to remain productive and engage in employment to do so. Our labour force participation has already trended down since 2015 and while this is natural and normal in an ageing society, the scheme will help mitigate the rate of decline and allow our economy time to adjust. Even in the absence of work, free transport will encourage the elderly to be out and about, engaging in social interactions that can promote their physical and mental well-being. This can help manage the rising incidence of dementia, which already one in every 10 seniors faces. This initiative also dovetails nicely with our nation's effort to promote environmental sustainability. An important cornerstone of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 is to encourage green commutes, with a target of 75% mass public transportation usage. Providing incentives for our elderly and disabled to rely more heavily on public transport, since trips will be free, will contribute toward this goal, especially since riders are least likely to be using green forms of transportation, such as bicycles, in any case. An initiative, such as this, will entail trade-offs, of course. Our existing pricing structure is, to be fair, relatively affordable by global standards. Moreover, seniors and the disabled already pay concessionary rates on existing tariffs. The Government has also invested heavily in the transportation infrastructure on which the public transportation system relies on, thereby providing an indirect subsidy. But to the extent that fares are used to offset operational costs, with profits subject to corporate taxation and dividends returned to majority shareholders, such as Temasek, the Government is able to recoup much of its initial outlay.”
“Let Them Ride Free Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): Chairman, I wish to share with this House a proposal that seniors and those with disabilities be furnished with a concession card that will allow them to ride public transportation free of charge. 7.30 pm On its face, this sounds like a preposterous and profligate idea. Preposterous, because, surely, removing charges would invite overuse and abuse. Profligate, because even when they are made free of charge, these services are, certainly, not free of cost and must be funded by some source – in this case, the Government. But before we jump to instinctive judgement, it is worth noting that free ridership already exists in some form or another. In Singapore, there are free transport shuttles for patrons of Turf City, for tourists seeking a city tour during a stopover and for students connecting to campus from nearby MRT stations. Other countries have gone even further. Some municipalities from smaller ones, such as Hoeselt in Belgium and Obare in France, to larger cities, such as Prague in the Czech Republic and Washington DC in the United States, run selected free bus and tram services. Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, recently converted its entire public transportation network to a zero-fare system. Around two years ago, Luxembourg became the first nation in the world to make all public transportation modes free within the country. As our society ages, but many elderly remain mobile and healthy, some may wish to continue to pursue employment opportunities. Such positions, typically on a part-time basis, do not pay very much and public transportation would very quickly gobble up a sufficiently large share of the pay cheque, so as to make the entire enterprise no longer worthwhile.”
“The Public Transport Council (PTC)'s latest customer satisfaction survey found that satisfaction with public transport services has fallen to its lowest level in six years. The survey showed that discontent with public bus services was a factor with many commuters, notably expressing dissatisfaction with bus waiting times. These sentiments are similarly expressed by many of my residents living along Bedok Reservoir Road where four bus services were recently cut or re-routed last December. This has resulted in my residents having to put up with longer waiting times, crowded buses and losing direct routes to their destinations. Before removing or re-routing bus services, LTA should conduct public consultations with affected residents. If bus services are being rationalised due to low ridership, I would like to suggest that LTA first consider switching to smaller buses or extending their headways. If bus services must be removed, the frequency of the remaining feeder services to bus interchanges or MRT stations should be increased to make up for them. Commuters should not have to wait more than five minutes during peak hours or 10 minutes during off-peak hours for feeder buses. LTA should strive to retain trunk bus services. These serve many elderly and disabled residents who have trouble walking between bus stops or transferring from bus to MRT. Many of them do not mind longer bus routes or bus rides if that allows them to walk less. While LTA and public transport operators strive towards efficiency, they must pay closer attention to the comfort and convenience of commuters. LTA should proactively monitor public feedback and be open to bringing back bus services if there is strong commuter demand.”
“My residents in Bedok Reservoir and Hougang have given me feedback on the nuisance caused by pigeons, crows, mynahs and even quails around the housing estates. The proliferation of the bird population is often a public hygiene concern and, in the case of crows, a safety issue, which worries residents. The Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) has been doing its part to combat this problem. The AHTC puts up banners to caution residents against bird feeding and works with residents to identify and report feeders. It advises food stall operators on proper food waste disposal methods and our conservancy workers regularly remove unattended food sources. The Town Council also conducts regular tree pruning and, as a last resort, pigeon culling. Despite these efforts, the bird nuisance problem has persisted. NParks, occasionally, sets up crow traps but these are rather ineffective as crows are intelligent creatures and tend not to fall for these traps. I believe this problem is not unique to AHTC. A national level effort by MND and its agencies may be needed to combat it. These may include more public education to discourage bird feeding, setting up CCTV monitoring and stepping up enforcement action against bird feeders. It would be helpful if NParks could regularly share with Town Councils its research and recommendations on best practices for controlling the population of various bird species. It could step up efforts to trap and relocate birds in areas where they are causing a nuisance to the public. Together with the efforts of Town Councils, MND's stepped up involvement could help residents and our ardent friends to co-exist more peacefully in our urban environment.”
“Sir, construction costs have skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The price of materials has shot up, wages have increased and the cost of bringing in foreign workers is also elevated. The construction industry's confidence has been shaken up late, resulting in shorter payment terms and demands for higher upfront payments. Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that recent bid prices for town improvement projects, like the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, are up to 50% higher than pre-tender estimates. Yet, HDB's grants to Town Councils have not kept up with these price increases. Some may suggest that Town Council's existing funds can be used to cover the cost increases. However, doing so would be unfair to the majority of residents as each project mainly benefits residents living in a particular precinct. It is also unfair for residents of those precincts if the new projects are pared down to meet the original budget. I have three suggestions. First, can HDB temporarily increase its NRP grants to Town Councils to cover these short-term cost increases? Second, can HDB provide contractors and subcontractors for town improvement projects some price protection for raw materials, like steel and concrete – similar to that of HDB's BTO projects? This will better ensure residents receive comparable amenities, regardless of market conditions at the time of tendering. And third, can the Ministry explore more measures to restore confidence among construction firms, so as to ameliorate the need for onerous upfront payment terms? This could also help temper price increases across the industry. Fairer, Greener, more Inclusive Housing”
“There are many residents who have approached me to request assistance in appealing to HDB for subsidised rental housing. Some have had to sell their flats after a divorce, or they have to move out of their current homes due to family issues. Most cannot afford to buy flats and face being homeless. The Minister said previously that the overall stock of rental flats is sufficient to meet demand. Unfortunately, problems remain. First, some residents exceed the Public Rental Scheme income threshold, but do not earn enough to afford to rent in the open market. Others may be single unwed parents who do not qualify for the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS). Second, applicants who qualify for public rental housing may still have to wait between three and eight months before they can collect their keys. Many need a place to stay urgently as they do not have family or friends who can take them in. Could the Minister share, since 2020, the number of applications HDB receives for rental flats under the Public Rental Scheme, the Interim Rental Housing Link (IRH) scheme and the PPHS? How many approvals were granted under each scheme and what were the main reasons for approvals or rejections under these schemes? I urge HDB to increase the number of flats under the IRH scheme. HDB could offer tiered rental rates that are higher than the Public Rental Scheme rates, but lower than the open market prices. This will help many families and individuals that fail the strict means test of the current rental schemes, but are not earning enough to rent in the open market and need housing urgently, to avoid being left homeless. 2.45 pm”
“Parents of children with special needs face a complex dilemma when making educational choices for their children. A wide range of services is available at various price points but parents are largely left on their own to identify the optimal ones. Could ECDA provide more one-stop advisory services for parents? This will help ease the anxiety that many parents of special needs children feel. For children who require medium to high levels of early intervention support, such services can be prohibitively expensive. While ECDA does provide subsidised support through the Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children (EIPIC) programme, EIPIC centres have wait times ranging from three to 18 months and most provide a limited number of hours of intervention a week. This requires parents to turn to additional services that can cost thousands more every month. Can ECDA work with EIPIC providers to increase the capacity and range of services provided so that children can receive all the early intervention support they require from the same centre? A centralised provision of early intervention services can bring economies of scale which can reduce costs for parents. Children who require lower levels of early intervention support can attend mainstream Primary schools but may still require supplemental support services like occupational therapy. Can MOE provide an integrated special needs support programme at mainstream schools? This will enable children with special needs to thrive in such environments and reduce the cost and inconvenience borne parents for external support services. Enhancing Support for Students with Special Educational Needs”
“My third point was asking about the national diversity criteria inside COMPASS. What was the thinking behind that? Is it because MOM sees certain concentration risks in having too many people, too many employees from one nationality in the organisation? If not, what is the reason for including that?”
“Sir, I have clarifications on COMPASS and the low-wage workers. Will the shortage occupation list factor in both occupation and industry? For example, we may have a shortage of software developers in general, but not necessarily software developers in the financial services industry. And if such a distinction by industry is not made, MOM might be making it easier for companies like banks to hire foreigners without necessarily improving the opportunities for talented Singaporeans? Secondly, does MOM already use the COMPASS framework internally for evaluating EP applications? If so, does the Minister expect that the outcomes in terms of the foreign-local talent mix in companies to remain largely unchanged, moving forward? On the national diversity attribute of COMPASS, can I understand if MOM sees some concentration risk in having too high a percentage of any one foreign nationality in a firm? If not, what is the policy intent of this criterion? And lastly, on the wages of low-wage workers, I know that by 2023 about 6% of full-time, low-wage workers will still not be covered by the PWM. Who are most of the workers in this group and does MOM intend to eventually extend PWM to all of them so that every Singaporean would be able to receive a decent minimum wage on their work? 12.15 pm”
“Over the years, the length of service an employee must serve before qualifying for paid sick leave has been reviewed in Parliament. In 2008, the minimum qualifying period was reduced from six to three months, with the entitlement adjusted on a pro-rated basis. This was in response to an increase in short-term employment contracts. Since these legislative amendments, short-term employment contracts have become even more commonplace. In 2021, 8.4% of the workforce was on fixed-term contracts, up from 7.7% in 2009. The percentage of workers on contracts of less than one year has also seen an upward trend. Many workers find themselves transferred to new employers without even changing their jobs. This happens when their previous employer loses a cleaning or building maintenance contract and they are transferred to the new contractor. When this happens, they are treated as a new employee requiring them to forgo paid sick leave for the first three months of the new contract. I wish to propose that legislation be amended to allow workers who complete one month of service to be entitled to two days of paid sick leave, eight days of hospitalisation leave. This could increase to four days and 10 days, respectively, after the completion of two months of service. Concurrently, to protect the interests of employers, tax reliefs and public recognition could be extended to employers who implement these more progressive paid sick leave arrangements. This also complements the Government's stance of encouraging workers to isolate themselves and seek medical attention if they feel unwell. Increase Annual Leave Entitlement”
“Sir, many residents have approached me for help to appeal to CPF to allow more flexible use of their CPF for housing. Some elderly residents have insufficient cash to complete the purchase of their 2-room Flexi flats because their CPF Ordinary Account (OA) monies are automatically transferred to the retirement account upon turning 55. As home loans are not available for Flexi flats, the purchase of a $100,000 flat is often a strain on their cash flow. Can I request that CPF Retirement Account (RA) funds which originated from their OA be allowed to be used for the purchase of 2-room Flexi flats by default as long as the CPF member's RA balance is above the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS). There should be a simple and clearly stated application process for this. For those whose RA funds for below the BRS. I hold CPF can exercise greater flexibility so that elderly residents are not denied a Flexi flat despite large balances in their CPF funds. For the payment of the resale levy, can CPF consider allowing applicants who have sufficient funds in their RA or SA to take out an advance from one of these accounts which must be returned with interest within a few years. The applicant could be required to show income documents to prove that they are able to return them amount drawn. This could smoothen the cash flow problem that might be preventing them from completing the purchase of their home, while ensuring they do not prematurely exhaust their retirement funds. It will not just elderly flat buyers but also divorcees who have to sell the matrimonial flat and have only half the proceeds to buy a new flat. Enhancing CPF Returns”
“This may emerge as a growing problem owing to the increase in bank accounts being frozen during investigations into financial crimes. Owing to the time sensitivity of this matter, can I ask the Minister what is the progress of the roll-out of these limited purpose bank accounts? Is it generally available to all affected applicants yet? If not, when will it remain available generally?”
“Sir, I have, increasingly, been approached for assistance by residents who face problems opening personal bank accounts. Their applications were rejected by banks either because of their past criminal records, past investigations for financial-related crimes or are currently under criminal investigation, resulting in their bank accounts being frozen. Members of this House would agree that access to basic banking facilities is essential in today's digitalised society. These individuals are deprived of basic banking activities, such as receiving their salaries. Employers do not usually agree to deposit into their family's bank accounts and are unwilling to pay them in cash. They also have difficulty receiving Government cash benefits, like GST Vouchers – Cash. Individuals with past criminal records have paid their dues to society and such a deprivation can be an impediment in their efforts to turn over a new leaf. Similarly, individuals under investigation are deprived of the operation of the maxim "innocent until proven guilty". These investigations can take any time between several months and years, which are a long time to function without access to basic banking facilities. I understand MAS has been working with the larger retail banks to open limited purpose bank accounts for individuals that banks assess to pose a higher risk of being implicated in financial crimes. Can I ask the Minister what are the limitations on such accounts? Will the functions of such accounts vary on a case-by-case basis assessment by the banks? Additionally, will the pool of eligible individuals for these accounts include persons who are currently under investigation?”
“Sir, the Minister accused Workers' Party of double standards by calling for higher taxes on tobacco, because that is regressive. But would he not agree that more taxes on tobacco and gambling are acceptable, if they can help discourage that behaviour because the effects of that behaviour have far higher health and family costs on the lower-income and, therefore, are more regressive? Secondly, the Minister said that those with fewer means will bear a lighter share of the GST increase, but they get more benefits from the Government and more than what they put in. That was what he said just now in his speech. He said this makes a fair and inclusive system and he repeated that point in his Chinese speech as well. And he just said just now that the burden is all borne by the upper-middle and the top deciles of income earners. Sir, if those with fewer means really get back more than what they pay, by the Minister's logic, how will they feel that they are contributing? And to be clear, Workers' Party is not against the lower-income getting back more, if this is, indeed, the case. But can the Minister clarify whether or not the GST hike will make the lower- and middle-income pay more in net taxes over a 20- or 30-year period?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can I ask the Minister of State will the local manufacture of ART kits be expected to reduce the price of ART kits, which can benefit consumers? I am asking this because the current price of over $5 per kit can still be a cost burden on many families who are all on quarantine or Health Risk Notice (HRN) and are expected to test regularly. I note from personal experience that a number of free ART kits given out at the vending machines to individuals on HRN seem to have been reduced from six to three. Can I confirm that this is the case?”
“I am sorry, Senior Minister of State, I do not quite understand how those who earn less than $500 will get Workfare still. Can you explain a bit more please?”
“Madam, I think I understand the policy intent of encouraging able-bodied people to work more, but has the Government done studies on what they think would be the best way, or what would be the best way to achieve this policy intent? How did it arrive at the conclusion that imposing a $500 minimum income would encourage, rather than discourage, them from working? Because to me, it seems to fly against the logic of the WIS which is the whole purpose of the WIS is to supplement the income of low-wage workers, so that they would be encouraged to work more. So, why would you have a cut-off such that the lowest income workers are not encouraged in that way to work more. And if the Government is still intent on keeping this $500 dollar minimum, can I get an assurance from the Minister that the Government will adopt a more flexible approach to take into account the various constraints faced by workers that prevent them from earning more than $500 dollars. For example, some may have caregiving responsibilities who just cannot spare the time to work, to earn more than $500 dollars a month, or to work more than two days a week. So, can this group of people be extended some flexibility so that they can also get Workfare?”
“Nevertheless, we must anticipate that future challenges will only get harder. Let us take the necessary steps now to build a more resilient Singapore, so that our next generation will be better prepared to weather any storm that comes.”
“They must also not be afraid to respectfully point out policy errors made by political officeholders, as it is in Singapore's interests that the best possible policies are advanced. The civil service must also remain politically neutral. The final point I wish to raise is to register my concerns over the planned hike in the GST rates in 2023 and 2024. I understand the budgetary pressures that come with an ageing society, and I support moves to socialise more provision of more public welfare services, especially for the elderly. However, it remains my belief that a consumption tax hike should be the last resort to increasing revenue. This is because the GST is an inherently regressive tax, to which the poor pay a higher percentage of their income compared to the rich. In Singapore, only a portion of the GST paid is returned in the form of GST Vouchers. The GST Offset Package is meant to help lower-income households adjust but this will last only five to 10 years. However, the GST hike will be forever. MOF should consider other more progressive sources of revenue besides the GST hike. Yesterday, Member of Parliament for Sengkang Assoc Prof Jamus Lim did a deep dive into the Workers' Party's alternative levers for raising revenue. This includes higher taxes in carbon emissions, multinational corporations and wealth, using a portion of land sales and increasing investment returns contribution, which can more than make up for shortfalls in revenue brought about by higher social spending without having to increase GST. Mr Speaker, the pandemic has precipitated societal and political upheavals in many countries. Singapore has, thankfully, been largely spared the kind of widespread rifts in society caused by measures to deal with the pandemic.”