Grace Fu Hai Yien
Singapore
“The Government takes a multi-pronged approach to address the disamenities from second-hand tobacco smoke. The National Environment Agency (NEA) works with Government agencies, Town Councils and community leaders to promote considerate behaviour and strengthen social norms.”
“The Government recently announced land-use changes in Lim Chu Kang to optimise our scarce land to meet our growing and evolving needs. We are at the initial planning stage and agencies are still working out the detailed development proposals.”
“Public Waste Collectors and Town Councils have trialled the collection and treatment of segregated food waste from households. However, participation rates are poor despite regular engagement and reminders.”
“The quality of incense offerings and the practice of burning incense are not regulated by law. Instead, the National Environment Agency (NEA) works with stakeholders, such as Town Councils, agencies and religious organisations, to encourage responsible burning of joss paper and incense.”
“The National Environment Agency (NEA) monitors public cleaning contractors through regular physical audits and remote monitoring, complemented by video analytics. NEA also regularly assesses the cleaning quality and outcomes of public cleaning contractors.”
“This question has been addressed in the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment’s combined answer to Question Nos 15 to 18 on the Order Paper for 7 July 2026. [Please refer to "National Recycling Rates, Plans and Targets", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
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“From 2019 to 2021, the National Environment Agency (NEA) received an average of 13 tender bids per cooked food stall put up for tender/application at hawker centres in Toa Payoh. This subscription rate is similar to the national average of 13.5 across all our hawker centres. The mean and median bid prices among successful tenders for hawker centres in Toa Payoh during this period were $1,323 and $1,417 respectively. Hawkers who have successfully bidded for their desired stalls will pay these rentals, which are kept unchanged for the duration of the initial three-year tenancy period, before having their rental reviewed and adjusted based on independent professional valuation, which may be similar, higher or lower than the tendered rental. Vacant stalls in NEA-managed hawker centres are included in NEA's monthly stall tender exercises. This tender process ensures that stalls are allocated in a fair, open and transparent manner. The barrier to entry is low as there is no minimum bid price and the stall will be awarded to the highest qualifying bid. Successful bid prices for stalls awarded are also published online as reference to guide prospective hawkers in placing bids. Eligible Singaporeans or Permanent Residents, including coffeeshop stallholders, can participate in the open tender system or apply for vacant stalls at hawker centres operated by NEA-appointed operators.”
“The salvaged species could subsequently be utilised in the replanting of the site if feasible; and (c) Prior to land clearing, wildlife shepherding and the targeted relocation of animals will be conducted before the worksite is progressively hoarded up. While the measures will add time and cost to the project, PUB is fully committed to implementing them to mitigate the project's impact on the environment.”
“Choa Chu Kang Waterworks is Singapore's second largest waterworks and the only one located in western Singapore. The plant was constructed in phases between 1975 and 1981 and its aged infrastructure requires renewal and upgrading works to ensure that it can continue to supply good and safe drinking water to meet Singapore’s water needs. Choa Chu Kang Waterworks will have to remain in operation during the upgrading works to continue supplying water to the western areas of Singapore. For this reason, there is insufficient space within the plant to construct new treatment infrastructure. Therefore, about 3.2 hectares of additional land adjacent to the existing plant will be used. PUB is mindful of minimising any potential impact on the environment. PUB worked closely with NParks to scope a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, also known as EIA, of Choa Chu Kang Waterwork’s proposed reconstruction. This was completed in end-2021. PUB subsequently sought feedback from nature groups on the EIA findings, which have since been incorporated in the EIA report. Taking in the findings, PUB has proposed a suite of mitigation measures to safeguard the biodiversity and natural hydrology in the surrounding areas. These measures will be adopted during the reconstruction works. Allow me to outline some of these measures: (a) PUB has adjusted the original project footprint to preserve a part of a freshwater stream which is home to aquatic species of conservation significance. PUB will also put in place a 10-metre-wide strip of vegetation to serve as a buffer and implement an enhanced Earth Control Measures plan to protect this stream; (b) Flora species of conservation significance will be salvaged and placed in a designated nursery for transplanting to other suitable habitats.”
“For businesses, these include the development of Water Efficiency Benchmarks and Best Practice Guides and the mandatory submission of Water Efficiency Management Plan by large water users. Funding and technical support for water conservation projects are also provided to companies through the Water Efficiency Fund and the Industrial Water Solutions Demonstration Fund. With climate change, Singapore will continue to experience more extreme weather patterns, including prolonged dry spells. Even as the Government continues to invest in our water infrastructure and technology, everyone must do our part to conserve water and make every drop count.”
“Singapore has a robust and diversified water supply, due to years of continued planning, research and development, investments in our water infrastructure and technology. We have a diversified “Four National Taps” water supply framework – water from our local catchment, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water. This puts us in a good position to deal with the unpredictable and more extreme weather patterns brought about by climate change. PUB, our national water agency, takes a long-term approach towards our water supply strategy. PUB regularly reviews its infrastructure plans in consultation with other Government agencies as well as industries. This allows PUB to develop water infrastructure ahead of demand and plan for contingencies. Water recycling is a key part of our strategy to meet long-term water demands. The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS), a long-term project costing about $10 billion, enables the collection of every drop of used water for large-scale recycling. The overall project, including the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant (TWRP), is scheduled to be completed by 2026. The TWRP will employ advanced treatment technologies to treat domestic used water and bolster our NEWater production, as well as reclaim industrial used water for reuse. PUB will also be expanding our NEWater production capacities with the construction of Changi NEWater Factory 3. We recently opened our fifth desalination plant on Jurong Island in April 2022, further strengthening our water security. Managing our water demand is just as crucial in ensuring water resilience. PUB has implemented many facilitative and mandatory measures to increase the water efficiency of households and businesses.”
“The cost of cremation in Government-managed crematoria has been kept affordable at $100 since 1997. For deceased individuals on public assistance without next-of-kin, there are sources of financial support from the public, people and private sectors. For example, MSF's Social Service Offices (SSOs) can tap on probono services offered by welfare services to assist Comcare beneficiaries who do not have any financial or family support to pay for funeral services, including cremation fees.”
“The Smart Water Meter Programme is being rolled out progressively across Singapore. A Smart Water Meter records volume of water used and transmits the data remotely to PUB daily via digital communications network, thus removing the need for manual readings. Such data would enable PUB to better optimise water demand management and customers to better track and manage their water usage habits. Under the first phase of the programme, PUB has commenced the installation of smart water meters in Tampines Central since January this year. Some 3,000 households now have access to daily and hourly water consumption data through the MySmartWaterMeter customer portal, which also provides residents with suspected leak alerts and useful water-saving tips to help them reduce their water bills. The global shortage of microchips has led to some delay in the rolling out of smart water meters. Nevertheless, PUB still aims to install about 300,000 smart water meters in Bukit Batok, Hougang, Jurong West, Tuas, Tampines and Tengah by next year under the first phase of the programme. PUB is, concurrently, preparing for the next phase of the Smart Water Meter Programme to install smart water meters in the rest of Singapore. PUB will review the rollout of the first phase, build up its capabilities and expertise, and take into account advances in technology before implementing smart water meters for the rest of Singapore.”
“The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licenses farms for their farming activity and not on the type of farming system deployed. As such, SFA does not track vertical farms as a distinct category. Today, we have about 260 food farms in our agri-food ecosystem, and the progressive ones are increasingly harnessing technologies that are productive, innovative and sustainable. We also see a good pipeline of local farms that are developing and piloting urban food solutions.”
“In June 2021, the Government accepted the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners’ (TCC) recommendation to enhance the mandatory training requirements for cleaners under the Progressive Wage Model. Following the announcement on 7 June 2021, all licensed cleaning businesses were given 18 months, until 31 December 2022, to ensure that their cleaners attain one Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) module on Workplace Safety and Health and one other WSQ module related to environmental cleaning. As of end February 2022, around 14,500 cleaners, or about 35% of the resident cleaning workforce, have fully met the enhanced training requirements. Another 21,200 or about 51% of resident cleaners have completed one of the two required modules. Any cleaning business not in compliance will face a financial penalty of up to $5,000 and repeat offenders may have their cleaning business licences revoked. The National Environment Agency, together with SkillsFuture Singapore, has been actively engaging licensed cleaning businesses to send their cleaners for training early.”
“This includes a portal with a search engine to help residents identify what can be recycled (www.go.gov.sg/recycleright). In addition to encouraging recycling in neighbourhoods, NEA has been partnering the Ministry of Education to integrate sustainability education in schools. NEA also engages schools directly through the Environmental Education Advisers to organise campus-wide initiatives, such as recycling programmes and the appointment of recycling ambassadors. An inter-Institute of Higher Learning challenge, "Ready, Set, Recycle!" was recently organised under the Recycle Right campaign to mobilise youths to recycle.”
“The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the National Environment Agency (NEA) have carried out two concurrent pilots on the use of transparent recycling bins at Hong Kah North SMC and East Coast GRC. One of the pilots involved the use of separate compartments for glass, paper, metal, and plastic recyclables. These pilots arose from the #RecycleRight Citizens’ Workgroup, where participants had suggested the idea of transparent recycling bins to serve as a deterrence against contamination and encourage the right recycling behaviour, including the use of tailored deposit holes for different types of recyclables. Findings from the pilots will be released when ready. We are also developing a beverage container return scheme, which was another proposal from the Citizens' Workgroup. This is a form of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), where producers are responsible for the end-of-life treatment of the products they supply to the market. Under such a scheme, a refundable deposit is included in the price of the pre-packaged beverages. This encourages consumers to return empty beverage containers to designated return points, which will aggregate a clean stream of recyclables that can be more easily recycled. Improving household recycling requires everyone to play their part. NEA launched the Recycle Right campaign in 2019 to help Singaporeans understand how to recycle correctly. Refreshed recycling labels were placed on all blue recycling bins and recycling chutes to help residents identify recyclable items. In January 2022, NEA launched another round of the Recycle Right campaign and introduced a recycling mascot, Bloobin. Educational and user-friendly content have been developed to encourage the public to cultivate good recycling practices.”
“To grow our aquaculture industry, we encourage farms to adopt sustainable, high productivity farm management methods and leverage technology to optimise the use of sea space. As with land-based farms, sea-based farms have also given feedback that longer lease tenures would provide the certainty they need to invest in productive and sustainable farming technologies. This would also give them the necessary runway and enhance their access to financing needed to undertake long-term business planning and investments in farming technologies. We hence introduced sea space leases to support the industry’s needs. All farms, small or large, play a role in the transformation of our aquaculture industry. In line with the announcement at the Ministry for Sustainability and the Environment’s Committee of Supplies Debate earlier this year, there is a transition period of ten years, to ease existing farmers onto the new lease mechanism and give them time to review their business models. During this period, farmers can choose to continue using their current sea spaces under a Temporary Occupation Licences (TOLs) arrangement with annual renewals. The TOL fees will be phased in over four years to mitigate the cost impact to farms, and in line with Government’s commitment to not increase Government fees in 2023, fees for next year will also be waived. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will support all farms through the transition regardless of whether they choose to remain and invest in their existing sea spaces or exit the industry.”
“The incentive schemes will continue to be reviewed from time to time to broaden take-up by companies. The industry is encouraged to take advantage of these schemes to raise their energy efficiency levels, reduce energy consumption and reduce their cost of doing business.”
“The Industry Energy Efficiency Package for the adoption of energy efficiency technologies was launched in 2019 to help companies become more energy efficient. Under this package, the Energy Efficiency Fund (E2F) supports smaller manufacturing companies with annual group sales turnover of less than S$500 million. To date, 24 applications have been approved under the E2F. The Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings & Premises (GMIS-EBP) was a five-year $50 million incentive scheme that has been fully committed and expired in 2019. The scheme provided grants to both building owners and tenants to undertake energy efficiency works. Under this scheme, more than one-third of the approved applicants were small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The remaining grants were awarded to building owners where at least 10% of their tenants were SMEs. To provide stronger support for the smaller companies, a number of enhancements have been made to the E2F grant. First, from 1 April 2022, the maximum E2F grant support cap for adoption of energy efficient technologies has been raised from 50 to 70 per cent of the qualifying costs per project. Second, the E2F grant application and disbursement processes have been streamlined and improved to help smaller companies save time and cost. Third, we are working with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to strengthen the Energy Efficiency Technology Centre (EETC), which supports SMEs with low-cost energy assessments to identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency. In addition, the recently-announced Energy Efficiency Grant will also provide support for local SMEs in the Food Services, Food Manufacturing and Retail sectors looking to adopt energy-efficient equipment in pre-approved categories.”
“From 1 January to 31 May 2021, the National Environment Agency carried out enforcement actions on around 7,400 cases of littering. In the same period in 2022, there were around 7,800 cases.”
“The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) requires all personnel engaged in the preparation and sale of food and drinks to wear a mask or spit guard while working, to prevent them from coughing or sneezing onto and contaminating the food. While SFA has allowed the use of spit guards since April 2020, this was superseded by the national mask-wearing mandate under the COVID-19 (Control Order) Regulations. Currently, it is a requirement for all individuals to wear masks in indoor settings, and this applies to most food handlers, as they usually prepare food and drinks within an enclosed environment. Mask wearing is mandatory in hawker centres unless the individual is drinking or eating. Mask-wearing remains vital in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and we encourage everyone to continue to exercise social responsibility by masking up in all indoor settings for their own safety. Should the national indoor mask-wearing mandate be lifted in future, SFA will allow food and beverage handlers operating indoors, including in hawker centres and coffeeshops, to have the flexibility of wearing either spit guards or masks as was the case pre-COVID.”
“Collective effort by all, including construction contractors, building managers and households, is crucial to prevent further escalation of dengue cases in Singapore.”
“In 2020, 2021 and 2022 to-date, about 9%, 8% and 13% of construction sites inspected were found with mosquito breeding respectively. The National Environment Agency (NEA) regularly inspects construction sites as part of its preventive regime. Stringent enforcement action is taken against contractors whose sites are found with mosquito breeding. They may face a fine of up to $20,000, imprisonment for a term of up to three months, or both. Repeat offenders face a fine of up to $50,000, imprisonment for a term of up to six months, or both. Sites with poor housekeeping and conditions favourable to mosquito breeding may be issued with Stop Work Orders, with the requirement for the site operator to undertake specified remedial measures. These measures have to be implemented and verified by NEA before the Stop Work Orders can be lifted. As of 13 June 2022, 65 Stop Work Orders have been issued to construction sites this year. This is more than the 43 Stop Work Orders issued in the whole of 2021 and the 37 Stop Work Orders issued in 2020. NEA works closely with Singapore Contractors Association Ltd and agencies with significant construction projects such as the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), to ensure that the construction industry keeps construction sites free from mosquito breeding. The majority of mosquito breeding sites continue to be found in residential homes, while construction sites contributed less than 5% of mosquito breeding habitats detected in all premises types in the past two years. Residents should stay vigilant against mosquito breeding in their homes and take measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, the answer to the first question about whether we heard anything from Malaysian authorities, the answer is no. Second, about the update on food security roadmap, we work very closely with MTI, given the current situation and quite volatile conditions, many reasons, many factors to be concerned with. We will continue to work closely with MTI and we have done so, adjusting our stockpiling positions and stances. I would say that our businesses themselves have reacted very positively in also stockpiling for themselves. So, I think this is an area that we will continue to have the discussion within MSE, with MTI, on stockpiling and also with the downstream businesses on what they need or the amount of food that they need to stockpile. If there is a more specific question about the strategy on stockpiling, maybe the Member would like to address the question to MTI.”
“I do not believe that we have any significant import fees that will hinder the establishment of a new market but if the Member has specific questions or issues with import fees or costs, please let us know, we will be happy to look into it. But the basic question is this. There will always be a cost competitive reason for importers to gravitate to the source market that is most competitive. Sometimes, it is because it is the nearest, sometimes it is because it has an established logistics chain that can allow the goods to arrive in the shortest time. Because of competition, they will be reluctant to try new areas that may increase the cost. They may be reluctant to try new products because it is not familiar to the consumers. So, from time to time, we have to evaluate the need for licensing conditions. We have done so for eggs and we will think about whether it is necessary for chicken as well. The more conditions we impose on licenses, on business regulations, it will introduce rigidity, no doubt. But we may have to do it because it is a trade-off to encourage businesses or to require businesses to diversify. So, if we find that there is a strategic reason for us to do it, we will do so.”
“Thank you very much for these supplementary questions. On the first question, actually, we do have countries that have been accredited for importation and as I mentioned Malaysia has 99% of the live, chilled market. The rest comes from countries like Thailand and Australia. So, is there any reason why we do not accredit other countries? There are reasons because, as I mentioned, food safety is definitely one consideration. From time to time, countries are affected by zoonotic diseases, such as avian flu. So, our food security surveillance or food security review system has to take these factors into consideration and we do get into sometimes, protracted discussions with the relevant authorities, about how they are doing safety compartmentalisation, so that affected areas are not affecting the supply from the non-affected area. So, these are the reasons. I do not wish to go into further details here, but let me give you the assurance that we will support our businesses. In the pre-COVID-19 days, we used to go together with our trade associations to open up new areas and I think that the supplies from South America is one of the outcomes. We go together, we decide on which are the areas that we want to focus our priorities on and we managed to establish the kind of trade links. So, we will do so. As to why we are only getting from Malaysia, it is actually related to the first question. Although we have accredited many other countries, but because of proximity, because of historical reasons of having associations with businesses between Singapore and Malaysia, we are very closely linked, with a long history of doing business together. Malaysia continues to be an important source country for us.”
“And if you are able to again adapt to it, if you cannot buy it this week, just do not eat this form of meat. If you cannot find chicken, let us go for other forms of proteins like eggs. There are very good alternatives around and if you show some hardiness, then, as a whole, the whole country, the whole of Singapore, will have much better resilience against food disruptions.”
“And I have a quintessential Hainanese chicken stallholder, who shared with me that she has switched to frozen but could not get the same taste as before and so their business has been affected. And then, she showed me her very swollen fingers, saying, "This is what I have to go through to try to thaw many frozen chicken in order to try to get to the same recipe and same taste as before". I am sharing this as our stallholders have actually shown great resilience. They have really tried to pivot. And even though they have not really recovered to pre-ban days, they are definitely trying. And I think that is the kind of spirit that we would like to see and encourage Singaporean businesses, stallholders to have. Sometimes, in the eagerness of helping them with financial assistance or other assistance, we must not undermine this resilience that we see. And we also must not reverse some of the good business practices, the business continuity plans that they have started or implemented. We should not unwind some of these things. As a whole, I hope our businesses are able to diversify during peacetime, establish trade relations with more suppliers across different countries. Diversify, so that we know if there is a bout of avian flu, we will not be affected in the same way, and I look at a having good business continuity plan. Our businesses, small businesses, have shown resilience, adaptability and flexibility in different forms of meat and different ways of cooking – if you cannot do it in the boiled state, do it in the grilled way. I think this will make us a lot more resilient. As for individuals like ourselves here, we can always look for different types of cooking, different menus, different sources.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I think like many Members in this Chamber, we have been most concerned about the well-being of our businesses, small and large – small ones in the wet markets, large ones like importers or slaughterhouses, and also, our residents, the consumers. I think many of us have made many rounds at our wet markets, our coffee shops to survey and to understand the situation. I would like to share some of my personal experiences. We – myself and my colleagues from NEA and SFA – have been reviewing and surveying constantly and regularly, so as to allow us to understand what is happening on the ground. Which are the stores that remain open, what are they selling, how are they getting alternative sources? Which are the ones that have closed and for how long? So, that is why I think we speak with some confidence that actually, the majority, by and large, of the stores have remained open. And if they have closed, they closed for short while and when the news about the importation of kampong chicken and black chicken came, they reopened quickly again. I would like to share some of my experience talking to the stallholders. A nasi lemak stallholder said that: "I've learned to diversify, not just for chicken but for many of the major types of ingredients and to multiple suppliers, because during the COVID-19 period, we have seen how suppliers has not been able to cope". So, he has learnt to diversify to multiple suppliers. We have also a "si yau gai", a soy sauce chicken, seller in my area, who has basically replaced his fresh chicken with frozen chicken. We also have poultry stallholders who were selling chicken, fresh chicken and so on, converting to sell kampong chicken, black chicken and frozen chicken as well.”
“In my course of engaging the public as well as stakeholders on our food resilience plan, suggestions like what Ms Pereira has offered, are often heard. There were suggestions about using rooftops for community farming, using space in front of our void decks and allowing Singaporeans to plan and grow their own food for food resilience. Also, there were suggestions for other types of farming, such as permaculture for soil rehabilitation, crop rotation, so that we can improve our ecosystem and eco-diversity. Mr Deputy Speaker, these are all valid considerations. In many ways, they can contribute and add to our food resilience. But, as SFA, looks after food supply resilience, our priority must be to meet a significant proportion of our food supply needs, build up significant skillsets so that we have the production knowledge and capability onshore to support us in times of need. So, while we are developing our Lim Chu Kang masterplan, we will incorporate suggestions, such as, what Ms Pereira had offered. We invite other stakeholders to also come onboard to give us their suggestions. But ultimately, the challenge ahead of us, Mr Deputy Speaker, is how we should increase our food production from the current figure of less than 10% to 30%, with less than 1% of our land almost at the same amount of land that we are using now. In many cases, we are looking at productivity to the multiple of 10 times of what we are doing now, in order to give us the bulk that we need. So, we also invite the public, the stakeholders, the businesses to join us in raising the productivity and production capabilities of our local agri-farm sector.”
“Although the news of the export prohibition broke on 23 May 2022, SFA was officially notified by the Malaysian Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) on 31 May 2022 of Malaysia's export prohibition of chicken to Singapore that was effective from 1 June 2022. SFA continues to keep in close contact with the Malaysian DVS. Because of climate change, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and disruptions in supply chains globally, we expect more disruptions to our food supply ahead of us. While our multi-pronged strategy has worked well in mitigating the impact of such disruptions, we remain vigilant and nimble in the execution of our strategy when new conditions emerge. Businesses should similarly review their Business Continuity Plan and diversify their supplies. Households and individuals too, can contribute to our food resilience by accommodating changes and pivoting to other food types when one is not available. The critical success factor of our food security is the ability of Singaporeans – businesses, consumers, policy makers – together collectively, to adapt, adjust and remain resilient in the face of supply disruptions. Together, we can and we will face any challenges that may come our way.”
“However, we will not be able to eliminate all risks. To do so would be costly and uneconomical. We will also not be able to isolate Singapore from the price fluctuations of food supply. As we have seen in recent months, even countries with sizeable food production capabilities face higher food prices because of higher prices of feedstocks, fertilisers and transportation costs. Price control or subsidies for food, distorts business conditions and may not be financially sustainable. Instead, to address households' concerns over rising prices, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong recently announced the $1.5 billion support package which includes a GSTV – Cash Special Payment of up to $300 in August to support lower-income individuals. All Singaporean households would also have received $100 CDC voucher in May to help with daily expenses and the Deputy Prime Minister has already addressed many Parliamentary Questions on this issue, so I do not intend to repeat his points here. Ms Jessica Tan asked about our support to businesses and consumers. During the ban, our businesses using chicken from Malaysia were able to have access to chicken from alternate sources. The majority of poultry market stalls and chicken rice hawker stalls have remained open. We have also linked up affected hawkers and market stallholders with the Meat Traders Association to switch to frozen or thawed frozen chicken. Our businesses have shown resilience by adapting and pivoting to alternatives, as they have done so with previous disruptions over the COVID-19 pandemic. If needed, we will extend assistance and relieve the burden on businesses and households, as we have done so in the past. Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Alex Yam asked about our engagement with the Malaysian government on the chicken export ban.”
“The 30 by 30 goal is already very ambitious. Singapore is a land scarce country. We only have about 1% of our land set aside for agri-food production, given other competing land uses. To achieve 30 by 30, we need a significant transformation of Singapore's agri-food sector. As part of this transformation, SFA has recently embarked on the holistic master planning of the 390-hectare Lim Chu Kang area. It will take time for these plans to be implemented. Ms Joan Pereira and Mr Shawn Huang asked if we could have poultry production in Singapore. Given our land, labour, energy and water constraints, we prefer to concentrate on farming food items that can be produced in a resource efficient and commercially sustainable manner. For example, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported that producing one kilogramme of chicken for meat would generate about three times that the CO2-equivalent emissions compared to some fish. We currently have about 260 local farms producing food items that are commonly consumed and have local demand, such as eggs, fish and vegetables. To Mr Edward Chia's question on our crisis stockpile, the Government works closely with industry partners to maintain stockpiles of essential food items in order to mitigate the impact of any unforeseen disruptions to our food supply. These stockpiles will help to stabilise supplies during periods of acute disruption as imports from other sources are ramped up. As mentioned by Prime Minister Lee recently, the Government had begun to build up our stockpiles to a higher level at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we were concerned with possible disruptions to our food supply, I have described our food security strategies to mitigate the risks of unavailability of supply.”
“Specific to the chicken export ban, chicken from Malaysia accounts for 34% of our total chicken imports. This has dropped by three percentage points from 37% in 2018. While this accounts for 99% of our live and chilled chicken imports, at about 73,000 tonnes in 2021, we have the alternative of frozen chicken available. Frozen chicken provides us with greater food resilience as industrial freezing extends the shelf life of the meat. Under proper storage conditions, frozen meat can be kept for up to a year. It enlarges our pool of available choices to include suppliers from countries that are further away like Brazil and the United States. In the recent chicken export ban, we saw industry partners such as SATS and trade associations such as the Meat Traders Association and the Poultry Merchants Association, increase imports of frozen chicken from the United States and Brazil, and chilled chicken from Thailand and Australia. SFA has also recently accredited Indonesia as a new source for the import of chicken. Mr Gerald Giam asked if there were constraints to expanding the number of approved countries for poultry imports. Even as we diversify our food sources, food safety remains paramount. Only accredited sources that meet Singapore's food safety and animal health standards will be allowed to export to Singapore. This has not hindered our diversification efforts. Specifically for chicken, 25 countries are accredited. Second, we intend to grow more food locally to serve as a buffer in times of supply disruption. We are building the capability and capacity of our agri-food industry to produce up to 30% of our nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030, up from less than 10% today. Mr Louis Chua asked whether we have plans to accelerate "30 by 30".”
“My response will also address Parliamentary Questions filed by Mr Edward Chia1 and Mr Shawn Huang2 due for reading at subsequent Sittings, and I would like to invite the Members to ask any supplementary questions they may have. Global food supply chains are highly interlinked. Disruptions to the production, export or transportation of agricultural inputs or food products in one country or region often have knock-on effects on other parts of the food supply chain. These can arise from many causes, including geopolitical tensions, extreme weather events, disruptions to logistics chains or policy decisions by foreign governments. Some food producing countries have reacted by imposing exports bans or restrictions on food items. Indonesia's recent palm oil export ban, India's wheat and sugar export bans and Malaysia's chicken export ban, are recent examples. Singapore imports more than 90% of our food. We cannot fully prevent such disruptions. However, we have adopted a multi-pronged approach to mitigate the impacts. Let me elaborate. First, we work with the industry to build resilience in their supply networks. SFA supports the industry's diversification efforts by actively accrediting multiple overseas food sources. SFA also helps to accredit new source countries, regions and suppliers in order to give our importers more choices. Through import licensing, SFA requires egg importers to have a business continuity plan and have measures such as diversifying import sources, signing retainer contracts or holding a buffer stock. These measures help to mitigate the impact of disruptions from any single source. We currently import our food from over 170 countries and regions. We will continue our diversification efforts.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to answer Parliamentary Question Nos 32 to 37 together?”
“There are about 1.4 million Singaporean and Permanent Resident (PR) households. The number of these households whose electricity and water bills were in arrears for (i) at least three months and (ii) more than six months, at the end of 2019, 2020 and 2021 are as follows:”
“The outreach efforts leverage the mass media, including TV channels, digital and social media, as well as publicity platforms of Town Councils, digital panel ads at HDB lift lobbies and Community Development Council collaterals. To encourage recycling at home, NEA is collaborating with the Singapore Institute of Technology to design a recycling container to help households better organise and collect recyclables, including small e-waste items, such as chargers and cables. More details will be announced later.”
“Under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for e-waste, producers, that is, manufacturers and importers, are responsible for the end-of-life treatment of electrical and electronic products that they supply to the Singapore market. ALBA E-Waste Smart Recycling (ALBA), the appointed Producer Responsibility Scheme operator, is responsible for the collection and proper treatment of consumer e-waste on behalf of the producers. While there is no deployment target for e-waste recycling bins, ALBA and NEA regularly analyse data from e-waste collection points to optimise the collection network. ALBA has deployed more than 550 e-waste recycling bins nationwide, at convenient locations, such as community centres, supermarkets, electronics stores and Government buildings. ALBA also works with Town Councils to organise quarterly collection drives at housing estates and collection of bulky e-waste. These efforts have resulted in 4,300 tonnes of consumer e-waste being collected since the scheme started in July 2021. This is more than three times the amount collected annually under previous voluntary schemes and about 10.5% of the consumer electrical and electronic equipment supplied in 2020. E-waste contains valuable resources like gold, copper and cobalt. The proper segregation of e-waste for recycling will enable the recovery of these resources for use in the manufacturing of new products. As the e-waste recycling scheme is relatively new, NEA has been working with ALBA to educate residents on why they should recycle e-waste, what e-waste can be recycled and the collection avenues available.”
“For hawker centres, the average satisfaction level improved from 62% to 83% while, for coffee shops, it increased from 65% to 77%. The satisfaction level for cleanliness in food courts also improved from 87% to 96% over the same period. NEA and SFA also monitor public feedback closely. Public feedback volumes on general cleanliness at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts have remained stable, even with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. We have received feedback from patrons that the tables are not cleaned fast enough at some of our public dining places. NEA and SFA have worked with coffee shop and food court operators, hawkers' associations and cleaning contractors to deploy and guide cleaners to revise cleaning workflows to improve cleanliness levels. There will be a team of cleaners focusing on wiping and sanitising tables in a timely manner after diners have cleared their tables, while a separate team of cleaners ensures that the designated tray and crockery return points are also continuously being cleared. SFA also conducts checks at coffee shops and food courts, and most operators have complied with our requirements. NEA and SFA will continue to work closely with the coffee shop and food court operators, hawkers' associations and cleaning contractors to address the operational gaps observed and step up cleaning efforts. At the same time, I hope that we can all be patient as the sector adjusts to meet the rise in demand and the shortage of labour. I also encourage everyone to continue to play our part in keeping our public dining places clean and safe.”
“With more Singaporeans returning to the workplace and tourist arrivals in Singapore, there has been a rise in the demand for cleaning services, including at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts. At the same time, with the recent reopening of Singapore's land border with Malaysia, many Malaysians also took the opportunity to return to Malaysia, further contributing to the strain in manpower in the cleaning sector. The cleaning industry is doing its best to address this confluence of events through cross-deployment and backfilling of cleaners. MSE is monitoring the situation closely and will respond as necessary. The experience of COVID-19 has reinforced the need for high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. Through initiatives, such as the Environmental Sanitation (ES) Regime, the Government has been working with stakeholders to improve cleanliness standards, including at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts. By setting baseline standards and cleaning frequencies for both thorough, as well as routine cleaning, and for high-touch surfaces, premises managers can better plan cleaning resources to upkeep hygiene standards. There are regular mechanisms in place that we will continue to use to monitor public hygiene and cleanliness standards. For example, the Singapore Management University has been conducting the annual Public Cleanliness Satisfaction Survey (PCSS), which measures the level of public satisfaction with public cleanliness in Singapore. The survey covers a wide range of settings, including food outlets, such as hawker centres and coffee shops. The findings show that the satisfaction level for cleanliness during the COVID-19 period was higher than that of pre-COVID-19.”
“This aggregates a clean stream of recyclables that can be more easily recycled. For food waste, we will require operators of industrial and commercial buildings that generate large amounts of food waste to segregate the food waste for treatment. This will convert food waste into energy or higher value products, such as compost and non-potable water. Beyond regulations, NEA is also supporting companies to adopt best practices to recycle and minimise waste. For example, NEA has developed guidebooks for industrial developments, shopping malls, offices, hotels and the MICE industry to set up 3R programmes. These guidebooks provide a step-by-step guide to implement a 3R programme tailored to the premises and highlights the best practices and case studies in the industry. The Singapore Manufacturing Federation, in partnership with NEA, has also launched the Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP) as an industry-led capability development programme for sustainable packaging waste management. Under PPP, training sessions are organised to facilitate the exchange of sustainable packaging best practices and trends. PPP, currently, has 310 members across a variety of industries, such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, electronics and the packaging supply chain, from packaging manufacturers and logistics service providers to retailers. MSE and NEA are also on the lookout for good ideas to promote and encourage more and correct recycling practices among companies and households in Singapore. Recycling, which is an integral part of our efforts to develop a truly circular economy, requires a whole-of-society effort and we welcome constructive and innovative suggestions from the public.”
“To consider other ways to reduce the contamination of recyclables, we recently carried out two concurrent pilots on the use of transparent recycling bins at Hong Kah North SMC and East Coast GRC, which was a suggestion from the Recycle Right Citizens' Workgroup to encourage the right recycling behaviour. We will evaluate findings from the pilots to consider if we should review the design of the blue recycling bins. To promote industrial recycling, we have put in place the Mandatory Waste Reporting framework. Large hotels, shopping malls, industrial premises, such as factories and warehouses, as well as convention and exhibition centres are required to submit annual waste disposal and recycling data, as well as waste reduction plans to NEA. We have also established a nationwide system for the recovery of electronic and electrical waste and are doing so for food waste and packaging waste including plastics. We implemented an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for e-waste in July 2021, which enables the recovery and aggregation of useful materials such as metals, from e-waste for reuse. For packaging waste, we started with the Mandatory Packaging Reporting in 2021, which requires large producers of packaged products and retailers to report packaging data and develop 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) plans for packaging waste. Efforts are also ongoing to develop a beverage container return scheme, where a refundable deposit is included in the price of the prepackaged beverages to encourage consumers to return empty beverage containers to designated return points. Jurisdictions that have implemented such a scheme have seen the return rate for beverage containers increase significantly, to as high as 80%.”
“Encouraging recycling as a way of life is a priority for my Ministry and NEA. To make it more convenient for residents to recycle, all HDB estates, condominiums, private apartments and landed properties are provided with recycling bins. Most of these bins are provided by Public Waste Collectors (PWCs) appointed by NEA, as part of the National Recycling Programme (NRP). Since April 2020, NEA has also raised the minimum frequency of recyclables collection for HDB estates to three times weekly, from once a week previously, for the 660 litre recycling bins. Side-loading recycling bins with three times the usual capacity have been introduced in estates where space allows, with a collection frequency of once a week due to its larger capacity. NEA is also working with the PWCs to increase the resources deployed to collect recyclables from locations with higher recycling demand. However, the recyclables collected under NRP are often contaminated when items containing food or liquid waste are disposed of in recycling bins, or when non-recyclable items, such as soft toys and clothing, are placed in recycling bins. To improve household recycling and reduce contamination rates, NEA launched the inaugural Recycle Right campaign in 2019. In January 2022, NEA introduced a new recycling mascot, Bloobin, as well as educational and user-friendly content to encourage schools and the community to cultivate the right recycling habit. A search engine was also developed to help residents search for and identify items that can be recycled (www.go.gov.sg/recycleright).”
“Residents living in dengue clusters should take extra precautions as the virus is circulating in their local community. Those who suspect that they have dengue fever should seek medical attention immediately. Residents who have been diagnosed with dengue should apply insect repellent regularly to prevent mosquito bites and stop the onward transmission of dengue by mosquitoes to their family members and the community.”
“Thus far, Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes have been released at about 1,800 HDB blocks across study sites in Yishun, Tampines, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Batok towns and within five square kilometres of landed estates in Marine Parade, comprising some 160,000 homes. NEA has observed up to 98% suppression of the primary mosquito vector of dengue, Aedes aegypti, and up to 88% fewer dengue cases in study sites with at least one year of Wolbachia-Aedes mosquito releases. Nonetheless, the Wolbachia technology is not a silver bullet and cannot replace the basic preventive actions that everyone must take to remove stagnant water and prevent mosquito breeding. With the traditional peak dengue season still ahead, NEA and partner agencies will press on with efforts to reduce the local mosquito population, including taking strong enforcement action against egregious cases of mosquito breeding. Town Councils face fines of up to $5,000 for mosquito breeding found in common breeding habitats, such as roof tops and drains, during cluster operations. Poorly maintained construction sites that are found to harbour mosquito breeding may be issued with Stop Work Orders or face prosecution in Court. Offenders in households found with repeat mosquito breeding offences and multiple mosquito breeding habitats may be sent to Court, and, upon conviction, face a fine of up to $5,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both. Heftier penalties will be given for subsequent Court convictions. Thus far this year, NEA has issued 38 Stop Work Orders to construction sites and six contractors were charged in Court for repeat offences. During the same period, 960 enforcement actions were taken against occupiers of various premises for mosquito breeding.”
“Dengue cases in Singapore have been rising sharply since March 2022, with over 6,000 dengue cases reported by end April. This is more than the 5,258 dengue cases in the whole of 2021. NEA has been working with partner agencies and Town Councils to intensify inspections, flushing of drains and chemical treatment in dengue cluster areas, to remove potential sources of mosquito breeding and suppress the adult mosquito population. About two-thirds of the 587 dengue clusters notified since the start of the year have been closed. Collective effort by the community is needed to bring down the number of dengue cases. NEA launched the annual National Dengue Prevention Campaign on 30 March 2022, ahead of the traditional peak dengue season from June to October, to rally members of the public and stakeholders to take immediate action to reduce mosquito breeding and protect themselves against dengue. New purple dengue alert banners have been deployed in areas with persistently high Aedes aegypti mosquito populations. This is to raise awareness of the greater risk of dengue transmission in these areas and encourage the public to take immediate action against mosquito breeding. NEA has been working with grassroots organisations and the People's Association (PA) to intensify outreach efforts and distribute insect repellent through house visits and community events. We have deployed volunteers to areas with high footfall, such as hawker centres and transport hubs, and worked with partners, such as supermarket operators to ramp up awareness of the dengue situation. Project Wolbachia is being implemented in a phased approach to allow a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology and an assessment of the deployment strategy.”
“Funeral events are not subjected to Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures to allow families and loved ones to pay their last respects, regardless of their vaccination status. To mitigate the risks of transmission of COVID-19 to unvaccinated attendees, the serving and consumption of food and beverages remain prohibited at funeral events. We will continue to monitor the situation and review this position moving forward.”
“For example, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) convened a Citizens’ Workgroup to co-create solutions to increase demand for local produce, to enhance our food security. One of the Workgroup’s recommendations was to create meals using local produce to increase awareness of their availability, freshness and nutritional value. The Workgroup participants went on to partner SFA, a chef and Thomson Medical to design meals for new mothers using local produce, which are accompanied by educational material. The pilot LoveSGMums Meal project was launched last month. Another example is our collaboration with Mediacorp on the CNA Green Plan to highlight key challenges brought about by climate change, to inspire individuals to go green. The collaboration included a series of public engagement activities and challenges, and a five-part infotainment series which was launched yesterday, on 4 April 2022. In the coming year, we will continue to rally and mobilise individuals, the community, and businesses to start their own sustainability efforts and to do their part for the Singapore Green Plan.”
“A climate change public perception survey conducted by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) in 2019 found that 90% of Singapore residents are aware of climate change and its impact, while close to 80% are prepared to do more to fight climate change. Under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, we have been focusing our public education and engagement efforts on three fronts: (a) generating greater public awareness on sustainability measures; (b) fostering understanding of new green opportunities and the trade-offs and costs involved; and, most importantly, (c) galvanising collective action to combat climate change. The Green Plan Ministries have been holding discussions with the public and key stakeholders on various sustainability topics, including our net-zero emissions ambition. In fact, in the last two weeks, we have held two Green Plan Conversations on the Resilient Future and Sustainable Living pillars. These Conversations aim to increase understanding of climate change impacts and Green Plan initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Through these Conversations, we seek to garner support and collective action for the Green Plan. Such dialogues to engage various stakeholder groups will continue to be organised. MOE is also actively nurturing our students to learn, practise and contribute to a sustainable Singapore. Environmental sustainability is now integrated into our education institutions — in curriculum, campus infrastructure, institution culture and practices, and ongoing partnerships with the community. We have also been working with citizens and partners to co-create policies and solutions as well as catalyse ground-up projects.”
“The National Environment Agency (NEA) adopts a holistic dengue control strategy to keep dengue incidence low, by keeping the mosquito population low and breaking the disease transmission chain. This includes outreach and engagement, as well as regular inspections of various premises for mosquito breeding sites. The National Dengue Prevention Campaign is NEA’s key outreach and engagement programme on dengue. The annual programme rallies the community to stop dengue transmission, to prevent a surge in dengue cases ahead of the traditional dengue peak period, typically from June to October. NEA carries out post-campaign surveys to measure the effectiveness of the campaign and gather insights on the public’s perception of dengue prevention. The survey results, generally, show that the campaign has been effective in raising awareness on dengue prevention. NEA uses the survey findings and insights to sharpen and improve future campaigns. NEA utilises daily dengue case data and mosquito population data collected from gravitraps fortnightly, to identify high risk areas. This allows NEA to prioritise mosquito breeding inspections and ensure effective deployment of limited manpower resources. As such, high-risk areas, which may include HDB estates, would be inspected more frequently. In 2021, NEA conducted about 631,000 inspections for mosquito breeding islandwide, including residential units, construction sites, common areas within the HDB estates, and public areas in landed estates, using this targeted inspection regime. This uncovered about 18,500 mosquito breeding habitats.”
“Pest control operators (PCOs) have various means to manage the population of pests and would assess the situation to determine the most appropriate means to ensure effective and safe pest control. When used responsibly and safely, glue traps are an effective tool for trapping and removing rodents. To minimise the risk of non-target animals being trapped by glue traps, NParks, in consultation with NEA and the Singapore Pest Management Association (SPMA), had issued guidelines to PCOs on the responsible use of glue traps. NParks, NEA and SPMA will review these guidelines from time to time.”
“Excessive vehicle noise is caused by a variety of factors, including vehicle design, illegal modifications, poor maintenance and inconsiderate driver behaviour. NEA sets noise emission standards that new vehicles must adhere to upon registration, as well as in-use noise emission standards which ensure that vehicles used on the roads are regularly serviced, well-maintained and do not emit excessive noise. Compliance with noise emission standards will continue to be assessed during mandatory periodic inspections at authorised inspection centres. NEA, Traffic Police and LTA will also continue to conduct joint enforcement operations for vehicular-related offences on our roads, including violations of the noise emission standards. Currently, there are no plans to deploy noise measuring instruments along the roads to enforce against vehicles that violate the noise emission standards. Unlike speeding offences, which can be visually captured using speed cameras, it is challenging to attribute the source of noise to a specific vehicle on the road, due to interference from surrounding traffic and other sources. Nonetheless, NEA will continue to monitor new technologies that could strengthen enforcement against vehicles that violate the noise emission standards.”
“We will review this further. As we have seen recently, Geylang Serai, for example, has a pasar malam. We will look at such arrangements, over time, as the situation allows.”
“We will definitely do more. But from our experience with the coffee shops and canteens, although there are flexibilities in their operations and implementations, the patrons were quick to recognise how it works. It is quite intuitive; if you have a "zichar" stall operating at night and if the operator so wishes, it can go up to 10 persons dine-in with VDS checks because I think the businesses have their motivations aligned with VDS checks. Many of the operators are also making the arrangements publicly known around the area. On further review of VDS, as explained by the Minister for Health earlier on, it will be aligned with what has been decided by MTF.”