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 September 2013 to January 2014, the National Environment Agency (NEA) detected close to 14,000 burrows in public areas, of which about 2,000 burrows were in areas under the purview of other agencies, excluding Town Councils. In the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) review of NEA’s rodent control services over the same period, it found that 115 burrows detected at these areas remained untreated and 33 remained active or increased in numbers after two to six months. AGO observed that NEA's approach of not treating the burrows in areas under other public agencies may have resulted in higher overall costs and that it had not sufficiently followed up with the other public agencies to ensure that actions were taken to treat the active burrows detected. NEA acknowledges AGO's observations. The main objective of NEA's rodent surveillance and control programme is to detect active burrows in public areas to monitor the rodent situation, with treatment comprising a small part of NEA’s rodent contract as typically less than 10% of burrows are detected in NEA-managed land. Nonetheless, NEA will step up efforts to ensure that all detected burrows are treated, including considering streamlining and taking over the treatment of burrows in areas under the purview of other agencies and those abutting NEA-managed areas. NEA will also take steps to further strengthen its coordination with stakeholders and facilitate collaborative efforts among stakeholders in the same locale. This includes ensuring detected burrows are treated and pooling resources to tackle infestation that straddles the borders of land under different stakeholders, so as to avoid duplicative work by multiple parties.”
“(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] This is, indeed, a fast-paced era. We only just announced it and now the Member has asked to have it expedited. However, I would like to seek the Members' and the residents' understanding on this. We are stepping up the pace to complete the 10 hawker centres that were announced earlier. After the completion of these 10 hawker centres, we will start the preparation work on the next 10 centres. We have to bear in mind that we are doing this in conjunction with other infrastructure projects and many of these new hawker centres are part of integrated development projects. The development of the new hawker centres will be a concerted effort, involving many other Government agencies. Therefore, the timing would have to be managed carefully, but we will fulfil our promises as soon as we can. Page: 153”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. In Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to clarify on the question where the Member had asked about renting out stalls to a single bidder. In the case where the hawker stall tender attracts only a single bidder and it is put up for tender again, and the same situation is arrived at, then that single bidder will be able to rent the stall. The issue that Ms Tin Pei Ling has raised is worth our attention, that is, the demand for wet markets will change in tandem with people's changing lifestyle and their demand for cooked food. When more people are going to cooked food stalls and hawker centres for their daily meals, fewer people will go to the wet markets to buy groceries to cook at home. We are paying attention to this current trend and trying to observe the long-term demands for wet markets stalls. 7.15 pm”
“They have displayed great teamwork and service excellence in supporting our common goals. MSO's raison d'detre is in improving delivery of public municipal services. We will not have major schemes, major grants nor major investments. Instead, we are committed to putting customers – members of the public, Singaporeans – at the heart of our work. Little by little, step by step, we aim to deliver better, customer-centric municipal services by making it more convenient for you to tell us what can be better, to respond to your feedback promptly and to implement more holistic solutions by working closely with you and the community. We have just taken the first step, Mr Chairman, and we would like you and the rest of Singapore to join us in our journey as we make Singapore an even more liveable and endearing home. Punggol New Town Developments”
“MSO is thus working with Jurong and Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Councils on a pilot trial to fine-tune Page: 144 feedback management protocols, with the view to extend the protocols to other Town Councils. These include getting the agencies and Town Councils to: (a) acknowledge ownership of the cases referred to them; (b) provide progress update on cases; and, (c) follow the MSO guidelines in resolving cases that involve multiple entities. All of which will ensure a better handshake and proper follow-through of cases. The trial started this month. If successful, we will invite all Town Councils to participate in the working arrangements with MSO without weakening Town Councils' autonomy and authority in service delivery and in setting their service standards. Improving customer service on municipal issues goes beyond apps, systems and processes. It is important for us to build "Heartware" in addition to the "Hardware" and "Software". This involves building relationships between agencies and people and amongst people, between neighbours. Building an engaged community is our ultimate aim, even as we seek improvements in customer service. We want the public to feel a sense of responsibility to their neighbours and to take an interest in their living environment. Managing feedback and complaints is the first step in building "Heartware", but it is a vital building block and an important start to a relationship – a first of many experiences. It can be a personal and, at times, emotional experience to both parties – the party who gives the feedback and the party who receives it. That is why I am particularly thankful to the frontline and operations staff from all our partner agencies for their dedication and hard work.”
“NParks is, nevertheless, prepared to consider suggestions to improve coordination of services between public land and adjacent land owners. So, what is next? Earlier, I mentioned the importance of having a strong network of agencies. This is also what Mr Charles Chong has enquired. MSO will partner three more agencies on 1 April – BCA, SLA and URA. These agencies also handle municipal issues, as pointed out by Mr Chong, such as issues associated with construction activities and illegal parking. This addition will expand MSO's scope of work and will allow us to look for greater improvements. But not only Government agencies handle municipal services. Dr Janil Puthucheary, Mr Charles Chong and Dr Lily Neo raised an important point about coordinating with Town Councils, which manage the maintenance and cleanliness of HDB estates' common areas. Indeed, a sizeable number of customers' feedback on municipal issues are referred between Government agencies and Town Councils. Take, for instance, a recent feedback from a resident of Clementi West. He reported a car that could have been illegally modified and was generating excessive noise and he also mentioned that motorbikes were parking illegally in his neighbourhood. As vehicles were involved in both issues, one might think that the feedback could be easily settled by one entity, such as LTA. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The motorbikes were parked at void decks, which came under the purview of the Town Council. In the end, the Town Council agreed to take action to minimise illegal parking and LTA agreed to check on the said car. 6.15 pm From this example, we can see that there are merits in improving the working relationships with Town Councils to enhance overall municipal service delivery.”
“As Mr Charles Chong and Mr Liang Eng Hwa have both pointed out, greenery-related issues are currently managed by different agencies, depending on who owns the land. These could include NParks, HDB, PUB and SLA. Naturally, the different agencies end up engaging different contractors to maintain the greenery, sometimes in the same vicinity. This is not ideal and we can do better. From June onwards, NParks will take over the role as the central agency for public greenery maintenance within Singapore, starting with grass-cutting works under SLA, PUB and HDB. This way, maintenance works can be made more efficient and maintenance protocols can be better aligned. So, next time, if you encounter issues of such nature, you need only to contact NParks and they will take care of the greenery matters for you. Mr Chairman, you brought up the issue about cleaning dried leaves, whether it falls into the drain or road or verge. You may like to know that the Department of Public Cleanliness (DPC) has been progressively taking over the public cleanliness function from all agencies, so Page: 143 NEA is the only agency that you need to call. Mr Liang also asked about coordinating with Town Councils and private land owners. Town Councils, which are autonomous bodies, and private developers or owners will remain responsible for the areas under their purview. NParks cannot be expected to maintain their greenery for them, which is what one resident requested NParks to do. In addition to asking NParks to trim the grass by hand so as not to damage his shrubs, he also demanded that NParks remove his tree in his own premises. It is unreasonable to expect NParks to accede to such requests and I hope members of the public will understand why the Government cannot be your personal gardener.”
“To implement the solution quicker, MSO got PUB to tag along NParks' lighting upgrading works at an adjacent park connector to install the required lightings so that they do not need to call a separate tender or get another Page: 142 contractor. This is a good example of how MSO has played a facilitator role. Another example is the damaged drain gratings that I mentioned earlier. In this case, unfortunately, the resident who reported the incident did not specify the exact location of the gratings, except that they were "somewhere along Commonwealth Avenue West" and that can be quite a long stretch. He also did not leave behind his contact details and it was difficult to act on an imprecise report, as drain gratings could be maintained by LTA or PUB. Nevertheless, to resolve this quickly, PUB and LTA jointly inspected the site to fix all damaged drain gratings. So, kudos to the agencies. Recognising that such cases are not uncommon, MSO reviewed the work arrangements to see how best to resolve such feedback efficiently, going forward. PUB agreed that if it receives such cases, it would adopt a "just do first" approach to conduct site inspections. PUB will then proceed with the repair works, or notify the relevant agency to follow up if it does not fall under its purview. Both examples illustrate how MSO facilitated decision-making and process improvements among Government agencies. We believe that improving efficiency in the Public Service is beneficial to the public. We want to harness technology to enhance the relevance and effectiveness for service delivery. We have done this with the OneService mobile app. Another area for efficiency is the centralisation of public greenery maintenance.”
“Our agencies' emails and phone lines are still up and running, so you can contact the agencies that you are familiar with, if you so prefer. Next, I will talk about delivering better response time and more holistic solutions. This is in relation to Ms Phua's query about MSO's service standards and our efforts in ensuring accountability, as well as Mr Charles Chong's query about MSO's role in resolving inter-agency issues. MSO has introduced an integrated municipal feedback management system. This is a backend system that sits away from front-facing operations. So, it is not apparent to the public but this is a system that we have implemented that links across all partner agencies. A standard protocol was implemented to refer cases between agencies and in replying and closing cases. It allows us to track the timeliness of our responses, regardless of where the feedback was first received. Over 2,000 customer service officers across our partner agencies have been trained to use this system and operate the protocol since August last year. Also built into the system is a protocol of case escalation. This allows MSO to act on complex cases that involve multiple decision-makers across different agencies, as well as difficult cases where responsibility may be ambiguous. To ensure accountability, we track such complex cases and actively facilitate their resolution. Take, for instance, a recent request from a resident to install lightings along a footpath at Toa Payoh Lorong 8. The resident was worried for pedestrians' safety when it gets dark. This footpath runs along a canal and is a maintenance access used by PUB for drainage maintenance work. Although PUB did not build it for public use, it has agreed to support the installation of lightings in view of public safety.”
“Better still, you can use the geo-tagging function to let us know the exact location on a map. This way, agencies can attend to the issues quickly, which is an improvement over cases, say, received over the phone or email when imprecise information on location is sometimes conveyed. Using the OneService app, Mr George Lim submitted a feedback about a loosened railing near a bus stop at Hillview Avenue. Upon receiving the precise location, the system routed the case to LTA for follow-up. The railing was repaired in less than five working days. Mr Lim wrote back to thank us and I quote his comment, "The centralised office has made things easier and less stressful to know which department handles the matter". His comment validated our shift from an agency-based approach to an issues-based one. It is not an easy move. It means breaking down silos amongst agencies, working closely with one another and arriving at a consensus on how to deal with feedback. Page: 141 But the effort is worth it. We hope more customers will find the OneService app convenient. Many have given useful suggestions, such as introducing more categories. We will consider all suggestions seriously as we work towards making the app more relevant and customer-friendly. To address Ms Phua's query, the OneService mobile app is one of our pioneering efforts in proactively reaching out to the ground and is a "signature" initiative that uses technology to improve customer experience. That said, even as we engage the mobile-savvy generation, we are mindful of customers who prefer other channels, more conventional channels of communication. The OneService app is meant to facilitate your interaction with us, but it does not mean we are replacing existing channels.”
“By working closely with our partner agencies, MSO aims to ensure that your municipal feedback is properly acted on. Our focus is to make systemic improvements, so that the Page: 140 Government, as a whole, can serve you better. MSO selected eight partner agencies as a start, but why these eight, asked Mr Gan Thiam Poh. Based on the public feedback received, we looked across the Government, analysed the nature of the issues and identified the eight agencies with the most public touch points, handling the more common municipal services. Collectively, they handle around 42,000 municipal cases every month, or more than 1,400 cases a day. It has been five months since MSO "opened shop". To address the questions raised by Mr Charles Chong, Dr Janil Puthucheary and Ms Denise Phua, our priority has been to improve customer service – to provide greater convenience, to improve response time and to offer better solutions to the public. Let me share these aspects with you in turn. First, convenience for the customer. To make it easier for you to report the problem – and we do want you to report the problem because this is your neighbourhood – we launched a mobile app known as OneService earlier in January. Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim had asked for an update. So far, more than 14,000 profiles have been registered and about 2,800 feedback submitted. To be customer-centric, the app organises the categories by issues, such as trees and greenery, roads and footpaths. There is no need for you to know which agency is responsible for the problem. Say in the case of a flooded footpath, you need only to take a photo of the site, select the "roads and footpaths" category, and "submit". That is it.”
“Mr Chairman, Minister Khaw told us a moving tale of five families to illustrate our Government's commitment to home ownership. Indeed, quoting a Chinese saying, “治国应以安民”: governing a nation is about housing its people. It is about providing a home, a place where you feel safe and where you belong. But there is a second part to the phrase and, that is,“得民作为根本”. It is not just about the hardware but it is also about winning the hearts of our people. The software in managing our living environment forms the basis of the Municipal Services Office (MSO). Mr Seng Han Thong, Dr Lily Neo and Mr Baey Yam Keng, during the Budget debate, have called for better delivery of public services. We agree. Our people deserve more efficient, responsive and empathetic service.“以民为本” – putting people at the heart of our work, is what MSO aims to achieve. We experience municipal issues daily. Take a typical day. You leave for work in the morning. It had rained earlier and water is overflowing from the drains onto the footpath. You notice that some drain gratings have been damaged, which required you to step over to avoid tripping and, while holding on to the railing, you found that it has loosened. You wonder, should I report these defects and, if so, who should I call? These are day-to-day issues that affect the quality of our living environment. And these are the municipal services that MSO is focusing on. Naturally, in a bureaucracy that is as extensive and complex as the Public Service today, responsibilities do overlap or reside with different agencies. As a result, members of the public may find themselves having to deal with multiple agencies over a single issue. It can be frustrating.”
“Page: 83 I read with interest the recent articles by Mr Sourav Roy in The Straits Times where, on behalf of foreigners living here, he expressed deep gratitude for Singapore, and said, "We want to be a part of you, not for what we can take from you but for what we can share with you". First and foremost, he wanted to share his love and respect for our "wonderful country" and its "beautiful people". What was encouraging was that a foreigner had put into words all the good he sees in Singapore and Singaporeans and expressed his desire to start his family here and contribute to this place. It takes someone, sometimes with a different perspective, to help us see who we are. What was even more heartening was the response from Singaporeans, who welcomed him and invited him into their lives. This, to me, is quintessentially Singaporean – to be generous of heart and to be able to see the person behind the differences. Even simple gestures – taking the time to say "hello" or sharing a meal together – can open the door to deeper interactions and understanding. Let us make it a point this year to greet, meet and eat together and be involved. Singapore has achieved much. Through our collective efforts, we are confident that we will remain a cohesive society and we can realise Singapore's promise as a vibrant global city and an endearing home for all of us. Managing Inflation”
“One example is the Breaking Boundaries @ SIM programme, in which Singaporean students lead newcomers on an experiential tour around Singapore. Along the way, they share about Singapore's social norms and local culture. Friendships begun this way are strengthened as the participants later go on to work together on other projects. Programmes, such as this, help participants to deepen and sustain their relationships with one another. We are also always on the lookout for new and innovative approaches. Last year, we co-funded "Encounters 2014", a series of playback theatre performances involving Singaporeans, new immigrants and migrant workers. Audience members were invited to share their personal encounters, which the performers then enacted through improvisation. "Playing back" these stories help audiences to reflect on their own experiences and consider their own assumptions about people from different backgrounds. We are happy to work with the community to explore other fresh ideas that can bring more groups together. The goal of our population policies is to build a better Singapore for our people. Singapore will be a good place to raise children, where we can enjoy quality family time and build strong families. Our society and economy will remain open, to provide ample opportunities for Singaporeans to fulfil their aspirations. In our cosmopolitan society, there will be harmonious relations between people of different backgrounds and we will build a cohesive nation united by shared values and goals.”
“We will continue to strengthen integration efforts by leveraging natural touch points, such as in schools and workplaces, and through ground-up and community-based efforts. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang has suggested grasssroots organisations, NGOs and so on. We welcome the participation of all such groups. Page: 82 We share Ms Kuik's passion about the use of Literature. The teaching of Literature and Social Studies are important in cultivating values, such as resilience and a commitment to social cohesion, as well as the skills in understanding and evaluating different perspectives. We agree with Ms Kuik's observation. Besides these subjects, there is also the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum where, through Learning Journeys and Co-Curricular Activities, all students are taught to put the values into practice. We have encouraged our students to pursue learning in their interest areas. Minister Heng Swee Keat has emphasised in this House that learning should go beyond grades, to learning for mastery of skills as well as internalising important values. Our education system will continue to provide multiple pathways for students to pursue their interests and be all-rounded learners. In the wider society, there is growing awareness of the importance of integration. We are encouraged by the enthusiasm of individuals, communities and organisations that want to play their part. We provide resources to support and synergise these efforts, including co-funding ground-up integration projects, through the Community Integration Fund. We look beyond one-off events. That is why in our selection of projects to co-fund, we pay more attention to those which encourage meaningful interactions and promote positive mindsets between Singaporeans and newcomers.”
“To address Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap's question, Malay migrants have similar considerations in deciding whether to come to Singapore. We will continue to welcome new immigrants of all ethnicities, including Malays, who are willing and able to integrate well, share our values and contribute to our society. I am glad to note that Mr Faisal Manap is supportive of immigration and is making a suggestion for a plan to attract Malay migrants. New immigrants help to enrich our multicultural society and bring new perspectives, ideas and solutions. However, as newcomers take time to adapt, frictions may arise. It is understandable that Singaporeans are concerned with the impact of these changes to our identity as a people. It is important that newcomers adapt to and respect our way of life. Those who choose to settle down here for the long term must share our values and be committed to our common future. At the same time, let us remain confident of our ability to strengthen and enrich our Singaporean identity, as we reach out to friends, neighbours, co-workers and even family members who have come from beyond our shores. There are signs that we are making progress. I am heartened to observe many instances where people, Singaporeans and newcomers alike, treat one another with respect and consideration. There are many stories of friendships between Singaporeans and newcomers. We are also seeing more balanced responses to reports of undesirable behaviours by individuals, which tend to gain traction quickly on social media. As and when tensions arise, everyone must make the effort to keep a cool head and work together to resolve them.”
“This cumulative figure has since grown to about 78,900 by end-December 2014. The Government recently introduced a series of measures to help Singaporean foreigner couples better plan for their future and to support such cross-cultural marriages. The Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment (PMLA) introduced in January this year provides couples with greater clarity on their eligibility for LTVP before marriage. It is also now easier for foreign spouses who hold an LTVP or LTVP+ to seek employment. Prospective employers of foreign spouses with LTVP or LTVP+ only have to apply for a Letter of Consent (LOC). These foreign spouses will not be subjected to Work Permit restrictions and their employers are not required to pay the foreign workers' levy for them. The Government also launched new marriage programmes to help Singaporean-foreigner couples better manage cross-cultural differences, equip the foreign spouse with basic conversational English and introduce the couples to useful community resources. Since Page: 81 the measures were introduced in January 2015, ICA has received 726 applications for PMLA in the first month and 93 couples have attended MSF's Marriage Preparation Programme or Marriage Support Programme. As the measures were only introduced very recently, we will continue to monitor the effect closely. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Ellen Lee have asked about maintaining our strong and cohesive society. As Singaporeans, we are proud of our multicultural heritage. We worked hard over the years to strengthen the cohesion of our multicultural society. And we will need to apply constant effort to maintain this as our population becomes more diverse. Immigrants are attracted to Singapore for the opportunities and the way of life here.”
“And if you analyse, let us say, for five years of the child's preschool education, that would more than make up for any difference in the Child Development Account or Baby Bonus. Page: 80 And eligible first-timer lower-income couples who purchased BTO flats, for example, are subsidised heavily for housing. They may receive housing grants of up to $60,000. And those who purchase resale flats can receive housing grants of up to $80,000, comprising the CPF Housing Grant of up to $40,000 which is available to all first-timer applicants of resale flats, and the Additional CPF Housing Grant of up to $40,000 given to lower- and middle-income first-timers. So, there are schemes to address the financial needs of low-income couples. The Baby Bonus Scheme is part of the overall Marriage and Parenthood Package to provide parents with broad-based support in their parenthood aspirations. It is designed to be in line with the principle that parents bear the primary responsibility for the care and development of their children, with support from the Government. So, we are in agreement with Ms Lee. With regard to Ms Lee's specific proposal about changing the ratio of support, that is a suggestion that we welcome and we will look carefully into the effectiveness of the scheme. On foreign spouses, there are immigration facilities available to support the family and the foreign spouses to settle in and integrate. These include the Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) and Long-Term Visit Pass Plus (LTVP+) which enable the spouses to be employed and have access to some medical benefits and, over time, progress towards naturalisation as PRs and citizens. 2.45 pm As at end-December 2013, we have around 39,200 foreign spouses who had taken up PR and then citizenship under the Family Ties Scheme.”
“Stay-at-home mothers can enjoy most of the measures under the Marriage and Parenthood Package. All parents, regardless of work status, are supported with some child and infant care subsidies. Working mothers receive more subsidies as they may need to send their children to full-day childcare programmes, whereas non-working mothers have the option of sending their children for half-day childcare or kindergartens, both of which would have cost less. And for stay-at-home mothers, the SkillsFuture will benefit them directly, having not been able to benefit from employer-sponsored training. I am glad to hear that Ms Lee Li Lian supports the CDA scheme being a co-savings scheme with the Government supporting parents who wish to save for their children. Ms Lee suggested further support for lower-income families. There is currently support for low income families through several Government schemes, such as ComCare assistance schemes, additional infant care and childcare subsidies and subsidies under the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme. Also, in response to Ms Kuik's suggestion earlier on, we try as much as possible with schemes, such as the childcare subsidies or infant care subsidies, to address the needs of those who have lower income and are, therefore, in need of greater financial support. Low-income families, for example, pay as little as $3 per month for childcare and $1 per month for kindergarten. So, in terms of equalising support for the child, I think some of these schemes do go a long way to try as much as possible to make up for a different starting point. I just take, for example, the basic universal childcare subsidy which is $300 for all mums, but if you are a low-income family, you will get up to probably $400, $450 more a month.”
“We will continue to look at providing integrated support along the marriage and parenthood journey and encourage greater shared parental responsibility for both fathers and mothers to care for and bond with their children. These are key factors that have contributed to the higher TFR in the Nordic countries. Ms Kuik suggested treating children equally, regardless of whether they are born to a single parent or a married couple. We understand that parenthood is a challenging journey and we have along the way buttressed the support for families. We value every Singaporean child and are committed to giving all Singaporean children a good start in life. Our M&P Page: 79 Package and the related initiatives announced in the Budget, support different objectives and different phases of a couple's life: from marriage, getting a first flat, conceiving and delivering a child and raising a child – whether it is cost involved in education or healthcare – to supporting women to continue working. So, it is a whole package with a slew of announcements, but each meeting a different social objective, rather than a single initiative that meets all objectives. So, by having a slew of initiatives, we hope that we are able to fulfil different needs from different perspectives. Single parents who are widowed or divorced would have received the same benefits as married parents. For those single parents who have not ever been married, while incentives to encourage marriage would not be available to them, they are able to tap on benefits, such as the Medisave grant and MediShield coverage for newborns, child care and infant care subsidies, and childcare leave for parents. The Government has, over time, enhanced the benefits that these single parents can tap on for their child.”
“We are glad to see that more companies are putting in place flexible work arrangements. Progressive employers assess and value their employees based on the quality of their work, rather than "face-time". This benefits the employees and also gives companies a competitive advantage in talent retention and recruitment. Singapore company, Home-Fix, is a good example. Home-Fix educates its middle management on making work-life initiatives more accessible to its employees. The company is reaping dividends, as employees who feel engaged and satisfied go the extra mile to provide excellent customer service. The company can also better retain and groom talent from within. Many companies in the retail sector expect their frontline staff to work six days a week and to avoid taking days off during peak business days – typically on weekends. Mr Alvin Tay, Branch-in-Charge at Home-Fix Marina Square, appreciates that his company has made the bold move to buck the industry norm. He has the option of a five-day work week, and two days off on weekends per month, which gives him more quality time with his wife and two-year-old son. Alvin has been with Home-Fix for 10 years. Other commendable examples include Citibank Singapore, IT and business technology firm Avanade Asia, and translation and copywriting firm Elite Translations Asia. These companies are from very different industries and vary in size. Yet, all of them exercise the same foresight in investing in programmes that take employees' work-life needs into account, to the mutual benefit of employees and the business.”
“Ms Lee Li Lian and Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin have suggested improving the support given to parents. There are several initiatives in this Budget to support families and children through their developmental years, amounting to an estimated $470 million in 2015. For instance, there are measures targeted at lowering education costs, including enhanced financial assistance schemes for students, waiver of examination fees, and top-ups for the Child Development, Edusave and Post-Secondary Education Accounts. The Foreign Domestic Worker concessionary levy has also been halved. Ms Kuik suggested improvements to the childcare sector to provide equal opportunities for all children. To help give every child a good start, the Early Childhood Development Agency, or ECDA, is increasing pre-school places, enhancing subsidies and strengthening the pipeline of quality manpower. ECDA will be introducing the Partner Operator Scheme, or POP, to complement the Anchor Operator Scheme, AOP. Childcare operators on the scheme Page: 78 will have to commit to keeping fees affordable, developing their teachers and enhancing the quality of their centres. The Minister for Social and Family Development will provide more details in his speech. Ms Kuik also suggested enhancing leave for fathers to encourage shared parental responsibility. We agree that fathers and mothers should play a more equal role in raising their children and have been strengthening support for fathers over the years through measures, such as paternity leave and shared parental leave, which we introduced in 2013. We will monitor if this should be enhanced and will continue to study ways to encourage fathers to play a more active role in child-raising and to strengthen work-life support for working parents, in partnership with employers.”
“These conditions are not new or unreasonably onerous. Many of their former CPM compatriots had accepted them and gone on to resettle in Singapore with their families. Even as we build up the Singaporean Core in our workforce, it is important that Singapore remains open to foreigners. Foreigners help to plug gaps that cannot be filled by Singaporeans, provide expertise and ideas to kick-start new sectors and transfer skills that enrich our local workforce and businesses. For example, research and development in Singapore has benefited from the experience and expertise from around the world and has resulted in several breakthroughs, such as more effective treatment of tuberculosis and underwater robotics. The result is a more flexible and competitive workforce which is responsive to the shifting global business environment. On the marriage and parenthood front, we hope that the increases in both marriages and births in 2014 will mark the start of a positive trend, with even more marriages and births in Singapore's 50th year of Independence. Singaporeans have given us positive and enthusiastic feedback on the SG50 Baby Jubilee Gift initiative and we hope this warm reception will mean that we will give out many more Jubilee Gifts this year. On this note, we would like to remind everyone that there is still some time left, although not very much, and it is not too late to have a SG50 Baby! Supporting Singaporeans in their marriage and parenthood aspirations remains a key priority in our population policies. Over the past few years, we have enhanced our Marriage and Parenthood Package, and invested significantly in support measures like enhanced housing options and more affordable quality childcare.”
“We coordinate efforts across Government agencies to facilitate those who wish to return. Contact Singapore facilitates career opportunities, while MOE helps with school admission and placement for children. The OSU runs programmes, such as Camp@Home for students who are back in Singapore for holidays, to familiarise them with life in Singapore, for a smoother re-integration when they return. 2.30 pm Employers are hiring returning Singaporeans because of their skillsets and global outlook. One example is Ms Rena Sim, an occupational therapy specialist who completed her degree in Australia last year. Despite having opportunities in Australia, Rena chose to return. She says, "My main takeaway from having lived abroad is to be appreciative of what Singapore has done for me and not forget my family who has been so supportive". Rena got in touch with Contact Singapore through career fairs and secured her current position as an Occupational Therapist with Thye Hua Kwan Therapy Services. Occupational therapy is growing in demand in Singapore and Rena looks forward to applying her expertise gained from her time in Australia to help fellow Singaporeans. As for the individuals whom Mrs Lina Chiam referred to, these people have chosen to remain in self-imposed exile. Some of them are liable for outstanding offences which they are required to resolve with the authorities. They cannot be expected to be placed above the law. Others have outstanding security cases and would need to resolve their cases with our security agencies. For example, those who were involved or associated with the violent Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) would have to sever ties with the CPM, renounce violence Page: 77 and be interviewed by the security agencies.”
“More of our older Singaporeans are remaining active and meaningfully engaged. And many of the measures in the Budget, including CPF adjustments and the Silver Support Scheme, are intended to put our older Singaporeans in a position to be better prepared for the future and to ensure a high quality of life even as more Singaporeans age. In all, we remain committed to our goal of a sustainable population, to ensure that Singapore remains a good home for Singaporeans of all ages to live, work and play. We will continue to grow and strengthen the Singaporean Core in the workforce. We strive to provide the right programmes and resources, so that all Singaporeans have access to fulfilling career opportunities. Page: 76 More Singaporeans, especially older workers and mothers, are re-joining and remaining in the workforce. The labour force participation rates for those aged 55 to 64 and for women have risen steadily over the past decade. Singaporeans and their employers can tap on schemes, such as WorkPro, to support back-to-work Singaporeans. In addition, childcare subsidies and leave schemes have helped working mothers to better achieve their family and career aspirations. Through SkillsFuture, we are enabling Singaporeans to develop to their full potential through lifelong learning and mastery of skills. Overseas Singaporeans, too, are part of this vision for the Singaporean Core. And I thank Mrs Lina Chiam, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Foo Mee Har for speaking so passionately about engaging Overseas Singaporeans. Indeed, Singaporeans go abroad for various reasons, such as work and study. Through outreach efforts of the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU), we keep in touch with them, so that they maintain ties back home and remain committed to Singapore's shared future.”
“Mdm Chairperson, I would like to thank Members for their questions. Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Foo Mee Har have asked about our progress towards a sustainable population for Singapore. We saw positive signs in 2014, with more couples marrying and having children. Citizen births have risen to around 33,000 births, up from about 31,000 births in 2013, and the TFR has increased to 1.25 from 1.19 the year before. There were about 24,000 marriages involving at least one citizen in 2014, the highest since 1997. We are heartened by these encouraging developments. We have maintained our calibrated approach for immigration. Last year, 20,348 Singaporean Citizenships (SCs) and 29,854 new Permanent Residencies (PRs) were granted. The size of our Permanent Resident population has stabilised and, in fact, fallen slightly in the last two years. Overall, our immigrants help to prevent our citizen population from shrinking. We remain on track for slower and more sustainable population growth. Our total population grew last year, but the overall growth rate of 1.3% was the slowest in the last decade, in line with what was proposed in the Population White Paper. This is due to concrete measures taken to moderate foreign workforce growth. As we restructure our economy, we expect the tight labour market to continue. We recognise that this is a challenging period and have, as announced in the Budget, increased the support for businesses by expanding the Special Employment Credit, deferring some of the levy increases for S Pass and Work Permits planned for this year and supporting innovation and internationalisation. Within our citizen population, the median age increased to 40.4 years and the proportion of those aged 65 and above rose to 12.4%.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank Er Dr Lee Bee Wah for the supplementary question. I think she has made a very good point: that, indeed, this problem of rodent infestation can be caused by a myriad of reasons. Primarily, having food as a source of protein, having poor housekeeping that allows the rodents to harbour as well as to move around through burrows are all combinations that, if untreated, could lead to serious rodent populations and problems. Food left behind, whether from pigeon feeders or any other persons that could cause a hygiene problem, will be an offence and actions can be taken against these persons. I do not have the numbers that Er Dr Lee has requested. If she wishes, she could file a separate Parliamentary Question on that.”
“It is our policy, in line with international practice, not to comment on whether a foreign government has made a request for legal assistance on specific cases, whether for international criminal cooperation or extradition matters. China has stepped up its anti-corruption efforts. Its President and top leadership have expressed their determination to combat corruption wherever it may occur. While fighting corruption is a long-term challenge, its success in this area will be a tremendous boost to its development and stability. China’s anti-corruption efforts have been welcomed by foreign investors. In Singapore, anti-corruption is equally important to us. We maintain a firm and principled stance against corruption and other financial crimes. Singapore is a responsible and effective member of the wider international cooperation network in combatting transnational crime. For example, amendments to the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (MACMA) were passed by Parliament in July 2014 to enhance mutual legal assistance and facilitate greater international cooperation against transnational crime. Singapore also proactively shares our experiences with other countries at various fora, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)'s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts’ Working Group. Should foreign countries, such as China, require our assistance, including in the area of asset recovery, Singapore is prepared to study the merits of the specific request. We will continue to cooperate closely with all our partners on this front, in accordance with our domestic laws and international obligations.”
“Food that is left on open ground or improperly disposed of causes the proliferation of rats, cockroaches and other vermin. The containers with stagnant water also allow mosquitoes to breed. Consequently, irresponsible feeders who do not clear away the leftover food after feeding of stray animals may be fined up to $2,000 for littering under the Environmental Public Health Act. Managing the danger posed by irresponsible animal feeding requires a collective effort by Government agencies, animal welfare groups and the public. The health and safety of humans must remain paramount. We hope the public will understand and support these Page: 93 measures.”
“Mdm Speaker, with regard to the supplementary question about increased sightings of rodents, from NEA's point of view, it is still down to the very basic operations. In other words, keep the source of food in check, ensure that the available food sources for rodents are not there. That is the best way to eradicate the rodents. It is also enforcement as well. So, we have to step up on inspections and step up on operations. Again, I would like to emphasise that we need all the stakeholders, from food stall and restaurant operators to companies that are in charge of cleaning, commercial properties and so on, to really step up and play a part in ensuring that we have a hygienic and clean environment for everyone. We have some studies on the population of rats but, really, the best way is to just make sure that they do not have the food sources that allow them to propagate. On the issue of pigeons, I believe that there is a subsequent Parliamentary Question (PQ) that, Mdm Speaker, if you would allow, I will answer the supplementary question along with the subsequent PQ.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Member for the supplementary questions. On co-funding of some of these rodent control programmes, NEA is keen to work with the Town Councils. In fact, we have been working with the Town Councils since 2011 when we brought back the Rat Attack programme, and we will be happy to discuss with the Town Councils on how we can further collaborate and cooperate with one another on fighting rodents. I absolutely agree with the Member on the need for strict enforcement and, indeed, that is what NEA has done. We have been inspecting food establishments on a regular basis. In fact, we have increased the number of vector control officers in the last few years. So, we are putting more enforcement officers on the ground and, where we find infringements of regulations and unhygienic conditions, we will not hesitate to take strict enforcement steps. Page: 38 On the issues of vaccines, we are still watching the development closely. At this point in time, we do not have specific news to share with the House, but if we do, we will definitely do so.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member very much for the supplementary questions. There is agreed protocol and I think both countries are committed to work according to this protocol. The Malaysians have agreed to let us have the EIA report. So, we are waiting for that report.”
“As I have mentioned in my reply, we would always work very closely with our Malaysian counterpart; there are prescribed international laws, including UNCLOS, that describe what countries should do when there are actions that have a transboundary effect on another. So, these are and have always been our modus operandi, that we would like to work according to international legal framework. Page: 28 But I think it is too premature to suggest our counterpart will do one way or another. I think at this point in time, we would just like to reiterate that we prefer to work closely with them, getting the report from them, getting the information from them and sharing our studies with them as well. As I had mentioned earlier, there have been several meetings, and I think our counterpart has been forthcoming, they have agreed to give us the report, so let us just go according to the plan.”
“Yes, we will definitely be studying very carefully but there is information that is required of Malaysia, so we are working with our counterparts to get the necessary information before we can do a thorough study.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Member for the supplementary question, but I believe that I have answered the question in my reply that we have not received the report and we are working with our Malaysian counterparts to obtain the report as soon as we can, and we will study the report seriously.”
“The HUP has been more or less completed. We do not intend to upgrade any more centres in the future. The programme has ended.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to confirm the Member's understanding that when we made the changes in 2012 on restricting the subletting of hawker centre stalls, we made two changes. For new stallholders, who successfully tender for stalls from March 2012 onwards, they are not allowed to sublet. For existing stallholders, we have given them a three-year grace period and this is ending in March 2015. So, after March 2015, all stallholders are supposed to be owner-operators. They will have to operate the stalls themselves. We do give some flexibility for an owner to operate up to two stalls. For various reasons, they could have partnerships with another partner; they can then operate in two stalls. That is the flexibility that we have given them. Page: 14 On the point about whether all upgrading is necessary, we do take into consideration the views of the stallholders. Let me explain. Under HUP, we have allowed four sold centres to delay the upgrading because of feedback from stallholders. The reason being that these are sold stalls and many of the stallholders require a continuous operation to pay for the cost of their stalls. We do take into consideration the views of the hawkers. I have also heard the same feedback as the hon Member. I have asked my colleagues in the Ministry and they told me that the newest hawker centre that has gone through an upgrading programme is one that was upgraded 24 years after it was built. I do not think that is an unreasonable length of time to have a major upgrading of a centre – after 24 years in operation. We are very careful. We do not upgrade a centre unnecessarily. We only determine what is required to improve the experience of the patrons. We also do not upgrade a centre more than once. We have not done so.”
“From 2004 to 2013, an average of 14 persons who previously renounced their Singapore Citizenship (SC), that is, ex-SCs, were granted Permanent Residency (PR) each year. Over the same period, an annual average of about one ex-SC was granted SC. More than half of these persons are female. As the renunciation of SC is a serious matter, PR and SC applications from ex-SCs are subject to careful scrutiny. Our considerations for granting PR and SC to ex-SCs include their commitment to re-establishing roots here, the individual's family ties to Singaporeans, length of stay in Singapore and whether the family is rooted in Singapore. Ex-SCs who had withdrawn their CPF savings will have to first refund the full CPF amount withdrawn, before they can obtain PR and SC. They will also have to fulfil their individual responsibilities and obligations of being a PR or an SC.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member for the clarification. We have no reasons to believe that there were any systematic calls for the burning of the Singapore flag. Singapore and Vietnam have enjoyed good relations between the governments and the peoples. So, I have no reasons to believe that it is a systemic reflection of any unhappiness with Singapore or Singapore companies.”
“Madam, we will treat all offenders in an even-handed way as we are doing right now. Some of these charges are made public if they go to court and they could be reported publicly. This is the kind of regime that we have in place right now.”
“I wanted to thank the Member for the suggestion.”
“Madam, if I may clarify on the remarks to Mr Gan Thiam Poh first. I think earlier on, I mentioned that the number of high-rise litterbugs that have been caught was 95 last year. As to the point mentioned by Mr Lim Biow Chuan on the use of CCTVs, as I mentioned, we are at the pilot process of using CCTVs of other agencies. We have been able to effectively use LTA CCTVs, for example, in helping us to monitor the flooding situation. We will be using CCTVs that are available and installed by other public agencies, such as LTA and SPF, for enforcement and also for monitoring purposes. As for the CCTVs at private estates, I suppose once we are clear about the effectiveness of the use of CCTVs, we will consider using all available resources within the Government agencies. Having the CCTVs is one thing, we need to also have the analytics to pick up actions that we would like to enforce. It is not possible for someone to be constantly watching all the CCTV footages available. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier on, it is because the motorcyclist was sitting at the motorcycle and the licence number was visible that we were able to trace the person. In private estates, unless we are pretty clear who the person is, we may not otherwise be able to find the right person that matches the images. There are some enforcement issues, but we are very keen to leverage on all existing resources within the Government agencies. We are particularly interested in what MHA has announced about the CCTVs that they are going to install at our void decks. That is a lot of CCTVs for us to consider. Also, all existing and future technologies that will help us put in place a more effective enforcement regime.”
“Madam, I would like to clarify that I did not mention that it will not be available at most hawker centres. What I said was that in some of the hawker centres, we may not be able to find space for it, especially for existing centres. But these are ideas that are worth exploring. We will be very keen to pilot some of these ideas that the Member has suggested in selected centres.”
“I have explained in my speech that we have caught several hundreds for high-rise littering. As to the use of mobile cameras at hotspots and the use of cameras of other agencies, we are at the start of a trial process. So, this is still an initial period of our trial and we will keep Members updated in the future.”
“Yes, we are helping HDB to manage matters relating to the tenants. Obviously, as a public health regulator, we have a lot of concerns over the cleanliness and hygiene of our hawker centres. We do have concerns over other F&B outlets as well. If you look at the number of hawker centres in HDB estates, there are far more centres in HDB estates than NEA-managed centres. The synergy is much better with Town Councils, because they are all located within the common areas in our HDB estates. We urge Town Councils to step in, if you find that indeed the cleaning of a certain area, or table-cleaning is lacking. We hope that you are able to help your hawkers to find amiable solutions. Ultimately, we are all in this together to maintain a high level of public hygiene for our residents, and for our patrons.”
“Thank you, Mdm Chair, for this opportunity to clarify. I think that we are very interested to hear the feedback on NEA's public cleansing. If there are areas indeed where the sweepers are not there or has not been there for an extended period of time, we will definitely look into it. As I mentioned earlier on, we have a regime to supervise the cleaners and we do have processes in place. I must appeal to the members of public that we are in an extraordinary period of time. Because of the dry spell, the litter from our trees has been much higher than before. In fact, we have just spoken to the cleaners, and they reported that they are now doing probably three times what they used to have to do. In other words, in the past, they bagged 10 bags of fallen leaves, but right Page: 33 now they have to bag 30 bags. The time taken obviously has been longer than usual, and therefore we appeal for understanding. We will do our very best, particularly if that area is also a hotspot area. In other words, if there is a threat of dengue or mosquito breeding, we will prioritise. But prioritising means that we are taking the resources from somewhere. We will do our best to manage it, but there will be areas where perhaps you will not see the sweepers as often as you have seen them before. This is an extraordinary period. It is not something that we expect to have seen in the past, nor expect to see going into the future. We hope to get the understanding of all the residents. If we do find that the cleaners have not been performing their duties, as I mentioned in my speech, we will take enforcement action. We will also take action against the cleaning contractors. On hawker centres in HDB towns, NEA is the management agent as far as the tenancy is concerned.”
“That is correct. That has just been put through Parliament, so we have not had the experience of fining a person a third time.”
“A Singapore that is free of litter, one where our children can play with the water and not fear catching diseases, a home with clear skies and fresh air. And, hopefully, not a whole lot of enforcement officers running around. We have made progress on many fronts, but we cannot accomplish this alone. We call on everyone to play his or her part for a cleaner and greener Singapore. We need to draw on traits found within each of us – of kindness, graciousness, tolerance and care for others in our community. I will now leave it to Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to conclude our remarks for our Ministry.”
“I also appeal for tolerance towards construction work noise if it is within limits, especially for ongoing critical infrastructure work such as MRT lines or hospitals, so that the welfare of Singaporeans can be better served. On the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme, we have completed 23 ABC Waters projects island-wide. We have recently completed projects at Sungei Ulu Pandan, Sungei Pandan and the Geylang River. The Page: 30 project at Rochor Canal is expected to be completed by the end of this year. I am glad to announce that work on seven additional projects will commence this year. These include the Pang Sua Pond, a section of Kallang River from Upper Boon Keng Road to Sims Avenue, and a subsidiary drain of Alexandra Canal between Tiong Bahru Road and Outram Road. PUB is reviewing future projects for this programme. Mr Heng Chee How will be glad to know that one of these projects is located at Sungei Whampoa, between Whampoa Drive and Kim Keat Road. This is to tie in with the public housing development and the upgrading work for Whampoa Community Centre in the vicinity. Through greater access to our waterways, we can better appreciate the centrality of water and this very precious resource every day. For an ABC project to work, the involvement of community partners is important. And one of my favourite visuals of this is actually a picture of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. I would like to show the visual now. This picture of a family enjoying the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, nicely encapsulates the work of my Ministry. We are determined to do our best to create a liveable and sustainable Singapore for our present and future generations.”
“We are considering extending the smoking prohibition in more areas and further developing and expanding the use of designated smoking points. We hope that both smokers and non-smokers can work together with us to reduce the effect of second-hand smoke in our environment. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang's example of his residents' feedback of their neighbours' smoking habits highlights another area where we hope smokers can be more mindful of the effects of their smoking habit. We encourage residents who are affected by smoke or cigarette butts to discuss and resolve this issue amicably with their neighbours. We worked with Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and her Nee Soon South constituency to pilot a community-led smoke-free zone. Six designated smoking points have been set up in the trial period of one year and we encourage smokers to only smoke in these areas. We hope that by providing smokers with such smoking points, smokers are encouraged to act responsibly in the interest of non-smokers. On noise – noise is another "pollutant" of concern these days. We tried to address this with a "no-work rule" on Sundays and Public Holidays for construction sites. I am pleased to note that since the phasing in of this rule in late 2011, noise-related complaints on Sundays and Public Holidays have fallen significantly by 30%. Last month, NEA announced that the Government has put $10 million into a Quieter Construction Fund to promote the use of quieter construction machines, noise control equipment and the adoption of innovative solutions. I would like to encourage construction firms to tap this fund.”