Halimah Yacob
Singapore
“Thank you. I think that is certainly a very good idea and that is what we want to do and wish to do, to have the integration of the facilities. As the Member said, it is to encourage inter-generational bonding and support. In fact, we have already started one in Mr Seah Kian Peng's constituency.”
“I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the clarification, and for his information, I have written twice to LTA. The answers have been negative. My question is, what is the alternative because the purpose of the overhead pedestrian bridge is for people to cross over but the elderly has difficulty crossing over?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am really happy to hear about the immense investment in helping households cope with the rising cost of energy. There will continue to be households that, despite these assistance measures, will face difficulty in paying for their electricity bills.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister: if the problem in Japan is not resolved within the next few months, what measures will be in place to assist sectors that are affected, notably, sectors like electronics?”
“Madam, I have two concise clarifications. My first concise clarification is to ask the Minister about the very low unemployment rate. Given this very low unemployment rate, does MOM have strategies in place to help people who want to find jobs, not just those who are already displaced but those who are currently employed?”
“Madam, on behalf of the House, I would like to thank the Minister, the Minister of State and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the very comprehensive and detailed responses given. This year, the Ministry of Manpower did not have the highest number of cuts. That honour went to the Ministry of National Development.”
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“I was told that even foreigners who can barely speak English, and who would therefore not be in a position to properly advise their clients on the option form or the sales and purchase agreement, have jumped onto the bandwagon. In practice, few agencies are prepared to sack an unethical but high performing agent because they bring in good money for the agencies. Such situations of conflict do not augur well for the industry and significantly compromises the interest of flat owners. So, I would like to ask the Minister when this statutory board will be set up and how soon will regulations be formulated to control the unethical conduct of real estate agencies? I really believe that the moneylenders acting alone would not have resulted in 556 applications caveats being lodged. They certainly must be working together with the housing agents and therefore we really need to look at the issue in a wider perspective. Finally, Sir, we cannot completely absolve flat owners who borrow from moneylenders from responsibility. They have caused much hardship to themselves and their family through their own actions and for which they must bear some responsibility. Even as I urge the Ministry to focus on flat owners' education as an integral part of our home ownership scheme, so that they understand that flats are meant to be long term investments for their security and old age, I do realise that no amount of education can stop flat owners from selling their flats and using it to finance their other needs or uses, if they so insist. Ultimately, borrowers must understand that the Government cannot free them from their legal obligation to repay the debts which they have incurred.”
“The 46-year old man had to camp at East Coast Park as he could not afford to buy a smaller flat as there was nothing left from the sale of his flat nor could he rent from the private market. I am really worried, Sir, that these 556 cases registered in the first six months of this year will be the cases that we will see at our Meet the People sessions asking for yet another loan from the HDB that they cannot afford to pay for or for a rental flat that they do not qualify for. In the end, the real victims will be the children. I have seen many of them, who are moved like nomads from place to place, relative to relative, until their parents outlive their welcome and whose studies are completely disrupted. There is no doubt that this exploitation of the current loophole in our law by moneylenders, have contributed to the problem of homelessness in Singapore. Although I know that this law cannot have retroactive effect, I would like to ask the Minister whether there is anything that the Ministry can do to help these 556 cases, in terms of negotiating for lower interest rates or mediating between them and the moneylenders. At the same time, I also feel that there is a clear need to raise the standards of professionalism and ethics among housing agents. MND has announced that a new statutory board will be established to oversee the real estate landscape. This is sorely needed as it is obvious that the industry cannot regulate itself. Even housing agents who have been convicted of offences related to property deals can freely advertise and continue as agents after their release without any consequences whatsoever. The barriers to entry are non existent. Anyone who signs up with an agency is allowed to sell homes almost immediately.”
“Often, the borrowers do not clearly understand how the interest rates are computed and that there are other hidden costs, such as commissions paid to the housing agents to secure a borrower for the moneylender or legal fees, administrative costs and other costs. In the end, instead of just the 1.5% interest that was touted before they took the loan, they ended up paying as much as a 15% interest in some cases. Their shock starts when they discover that they had nothing left after paying off their debts to the moneylenders, which they had to first clear since it is protected by the caveat. Sir, many moneylenders actively seek out and pay housing agents commissions to secure borrowers for them from among those who want to sell their flats but who need immediate cash as the sale transaction may take up to six months to complete. We all know that ultimately it is the HDB flat seller who is paying for the commission offered by the moneylender to the housing agent, and this adds to the flat seller's debt. I was told that housing agents are paid 3% commission on every loan that they help to secure. So for a loan of $20,000, for instance, the housing agent can earn a commission of $600 per month for up to six months, a very lucrative sum for very little effort. Most of the borrowers are low-income earners who mostly borrow amounts of between $10,000 and $20,000 but end up paying much, much more than this amount when they sell their flats. I recall a case that was reported in the media of a Mr Rahim, a cleaner, who received only $250 from the housing agent, which the housing agent described as a donation to him, after the sale of his 3-room flat in Yishun last November.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in strong support of this Bill. I would, first of all, like to thank Minister Mah and the Ministry of National Development for coming up with this Bill within such a short period of time by invoking a Certificate of Urgency, a process which by itself is unusual. All because I think the Ministry clearly believes there is an urgent need to protect the interests of our HDB flat owners. In April this year, I had raised my concerns over the antics of moneylenders who had used their borrowers’ HDB flats as collaterals. Although this practice is legal, it is clearly contrary to our home ownership goals, as Mr Mah has clearly pointed out, and unconscionable, and this Bill now rectifies this situation. Section 51 now makes any contract or agreement to directly or indirectly use protected property as security or collateral for any debt obligation or claim null and void. Sir, the situation is really serious. As Minister Mah had mentioned, there were only 12 resale flat applications with caveats lodged by moneylenders for the whole of 2008 but this has exploded to 556 applications for the first six months of this year alone. Even with so much publicity and warnings that such unethical practices should stop, without a law prohibiting them, moneylenders have continued to lure borrowers by using their flats as collaterals. This irresponsible behaviour of some licensed moneylenders had caused grave hardship to many. They use hard sell tactics such as advertising in newspapers as well as making use of housing agents to get more borrowers.”
“I urge the Ministry, with the support of community groups, schools and families, to put more effort into preventing smoking among the young. The Ministry should also continuously evaluate the effectiveness of existing smoking prevention and cessation programmes so that our approach can be more focused and targeted. With this, Sir, I support the Bill. 4.19 pm”
“Hence, awareness programmes should also publicise this fact to encourage them to kick the habit, if they truly care for their children’s welfare. Another issue of concern is the ease with which young people are able to buy cigarettes. The majority of them secured their cigarettes from friends, coffee shops, provision shops or convenience stores and, in some cases, they purchased cigarettes that are sold illegally. Most of them also said that the shop operators where they purchased the cigarettes from either did not ask for their age or, even if they did, did not bother to check their identity cards. *Cols. 833-834. (In English): Mr Speaker, if we want to stop the increase in cigarette smoking among the young, there is a need to ensure stronger enforcement measures against shops that are flouting the law by selling cigarettes to those below 18. I urge the Ministry to step up its enforcement action against such errant shops. Beyond that, I also urge cigarette companies, if they truly have a strong sense of corporate social responsibility, to audit their suppliers, their agents and their retailers to ensure that they do not sell to those under the age of 18 which is against the law. It would indeed be contradictory if cigarette companies participated in community projects aimed at helping the poor and needy, and yet its products could create the smoking addiction which had contributed to the problems of the poor and needy in the first place. Sir, I also believe it is important to help those who are already smoking to quit. But the survey results that I have cited show that we must also put a lot more emphasis on prevention as the smoking habit once started is extremely addictive and difficult to stop.”
“The reasons they cited for smoking include for relaxation and relieving stress. Many of them have also cited addiction to cigarettes as the main barrier to quit this habit. The majority of these male smokers are married and smoking becomes a financial burden. Furthermore, smoking does not only affect the smokers, it can also harm the health of their family members. It is important to highlight all these issues in the smoking cessation programmes targeted at the Malay community, so that we can see its effectiveness. Many male smokers started smoking when they were young and this situation still continues. I am very concerned with the Malay youths. Our statistics are worrying. With the help of some friends, I conducted a study among 43 Malay youths aged between 15 and 26 years who are smokers. The statistics that I obtained are very alarming. Thirty-two of these youths started smoking when they were 15 years old or younger. In fact, one of them even started smoking when he was only eight years old. Twenty-five of these youths were introduced to cigarettes by their friends. There were two of them who were introduced by their own fathers. This is bizarre and strange, but it happened. Almost all the youths smoke every day. Thirty-two of them smoke at least five sticks of cigarettes a day, while four of them smoke 15 to 40 sticks of cigarettes a day. Thirty-four of these youths had fathers who smoke. In fact, for two of them, their mothers also smoke – which is quite worrying. This clearly indicates that when the fathers smoke, they become negative role models to their children, which is consistent with research findings which support the same point.”
“A 2002 study done by the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University showed that a 16% smoking prevalence in the workplace would cost companies $2,200 per smoker each year. Smoking results in lower productivity, higher absenteeism and larger healthcare costs for companies. It is clearly in the companies’ interest to encourage employees to stay smoke-free and healthy. Based on the 2006 National Workplace Health Promotion Prevalence Survey, about 25% of the companies with a workforce size of at least 50 have a smoking control programme, an 18% increase from 7% in 1998. However, much more can be done, and some companies are already doing so, such as Sheraton Towers which started its smoking control programme in 2005 following a survey which revealed that 20% of its employees were smokers. With strong management support, a "No Smoking Policy" was implemented on the hotel’s premises and the cost of conducting smoking cessation programmes by trained medical personnel was entirely borne by the hotel. As a result of these efforts, the hotel achieved a 6% decrease in the number of smokers between 2005 and 2008. I urge more companies to follow Sheraton Hotel’s example to achieve win-win outcomes, and I urge the Ministry to place greater focus on workplace efforts. (In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, the smoking prevalence among the Malay community had increased from 18% in 2004 to 23% in 2007, especially among Malay men. In 2007, more than four in 10 Malay men were smokers compared to two in 10 Chinese and Indian males. This is especially worrying as many of them are also heavy smokers and regularly smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day.”
“I rise in support of this Bill. About seven Singaporeans die prematurely from smoking-related diseases each day. Hence, I support more stringent measures to curb smoking in Singapore and to bring our law in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. I also agree that our law should cover other new and alternative tobacco products. Although we still have one of the lowest smoking prevalence among females in the world, the number is increasing, especially among young women in the 18 to 29 age group, which has increased from 6% in 2004 to 9% in 2007. Several countries, such as India and Japan, have already reported popular use of tobacco products, such as flavoured cigarettes and tobacco candy, by young women. So, we should stop these products from being sold here. Nicotine is so addictive that according to estimates, three quarters of those who quit eventually return to the habit. I have people who asked for financial help smelling very strongly of cigarette smoke. Even when they are faced with severe financial difficulties, they are not able to drop the smoking habit. Sir, I wish to focus on the problems of smoking at the workplace and in the Malay community, particularly Malay youths. In 2004, 15% of our working population was smoking but this had risen to 16% in 2007. The highest increase is among the 18 to 29 years old, as 20% of them smoke compared to 17% in the general population. Besides smoking out of habit, young adults have cited the stress of starting their first job and influence from colleagues at the workplace as reasons for smoking. As a majority of the smokers in Singapore are in the workforce, it is very important that companies put in place strong smoking control initiatives.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister particularly for agreeing to bring forward the deadline for implementing the two measures as well as the various other measures that he has mentioned. I certainly feel that that would somehow help in improving the safety for workers being transported in lorries. However, I do have three questions for the Minister. First, I would like to ask Minister when the stringent licensing conditions for the foreign drivers will be introduced. I think that is an important consideration. Secondly, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry would consider other than the measures already mentioned, making it a requirement for these lorries to install safety belts so as to further minimise injuries and deaths. Thirdly, I would like to ask the Minister whether he could also impose the same deadline of six months for the measures to kick in, with regard to the heavy vehicles, rather than make a distinction between light and heavy lorries.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether this recent incident will have any effect on the deployment of Malay/Muslim servicemen in the SAF.”
“Sir, I have two questions for the Minister. One of the concerns about the Retirement Age Act is that there is a provision which exempts those employed on fixed-term contracts from the ambit of the Act. I would like to ask the Minister's comments whether this is indeed a loophole which would allow employers to circumvent the Act, without actually violating it. My second question is: as termination of contracts to service is allowed under section 10 of the Employment Act, whether this is yet another avenue for employers to circumvent the Retirement Age Act without actually violating it? That is why we have six violations over the period of three years. My second point is that as termination of contracts of service are legally allowed under section 10 of the Employment Act, whether this is another mechanism which some employers may be able to use without having to invoke age as the basis. There is another mechanism for circumventing the Act without violating it. Therefore, you have so few cases of alleged violations under the Act.”
“Sir, I am happy to hear that the Ministry will be introducing legislation to curb excesses and abuses. One common practice currently is that credit companies are filing caveats against HDB flat owners who had borrowed money from them at a very high interest rates, so that when these HDB owners sell their flats, the credit card companies will get the first bite. Will the Ministry review the measures to curb such practices of abusing the caveat system? The caveat system is not meant for this purpose. The second point the Minister has mentioned is that complaints will be referred by IRAS to the SAEA, provided these are members of SAEA. If not, complaints will be referred directly to the agencies concerned. I think there is a loophole here, because if you are the real estate agency, I think there will be less reason for you to find something faulty with your own agents. Otherwise, that will affect your name in the market. Are there any measures to try to improve these regulations, in order to better protect homeowners against such abuses, rather than leaving it to the industry to regulate itself?”
“Mr Viswa Sadasivan asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports if in recent weeks there has been a surge in action by Government officers clearing the East Coast beach of permanent campers who are mainly homeless and, if so, what happens to such persons who may not have homes to go back to.”
“One is the pipeline; and the other is the set-top box. On the set-top box, we are working towards having a common feature set-top box but this will take time to materialise, and at this stage we are really talking to the different players about arriving at common technical standards. And this common feature set-top box is not expected to be in place for at least another two years. On the pipeline, the common infrastructure that we hope everybody will migrate to eventually is, of course, the nationwide broadband network that will be in place by about 2013. Good progress has been made in this area but, in the meantime, StarHub delivers its services through cable and SingTel through its telephone network and, therefore, they are riding on different backbones to deliver their services. On World Cup 2010, I fully understand the anxiety of all soccer fans. I know that time is running very short. Even if StarHub and SingTel were to be successful in the bid, they would need time to arrange for the sponsors, the advertisers as well as to put up subscription packages. So, we are, I guess, into injury time and the referee is putting whistle to mouth; but the last I have is that I have received no final word as to the outcome of the negotiations that are still being carried out between SingTel, StarHub and the Football Media Services (FMS), which is the local agent for the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), on the World Cup. CLEARING OF PERMANENT CAMPERS ON EAST COAST BEACH 5.”
“The combined reach of StarHub, SingTel and MediaCorp's networks should ensure that all viewers will be able to watch World Cup 2010. SingNet's mio TV is a commercial subscription pay TV service and it remains for SingNet to determine how best to deploy its infrastructure to deliver the service to its subscribers. I understand that mio TV is currently available to about 97% of the residential households in Singapore. The remaining 3% of residential households unable to receive mio TV includes pockets of residences within the mio TV coverage area. This is because these residences are situated far from SingTel's telephone exchanges where special broadband equipment is installed to enable the delivery of mio TV service. To deliver mio TV to these households, SingNet therefore has to find alternative locations and obtain the necessary permits to install the broadband equipment, and this usually takes some time. I understand from the Media Development Authority that SingNet is working on progressively improving its coverage over the coming months. SingNet had publicly committed to providing coverage of mio TV island-wide by the end of July 2010, and I certainly hope to see them meet this commitment. Er Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Sir. I would like to ask the Minister – currently what I understand is that different operators have their own infrastructure. Would it be more effective for a common infrastructure like what it is being done in Hong Kong, instead of each laying their own cables? And the next question: Is the Ministry still trying to help to realise the dream of many Singaporeans, ie, to watch the World Cup in their comfort of their home?  RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: There are two sets of infrastructure that we should talk about.”
“So, if the Family Court has a direct access to an Official Assignee's office, that will help the Family Court per se. The other point itself is that during the Committee of Supply (COS) debate we heard about the improved procedures for claims of maintenance fees. Can the Minister elaborate whether there are more successful cases after this improvement has been made in terms of process for the claims for maintenance fees?  Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I accept the Member's point about making sure there is adequate communication and collaboration between Family Court on one hand and Official Assignee on the other hand. These are procedural matters that we will look at. With respect to her second question on success, I think the Budget Debate was just two months ago. I do try to work fast but give me some time. MIO TV INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTATES  4. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts with the wide public interest in World Cup 2010 (a) whether the Government will provide the infrastructure for mio TV to be available in all residential districts in Singapore; and (b) which are the districts where mio TV is currently available. The Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew): Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for the question on consumer access to SingNet's mio TV service in residential districts in view of the impending World Cup. My understanding is that SingTel and StarHub have jointly bid for rights to World Cup 2010. If they succeed in their joint bid, the matches would therefore be available to subscribers of both platforms. In addition, some matches would be available on free-to-air television.”
“Once the Official Assignee is aware of this, the Official Assignee will take the full amount of the maintenance into consideration and provide for this as a necessary item of expenditure on the bankrupt's part when assessing the monthly instalment payable by the bankrupt. In other words, the Official Assignee will take into account what he needs for himself as well as the full amount of the monthly maintenance that has been ordered by the court before making other payments into the bankruptcy's estate. When a bankrupt is discharged from bankruptcy, he is no longer obliged to pay his previously unpaid debts except – and this is a big except – one which relates to any Order made in proceedings under the Women's Charter relating to family matters. In other words, claimants to maintenance debts can continue to enforce their maintenance orders even after the ex-spouse has been discharged from bankruptcy. I have gone to some length to explain all these because I wanted to emphsise the point that even if someone is declared bankrupt, the ex-wife and the children still have full recourse to get the maintenance arrears as well as to have access to regular maintenance payments. So, I hope I have reassured the Member on that point.   Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Speaker, I am glad to hear that the bankrupt's family still has recourse to claim for maintenance in that sense. But can the Minister clarify that in this case, there is a need for the Official Assignee to have constant contact with the Family Court as well? So, whether this channel is there – because the families would want to claim for the maintenance and if they have difficulties they will go to the Family Court.”
“But in any case, I want to emphasise that being made a bankrupt is not an excuse which can be used to avoid paying maintenance to the ex-wives and to the children. Upon being made a bankrupt, a person will have to submit his statement of affairs to the Official Assignee to disclose all his assets and his liabilities. If the bankrupt owes maintenance arrears to his ex-wife at the start of the bankruptcy process, he will need to declare these arrears in his statement of affairs. These become in a sense part of his liabilities. If the ex-wife wishes to lay a claim against the bankrupt's estate, she can then file a proof of debt against the bankrupt's estate for the amount that is owed to her. If the bankrupt declares that the maintenance arrears owed to his ex-wife in his statement of affairs, the Official Assignee will advise the ex-wife to file such a proof of debt against the estate. Currently, our law does not give priority to the maintenance arrears owed to the ex-spouse over the other debts in the bankruptcy. This is something which we will consider very carefully if there is a need to do so in the future. This is a complex point and not something which we should enter into lightly. That is with respect to maintenance arrears. Let me give you some reassuring news with respect to the regular monthly maintenance. Bankrupts will have to submit reports on their income and expenditure to the Official Assignee. The bankrupt will need to disclose his monthly maintenance payments, if any, in his statement of income and expenditure and inform the Official Assignee about the maintenance orders which have been made against him.”
“But we have to find a right balance so that people, when they enter the social work profession, know that there is potential for growth, potential for promotions as well as at different stages in their careers they may want to do different things. So, for instance, we have to make sure that there is a reasonably free flow of talent between the FSCs on the ground with NCSS as the sector coordinator and even with the Ministry because, I think, social workers will be able to contribute significantly to policy formulation in my Ministry. So, there are many things that we need to do but the key thing is to increase the recruitment, maintain retention and to keep them refreshed and sharp so that their passion and their dedication does not wane over time. MAINTENANCE OF EX-SPOUSES AND CHILDREN  3. Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports from 2007 to 2009 (a) how many husbands had stopped paying maintenance to their ex-wives and children because they declared themselves bankrupt; and (b) whether the Government will consider separating matrimonial debts from business and related debts so as to give better protection to the ex-spouses and children.   Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Between 2007 and 2009, there was an average of 3,400 defaulters per year on maintenance orders. Most defaulters cite financial difficulties due to unemployment, reduction in salary or having additional responsibilities as reasons for not paying their maintenance debts. We do not have the figures on how many husbands stopped paying maintenance to their ex-wives and their children because they declared themselves bankrupt.”
“The Minister mentioned at the Committee of Supply (COS) debate that there would be five new FSCs that will be built over the next couple of years. In view of the increase in demand for the services of the FSCs, I would like to know whether we can have more FSCs than the five. Second question is whether increasing the remuneration of the social workers would be sufficient to attract them? What other measures are being considered to attract more people to join the social work profession?    Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: I mentioned five. The key limiting factor is not physical space. The key limiting factor is getting VWOs willing and able to establish these FSCs. And as the Member has alluded to, the most critical factor there are the professionals involved. The social workers, the counsellors and the other associates. We do need to make sure that we can attract enough people into this sector. So, for instance, I am always leaning on the National University of Singapore (NUS) and now even the SIM University (UniSIM) to make sure that there are appropriate undergraduate as well as mid-career courses to allow people to enter this profession but with adequate training. We have made some moves to improve the pay but, on its own, that is not going to be enough. We need to make sure people give sufficient recognition to social workers and the incredible workload that they all struggle under. We also have made efforts to provide more opportunities for them to upgrade themselves or to take sabbaticals. I am also looking at opportunities for the more senior social workers to be able to be promoted or to move into larger organisations. This is very sensitive because, obviously, each VWO does not want to lose its best and its most capable.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary what is the average time taken to process claims by injured workers or their dependants.”
“I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary: firstly, he said that foreign workers can make a report if they are illegally deployed. But their concern is that if they make a report, they fear reprisals from employers that they can be terminated and sent back. Secondly, they are concerned that they may be repatriated if they are considered to be running foul of the law. The second point is the In-Principle Approval Letter given to the foreign workers, citing to them the fact that they need to have a job before they come to Singapore. Often it is the employment agencies or the employers that promised them a job. When they come here, there are actually no jobs available for them. In many cases, that is how they end up, becoming illegally deployed and set in their condition. Otherwise, they risk being repatriated without having paid for the heavy debts which they incurred. Although the system may be in place, for the foreign workers to make use of it is actually very painful for them. What other measures can the Ministry put in place to safeguard their interests, in the event that they refuse to be illegally deployed or they come here to find that there are no jobs available for them?”
“Sir, the Manpower Minister has his work fully cut out. $2.5 million allocated for MOM's budget. This is a huge investment in our people but the rewards are clear. As skills go up and with productivity raised, our people can earn better wages. The devil, of course, lies in the details and the implementation. But with strong tripartism, I am sure we can move the agenda forward. Let me take this opportunity, Sir, on behalf of the GPC and other MPs, to thank the Minister, Minister of State, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for sharing with us their vision and their very comprehensive and patient responses; although I am still unhappy with including "OT" under the $1,700, a point which I will continue to raise. Our thanks also to MOM and their staff for their hard work last year, which was a very stressful year, and for working very closely with the tripartite partners to help support companies and workers. On this note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $956,344,200 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $46,024,700 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head Q – Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts Growing global competitive enterprises”
“Sir, first, I would like to thank the Minister for a very comprehensive description yesterday of the $2.5 billion allocation to the CET. I think that is indeed very good for workers. It does show how we can help to improve productivity skills and income. I just want to seek clarification from the Minister on how does the new CET system provide a better link between training to career progression pathways. Sometimes, feedback from workers is that after they go for training, they come back, they do not see much improvements in their career prospects. My second clarification is to ask the Minister how would small companies with tremendous manpower constraints be able to benefit under the new CET system, because it will be difficult for them even to send their workers during their working time even with the support from the CETs. My last clarification is, I have heard Senior Parliamentary Secretary's explanation about ways to ensure better enforcement of labour laws. But I still have this concern about the higher foreign worker levy because unscrupulous employers can get round the whole higher levy and still employ foreign workers cheaply by cutting their pay, making them work longer hours or work on public holidays and rest days without over-time. Having a monitoring mechanism will be extremely difficult because there are so many foreign workers in Singapore. I would like to ask for clarification whether this will undermine our efforts to improve productivity, and what plans does MOM have to address this issue.”
“And contrary to arguments that Singaporeans have the flexibility to choose when to work and how much to spend on work, this may not be case on the ground where the organisational culture is focused solely on profit margins and they neglect the well-being of their staff holistically. This is particularly so with the performance-based evaluation system which focuses on output and pits employees against each other. For those who are keen to win the race, they would run and they would run light and strive to carry minimum luggage. So, this may explain for the increase in singlehood rates, the increase in the proportion of DINKS – dual income, no kids – and the increase in small family size. As the leader for manpower, I look to the Minister to watch over the well-being of the Singaporean worker and to cultivate a nurturing work environment in Singapore – one that invests in human resource holistically and facilitates a sensible balance between work and family. Training and development of contract workforce”
“The rigidity of paid work may cause strains on inter-generational relations if eldercare becomes a burden and source for tension for the family. Even private businesses cannot take on the cost of eldercare at this point. Will the civil service consider taking the lead in this important initiative? On recorded childcare leave, I have never understood why we give time off for parents to take care of a six-year-old child, but that privilege is not extended to the care of a seven-year-old child. Will MOM also consider extending the eligibility for unrecorded childcare leave to parents which children under 12 years? Parenting young teens is an equally demanding responsibility. Singapore workers register one of the highest average hours worked per week in the world. Every additional hour spent at paid work is one less hour for family work. To have a more accurate assessment of how much time employees are committing to paid work, may I appeal to the Ministry of Manpower to develop a systematic way of tracking overtime work, both paid overtime and especially unpaid overtime? This will provide important data on work-life patterns in Singapore and alert us on what can be done to help Singaporeans achieve a good balance between paid work and family responsibilities. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I cannot stress enough the importance of striving for a sensible work-life balance. With the exception of a minority who are privileged with wealth, most of us are dependent on paid work to sustain our everyday life. This make policies governing paid work central to our lives.”
“Work-life balance is now more critical than ever as Singapore faces a labour crunch and a sustained ultra low fertility. As our population ages, in addition to childcare, families will also be burdened with eldercare demands. On this regard, with increased demands from both work and family, I have the following questions for the Minister. To respond to childcare and eldercare demands, employees require flexibility in their work schedule. This allows them to stay engaged in the workforce and, at the same time, honour their care-giving responsibilities. Can the Minister highlight employers who have progressive HR management philosophies and who prescribe flexibility at the workplace? What measures will MOM take to promote greater flexibility in work schedules to facilitate child and eldercare responsibilities of employees? As the population ages, will the Ministry consider instituting eldercare leave options to facilitate step-down homecare for dependent elderly? Can we consider broadening the existing unrecorded childcare leave to include eldercare? I understand that this will incur greater operating costs for employers, but can we afford to render invisible this critical care-giving responsibility? While we can choose not to have children, we certainly cannot ignore the needs of our ageing parents. The rise in dual-income families and the increase in median age at first birth mean that many adult children are still engage in work as their parents move into a dependency phase. And they cannot afford to step back from work because they need the income to sustain the family. Now, more than ever, Singaporeans need the Government's support to recognise their care-giving roles.”
“Sir, our labour force participation rate of 55% is much lower than that of the Scandinavian countries which have a rate of more than 70%. A key defence is that flexi-work is readily available in Scandinavia whereas in Singapore it is less so. In a survey by the NTUC Women's Development secretariat, common obstacles cited by employers were costs, difficulty in managing workload during employee absences and disruption to workflow. On the other hand, many female job seekers seeking to re-enter the workforce, when asked, prefer to do flexi-work because of their care-giving responsibilities. So there is a mismatch. According to MOM's Labour Force Survey, about 60,000 economically inactive women want to return to work over the next two years. At least, 40% of them in the age group 30-39 years have diplomas or university degrees. PMET homemakers face special obstacles to return to work. I met a 43-year old PMET resident who is a homemaker but wants to return to work. Although she is a degree holder and had handled big projects before, all the companies told her that her career break worked against her. This is unfair as in our society women are still the main caregivers. I would like to ask the Minister what more can be done to assist our women. Has the Ministry done a further study to determine what are the factors that contribute to the success of flexi-work in other countries, and how this could be applied? Could the Minister consider funding special training programmes for back-to-work women PMETs to make them more employable? Work-life balance Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan (Nominated Member): Sir, a sensible work-life balance is a key to making Singapore a distinctive global city and an endearing home.”
“Madam, PMETs now form about 50% of our workforce. As such, their need for assistance to resolve disputes at the workplace would become increasingly important. Under our current laws, PMETs who have an employment dispute will have to seek recourse in the court of law which is costly and time consuming. The lack of a system to speedily address workplace grievances also results in poor morale and will have an impact on productivity. It is no longer viable from the perspectives of both employers and the PMETs. Recently, a resident came to see me at my MPS. She was an executive and was abruptly terminated from her services without being given her notice pay. Although she could legally sue her employer, she felt that it was just too costly to do so and really not worth her while as her claim was less than $5,000, but she was clearly very angry and very frustrated at the unfairness. I am, therefore, heartened that the tripartite partners have come to a consensus on the need for a tripartite mediation channel to resolve the disputes involving PMETs and their employers. I would like to ask the Minister to give an update on this initiative. When will the framework be completed and when does the MOM expect the law to be put in place to provide for this change? Could the Minister also give an update on the number of disputes referred to MOM last year by PMETs and how were they resolved?”
“This payment over a shorter period would certainly help them to earn the WIS payment. Upgrading PMETs”
“Madam, I wish to applaud the Government for introducing the WTS and for raising the WIS income ceiling to $1,700, so that more low-wage workers could benefit. Over the past few years, I have been arguing that overtime and bonus payment should not be included in computing the income ceiling. Doing so unduly penalises the hardworking low-wage worker and is unfair. You could have two low-wage workers working side-by-side but the hardworking low-wage worker who decides to work overtime on his rest days or during public holidays is penalised, whereas the not so hardworking one gets rewarded. This will affect morale and productivity and many of the low-wage workers I have spoken to, particularly in some sectors like the security sector, have urged that we do not include overtime and bonus in determining the ceiling for eligibility to WIS. I would also like to suggest two other improvements to the WIS. Firstly, consider paying the WIS once every quarter instead of once every six months so that the low-wage workers would not have to wait too long to get their payments. This is because low-wage workers have little buffer or surplus and they really need every cent that they are able to earn or they can get through great schemes such as the WIS. Secondly, consider shortening the current eligibility period which requires them to work for three months over a six-month period to two months instead, as there are now many more contract workers with very short periods of employment. Such a change that I have proposed will take into account the fact there are now many, many contract workers who work less than three months for certain periods and may have multiple contracts of one month or even for shorter periods.”
“Madam, now that we are focusing on higher productivity, older workers are concerned that they will be left out in this new economy. So our re-employment efforts are indeed very important. And I would like to ask the Minister to give us an update on this effort. Could the Minister also indicate when the tripartite guidelines on the re-employment of older workers will be issued and what are the key recommendations? Madam, I understand that the need to maintain a balance between the interest of employers and older workers in re-employment. But I urge employers to go beyond age and assess them solely on the value that they bring to the job when deciding how much to pay them. Cutting their pay when they reach 60 years and again at 62 without regard to the value that they generate is not only unfair but runs counter to our productivity effort which links reward to performance. I hope that the Minister could also address concerns over the Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) which some fear could undermine our efforts to employ older workers, especially if it becomes a convenient device for employers to get rid of them. There are obviously benefits in the EAP because it helps those who cannot really be placed for whatever reasons and then the employers are required to pay them a certain amount in order to help them tide over. The EAP, however, should be the last resort when all efforts to re-employ an older worker fails. In order to compare how different sectors are fairing in their re-employment efforts and to understand better the particular needs and barriers that exist, could MOM also consider publishing regular detailed analysis of the progress made by sector and by company?”
“30 pm Our efforts on productivity can be derailed if we do not address the foreign workers challenge which goes beyond the levy. MOM has done a good job in taking enforcement against errant employers but I urge the Ministry to do more. Despite the increase in the levy, companies can still employ foreign workers cheaply by paying them lower salaries or making them work very long hours or during their rest days or public holidays without paying overtime. So even with the higher levy, it is cheaper for them to employ foreign workers. We need stronger enforcement of our labour laws to prevent exploitation and abuse of foreign workers by unscrupulous employers. We also need more stringent laws against errant employment agencies who continue to bring in foreign workers on false promises of jobs that do not exist or use phantom workers to benefit from a higher dependency ceiling. Such employment agencies give the industry a bad name and create a poor image for Singapore. Are there any plans to tighten the laws on employment agencies so that we can have a more progressive and responsible industry with high standards? Are there also plans for stronger enforcement action against errant employers? In my view, with our strong tripartism and very active labour market policies, we should have no problems in ratifying International Labour Conventions 144 on Tripartite Consultation and 122 on Employment Policies. I would like to seek the Minister's response on this. In conclusion, Madam, I look forward to the establishment of our CET system. I feel that this is the most meaningful and tangible way of improving the lives of our workers in a sustainable manner so that they can continue to build up their skills, hold better jobs and enjoy higher wages. Tripartism”
“A superior CET system also requires first-class training institute with high calibre trainers that can provide quality training. Our training quality varies considerably depending on the institution. There are also many small players in the training field who do not have the means to upgrade themselves and this affect their quality. We should also partner world-class global training institutes so that we can shorten our learning curve and benefit from their experience. I would like to hear from the Minister on his plans to upgrade the industry to support a first-class CET system. Madam, to succeed in our efforts, we must have people at all levels with the knowledge, skills and capabilities to drive innovation and productivity. Managers have to take the leadership and empower and motivate workers to give of their best. As I had mentioned during the Budget debate, incompetent managers who use unethical or intimidating tactics to raise productivity will do more harm than good. I would like to ask the Minister what plans are there under the CET system to train our workers, supervisors and managers on productivity. Madam, higher productivity is not an end in itself but merely a means towards a better life. It is therefore important that we keep faith with workers so that they can see the link between their efforts to push productivity and wage growth. If this linkage is not evident, workers will see it as benefiting only companies and have little incentive to support it. I urge the Ministry to promote implementation of gain sharing schemes among our companies. Such schemes should be transparent, have clear objectives, agreed KPIs and provide how the profits or savings will be distributed. It could also form part of the annual NWC guidelines. 4.”
“I would like to ask the Minister what are his plans to build such a system, what policy structures and mindset changes will be put in place, what are the measurables and deliverables, what are the timeframes for progress can we expect to see. [Mdm Deputy Speaker (Ms Indranee Rajah) in the Chair] In developing the CET system, we must put a greater focus on our low-wage and older workers. Structural unemployment is not a thing of the past. It is still very much alive as we have a few hundred thousand workers with little education. I urge the Minister to look into schemes that will make it easier for low-wage workers to upgrade their skills to earn better wages as they continue to face many barriers in training. What plan does the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have to improve their literacy skills, help them cope with the potential loss of income while attending training and persuade employers to take responsibility for the training of the low-wage workers? But job training alone is not sufficient. We also need stronger efforts to push for job redesign, job recreation or upgrading jobs so that workers can add greater value and earn higher incomes which is even more critical now and should be the key focus of the CET. At the same time, I urge MOM to encourage workers to take greater ownership over their own training. The Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme is a good move but making it dependent on companies sending their low-wage workers for training is too restrictive, especially for our contract workers who work for very short periods. I would like to seek a clarification from the Minister whether the WTS can be paid directly to workers so that their training is truly portable and worker-centric.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head S of the Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, last year, when the recession hit Singapore, tripartite partners worked tirelessly together to help companies cut costs and save jobs. Tripartism is our unique advantage and has helped us to quickly overcome the crisis even as other countries are still mired in deep conflicts over labour issues. Our excellent tripartite efforts are recognised even by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Recently, a senior ILO official who visited Singapore described our relationship as the Rolls-Royce of tripartism, which the ILO has been sharing and intends to share further with other countries. We must never take our tripartism for granted. We must ensure that every generation of leaders on the side of the Government, unions and employers understand this unique tripartite advantage that we have and continue to nurture and develop it. Indeed, tripartism has helped us overcome many past crises and ensured a smooth transition of our economy from a labour intensive to a skills intensive one, and now to an innovation and productivity driven one. Sir, productivity is not a welcome word among overseas unions because of fear of job losses, pay cuts and overloading of workers. But, in Singapore, we have been pushing it for decades smoothly because of the greater trust and confidence among us and because productivity growth has benefited both companies and workers. Sir, Deputy Prime Minister Teo has explained about the role of the new National Productivity and Continuing Education and Training (CET) Council and how it intends to drive efforts to push productivity. I am greatly excited over the plan to build a first-class CET system.”
“In fact, the numbers have been increasing. The Malay clients have been to the centres run by Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, the Trans Centre in Bedok. We must continue to make use of national resources. The Member's point about social workers is a valid one. In fact, MUIS, together with MCYS, is looking into how we can help some of our Malay-Muslim professionals, be it Asatizahs or otherwise, who may want to convert to social work, we will assist them, because there are programmes available. But, ultimately, it is up to the individual whether he or she wants to be a social worker. As Dr Maliki can tell you, it is a difficult job, and I agree with the Member that we need more but, again, I cannot enforce this. We can guide, we can make it easily available. In fact, at one time, we even had scholarships in MENDAKI for social work but nobody took it up. So there have been efforts in the past. And I hope that with the Member's call and the call by other MPs, more will come forward to serve this cause.”
“Sir, I am deeply appreciative of that. I just want to say to the Minister for Muslim Affairs that this case-management approach is absolutely critical, because of the intractable problems that this small minority of families face. But I am just wondering whether one additional Malay FSC is sufficient. Second, we do not have enough Malay social workers to be able to take care of their needs. What plans does the Minister have in order to address these issues? I also want to ask the Minister what can we do to raise the profile of the Malay women. I think there is a lot that the Malay women who are better educated can do to contribute to society. What are his views on that? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, Mdm Halimah knows that I am pro-women. So I will be more than happy to work with her to promote all the successful Malay women that we have in Singapore. I agree with her that case management is important. First of all, we must bear in mind that the additional FSC that is coming on stream run by PPIS is a national FSC. It is not just meant for the Malay-Muslim community. But because it is operated by a Malay organisation, invariably, it will attract more Malay clients. So that is a wonderful relief for us. But funding by MCYS is basically towards national programmes. Notwithstanding that, the most important thing for our community is to work with the existing 36 FSCs out there run by various bodies - religious or otherwise – and we have been working closely with them. In fact, Dr Maliki and Assoc. Prof. Dr Faishal chair this committee where they have been reaching out to the 36 FSCs. And we ran programmes last year to educate the social workers about Malay culture and the Muslim religion, so that Malay clients feel comfortable approaching the FSC.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, last year, many families were affected by the economic downturn which we faced. They lost their jobs or received pay cuts. Even though our economy has recovered, our efforts to help these affected families must still continue. In this matter, I urge that we take a long-term approach in helping them, not only by handing out financial assistance which is temporary in nature, but by helping them increase their resilience through skills training and their children's education. This is a more meaningful effort as the effect is greater. I would also like to urge that we take the maximum effort to help our community further understand the proposals made by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC), as well as this year's Budget, in order to increase our productivity. I am worried that if our community does not understand the implications of the suggestions on their lives, jobs and businesses, we will be left behind and will not be able to seize the available opportunities when our economy changes direction to an economy based on innovation and productivity. May I have the Minister's response on how we have used our available resources, like the zakat payment, to assist and strengthen Malay/Muslim families. Also, what are our plans to enable our community to further understand the implications of the ESC proposals and this year's Budget? *Cols. 3929-3930. 7.00 pm Malay community – dysfunctional families”
“Sir, I have two clarifications to seek. First, I would like to ask whether the Ministry could consider introducing a programme akin to the learning support programme which is meant for students who are weak in English Language, and whether it could introduce a similar programme for students who are weak in Mathematics, because we know that like English, if they are weak in Mathematics in the early stages, it is impossible for them to catch up later. My second clarification is to ask the Ministry whether or not, based on perception on the ground, that there is excessive reliance on tuition which is a multi-million dollar industry. The question is: does this indicate that students are not able to cope with the subjects taught in schools and, therefore, they have to rely on tuition? The next question is: how does this affect low-income families who cannot afford to pay the tuition fees?”
“Sir, there is some concern that our standard of English has declined. Despite the fact that our students study English from the time they were in kindergarten, the sense is that the grasp of the language has weakened. This shows up when they enter the workforce. Some employers complain about the quality of work that they produce as some are not able to express themselves well. If this continues over time, we will lose our competitive edge as one of Singapore's attractions is our ability to communicate in English, which makes it easier for investors to operate here. In the old days, there were more language-based subjects, such as Literature and History, which I studied in primary school. But today, the situation is very much different. Whatever the causes, we need to address this challenge of a declining English standard urgently, by improving the skills and capabilities of our teachers teaching the subject. This should be done on a continuous basis. Learning the language should also be made more interesting and lively, so that students will not look upon it as just another subject but will develop a strong interest and passion in the language. The Minister has announced that the Ministry of Education will establish an English Language Institute of Singapore to provide training for English Language teachers. Could the Minister share more information with this House on the role and functions of this Institute? Also, what are the measurables or deliverables of this Institute, and what time-frame is the Ministry looking at?”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to seek a few clarifications from the Minister. First, the Minister said that he would not consider extending MediShield to cover mental illnesses, but he would when economic times are better. Could the Minister indicate some timeframe, because I had raised it during better economic times and he said that timing was important. So, I think giving us a timeframe would be useful. Second, the Minister talked about the Medical Assistance Fund (MAF) to be set up to help Singaporeans pay for expensive medicine under Medifund, but he talked about helping the low-income Singaporeans. I think very expensive medicines, like cancer medicines, also affect the middle-income Singaporeans. Will there be flexibility, when this Fund is located under Medifund, to extend assistance also to middle-income Singaporeans for them to be able to afford expensive medicines? Third, I did ask the Minister whether he could consider providing more support for home-based care subsidies. The Minister did not respond to that point. I think more subsidies for home-based care is important if we want to promote right siting. Otherwise, people will crowd the hospitals because they do not have support at home. Finally, I would like to ask the Minister out of that over $40 million that is now allocated further for mental treatment, whether there would be more of that component be given to the VWOs who are doing a fantastic job to provide support for mental patients, like shelters or other forms of day care services. Would he also extend a portion of that amount to provide support for caregivers, because caregivers of mentally ill patients are also suffering tremendously? Could he extend a portion of that amount to support them in training or other kinds of support for them?”
“Sir, Medisave is one of the biggest pillars of our healthcare system. However, with increasing medical cost, there will be tremendous strains on our Medisave. I would like to ask the Minister the following questions on adequacy. First, has the Ministry done any projections to assess how much Singaporeans would need to save in their Medisave in order to meet their long-term care needs, say, over a 10- or 20-year timeframe? Second, could the Ministry give an assessment on whether our Medisave at the current level of monthly contribution rate is sufficient to meet our future needs and whether there are any plans to increase the level of monthly contributions? If so, what would be the impact of such a change on other CPF needs of the account holder? Finally, has the Ministry considered whether there is a need to review the Minimum Required Amount (MRA) which was set some years ago to ensure the adequacy of our Medisave?”
“The other area is the cost of medicine which can be very expensive for treatments such as cancer. The Minister had mentioned that instead of subsidising all expensive medicines, he would consider extending Medifund to middle-income Singaporeans who cannot afford the high cost of medicine. Can the Ministry give an update on this? Third, in order to help families take care of those who are ill, there has to be stronger community-based care for the elderly or those suffering from severe illnesses such as mental illness. Our community-based care is weak which is the reason why most opt for institutional care, thus crowding out our hospitals. I would like to urge for stronger community-based care and, in particular, more subsidies for home-based care. Affordability of community hospitals”
“Sir, as many Members have pointed out, our healthcare system will come under increasing pressure from an ageing population and other chronic illnesses. Hence, we need to ensure that our system remains robust and affordable and will be affordable for long-term care. I would thus like the Minister to consider the following issues. First, to provide integrated care so that patients can move easily from acute hospitals to community hospitals to nursing homes or their own homes depending on their needs. So co-location of facilities like the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, promoting greater synergies amongst the different levels of care and greater sharing of information and records amongst them would certainly provide better integration of care. It is also necessary to ensure that the different subsidy level between acute hospitals and community hospitals does not derail right siting as people would certainly prefer to stay where the subsidy is highest and the cost lowest. MOH should also make it easier for people to take care of their sick family members at home by strengthening home visits by doctors and other healthcare professionals and making these services cheaper as there are limited subsidies now. The second area is financing of healthcare. The 3M system, together with the 3E system (Eldersave, ElderShield and Elderfund), provides a strong foundation for healthcare financing. I urge the Ministry to constantly review these schemes to ensure their adequacy. At the same time, there is a need to review other policies which have an impact on affordability. Last year, I asked for more subsidies for some procedures carried out in the C or B2 wards such as the knee replacement surgery. I hope to get an update from the Ministry on the progress of this review.”
“Sir, mental illness is one of the most maligned and stigmatised illnesses that is least understood but is rising fast. Last year, IMH treated 33,000 patients, an increase of 14% from 2005. After raising this issue over a number of Budget debates, I am happy that there is now greater focus on mental illness. Hence, I urge the Minister to focus on the three areas. First, cover mental illness under MediShield, as the cost of hospitalisation is increasing and is becoming a burden to families. There appears to be no compelling reason to exclude mental illness, even if there is such a wide range, from the mild to the severe, which is not something insurmountable as the limits can be prescribed. Other countries' healthcare systems already covered mental illness and studies have shown that we will not necessarily increase premiums significantly, especially if coverage enables patients to receive treatments earlier and, therefore, avoid the higher cost involved if their conditions worsen. Second, establish more community-based services and provide more funding support to VWOs running shelters in other services for the mentally ill. This would help to reduce the relapse rate which also means less cost for the Government. A big problem for most families is that after a mentally-ill person is discharged from hospital, there is no place for them to go to for help or support, especially during periods of crisis, so they end up sending the patient back to hospital. Third, provide more workplace support for those who are mentally ill, through educational programmes to raise awareness and reduce the stigma against them, and also help them in better job placement assistance.”
“I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister for an update on the re-employment of older workers in the public sector. How many were re-employed? What is the average length of re-employment? What are the terms of their employment and what kind of training is provided to them?”
“To achieve a target of 2% to 3% growth in productivity, we need a strong and effective public service that is innovative, quick to respond and is not mired in red tapes, to partner the private sector to carry out the various initiatives. At the same time, we need to guard against the pitfalls of the old WITs and other similar schemes which over time became so mechanical and KPI-driven that they began to lose their meaning and impact amongst staff. A common joke amongst staff is that WITs which stands for Work Improvement Teams actually meant Wasting Important Time. Such cynicism does not augur well for our productivity efforts in the public service but we cannot blame the staff who, after a while, begin to see it as just as a numbers game. To ensure that the past does not repeat itself, the public service needs strong leaders to champion this productivity push in a meaningful and effective manner. I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the public service is preparing itself to support our productivity push. Re-employment of older workers Re-employment legislation will be introduced in 2012 and the public sector has set its guidelines on re-employment, both kicking in in 2010. As one of the largest employers in Singapore, the public sector's HR policies have a significant impact on the private sector. With the greater focus now on productivity and innovation, there are concerns amongst older workers if there will be a place for them. Therefore, the re-employment initiative has assumed greater urgency. It is also important that the public sector continues to invest in the training and upgrading of its older workers so that they can perform the new, more complex and challenging tasks and can continue to add value to their work.”
“All of us know that we managed to grow our economy during the last few years, which were very challenging and difficult, because we have the help of foreign workers. Are we going to grow a population indiscriminately to 6.5 million? I know that the answer is definitely "no" because in my Meet-the-People sessions, I have come across many appeals from my residents because their applications of their relatives or spouses for PR or citizenship have been turned down. So, I do not think that we are going to expand our population indiscriminately to 6.5 million. In fact, we want to increase the productivity. I wish to reinforce the points made by my fellow parliamentary colleagues that this Government, more in recent years than any other, helps the low-income workers, and I know this because of my regular engagements with my lower-income constituents. And I know this because in the course of my work, I come into regular contact with blue-collar workers and we put in so much effort to help them. Why? It is to give them a better quality of life. And do we believe that we can be a global city? The answer is definitely "yes", unless Ms Sylvia Lim thinks that it is impossible. Let me quote Robert Ardrey: "While we pursue the unattainable, we make impossible the realisable." With that, I thank the Minister.”