Indranee Rajah
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, I would like to make a clarification in relation to two written answers on childcare leave issued by the Prime Minister's Office on 25 September 2025 and 3 February 2026 in response to Parliamentary Questions filed by Members of Parliament Ms Cassandra Lee and Ms Valerie Lee respectively.”
“Based on Year of Assessment (YA) 2025 data, about 9,500 working mothers claimed a lower amount of Working Mother's Child Relief (WCMR) under the fixed-dollar basis than they would have under the previous percentage-based basis, for children born or adopted on or after 1 January 2024.”
“We regularly receive feedback on enhancing child-related leave provisions, including the Member's suggestion. In recent years, parental leave provisions have been significantly enhanced, such that parents now have 30 weeks of paid leave, including 10 weeks of Shared Parental Leave.”
“The Government does not have data on the number of transactions involving multiple units on a single residential title that have not been subdivided. Such properties are treated as a single property for Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) purposes when it is bought, so no ABSD is foregone.”
“The Government publishes data on personal income tax, which is publicly available on www.data.gov.sg. This includes data on the number of course fees relief claimants and the amount of the relief granted. The Member may refer to the website to access the data for the first three questions.”
“In considering the duration of leave, we will look at the need. In this case, as I have explained, there is a difference between those who give birth physically to a child and those who adopt.”
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“For the remaining 5% of unredeemed pledges which are subsequently put up for auction, up to 90% of such pledges are normally uncontested at the auctions and would, therefore, yield no surplus to the pawners. However, the cost of holding the auctions adds to the pawnbrokers' business costs and this is passed on to all pawners, including those who redeem their pledges and those who do not receive any surplus from the auctions. The Bill, therefore, proposes to replace the auction system with one as follows: upon expiry of the redemption period, which is at least six months, if the pledge is unredeemed, the pawnbroker must issue a notice of intended forfeiture within two months of the expiry date. This will give the pawner one last chance to redeem the pawned item. If the pawner does not do so, the unredeemed pledge will be forfeited to the pawnbroker one month after the issuance of the notice of intended forfeiture. Once the pledge is forfeited, ownership of the pledge will vest with the pawnbroker and the pawner's debt will be correspondingly expunged. With the competitive pawnbroking marketplace, this change ought to benefit pawners as pawnbrokers could possibly pass on the resultant cost savings to pawners. These may be in the form of offering lower interest rates or higher loan-to-valuation ratios for the pledges. To safeguard the pawners' interests, the Bill requires the pawnbroker to provide an indicative valuation of the pledge to the pawner at the point of pawning, as well as to provide a fresh indicative valuation to the pawner at the end of the redemption period. This will allow the pawner to compare indicative values from different pawnshops and allow the pawner to assess which pawnshop offers the best value for his pledge.”
“The reason for this is that it will be fairer to the pawner, as there could be situations where the pawner takes out a loan that is substantially lower than the value of his pledge. Thus, under clause 60 of the Bill: where the pledge is lost, the pawnbroker must provide the pawner with compensation for the value of the pledge as determined by the valuation provided by the pawnbroker at the point of pawning; and, where the pledge is damaged, the pawnbroker must allow the pawner to choose between obtaining full compensation for the value of the pledge, or having the pledge returned to the pawner along with partial compensation for the reduction in value of the pledge resulting from such damage. The Bill also proposes the removal of the existing pawnbroking auction system. Customers provide pledges as security for pawnbroking loans. If the loans are redeemed, the items pledged are returned. When the loans are unredeemed, the pawnbroker gets to realise the pledge in satisfaction of the loan. Mdm Speaker, the Act presently provides two ways for dealing with unredeemed pledges. Where the pledge is pawned for $50 or less, it becomes the pawnbroker's property at the end of the time allowed for redemption. Where the pledge is pawned for more than $50, such pledges currently have to be disposed of by sale at an auction. The pawner is entitled to any surplus generated from the Page: 54 auction. This surplus refers to the proceeds of the auction sale of the pledge, after deducting the pawner's outstanding debt and the auction expenses. At present, the pledges for about 95% of pawnbroking loans are redeemed by pawners.”
“The pawnbroker will only need to make reasonable inquiries to satisfy himself of the truth of the matters stated in the application and that the applicant is entitled to redeem the pledge. Once he is satisfied, he will issue a replacement ticket to the applicant directly and cancel the existing pawn ticket. To minimise the risk of this simplified procedure being misused, it will be an offence for any person to knowingly make or use a false statement in the application to obtain a replacement pawn ticket. Page: 53 In addition, the Bill introduces a new provision allowing pawners to sell their pawn tickets to pawnbrokers, who are currently prohibited from purchasing pawn tickets. This provision will help to create a more competitive market as, for example, a pawner will now be able to sell his pawn ticket to another pawnbroker who may be willing to offer a more attractive price for the ticket. Let me now discuss the key consumer protection provisions that are retained in the Bill. Under the current Act, the pawnbroker's interest rate is capped at 1.5% per month, and any breach of this cap is an offence; and the minimum redemption period for pledges is also set at six months. These safeguards, which exist to protect the pawner, remain unchanged under the Bill. Where a pledge has been damaged as a result of fire or is lost, the Act currently requires the pawnbroker to compensate for the value of the pledge, with the compensation amount being set at 1.5 times of the loan amount. The right to compensation in such situations will be retained in the Bill. However, the compensation will be pegged to the value of the pledge instead of the value of the loan.”
“For example, the Registrar will be granted powers to order a person to produce relevant information or documents in that person's possession, for the purpose of determining whether the Act has been breached. Where a licensee is convicted of an offence under the Bill, the Registrar will also have the power to: suspend the licence or vary any condition of the licence, or both; or revoke the licence. In addition, the Registrar may order the licensee to pay a financial penalty of up to $20,000 per breach, subject to a cap of $100,000. I now move on to the refinement of the processes relating to pawn tickets. Presently, the Act requires a pawnbroker to issue a pawn ticket to the pawner when taking a pledge in pawn. The pawner needs to present the pawn ticket to the pawnbroker in order to redeem his pledge. Where a pawn ticket is lost or destroyed, the Act currently requires the pawner to go through the process of: first, going to the pawnbroker to obtain a printed form of declaration; second, making a statutory declaration before a Commissioner for Oaths or a Notary Public; and third, delivering the declaration to the pawnbroker within three days after the pawnbroker had initially provided the printed form of declaration to the pawner. There has been feedback that the current process is cumbersome and pawners have to incur an additional cost when making the statutory declaration. The Bill simplifies the process of obtaining a replacement ticket by allowing such an application to be made to the pawnbroker without the need to make a declaration before a Commissioner for Oaths or a Notary Public.”
“The current licensing criteria for pawnbrokers include satisfying the Registrar that the applicant is, amongst other conditions, of "good character" and "a fit and proper person" to hold the licence. The Bill enhances the licensing requirements for pawnbrokers in the following ways. First, the Bill imposes new statutory duties on licensees, such as the duty to maintain a minimum paid-up capital of $2 million for the first branch and $1 million for every subsequent branch; and to appoint an auditor to conduct an annual audit of their business. In addition, the amount of security deposit which licensees are required to furnish will be Page: 52 raised from the current $20,000 to $100,000. This is expected to enhance the pawnbrokers' compliance with the regulations. Second, the licensing requirements will be made more stringent. For example, under clause 10 of the Bill, the Registrar will now have the power to refuse to grant or renew a licence if, amongst other matters, he is of the opinion that the director or the manager of the applicant is not a fit and proper person to carry on or manage the applicant's business; or a substantial shareholder of the applicant has carried on the business of pawnbroking within or outside Singapore in a way that renders him unfit to hold a licence. In addition, the Bill makes it an offence for a person to become a substantial shareholder, or be appointed as a director or manager of the licensee, without the Registrar's prior approval. Third, the Bill enhances the Registrar's enforcement powers to allow for more effective regulation of pawnbrokers.”
“Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Madam, the pawnbroking industry caters to the needs of individuals who require short-term financial relief and possess assets that can be offered as collateral. The pawnbroking industry has grown significantly since the last set of substantial amendments to the Pawnbrokers Act was moved in 1993. The number of pawnbrokers has increased from 57 in 1993 to 204 in 2013. The aggregate value of loans granted by pawnbrokers has also increased more than six times, from $856 million to $5.47 billion, during the same 20-year period. In view of these developments, it is timely to update our legislation to ensure that the regulation of pawnbrokers keeps pace with the industry's evolving business practices and the needs of pawners. Given the comprehensive nature of the amendments, the Pawnbrokers Bill repeals the existing Act and re-enacts a new Pawnbrokers Act. The key features of the Bill can broadly be divided into five categories, as follows: first, enhancement of the licensing requirements for pawnbrokers; second, refinement of the processes relating to pawn tickets; third, retention of key consumer protection provisions; fourth, removal of the existing pawnbroking auction system; and fifth, measures for the prevention of money laundering and for countering the financing of terrorism. I will discuss each part in turn. Let me begin by discussing the enhancement of licensing requirements for pawnbrokers. Presently, pawnbrokers are required to hold a licence for carrying on their business, with it being an offence to act as a pawnbroker or to hold oneself as being in the business without a valid licence.”
“I thank the Member for raising this important topic. We would agree certainly that there is room for it to be strengthened. With children, there is a range of ages, so, obviously, what a Primary school child might understand would be quite different from somebody who is in Secondary school or at Junior College level. And at all stages, it is Page: 42 age-appropriate. Our general approach is that, where possible, we would like it to be taught by MOE teachers but in areas where it needs a certain external expertise, especially when it comes to cyber wellness, understanding behaviour on the Internet, understanding how people can fall prey to predators on the Internet, sometimes you need external expertise for that. The Member's broader point about the need to strengthen this area and to ensure that our children are safe, that is taken on board and, in fact, safety in the sexual context is something that MOE takes very seriously.”
“The majority of the programmes are actually taught by MOE-trained teachers. The external vendors are used or engaged by schools on occasions where it is not within the scope of what the MOE teachers are teaching. And this is usually when the external vendors have a particular expertise. For example, pornography, the cyber aspects, such as cyber safety, influence of the media, are areas which you may go to an external provider for. And also Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)/HIV prevention is best done by those who are medically trained, who are experts in this area. When the schools talk about community, what we really mean is the entire support system behind this because part of it also has to do with values, the approach, your beliefs and what your parents feel is appropriate for you. So, in that broader context, the community has a part to play.”
“Madam, MOE Sexuality Education is taught by selected teachers trained in sexuality education. Schools may engage external providers to conduct supplementary sexuality education programmes, based on the needs of their students. In 2014, seven schools engaged four approved external providers for $20,000. There were no free-of-charge programmes from 2011 to 2014. Since 2009, schools spent an estimated amount of $460,000 on such supplementary programmes, an average of $8 per student. MOE has a stringent vetting process to select suitable external providers, trainers and relevant programmes for sexuality education in schools. Teachers sit in to observe the programme and provide feedback to MOE on the quality of the trainers and the relevance of the programmes. Schools also collect feedback from their students. MOE audits schools to ensure that the programmes are delivered according to what has been approved. MOE is in the process of reviewing the system of external providers. This is part of the regular review process. During one such review, MOE had in 2011 decided that the four-hour Relationship Module which was conducted by external providers for first-year pre-university students would cease from 2015. To streamline and reduce overlaps, some of the more important Page: 41 learning objectives were incorporated into the revised 2015 Sexuality Education curriculum taught by MOE teachers.”
“The amendments in clause 3 allow the Minister to appoint Deputy Public Trustees, while the amendments in clause 4 allow the Public Trustee to authorise persons to carry out his functions. The amendments to clause 4 will allow the Public Trustee to outsource the fund management function to a professional fund manager. To summarise, the Bill brings about a number of operational changes to enhance the performance of the Public Trustee's duties and functions and the management of the Common Fund. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] Page: 75 [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Ms Indranee Rajah]. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]”
“The third amendment pertains to requiring the Public Trustee's views or written consent to be sought or obtained. Currently, the Act provides that the Public Trustee may be appointed to: (a) represent a minor; Page: 74 (b) administer small estates; (c) become a trustee of any will or settlement or instrument creating a trust; or (d) be granted probates of wills or letters of administration. However, the Act does not require the Public Trustee’s views or written consent to be sought or obtained before being appointed. As a result, there have been cases where the Public Trustee was appointed even though the parties were well able to afford the engagement of a private trustee. To address these concerns, clauses 5 and 6 require the Public Trustee's views to be sought before being appointed to represent a minor or administer small estates. In such cases, it is more likely than not that the public interest will be served by having the Public Trustee to act in these cases. Hence, the Court can order the appointment of the Public Trustee on giving notice to the Public Trustee and hearing the Public Trustee's views. Clause 7 requires the Public Trustee's written consent to be obtained before being appointed a trustee of any will, settlement or instrument creating a trust. Clause 8 requires similar consent before an executor who has obtained probate or an administrator who has obtained letters of administration may apply to transfer the estate to the Public Trustee for administration. Collectively, these amendments will ensure that the State's resources are deployed to administer cases only where there is sufficient public interest for the Public Trustee to do so. There are also miscellaneous amendments to be made to enhance the Public Trustee's administrative efficiency.”
“This practice of declaring the interest rate in advance means that the actual interest earned may differ from the interest rate that was declared earlier, resulting in a surplus or Page: 73 deficit for any given year. Surpluses are held in a reserve fund and are used to top up potential deficits. Clauses 10 and 12 introduce a new "flow-through" system for the payment of interest income. The Public Trustee will specify the rate of return payable to each trust estate at the end of each pre-determined investment period. This rate of return will thus be based on the actual interest received during the investment period, after accounting for the costs related to the investments. Second, Madam, I move on to changing the name and composition of the Public Trustee Investment Board. The second set of amendments is connected to the first. Presently, the Public Trustee Investment Board oversees the Common Fund by, amongst other things, sanctioning the investment mandate and activities of the Public Trustee. First, the Public Trustee Investment Board will be renamed as the Investment Board. Second, the composition of the Investment Board will be changed to comprise: (a) the Permanent Secretary of MinLaw as Chairman; (b) the Public Trustee; and (c) three other members to be appointed by the Minister, of whom at least one must be a public officer. The Chairman of the Investment Board will be the Permanent Secretary of MinLaw, since the Public Trustee's Office is under MinLaw. While public officers will continue to form the majority of the Investment Board, two members of the Investment Board may be from the private sector. This will enable MinLaw to tap on members from the private sector with expertise in investment and fund management in the oversight of the Common Fund.”
“Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The main role of the Public Trustee is to function as an administrator of last resort for estates of deceased individuals which do not exceed $50,000 in value. The Public Trustee manages about 8,000 estates each year, including cases involving un-nominated CPF monies. The Public Trustee can also be appointed as an ordinary trustee where there is a clear public interest, or as a litigation representative of minors in suits relating to trusts or the administration of a deceased person's estate. The Public Trustee (Amendment) Bill 2014 seeks to make three main changes to the Public Trustee Act. First, to introduce a new system for paying interest to the estates governed under the Act; Second, to change the name and composition of the Public Trustee Investment Board; and Third, to require the Public Trustee's views or written consent to be sought or obtained, before it is appointed to assume various duties under the Act. These amendments arose from MinLaw's regular review of the Act and seek to enhance the operations of the Public Trustee. I will now take the House through the main features of the Bill. First, the new system for paying interest to estates. Mdm Speaker, presently, trust monies held by the Public Trustee are pooled into a common fund established under the Act and invested with the sanction of the Public Trustee Investment Board. These monies are invested primarily in fixed deposits. Interest income is paid to the individual trust estates each year at a rate which is declared in advance by the Minister.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Yes, indeed, he is very correct that teachers play a critical part in any subject, actually, not just history alone, but in history, it is also critically important to make the subject come alive. The Ministry is very aware of this and the teachers will be encouraged to adopt this inquiry-based approach and really, Page: 32 where you let the students go out, experience, see and draw relevance from that. This connects to the second question, which whether or not we would make full use of the external environment and the answer is yes, because, really, it goes beyond text books; it is actually seeing what is around you and understanding its relationship to where we are today. That was the thinking, indeed, behind the SG50 trails where the students actually have to go out, ask questions, learn, curate that information and, through that process, hopefully, our 50-year journey will come alive for them.”
“(proc text)] [(proc text) Resolved, (proc text)] [(proc text) "That this House (1) endorses the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review Report (Paper Misc 3 of 2014), which sets out this Government's policy to ensure that all Singaporeans, whatever their qualifications, enjoy full opportunities to upgrade and progress during their working lives; and (2) supports a tripartite approach to instil a culture of lifelong learning, and to recognise and reward individuals based on their skills and performance." (proc text)] Page: 115”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank Ms Phua for her unflagging support which we have seen again. On the question of drawing up competencies, that is, in fact, what the sector-specific frameworks intend to do. That was one of our recommendations and that will be a work-in-progress. On the public sector, as I had indicated in my answer earlier, that is something that the Public Service Division is looking at. Ms Phua and Members can rest assured that the Government is looking at this seriously. With regard to her other question about the taskforce and whether the Committee can make recommendations on that, first, the Committee has, in fact, done its work, which has culminated in the report which has been submitted to the Government. The ASPIRE Committee would not actually be doing further work as the Committee has ended its remit. However, I am pleased to say that Ms Phua can be assured that it is being looked at because the Prime Minister did announce that there will be an Inter-Ministerial Committee to look at it. I am happy to say that that, of course, will be under the purview of Deputy Prime Minister Tharman and that, at the appropriate time, Ms Phua may like to direct the questions to the Page: 114 Deputy Prime Minister after the Inter-Ministerial Committee and the expanded WDA have had the time to study these issues and to look at how it would be best to implement and take forward the ASPIRE recommendations. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to.”
“The ship slowly starts to move and the initial move takes an awful lot of effort. But then it gains momentum and you start to pick up speed and then you Page: 112 are full steam ahead. This is what the ASPIRE effort is like. We are doing something uniquely Singaporean. The Committee visited many countries. We visited Switzerland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. We also had insights from the Netherlands and Austria. I would like to acknowledge these countries and their agencies and institutions who generously shared their information with us. The end product however – the recommendations of the ASPIRE Committee and the thinking behind it – that is something uniquely our own. We have drawn from what we have seen, for example apprenticeships and career guidance, but we have woven it into our own context, our economic structure and our system. We are building on the strength of our Polytechnic and ITE system which we have strengthened over the years and which now have a brand of their own. We are proud of our Polytechnics and ITE, and of their students and graduates. International visitors from other education ministries and agencies are always very impressed by them. We are also building on the strength of our tripartite system and, most of all, we are building on the strength of our people. So, this approach is very much our own. We are contemplating the horizon, trying to figure out what is to come, anticipating as best we can, coming up with solutions and strategies, and then doing it together in a concerted effort. That is a very Singaporean thing; it is a very Singaporean approach. We are doing this for one reason and one reason only – to secure a better future for Singaporeans and Singapore. With this, Mdm Speaker, I wish to thank the Members for their support.”
“We are trying to realign education with industry to cope with a new environment. We are making a strategic course adjustment. The previous course was right for that time, but we are setting a new course because once again, the winds of change are upon us. We must tack to a new wind. If we do not make the change, it will be forced upon us and not on our terms. We are making a societal change, as Minister Heng pointed out, to go beyond qualifications, to go beyond the classroom, to go beyond narrow definitions of success. Some may say that these are lofty goals, high ideals, but how will we actually implement them? Members have been correct to highlight the challenges. It is not an easy task. It will not happen overnight. It will take many years, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ASPIRE is that step. If we look at the 10 recommendations of ASPIRE – the ECG; Enhanced Internships; the Place-and-Train; to increase NITEC to Higher NITEC progression opportunities; Vocation Deployments during NS; Sector-specific frameworks, these are concrete recommendations. This is the beginning, but it is just that – only the beginning. Now we need everyone else to start making the necessary concrete changes in their own areas. For teachers, when giving advice to students; for parents, when helping their children choose options; the Government has already started to move; employers in adopting Place-and-Train and in supporting their employees. The only way in which the ASPIRE objectives will be able to succeed is if they permeate society and the economy and flow through all the segments and reach everyone. It is like turning a ship. You turn the ship's wheel, the gears engage. You are fighting against the water resistance.”
“These are the ones who invest in their people, education and training, who hire, remunerate and promote based on actual skills and performance, and take on sector-specific skills frameworks and progression pathways, and who continually improve jobs and progression opportunities for their employees. Ms Sylvia Lim asked whether the industry sector leads in Polytechnics would have priority, or whether they would play a coordinating role. The answer is that they would play a coordinating role. The lead institutions also need to think of the Polytechnic and ITE sector as a whole, and source for opportunities to grow and develop it. But it is not intended that it should be a priority for a particular Polytechnic. A number of the Members of Parliament have spoken in Malay. And Mr Sapari has pointed out that this is "Bulan Bahasa", so, Mdm Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to thank the Members for their strong support of the ASPIRE recommendations. ASPIRE is about helping people realise the aspirations and creating many pathways to achieve success. We hope that our young people will take advantage of the ASPIRE recommendations, including the internship and place-and-train programmes. Once they graduate from their studies at the Polytechnics or ITE, there will be many different options for them to progress and achieve success, either to further their studies, to work first or to obtain industry certification. Page: 111 We also hope that they will continue with lifelong learning. Ultimately, ASPIRE is about valuing every individual and respecting every job, and providing better opportunities for all. (In English): Mdm Speaker, I would like everyone to understand what we are seeking to do. ASPIRE seeks to be a game changer.”
“One noteworthy thing is that everybody in this House who has spoken on this has not just pointed out the need for the mindset change, but agrees that it should be changed. So, you can see that there is strong support, even in this Chamber. When we speak to others, many agree that there is a need for it. That is a good starting point because if people recognise that this is something which needs to be changed – and they think it is a good thing to be changed – then it is really a question of everybody doing his or her own part and taking it on board. For individuals – to recognise our strengths, to build on the right foundations, choose the right paths and adopt the right attitude to lifelong learning. For parents – realise your child's unique strengths and encourage him or her on the path that will best develop his or Page: 110 her talent. For employers – value every employee, hire and reward based on actual skills. And the Government will do its part, as I have indicated. We should also celebrate broad definitions of success. It is true – we should celebrate individuals who have not trod the traditional paths but have achieved success in their own ways. But do also celebrate those who have achieved success along the degree route. Singapore is a sum of the parts. We should celebrate the success of each and every individual, because each and every Singaporean makes up Singapore. You want them to be able to progress and advance. When somebody does well, we should be happy for them. So, take a broad definition of success and support each other in this endeavour. We should also highlight examples of model companies who espouse the right mindsets.”
“Going forward, companies can, and should leverage these existing schemes and support in co-implementing the ASPIRE recommendations. The Government will continue to look and see whether specific sectors also require other forms of sector-specific support, and develop supporting schemes as part of a concerted sectoral strategy to develop manpower and talent for these sectors. As part of the ASPIRE recommendations, lead institutions will also be established for each key sector to coordinate the efforts in working with the different stakeholders. We hope that this will strengthen the linkages between institutions and industry. In the meantime, I am happy to say that a number of companies have already pledged support. We have MNCs on board, examples of which include Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. For local companies, we have examples such as YCH Group and Sakae Holdings. These employers are forward-looking and can see the long-term benefits in terms of talent pipeline, employee retention, and increased productivity. Then we come to mindset change. Members have raised this quite rightly and said that current mindsets are deeply entrenched. It will be a significant challenge to overcome them. Ms Denise Phua highlighted the ability to transform mindsets of key stakeholders as a critical success factor for ASPIRE. Mr K Karthikeyan, Mr Zainudin Nordin and Ms Sylvia Lim spoke about the challenge of changing these mindsets on the ground. Ms Kuik Shao-Yin pointed out that ASPIRE's ability to succeed depends greatly on today's culture. Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Faisal Manap spoke of the importance of reaching out to students and parents. The key question asked by many Members is: how are we going to change these mindsets?”
“There are a large number of SMEs – obviously, it was not possible to include a lot of them or all of them in the Committee, but we included the CE of SPRING because SPRING has a lot of dealings with SMEs and has an understanding of their difficulties and challenges. So, the SME issues were well-represented on the ASPIRE Committee. SMEs can also particularly benefit from building up progressive pathways, providing training programmes and developing good human resources that will build up their manpower development capabilities. There are existing Government schemes to help them. There is the SPRING Capability Development Grant: SMEs can tap into SPRING's Capability Development Grant to defray the costs of projects to enhance their business capabilities. These can include projects to strengthen leadership capabilities, those that adopt effective HR practices, cultivate a strong corporate culture and retain talent. There is also SPRING's SME Talent Programme: it encourages SMEs to recruit local ITE and Polytechnic students. And it incentivises SME employers to develop their employees and invest in human capital development. Aside from SPRING's funding and incentives, SPRING has also set up many SME centres which provide assistance and training to SMEs. And in 2013, the SME centres trained some 1,000 SMEs on business capability development areas and assisted over 20,000 SMEs. Then there is WDA's Enterprise Training Support (ETS). Businesses and organisations can tap on the ETS scheme to fund projects that will build their in-house capabilities for human capital development and training. In total, $20 million was committed under the ETS Page: 109 to support companies.”
“The Civil Service has announced that it intends to merge more of what used to be separate graduate schemes of service into integrated schemes. So, most non-graduates join under the Management Support (MSO) scheme, while graduates join under the Management Executive Scheme (MXS). PSD is studying the merger of the two schemes. In the integrated schemes, officers may have different entry points but will progress according to performance and ability to handle larger responsibilities, regardless of the starting point. And they will get training. Page: 108 There are agencies already with existing integrated schemes such as People's Association (PA), Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and MHA. PUB is also developing a single engineering career path where diploma holders and ITE graduates can progress up the ranks to take on wider engineering or managerial responsibilities. And MOE, of course, Minister Heng has already spoken about. Members can see that the public sector is doing its part. Then I move to the topic of industry or employers being on board. A number of Members – Ms Denise Phua, Mr K Karthikeyan, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Mr Mohd Ismail Hussein, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Lee Li Lian – have pointed out that in order for the ASPIRE objectives to be achieved, industry and employers have to be on board. They have also highlighted that it is a challenge for businesses, because of business cost and manpower challenges. Mr Thomas Chua made an earnest plea for SMEs and I can assure him that SMEs have not been forgotten, including in the composition of the ASPIRE Committee.”
“The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ 70%. Multinational corporations (MNCs), both home-grown and foreign, and the social services employ the rest. In terms of the overall numbers of people employed, or the total workforce, the percentage employed by the Government is very small. However, I think what the Members are really saying or asking about is the signalling effect. Deputy Prime Minister Teo had, in a written reply to a Parliamentary Question raised by Mr Lim Biow Chuan, responded on what the Government is doing on this, but let me summarise. For the Civil Service, it adheres to the policy of hiring on merit, so the most suitable candidate is selected for the job. For new jobseekers at entry level jobs, the educational qualifications would have to serve as a proxy because you do not know the person, you do not know their capabilities yet. So, that is entry level. And some jobs require a degree; some do not. So, when recruiting, the Civil Service will indicate what kind of qualification is required according to job type. And there will be certain professional fields where professional accreditation is required, for example, medical or engineering. In such cases, the applicants will have to meet the requirements. I think the next question that people ask is how do you progress once you are within the system? As announced by the Public Service Division (PSD) after the National Day Rally (NDR), there will be faster career progression for Management Support Officers (MSOs) from October 2014. Most non-graduates join under the MSO scheme. The MSOs can already progress to take on similar jobs as graduates and can be paid comparable salaries. From October 2014, they may be progressed faster where they demonstrate the required performance and capability.”
“SIT and UniSIM are forging the new applied degree pathway, which integrate learning in the classroom and the work context. So, it is actually not mutually exclusive, but it is, if I may say so, a matter of degree. For the academic route, you will have some applied learning; for the applied learning route, obviously, you will have to have academic content to build on. You can see that we have the education components in alignment, and what we are doing now is that we are bringing the whole education part into alignment with industry as well. That is the direction in which the Government is steering us. ASPIRE has impact beyond the Polytechnics and ITE. We have mentioned Education and Career Guidance (ECG). This is not just for the Polytechnic and ITE students. It will adopt a lifespan approach – it starts at Primary through Secondary levels, but it will go through the Polytechnics and ITE, and for University students as well, to working adults. The sector-specific skills frameworks will define skills and competencies which are needed to progress in careers, no matter the starting point. The Business Times article highlighted by Mr Zaqy Mohamad had it right when it said, "The ASPIRE proposals are not just another tweak in the education system but possibly the missing piece in the restructuring jigsaw puzzle the Government has set out to complete." Page: 107 On the question of degree versus non-degree and whether conflicting signals are being sent – that was addressed by Minister Heng earlier, so I will not go into that. On the next topic – the public sector to take the lead. Many Members have called for the public sector to take the lead. We should look at this in perspective. The Government and public sector agencies employ 4% of the total workforce.”
“Then, two years ago, the then Senior Minister of State for Education, Mr Lawrence Wong, led a Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015, known as CUEP. The CUEP report recommended an applied degree pathway which emphasises a practice-orientation, learning through work, industry focus, to be offered by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM). It also recommended creating more opportunities at the degree level, that would build industry-relevant skills in graduates. Page: 106 So, the missing piece was how to further strengthen applied education at our Polytechnics and ITE. That is why the ASPIRE Committee came in at this stage. What you can see, therefore, is that we have introduced the idea of applied learning at the Primary and Secondary schools, then we have put it in place for University. Now, we have slotted in deeper applied learning for the Polytechnics and ITE, so that there is a whole spectrum. And if you look at it in terms of the big picture – at the Primary and Secondary levels, we build a strong academic foundation because you need these fundamentals. Whether you go on a more academic route or whether you go on a more applied route, you cannot do it without the strong fundamentals. But we have introduced applied learning at the Primary and Secondary stage. Then, of course, post-Secondary, they will have to choose which path to take. Some will choose a more academic path; some will choose a more applied path. Even then, they are not mutually exclusive. That is the important thing to remember. Even if you are going on the academic route, there will be applied elements. In fact, NUS and NTU have partnerships with industry and they are now also looking into strengthening internships.”
“I would like to thank the Members for giving their strong support and endorsement to recommendations in the ASPIRE report as well as the direction and policy of this Government. I would like to acknowledge that this support has come from all Members of the House – PAP Members, the Nominated Members and the Workers' Party. Members have spoken passionately, drawing from personal experience and giving examples and it is clear that this is a topic that is close to the hearts of all. In listening to the debate over the past couple of days, there are a few major themes that emerged. First, the request for a holistic approach to the post-Secondary education landscape; second, the issue of degree versus non-degree; third, public sector taking the lead; fourth, the need for industry and employers to be on board, and how one is to help industry with this and mindset change. If I may touch on each of these briefly. Ms Denise Phua, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin expressed concern that ASPIRE may be too narrow in scope and felt that it really should be part of a holistic plan. ASPIRE is in fact part of a bigger, holistic, strategic move by this Government. We have actually started at the Primary and Secondary levels, by introducing the Applied Learning Programme (ALP) for the Primary and Secondary schools, and the Learning for Life Programme (LLP) that was introduced in 2013. The ALP focuses on the application of skills in the real world and is taught through problem solving, supporting tie-ups with industry partners. And for the LLP, it focuses on real-world experiential learning to develop character and values, through community outreach programmes or service learning projects. So, that is for Primary and Secondary schools.”
“The reason – his wife did not like him coming back in dirty overalls, smelling of the factory and the plant. She wanted him to have a white-collar job, even if it paid less. This effort also leads us to value every person – not seeing them just as an employee or a worker, but as a person with potential and giving each one the chance to grow and develop. There is an advertisement we saw by an employer which encapsulates this best, where the employer who was advertising focused on an employee. It said, "From apprentice to Page: 84 manager of 12,000." And the lines below says, "There are many paths to the top, all it takes is a company who believes you can." So, that supportive relationship between the employers and employees makes a big difference. In conclusion, Mdm Speaker, what we are seeking to do, through ASPIRE and other Government efforts, is to ensure that Singapore continues to be a place of opportunities for all Singaporeans, through education and lifelong learning and a concerted effort by all. I look forward to hearing the Members’ views and urge this House to support the motion. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Seah Kian Peng) in the Chair] 5.27 pm”
“On the part of the Government – to provide quality education and to gear for applied learning, to provide resources for our schools and institutions and ensure that they are well-resourced; to ensure that our Institutions of Higher Learning collaborate with industry in an even closer and more coordinated fashion; to support CET; and to develop frameworks for each individual industry sector together with the industry – for these provide a reference frame for progression. The Government will also do its part as an employer in recognising skills and performance. So, in fact, we need everyone on board, not just the tripartite partners, but also teachers, parents, students and society – everyone. Achieving this will need a lot of effort and coordination. Hence, the new inter-Ministerial Committee is to be led by the Deputy Prime Minister Tharman. Again, in order to do this, we also have to change mindsets. We have to change mindsets in many things; in how we see education – no longer just academic; but to recognise the importance of skills. We have to embrace lifelong learning. We also need to have a mindset shift in how education is developed. It is no longer the sole preserve of educators. It must now be a collaboration between educational institutions, in particular, the Institutions of Higher Learning, educators and industry. We also need to change the way we think about how we recognise and reward people and also, in how we see jobs. Ms Olivia Lum of Hyflux who was on the ASPIRE Committee told us of a technician who was very good at his work. With his expertise and years of experience, he was being paid more than some of the graduates. However, he wanted to switch to a white-collar job even though it paid less.”
“We need employers' input and involvement for applied learning. We need this when we are developing the curriculum, when we are structuring the internships. We need the employer's collaboration to provide good mentorship to students and employees. We also need employers to recognise and reward individuals based on skills and performance. We need them to invest and develop the employees and to help their employees grow. We need employers to support their employees in CET and lifelong learning. Scholarships may be one way. And now with the Place and Train, which benefits employers too, that is another way. Providing on the job training as part of CET would also help. At the end of the day, from the employees’ perspective, the most important thing is to have moral support from the employers and time to study outside of working hours. Page: 83 For the employees, we need their input and collaboration too. To make the right choices; to seek out the areas of demand where you can grow; adopting the mindset and qualities exemplified by Mr Jiro and Mr Tham; to have the willingness to re-train, upskill, upgrade; and for employees to support their employers too. Unions, being the employee's representatives, as well as the bridge between employers and employees, also have an important part to play in achieving the ASPIRE objectives.”
“While the ASPIRE recommendations are geared for polytechnic and ITE students, the Government's policy of supporting CET applies to all Singaporeans, from graduates to those with only primary or secondary education. To this end, the Government is working on a CET Page: 82 masterplan. ASPIRE is also about multiple pathways. There is a wide diversity of jobs. They require different knowledge, skill sets and experience. Different individuals have different talents, interests and strengths. Some thrive in a more academic approach, others are more hands-on. We want a system that provides opportunities for all to progress at any stage of their working lives. It is not one size fits all – or one educational path for all. We want to have multiple pathways for people to upgrade and progress, to go as far as they can, according to their abilities. For some, pursuing further studies immediately after JC, polytechnic or ITE is the right path for them. Others may find that working first and then pursuing further studies is better. Yet others may find getting specialised industry qualifications or certifications is the correct path for them. And for some, going on a path of skills deepening through work and becoming a master craftsman or specialist may be a better route. We want a system that is flexible where the upgrading can be taken either full-time or part-time, or in small modules over a period of time. Online learning will become an important enabler. So, it is all about the right career choice, the right qualifications for the right job at the right time. But to do all this, a concerted effort is needed. One of our greatest strengths is our tripartite relationship of cooperation and collaboration between employers, employees and the Government. We must harness this.”
“And their success is founded on real and deep skills. They both have great pride in their work. They strive relentlessly for perfection, always seeking to improve, upgrade and better their performance. As a result, they have become masters of their craft. The quality of their work generates its own demand. They are both virtually recession proof. So, that is on deepening of skills and master craftsmen. Let me now say something about lifelong learning. When we consider the future of jobs and you see skills from the perspective that I have outlined, then we can understand why learning and education must now be lifelong. In the past, graduation from an educational institution marked the point where education stopped and work began. Education and work are intertwined. Learning and education must continue even after one has started work. This is for all occupations. Even politicians are not spared. It used to be that you just needed skills to make policy. In the last four years alone, we have had to acquire a whole slew of additional skills: blogging; facebooking; tweeting; instagramming; and lately, the art of the selfie! We too have been disrupted by technology. We too have had to raise, broaden and deepen our skills. We have different progression rates. Some of us are still apprentices, though a couple are fast becoming master craftsmen in this area! The continuous learning and acquisition of new skills will enable people to upgrade and progress throughout their working lives and achieve better outcomes for themselves and their families. This is the reason why we place such importance on Continuing Education and Training (CET) and invest so heavily in it.”
“It took Mr Tham about one to two months to learn the basic skills of curry puff making. He started selling his curry puffs at the Thomson area, near the Novena Church, in the 1960s. In 1976, when the Government introduced hawker licensing, he opened a stall at Serangoon Gardens. He has been in this trade for 56 years and is still going strong. Till today, each curry puff – golden, crisp, and which melts in your mouth – is prepared by hand from the spices to ingredients, to the crimps in the crust. And he is very strict about his ingredients and quality. He still uses the same recipe he learnt all those years ago. His artisanal craft has been honed over the years. He takes pride in his business and is constantly seeking to improve the quality of his curry puffs. Even now, he still goes around buying curry puffs made by others to make sure that his curry puffs are as good as, or not even better than, the rest. He expanded his business and started operating the stall at Tanjong Pagar seven years back. The original stall Page: 81 is still run by his son. On how his stall came to be called "Rolina", he used to sell curry puffs near Novena Church. And his regular customer, one of the aunties, always shouted "Rolina curry puff", instead of "Novena curry puff" and, so, he decided to use this name when he set up his first stall in Serangoon Gardens! I am not advocating that everyone should be a sushi chef or curry puff maker. But the stories of these two men and their success contain the recipe for success that cuts across all professions. Both have a strong passion for what they do. Both embody the mind-set of skills and expertise through practice and application. Both espouse the philosophy that they must seek to be the best in their profession.”
“The first is the story of Mr Jiro. I do not know if you have seen the documentary film called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It is about Mr Jiro Ono, a sushi master, and his quest to perfect the art of sushi. He is the owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a tiny sushi bar with only 10 seats in the basement of a Tokyo subway station. But his is the first sushi restaurant in the entire world to be awarded three Michelin stars. Jiro learnt the art of sushi at age nine. He has been learning and perfecting the art of sushi ever since. Next year, he will be 90! He was 85 when the film was made. He is widely hailed as the greatest sushi chef in the world. And his sushi is said to be so delicate, exquisite and sublime that his sushi rice was once described as “[a] cloud that explodes in your mouth”. Yet, despite his age and accolades, he is still driven to perfect his technique. In the movie, he says, "Even at my age, in my work, I have not reached perfection. I will continue to climb, trying to reach the top, but no one knows where the top is!" This mind-set and dedication to his craft has elevated a skill to an art. In fact, Japan has declared Mr Jiro as a living national treasure for his contributions to Japanese cuisine. But we do not have to look so far to find someone like Mr Jiro. At home, right here in Tanjong Pagar, we have Mr Tham Niap Tiong, who owns the Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puffs at Tanjong Pagar Plaza. I know because this is in a constituency I cover. Mr Tham is 75 years old. He learnt the art of making curry puffs at age 19 from a 70-year-old Hainanese sailor. The sailor understood that Mr Tham had problems getting a job and offered to teach him how to make curry puffs to earn a living.”
“An employee comes in with a Diploma in Marine and Offshore Technology. He works for a few years as an Assistant Engineer, installing and commissioning equipment on a rig. Later on, he goes on to do a degree in Naval Architecture. He graduates, becomes a naval architect and can design ships or rigs. Think of how much more someone who has actually worked on building a rig can bring to the design and functionality of a rig when he one day becomes a naval architect. So, that is what I mean by building on skills. Then, there is broadening of skills. We want people to progress not only by building on skills but by widening their scope. For example, you could have a technician or an engineer on the shop floor, and this person may, after sometime, show leadership or organisational potential. To help that person fulfil potential, we need to broaden his/her skills, for example, by sending him or her to a course in project management and human resource management. So, they acquire a different set of skills. The fourth way in which we refer to it is deepening of skills. There is a need for deep knowledge and expertise. This is the path of specialisation. For example, in the aerospace industry, a trainee Licensed Aircraft Engineer (LAE) starts with becoming familiar with an aircraft's major systems and power plants. He deepens his skills to become an Assistant LAE and performs transit checking procedures, and then becomes a full LAE – performing detailed system, engine component and functional checks and troubleshooting procedures. Also in line with deepening skills are the master craftsmen. On this, let me tell you a tale of two men. Mdm Speaker, I have four slides for my speech. With your permission, may I display them at the appropriate time? Page: 80”
“The first thing we mean by progressing through skills is raising skills levels across the board. Let me explain. Jobs are becoming more complex. For example, in the past, if you were a car mechanic doing maintenance and repair, all you needed was mechanical knowledge. Today, car functions are increasingly computerised. If something goes wrong, it is not just a matter of a mechanical repair. There is also a need to run computer diagnostics on the car to find out what is wrong. In future, we will have driverless cars. The car mechanic will have to acquire even more skill sets. In fact, he may be replaced by a maintenance robot. To stay relevant, he will need skills that enable him to direct and control the robot – a higher order of skills. So, if we just take the example of a car mechanic alone, the skills needed yesterday were mechanics; today, it is mechanics plus electronics; tomorrow, it will be mechanics plus Page: 79 electronics plus robotics. In order to cope with this, we have to raise our skills levels across the board. That is what we are seeking to do, in every sector, at every level, to bring Singaporeans to a new skills equilibrium. And this is so that, as the way we do jobs change, as jobs themselves change, as new ones are created and old ones are swept away, Singaporeans will be ready, not only to cope but to thrive, because those with the raised skills levels will be the ones who will be able to access better pay, better prospects, better progression and better outcomes. The second way of progressing through skills is building on skills. We want people to be able to progress by building upon a solid preceding layer of skills at each stage. Let me give an example which I encountered when I visited the Keppel shipyard.”
“Hence, our primary and secondary schools have an academic syllabus to provide a strong foundation for our students, whether they later choose an academic route or a more applied route, such as the polytechnics and ITE. But knowledge alone is not enough – it is how you apply it: "It is not what we know. It is what you can do with what you know." And this is where applied learning comes in. It allows students to learn through practice and application. And the workplace is one of the best places for applied learning. Experience is, of course, the fruit of constant practice and application. That is the first thing. The second thing about skills is that when we refer to skills, we are also referring to hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are the technical know-how. Here, let me emphasise, it is not limited to skills in the technical sectors, such as precision engineering. It also includes skills in the service sector, for example, hospitality, as well as skills in the professions like nursing and accountancy. It covers the entire spectrum of work. Then, there are soft skills. These are things like attitude, leadership, communication skills, teamwork, the ability to work across cultures, the ability to deal with people, the ability to solve problems. A third way to think about skills is the ability to achieve desired outcomes, to get results. Once it is understood that skills means all of these things, then it is easy to understand why skills are so important to an individual’s personal development and growth as well as to his/her career prospects. It is also easy to understand why skills are so much in demand by industry and employers. Then we talk about progressing through skills. What do we mean by this?”
“However, from where we stand now, looking forward, this is what we can see: that there is a demand for deep and relevant skills; that the nature of jobs will change, and the way we do the jobs will change. In some cases, the jobs themselves will change. Some may disappear forever. Technology will continue to drive disruptive change. All this means that our people will have to constantly adapt and learn new skills in order to remain relevant and to get good employment. It also means that learning must be lifelong, more than ever before. The old paradigm where education ends at school is no longer applicable. Education continues throughout life. Let me say a little on skills. What are skills? We must be clear on what we mean by skills. I have actually heard that since the National Day Rally (NDR) and the ASPIRE report, some children have been telling their parents that since it is now about skills, they do not have to study anymore. If only! There is a misapprehension that skills means only doing things with your hands, or some manual form of work. “Skills” means much more than that. What does it mean? First, and this is not a term of art or a technical definition, but I think, broadly, skills means knowledge plus application plus experience. The knowledge part, necessarily, includes, but is not limited to, academic content and theory. So, for example, it is not possible to do construction work, which involves measurement and dimensions, Page: 78 without maths, otherwise you might have a very crooked house. You cannot do product design without learning about materials and understanding manufacturing processes.”
“Second, it means that we need to ensure that there is a strong alignment between our people's knowledge and skills – the supply side; and the jobs and skills that are needed – the demand side. In the last 50 years, we have achieved phenomenal development and have made the leap from Third World to First. This was only possible by having an educational strategy that was closely attuned to the economic Page: 77 situation of the day. On this, may I say that it is important to understand that it is not a matter of educating people to serve the economy. Rather, the overarching objective is to enable Singaporeans to prosper and to do well and achieve their aspirations. It is in service of that objective, making lives better for Singaporeans, that this Government's consistent strategy has been, and continues to be, to try and identify trends and developments, and to equip Singaporeans, through education, to take advantage of them. So, from the 1960s to 1970s, our economy was labour-intensive. Education focused on the basic level of skills. From the 1980s to mid-1990s, our economy became capital-»intensive. Education focused on equipping Singaporeans with deeper technical expertise to meet this environment. The late 1990s to 2000s saw a knowledge-based economy, so education was geared for critical thinking, creativity and innovation. Now, 2014 onwards, we are once again on the cusp. The future is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous – the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA) environment. We now have to, once again, think of how to equip Singaporeans to navigate and do well in this VUCA environment. It is not possible to predict the future.”
“Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That this House (1) endorses the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review Report (Paper Misc 3 of 2014), which sets out this Government's policy to ensure that all Singaporeans, whatever their qualifications, enjoy full opportunities to upgrade and progress during their working lives; and (2) supports a tripartite approach to instil a culture of lifelong learning, and to recognise and reward individuals based on their skills and performance." Mdm Speaker, two weeks ago, the ASPIRE Committee released its report, making 10 recommendations which have been accepted by the Government in full. But ASPIRE is much more than just the 10 recommendations. What is ASPIRE about? It is about creating multiple opportunities to realise aspirations, creating multiple pathways to success and facilitating progression and advancement. It is also about embracing lifelong learning, valuing every individual and respecting every job, letting people go forward, not by always and only looking back to their start point, but by how they perform, what they achieve and what they become. Above all, it is about doing this together. In 2012, we had the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC). One very strong theme that emerged was Singaporeans' desire to progress and do well. Parents have high aspirations for their children. Young people have high aspirations for themselves. The ASPIRE engagement sessions also reflected the same thing. They all want opportunities. But career aspirations cannot be achieved in a vacuum. They are linked to jobs and jobs, in turn, are linked to our domestic economy and international economic trends and forces. This means two things. First, that the fulfilment of Singaporeans’ aspirations is closely tied to Singapore having strong economic growth.”
“(proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)] Page: 83”
“The ex gratia is a separate thing and will be applied depending on the circumstances of each case. In some cases – I think the last one, if I recall correctly, was for Pearl Centre – what had happened was there were differences in the market value subsequent to the acquisition and it was felt appropriate in that instance that some ex gratia payment ought to be made to ensure that the owners received a fair value or fair compensation for the acquisition. With respect to the second query raised by the hon Member, in other words, the MCSTs and how they will deal with the monies that come into their hands or how they will ensure Page: 82 that the common property is dealt with properly, the short answer is that the MCSTs will have to act in accordance with the legislation and their by-laws. Each MCST has by-laws which regulate the way in which they ought to deal with their members. It is incumbent upon the MCSTs to ensure that they follow the rules and regulations in the legislation and their by-laws. If they have breached these in any way, then the members will have recourse, either to the Strata Titles Board or, alternatively, to the Courts. But it is also incumbent upon the MCSTs to remember that in situations of these cases, they are actually acting, in effect, as agents for the other members, and they will have to act in good faith and they will have to conduct themselves properly and ensure that the monies are accounted for and dealt with properly. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Ms Indranee Rajah].”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the hon Member for her comments. I think they can be broken down into two categories. First, her comments in relation to the Betterment Levy; and, second, her comments in relation to the MCST and how it would conduct itself in the event of a land acquisition process. With respect to the Betterment Levy, it is not the case that one is unjustly or unfairly enriching the owner. The situation here is this. Let us say you have an acquisition of part of an owner's land – let us say the part that you are acquiring is Part A and the part that is left behind is Part B. Previously, if after having acquired Part A, the value of Part B goes up when we compensate the owner for Part A, what we would have done is deduct the increase in Part B, so, effectively, the owner gets less. In this instance, what we are saying is that we will no longer deduct the increase to Part B which may have arisen as a result of whatever development taking place around that land. In this way, the landowner benefits and, ultimately, the objective is to ensure that when the Government acquires Part A, the landowner receives a fair market value for Part A. That, as I indicated in my speech earlier, is the spirit of the previous set of the amendments to the LAA in 2007, which is to peg the compensation for acquired land to the market value which a bona fide purchaser would be reasonably willing to pay for the property and that is a fair and just compensation for the owner. I think the Member had also asked whether we were, in this way, institutionalising ex gratia payments. The answer is "no"; they are two separate concepts. This is removal of the Betterment Levy on compensation for acquired land in a part-acquisition.”
“The Bill amends the LAA and the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (BMSMA) to allow the Management Corporation (MC) to represent individual unit owners when common property is acquired. The MC will also be able to use the MC's fund for Page: 79 acquisition-related expenses. This amendment will minimise inconvenience to individual unit owners, as well as allow for quicker progress of the acquisition proceedings and disbursement of compensation. Finally, the Bill makes several technical and housekeeping amendments. I will highlight two such amendments. The first relates to the posting of notices on acquired land. At present, the LAA requires the Collector of Land Revenue to post hardcopy notices on the acquired land when possession is being taken, in addition to serving the notice on interested persons. Clause 7 amends the LAA such that notice may be served in ways other than posting notices on the acquired land. The modes of service are currently set out in section 45 of the LAA and include hand delivery, fax or pre-paid registered post. The second concerns the power of the Appeals Board to award costs against persons who are not parties to the appeal. This gives the Appeals Board similar powers as the Courts to order costs against non-parties who, for instance, unnecessarily or unreasonably prolong the proceedings or add to the legal costs incurred. Non-parties will be given an opportunity to be heard before the Appeals Board before an order to pay costs is made. Mdm Speaker, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] 5.24 pm”
“Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Madam, this Bill seeks to amend the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) to enhance the compensation framework for landowners who have part of their land acquired and to improve the efficiency of the land acquisition process. I will now take the House through the main features of the Bill. The first concerns the application of the betterment levy. When the Government acquires part of a landowner's land, the value of the remaining portion of land held by the landowner could increase due to the use that the land acquired will be put. At present, section 33 of the LAA requires such increase in value to be deducted from the statutory compensation the landowner is given for the acquired land. This is known as the betterment levy. Clause 12 of the Bill removes the requirement for such increase to be deducted. Landowners will, therefore, receive compensation equivalent to the full market value of the acquired land. This amendment continues in the spirit of the previous set of amendments to the LAA in 2007 which pegged compensation for acquired land to the market value which a bona fide purchaser would reasonably be willing to pay for the property. The second amendment enables the Management Corporation of strata-titled developments to act on behalf of individual unit owners when common property is acquired. Today, when small parcels of common areas, such as carpark lots or grass verges in strata-titled developments are acquired, unit owners must go through the entire acquisition process individually even if their own units are not affected by the acquisition and even if their share of the compensation is not significant. And this has resulted in inconvenience to individual unit owners.”
“The phased approach in the implementation of this Bill will allow the AG to gradually build up the necessary resources for carrying out his additional functions. This would avoid over or under-utilising legal service officers who will be involved in representing Statutory Boards. As for Mr de Souza's question as to whether a legal service officer assigned to assist the relevant Statutory Board in the judicial review or Court proceeding would be solely focused on these matters, or whether this engagement would be one of several responsibilities within the officer's portfolio, how the AG will deploy legal service officers within his Chambers is an operational matter balancing considerations, such as caseload, the need to Page: 77 build expertise and the need to ensure diversity of work for legal service officers. So, in short, we will leave that to the AG to determine. Assoc Prof Tan had also asked how AGC's fees will be determined. The exact charging model will be determined at a later date. Generally, Government agencies operate on the basis of cost recovery. As such, the AGC's fees are likely to be lower than the rates charged by external counsel. But the rationale for imposing fees is to ensure that there is discipline in the use of resources. All fees collected will be paid into the Consolidated Fund. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. (proc text)] [(proc text) The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Ms Indranee Rajah]. (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)] Page: 78”
“Members may wish to know the factors that might inform the AG's decision on whether to represent a Statutory Board in Court proceedings. Without fettering the AG's discretion in any way, let me explain some of the factors he could take into account. One of the relevant factors would be the nature of the allegation that is being made against the Statutory Board or, put another way, the nature of the right that the applicant is seeking to assert. For example, the AG may be more inclined to represent the Statutory Board if the applicant is challenging the scope of the Statutory Board's powers. Another relevant factor would be the potential impact of the Court's decision in that particular application. Thus, if the applicant makes allegations against the Statutory Board which call into question the system of public administration and governance across the public sector as a whole, the AG could regard this to be a case where he should represent the Statutory Board, in the interests of the entire public sector. As for potential cases under clause 4 of the Bill, that is, matters of public importance, these would include cases where there are important and novel legal issues that will have an impact on the public sector or Singapore as a whole. Assoc Prof Tan also asked if this Bill would empower the AG to represent non-Statutory Boards. Although the Singapore Courts have held that under certain conditions, the decisions of non-Statutory Bodies or tribunals could be amenable to judicial review, the Bill allows the AG to represent only Statutory Boards which perform or discharge public functions. Assoc Prof Tan and Mr de Souza had queries relating to the issue of the AG's resources.”
“Mdm Speaker, I wish to thank the hon Members, Assoc Prof Eugene Tan and Mr Christopher de Souza for speaking in support of the Bill. Assoc Prof Tan had asked whether the AG is already having oversight of all judicial review cases against Statutory Boards. The AG currently provides his views and comments to the Statutory Boards' parent Ministries in cases which involve public law issues that could have implications across the public sector or on the development of the law. Both Members had asked for the rationale of including just two specific Statutory Boards, namely, MAS and SLA, in the Schedule to the Bill as relevant Statutory Boards that may be represented by the AG. The inclusion of Statutory Boards into the Schedule of the Bill will be a gradual process so that the AG can put in place the necessary protocols to meet the projected workload. MAS has been included in the first phase because the financial sector is an important segment of the Singapore economy, as Assoc Prof Tan identified just now, and financial sector regulation is becoming increasingly complex. SLA is the custodian of state land and properties and has the responsibility of ensuring that Singapore's scarce land resources are allocated optimally. Cases involving state land could have important ramifications for the state, Government, businesses and individuals. Page: 76 Assoc Prof Tan had also asked about the criteria by which Statutory Boards will be placed in the Schedule and whether there are plans to include every Statutory Board in the Schedule of the Bill. The main criterion is the public functions that the Statutory Board performs in accordance with its enacting public Act. It is envisaged that the Bill will eventually cover Statutory Boards which perform core or sensitive functions.”
“Our jurisprudence has established that judicial review also extends to a body or tribunal that is "private" in nature but which operates as an integral part of a system with a public law character and which is supported by public law in that public law sanctions are applied if its directives or decisions are ignored, and performs what might be described as public law functions. As such, can the AG represent a body corporate or unincorporate that is not a Statutory Board? Finally, this Bill has the potential to add to the demands on AGC. It is desirable that as much of the public sector receives quality legal advice and representation, especially pertaining to administrative law. AGC will, therefore, have to beef up its manpower to Page: 73 manage the likely increase workload. More importantly, AGC will also need to enhance its training outreach to the Public Service so that public officers have a competent understanding of what judicial review is about and how their actions and decision-making processes have to be in compliance with the law. Madam, judicial review is not about the Courts judging the merits of the administrative act or decision of the Executive branch of the Government. Rather, it is concerned about how an administrative act or decision was arrived at in the exercise of discretionary powers conferred by the law. In this sense, judicial review can be a platform by which public authorities, especially if they lose a judicial review case, can learn to exercise discretionary power and the process of decision-making that do not run afoul of the law and the principles of natural justice. As such, I hope that the Government will consider strengthening the education outreach efforts of the AGC. Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill. 5.08 pm”
“Third, as Singapore develops its own administrative law jurisprudence, it must be developed in a coherent manner and one that is in sync with our system of governance and constitutional order. In serving the public, regulatory frameworks and regimes should adhere Page: 72 to certain core public law principles. Madam, for a start, this proposed legislation, when brought into force, will empower the AG to represent MAS and SLA in a judicial review. My sense is that such representation work by the AG is important and necessary in complex areas of law, such as MAS' functions with regard to prohibited market conduct under Part XII of the Securities and Futures Act. And in land-scarce Singapore, administrative law principles must be cognisant of the need to optimise land resources for the economic and social development of Singapore. Nonetheless, could the Senior Minister of State elaborate on why MAS and SLA are chosen and the criteria used? I also seek the Senior Minister of State's clarifications on a few other matters under the Bill. One, clause 5 provides that the AG may require a scheduled Statutory Board to pay a reasonable fee for legal services and representation rendered by his Chambers. How will the fees be determined and will the fees be charged as a matter of practice? Two, with respect to the Schedule, are the long-term plans for the AG to represent all Statutory Boards in judicial review proceedings? Also, is the AG already having oversight of all judicial review cases brought against Statutory Boards? Three, the Bill appears to provide only for the AG to represent a body corporate or unincorporate established by or under a public Act to perform or discharge a public function.”