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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“I thank Mr Singh for his clarification. So, we are clear on one thing. I think Mr Singh says he himself does not know Mr Deros – that, we are clear. I think Mr Singh has also said that the other Malay/Muslim candidates, other than Mr Faisal, did not know Mr Deros – that one, we are clear. The thing that Mr Singh has just said is that Mr Faisal Manap would have "known of" Mr Deros. There is a distinction between saying Mr Faisal Manap would have "known of" him; for example, I know of many other world leaders, but I do not know them personally. So, there is a distinction between saying Mr Faisal Manap would have "known of" Mr Deros and Mr Faisal Manap would have "known" Mr Deros. So, what I am trying to understand here is whether Mr Faisal Manap just would have "known of", which means you hear of this person, but you do not know them, or whether he knew him.”
“I am grateful to Mr Singh for his clarification. Let me just deal with his clarifications one by one. First, on the second point, the point that Mr Deros was a "nobody" and really, nobody knows of him. If I understand Mr Singh's explanation correctly, you said Mr Faisal Manap would have known Mr Deros? I just want to make sure that I get that correct. In other words, is it correct to say that Mr Faisal Manap knew who Mr Deros was or knew Mr Deros before that meeting in April? [Inaudible.] So, he did. Right. In other words, the statement that Mr Deros is somebody who really nobody knows, is not accurate. Would you like to clarify that?”
“Mr Speaker, I wish to make a Ministerial Statement on the need for clarification on statements made by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Mr Speaker, I am making this Ministerial Statement because there were some statements made in Parliament which appear to have been contradicted by statements made outside of this House. Hence, I think it is important that I make this Statement, so that I can highlight what these contradictions are and give the Member concerned an opportunity to state his position clearly for the record, as this relates to an important issue. During the Ministerial Statement on Race and Religion by Minister Shanmugam on 14 October 2025, Mr Singh clarified by stating that: "I think the Minister started by referring to meeting Deros and I mentioned quite clearly during the elections that he gate-crashed the meeting that Mr Faisal Manap was having with someone else. My understanding from Mr Faisal Manap is that there was no arrangement to meet him specifically." So, Mr Singh's position was that Mr Deros had "gate-crashed" Mr Faisal's meeting. The Workers' Party (WP) Malay/Muslim candidates attended this meeting.”
“The Large Families Scheme (LFS) was designed based on National Population and Talent Division's (NPTD's) research and feedback from parents that they needed more financial support for children aged zero to six years old. Accordingly, under the LFS, parents will receive $1,000 each year in Large Family LifeSG Credits (LFLC) for each third and subsequent Singapore Citizen child, from the year that the child turns one to the year that the child turns six. There is a wide range of financial support for children beyond the first six years. These include Child Development Account (CDA) Government co-matching, significant education and healthcare subsidies, parenthood tax benefits, and top-ups to the CDA, Edusave Account and Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA). As part of Budget 2025, all Singapore Citizen children aged zero to 12 also receive $500 in Child LifeSG Credits, which families can use to defray their child-raising and household expenses, while those aged 13 to 16 and those aged 17 to 20 receive $500 in their Edusave Account and PSEA respectively. The Government will continue to monitor the LFS and consider adjustments where necessary.”
“Mr Speaker, I move, "That this Parliament, in accordance with Standing Order 100(1), appoints the following Members of Parliament as members of the Committee of Selection: Ms Gan Siow Huang Ms Indranee Rajah Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry Mr Masagos Zulkifli Mr Ng Chee Meng Mr Ong Ye Kung Mr Pritam Singh" Sir, the appointment of the Committee of Selection will enable the Committee to begin its work of nominating Members to the six other Standing Select Committees of Parliament and the Special Select Committee on Nominations for Appointment as Nominated Members of Parliament. [(proc text) Resolved, (proc text)] [(proc text) That this Parliament, in accordance with Standing Order 100(1), appoints the following Members of Parliament as members of the Committee of Selection: (proc text)] [(proc text) Ms Gan Siow Huang (proc text)] [(proc text) Ms Indranee Rajah (proc text)] [(proc text) Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry (proc text)] [(proc text) Mr Masagos Zulkifli (proc text)] [(proc text) Mr Ng Chee Meng (proc text)] [(proc text) Mr Ong Ye Kung (proc text)] [(proc text) Mr Pritam Singh (proc text)]”
“Mr Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order 48(8) to remove the time limit in respect of Minister Chan Chun Sing's speech?”
“And the surveys also affirmed that our primary and secondary and university education meets the needs of the competitive economy. In fact, those improved. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister, Prime Minister's Office", Official Report, 06 November 2025, Vol 96, Issue 11, Clarification section.] But the areas of decline, under readiness, was labour force growth, I addressed that earlier, and perception indicators on availability of skilled labour and specific skillsets and expertise. In summary, the things which affected our ranking this year was perception on employee training and apprenticeships, labour force growth and the perception of the availability of skilled labour. I think education remains largely the same.”
“In the same IMD report, we were ranked 17th this year on this indicator, and our pupil-teacher ratio is still comparable to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) averages and to that of countries like, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Korea and Japan. So, I think these indicators do not fully capture the strength of our education system. Our outcomes remain strong in education, as reflected in the international benchmarks. On this first factor, it is more the perception-based indicators on employee training and apprenticeships that pulled the ranking down. The second factor on appeal, on many of the traditional considerations, we remain largely the same. That is, for management, fair administration of justice. Those continued to be pull factors. The things that weighed us down on appeal were perception-based indicators on worker retention. There was a fall in executives' perception for indicators, such as worker motivation in companies; and secondly, a high cost of living. That one did not move that much though; it was from 63rd to 65th. Singapore ranked 65th, which is comparable to other overall top performers, like Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and ahead of Hong Kong. And so, this indicator has traditionally weighed down our overall ranking over the years, but it is not a key factor pulling down the ranking in 2025. The third factor, readiness. Our performance in the readiness factor was relatively steady, and for this one, it reflected our strong education system serving as a notable strength. Singapore ranked highly in PISA, as well as the proportion of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) graduates.”
“The first on investment and development in local talent, our weaker performance in the report on this factor was contributed by perception factors, decline in perception-based indicators on employee training and apprenticeships; and also, the second one was low public expenditure on education as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) – we went from 63rd to 65th and pupil-teacher ratio. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister, Prime Minister's Office", Official Report, 06 November 2025, Vol 96, Issue 11, Clarification section.] On the expenditure on education, actually, that is not very different from last year's report. So, that has not been much of a shift. These indicators, the part on education as a percentage of GDP, have traditionally weighed down our rankings across the years. And that seems to be because they look to see how much you put in. Whereas for us, it is not only just how much we put in. It is also the outcomes. So, it does not seem to give enough weight to the value-for-money part. And also, the indicator that is used in the IMD report on education investment is on public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP. So, given Singapore's relatively high GDP, the percentage figure will naturally appear lower compared to other countries. But this does not mean that our actual investment in education is small. Singapore consistently allocates one of the largest portions of our Annual Budget to education, as the Member has pointed out, including substantial investments through initiatives, such as SkillsFuture. In fact, our total public expenditure on education per student, rather than as a percentage of GDP, remains relatively high.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her supplementary questions and if I may, just before I address the specific questions, set out a bit of a better understanding of the IMD report. The first thing that I wanted to say was that it measures competitiveness across different countries and economies, and on this, although our ranking had dropped, we are actually still in the top 10. So, in other words, Singapore is still in this report, ranked the seventh most talent-competitive economy in 2025 out of 69 economies in 2025. And whilst this is a drop from second place in 2024, our general ranking has been on the uptrend over the last decade. So, in 2016, for example, we were 15; then in 2017, 13; in 2018, 13. We have been climbing up steadily. And then, in 2024 it was second, and now it is 2025. So, we have had a few ups and downs, but, overall, the trend has been upwards and we are still in the top 10. That is the first point I want to make. Then, the second point to make is how do they measure this competitiveness? It assesses the 69 economies using the following three factors. First, investment and development that evaluates the investment in and the development of homegrown talent; then it looks at appeal, which measures the ability to attract and retain overseas talent; and third, it looks at readiness, which assesses whether the existing talent pool meets current and future needs. So, you have got those three factors. And then, let us look and see how we did on these three factors, which whilst addressing this, will also address the Member's supplementary question.”
“For businesses, this means investing in good HR practices which allow companies to strike the right balance between business efficiency and productivity, and support for employees who are parents. At the same time, we cultivate a collaborative approach between employers and employees. For example, by extending the minimum four-week notice period beyond GPML to GPPL, adoption leave and the new SPL, we encourage employees to discuss their leave plans early with their employers to facilitate covering arrangements. The Government will continue to work with Tripartite Partners to build a supportive workplace culture for families.”
“The Family Trends Report 2025 shows that the take-up rates of Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) between 2016 and 2023 remain high, ranging between 74% and 79%. More than half of fathers took Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL), with the proportion increasing from 47% in 2016 to 56% in 2023. The take-up rate of childcare leave by mothers has remained stable from 56% in 2016 to 58% in 2023. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister, Prime Minister's Office", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Clarification section.] The take-up rate of childcare leave by fathers has increased slightly from 49% in 2016 to 53% in 2023. The take-up rate for the new Shared Parental Leave (SPL) is not available yet as this has only just been implemented in April this year. There are several reasons why some parents may not make use of their full parental leave entitlements. From our research and engagements with parents, actual utilisation varies according to the nature of the job, workplace norms and attitudes, and societal perceptions of gender roles. To give parents assurance in utilising their parental leave provisions, the Government made the additional two weeks of GPPL and 10 weeks of new SPL mandatory. The Government also extended employment protections against unlawful dismissal of employees taking GPPL and adoption leave. In addition, when the Workplace Fairness Act comes into force, employees will be protected from being discriminated against, including being dismissed, on the grounds of protected characteristics such as pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities. However, legislative provisions can only go so far. What is needed is a whole-of-society approach which is supportive of families, and parental and caregiving responsibilities.”
“We had previously addressed related questions regarding the management costs for Temasek Holdings in this House and the Member may want to refer to the Hansard records. Temasek Holdings will set up the three new wholly-owned entities to manage different segments of its portfolio. The Government will continue to hold the Board of Temasek Holdings accountable for delivering good long-term returns on the overall investment portfolio. Temasek will continue to publish the total portfolio's net returns, which would have deducted all investment fees and expenses. For further information on Temasek's wholly-owned entities, I refer the Member to Temasek's press release and statements.”
“We have a wide range of support schemes for different needs, some of which are given at household level and others at the individual level. The Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers Scheme is designed to be a simple, broad-based scheme to help Singaporean households with daily expenses as well as support heartland merchants and hawkers. This complements other schemes, which provide targeted assistance at both the household and individual levels. Examples of household-level schemes would be U-Save and Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates. Examples of assistance for individuals include the GST Voucher – Cash and MediSave and the Silver Support Scheme. For targeted assistance schemes, we use a range of individual-level and household-level criteria to ascertain means. One such criterion would be household income per person, which helps us to account for different household circumstances, including that of larger households. Assistance provided by the Government should, therefore, not be viewed through the lens of a single scheme but should take into account the full range of support provided in combination. For households or individuals who may need more support, discretionary assistance schemes, such as MediFund and ComCare, are available. The Government will continue to regularly review our measures to ensure Singaporeans are adequately supported, including those from larger households.”
“In deciding what to give to mark or commemorate SG60, we thought it would be helpful to give the vouchers because it would help with cost of living but it also gave people options with what to do with it. So, depending on what the circumstances are, we will see. And then, for targeted subsets, again, the general principle is that we look to need or, sometimes, when we are trying to drive a certain form of behaviour, like when we wanted to encourage people with lifelong learning, we introduced the SkillsFuture credits. So, there is a whole range that we will take into account, including the economic situation.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. Essentially, what we do is we look at the circumstances, we look at the different groups, we also look at specific target groups, if needed. So, the first question was whether MOF looks beyond hard data into sentiments and anxiety. The short answer to that is, we have to start, first, with data and if sentiment and anxiety are borne out by the data and there is a real need, then, of course, we will step in to do more. But if we have a situation where there is anxiety, which is without real basis – and we can understand how that happens, sometimes, where people get concerned because others are talking about it; and then others talk about it, then, you have a general anxiety, but there is no real basis for that anxiety – then, there may not be a need to provide additional support for that. And really, the answer would be to address what is causing that anxiety or that concern. Then, the second, do we look at target groups? The answer is yes, obviously, we do. And if the Member looks at the various measures, the Member will see that some are targeted at seniors, some are targeted at the lower-income. We introduced climate vouchers, initially, for Housing and Development Board dwellers and then, extended it to private housing. So, there are different funding for different purposes. Sometimes you look at the demographic group, but sometimes you also look at the social purpose. For example, you may need to provide support for childcare. That is a different thing. So, there is a whole range that we look at. And will we consider additional forms of support? The Member cited SG60 vouchers and targeted subsets. The SG60 vouchers were because this is our SG60 year.”
“This question has been answered in the Written Reply to a similar Parliamentary Question by Mr Xie Yao Quan standing as Parliamentary Question No 61 for oral answer in the Order Paper for the sitting on 23 September 2025. [Please refer to "Deploying AI for Audit Checks and Monitoring of Government Agencies' Contract Management and Procurement", Official Report, 23 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 3, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]”
“The global demand for gold reflects its role as a safe-haven asset during periods of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. In Singapore's context, the size of our gold holdings is based on our long-term objective of ensuring that our Reserves portfolio remains resilient and well-diversified across economic and market conditions.”
“Interest rates of the Special Singapore Government Securities (SSGS) are based on the Central Provident Fund (CPF) interest rates and are independent of GIC's returns. The CPF Board invests CPF savings entirely in risk-free SSGS issued by the Government. The Government then invests SSGS proceeds together with its other assets through GIC. The Government guarantees CPF savings and pays the SSGS interest rates to CPF Board regardless of GIC's returns over any period. The Government is able to do so because it pursues a prudent fiscal policy that enables a healthy buffer of net assets which allows it to absorb risks across market cycles.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move a Motion to take the proceedings on the business set down on the Order Paper for today beyond the moment of interruption.”
“Mr Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No 48(8) to remove the time limit in respect of the Prime Minister's speech.”
“My response will also cover the question on the same topic filed by Mr Lee Hong Chuang, which is scheduled for a subsequent Sitting. I would first like to thank the Auditor-General's Office (AGO's) for its report, which provides valuable insights into areas for improvement. The AGO adopts a risk-based approach in its audits and makes use of digital tools where applicable, including data analytics, to analyse procurement trends and detect potential irregularities. AGO has also developed a tool to identify potentially fictitious documents and employs artificial intelligence (AI) to identify higher-risk transactions and improve audit efficiency. In addition, AGO intends to share its use of digital tools, risk indicators and techniques for detecting red flags with public agencies, and continue to trial emerging AI tools to further enhance its audit capabilities. The Government has been actively exploring such capabilities to augment the work in finance, procurement and contract management. Government agencies have started to use them in suitable areas and will continue to explore using AI to strengthen financial governance, procurement and contract management. Tools already shared across public agencies include AI-powered anomaly detection and document analysis for fraud detection.”
“Mr Speaker, I move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] The Future of Library”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No 48(8) to remove the time limit in respect of Minister Ong Ye Kung's speech? Mr Ong will be speaking shortly, I believe.”
“Mr Speaker, I move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Toward Certificate of Entitlement (COE) 2.0”
“Mr Speaker, I wish to move to extend the proceedings beyond the moment of interruption. For the benefit of new Members, proceedings in Parliament end automatically at 7.00 pm unless extended by the Speaker or moved to be extended by myself. Mr Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move a Motion to take the proceedings on the business set down on the Order Paper for today beyond the moment of interruption?”
“Mr Speaker, I move, that notwithstanding Standing Order 48(8), with effect from this day's Sitting until the end of the 15th Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition Mr Pritam Singh shall be entitled to speak for up to 40 minutes on any question in Parliament. This is to allow Mr Pritam Singh, as the Leader of the Opposition for the 15th Parliament, the privilege of a longer speaking duration for speeches, as mentioned in my Ministerial Statement earlier. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Resolved, "That, notwithstanding Standing Order 48(8), with effect from this day's Sitting until the end of the 15th Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition Mr Pritam Singh shall be entitled to speak for up to 40 minutes on any question in Parliament". (proc text)]”
“I look forward to working with him on this Parliament’s mission to serve Singaporeans and build a stronger Singapore. 1.24 pm”
“I will be moving a Motion to this effect later. The Leader of the Opposition will also be allocated an office in Parliament, staff support and resources, and his Parliamentary allowance will be double that of other MPs. I have consulted the Speaker on these arrangements and he has agreed that they remain appropriate. I have also apprised Mr Singh of this. Next, I touch on the Leader of the Opposition’s Parliamentary duties. The 15th Parliament of Singapore is our largest Parliament to date with 99 elected Members. There are 12 opposition Members, of whom two are Non-Constituency MPs. As the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Singh will lead and organise the Opposition’s Parliamentary business in our largest Parliament to date. This includes leading the Opposition in: presenting alternative views in Parliamentary debates on policies, Bills and Motions; scrutinising the Government’s positions and actions in Parliament; and nominating opposition Members for appointment to the Standing Select Committees and other Select Committees of Parliament. Finally, the Leader of the Opposition may be called upon to assume other duties, such as attending official state functions and taking part in visits and meetings alongside Members of the Government and the Public Service. From time to time, the Leader of the Opposition may receive confidential briefings by the Government, on matters to be determined by the Government. These briefings will promote better understanding across both sides of the House on important national issues such as security and external relations, especially in the event of a national crisis or emergency. I congratulate Mr Singh on his continuation as the Leader of the Opposition.”
“Mr Speaker, following the General Election held on 3 May 2025, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had announced that Mr Pritam Singh would continue to be the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Parliament of Singapore and that he would be given staff and resources to perform his duties. This was reported in the media. As the position of the Leader of the Opposition is not dealt with in our Constitution or in the Standing Orders of Parliament, I should, for good order, state the duties and privileges of the Leader of the Opposition for the Parliamentary record. Mr Singh’s duties and privileges as the Leader of the Opposition in this 15th Parliament will remain the same as those in the 14th Parliament. Those were set out in my Ministerial Statement of 31 August 2020 when the office of the Leader of the Opposition was officially recognised and implemented. They can be summarised as follows. First, on the Leader of the Opposition’s Parliamentary privileges. The Leader of the Opposition will take the seat directly across the Prime Minister in this Chamber during Parliamentary proceedings. This is the same practice as that in other countries which formally recognise the role of the Leader of the Opposition and was also observed by us in previous terms of Parliament in Singapore in respect of the leader of the main opposition party. The Leader of the Opposition will generally be given the right of first response among Members of Parliament (MPs) to ask the lead question of Ministers on policies, Bills and Motions in Parliament. This will be at the Speaker’s discretion and subject to existing speaking conventions. The Leader of the Opposition will have a longer speech time for debates than other backbenchers – 40 minutes as opposed to the usual 20 minutes.”
“Second, the two Ministerial Statements on "Situation in the Middle East" and the Ministerial Statement on "Singaporeans' Response to Situation in the Middle East" are of current public interest. Also, Minister Vivian Balakrishnan is due to deliver Singapore's statement at the 80th United Nations General Assembly and leaves for that tonight. It would be good for Singaporeans to hear the Government's position on this before he leaves. It would thus be best for these Ministerial Statements to be taken before the debate on the Address of Thanks. Members will have sufficient time to seek clarification on these Ministerial Statements. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Resolved, "That notwithstanding the Standing Orders, (1) the Ministerial Statement on 'Duties and Privileges of the Leader of the Opposition' be taken now and before the business Motion on Speech Time standing in the name of the Leader of the House; and (2) that the following Ministerial Statements: (a) the Ministerial Statement on 'Situation in the Middle East' standing in the name of the Minister for Foreign Affairs; (b) the Ministerial Statement on 'Situation in the Middle East' to be delivered by the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs; and (c) the Ministerial Statement on 'Singaporeans’ Response to Situation in the Middle East' standing in the name of the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, be taken in that order after the business Motion on Speech Time standing in the name of the Leader of the House and before the Motion for the Address of Thanks". (proc text)]”
“Mr Speaker, I move, that, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, (1) my Ministerial Statement on "Duties and Privileges of the Leader of the Opposition" be taken now and before the business Motion on Speech Time standing in my name; and (2) that the following Ministerial Statements: namely, (a) the Ministerial Statement on "Situation in the Middle East" standing in the name of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, (b) the Ministerial Statement on "Situation in the Middle East" to be delivered by the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and (c) the Ministerial Statement on "Singaporeans’ Response to Situation in the Middle East" standing in the name of the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, be taken in that order after the business Motion on Speech Time standing in my name and before the Motion for the Address of Thanks. For the benefit of new Members, under the Standing Orders, the debate on the Address of Thanks ordinarily takes precedence over Ministerial Statements and business Motions should be disposed of before the debate on the Address of Thanks takes place. I am moving this business Motion for two reasons. First, my Ministerial Statement on "Duties and Privileges of the Leader of the Opposition" sets out the Leader of the Opposition's duties and privileges for this term of Parliament. It would thus be apposite for my Ministerial Statement to be taken before the rest of the proceedings at this Sitting, including the debate on the Address of Thanks. I am also moving that my Ministerial Statement be taken before the business Motion on Speech Time, standing in my name as the two are closely related.”
“Her command of Parliamentary procedure is built on not only her wealth of experience but her legal training prior to joining the Parliamentary Service. And here, on a more personal note, I should mention that Ms Ng and I were classmates in law school, from the graduating cohort of 1986. I do not think that at that time, we both envisaged that we would end up in the same Chamber, but it has been a pleasure to work with her here. In law school, she was the same – friendly, diligent and always a pleasure to work with. Ms Ng has also overseen key transformations of our Parliament over the last two decades. These include the livestreaming of Parliamentary proceedings, efforts to simplify the language used in Parliament and increased public outreach to demystify Parliament's work. What these initiatives have in common is Ms Ng's commitment to making Parliamentary proceedings more accessible to the public. She also personally oversaw the implementation of the improvements in the Members' Room, including the improved menu. So, Members know whom you have to thank for that. Ms Ng has carried the heavy responsibilities of her office with a steady hand, a faithful heart and an enduring devotion to this House. On behalf of all Members, thank you Sheau Jiuan, for your 33 years of distinguished service. We wish you a fulfilling and thoroughly well-deserved retirement. On behalf of all Members, I also wish to extend our warmest congratulations to Mr Siow Peng Han on his appointment as the new Clerk of Parliament, with effect from tomorrow. Mr Siow is no stranger to us, having served as Deputy Clerk since 2008. I have no doubt that we are in good hands with Mr Siow as Clerk for the 15th Parliament. [Applause.]”
“Mr Speaker, please allow me, on behalf of Members, to pay tribute to our Clerk of Parliament, Ms Ng Sheau Jiuan. Ms Ng joined the Parliamentary Service as an Assistant Clerk in 1992 and was appointed Clerk of Parliament in 2005. As Clerk, she has seen us through more than two decades and six terms of Parliament, and worked with five Speakers and Leaders of the House. Through it all, she has been a constant and reliable presence in this House, whom Members have been able to turn to for guidance on Parliamentary procedure. By nature, Ms Ng is unassuming. But that belies her great expertise, knowledge and capability. In the last 20 years, she has played a crucial role in ensuring that every Parliament Sitting runs smoothly. To the Chamber and to the public, it appears as though this is effortless. But the reality is that it takes an enormous amount of the work behind the scenes to ensure that every Sitting runs smoothly, and this is due in very large part to the work of the Clerks, who have been ably overseen and guided by Ms Ng. Thanks to her tireless dedication, our Parliamentary proceedings run like clockwork, even when things hit a fever pitch during the frenzy of the Committee of Supply debates each year. This task has become even more challenging in recent years, with a higher number of Parliamentary Questions, Motions and other Parliamentary Business. Through it all, she has been the invisible hand behind the smooth proceedings that this House has enjoyed, notwithstanding the increasing workload and the massive amount of coordination required. As Clerk of Parliament, Ms Ng has also been our foremost in-house expert on Parliamentary procedure and the Standing Orders.”
“I am sure that in this successive term as Speaker, you will continue to keep us steady on this course. Mr Speaker, congratulations once again on your re-election. I wish you every satisfaction in carrying out the duties of your office. [Applause.]”
“You also ensured proper decorum even in the midst of sometimes heated debate. You allowed all Members to exercise our voices in fair measure, regardless of party or persuasion, while keeping a firm eye on the clock. On the role of the Speaker the former British Prime Minister John Major said that “the patience of Job and the wisdom of Solomon are only the basic requirements”. We have seen how you have done your best to live up to this. You also took particular interest in making our proceedings more accessible to the public, so that Parliament remains the preserve of the people. We now use simpler language in Parliament. We also await the launch of the Roblox metaverse, which will engage youths via an interactive, gamified experience of Parliament. These are but some of your initiatives to encourage Singaporeans to take an interest in Parliament. You have also been the face of our Parliament on the diplomatic front, represented Singapore abroad and hosted foreign dignitaries and guests including the King of Malaysia, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim and Pope Francis during his historic visit to Singapore. You also welcomed your fellow Speakers from Hong Kong to Azerbaijan, and Ambassadors from countries as far as Cuba. In a time of global fragmentation, building warm relationships on the parliamentary front is even more important than ever. As Speaker, you have never lost sight of the role of the Members of this Chamber. You impressed upon us the weight of our responsibilities as MPs. In your maiden speech as Speaker two years ago, you reminded Members that “our words here and our work here live on far beyond us. We must therefore remember and bear the weight of our office with dignity and a constant sense of duty”.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the House, may I extend our warmest congratulations to you on your re-election as the 11th Speaker of Parliament. You are taking the Chair at a pivotal time in our nation’s history. We are witnessing a change in the global order. The geopolitical architecture that was set up after the Second World War and which brought the world on a path of peace and stability is breaking down. The world is in a state of transition and there is not yet a stable new order to replace the old. The global economy is fraught with uncertainty. There is a departure from established norms and tariffs are now no longer deployed only in the realm of economic policy. We see the erosion of the rule of law and the rise of a “might is right” approach. It is against this backdrop that the 15th Parliament will have to make laws, debate policy and make decisions that will chart the future of Singapore. And it is over this Parliament that you will preside. The 15th Parliament is our largest Parliament to date with 99 elected Members – 87 from the ruling party and 12 opposition Members, of whom two are Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs). I am confident that you will preside over the proceedings in this House with fairness and even-handedness, as you have done in the previous term of Government. In the last term of Parliament, you oversaw our busiest Parliament yet. Last year, we debated a record number of 17 Adjournment Motions, answered over 2,400 Parliamentary Questions and debated 50 Bills – the highest number in six years. Through it all you kept a steady hand on the proceedings, always reminding us that debates should be vigorous but should never descend into personal animus and that good speeches and interventions are not necessarily the longest ones.”
“Clerk, I propose that Mr Seah Kian Peng do take the Chair of this Parliament as Speaker. [(proc text) Member Mr Liang Eng Hwa rose and addressed himself to the Clerk of Parliament. (proc text)]”
“The People's Association has a nationwide network of over 1,500 Integration and Naturalisation Champions to drive integration efforts at the local level and foster good relations between new citizens and their Singaporean neighbours. A National Integration Council (NIC) was also set up in 2009 to coordinate and encourage integration efforts across the public, people and private sectors. The NIC offers resources, such as the Unity in Diversity resource kit and the Community Integration Fund, to support ground-up integration initiatives. Third, we foster understanding of immigration in our public education and communication efforts. For example, our students learn about the value of integration and harmony through National Education in schools and through events such as International Friendship Day. Through lower secondary History classes, students grow an appreciation for our forefathers' contributions to Singapore's development as a port city under the British and how Singapore continued to remain open to the rest of the world after it became a nation-state in 1965. In Social Studies classes, students explore the contemporary experiences of living in a diverse society and how to strengthen cohesion and contribute towards harmony, while appreciating the economic and cultural contributions of different groups. Integration is ultimately a two-way process that takes time and effort. While immigrants need to make an effort to integrate and adapt to local ways of life, it is equally important for Singaporeans to be understanding and welcoming, and support our new neighbours, friends and colleagues in becoming part of Singapore society.”
“Like many other advanced societies, Singapore faces the demographic challenge of a low fertility rate and ageing population. The Government is strongly committed to supporting Singaporeans' marriage and parenthood aspirations. Immigration supplements this to keep our citizen population from shrinking over the longer term. Most Singaporeans understand Singapore's overall need for immigrants. A 2021 Institute of Policy Studies survey found that over 75% of Singaporeans agreed that immigrants are generally good for Singapore's economy, and 62% agreed that immigrants improve Singapore society by bringing in new ideas and culture. However, some may be concerned that immigrants dilute our national identity or that immigrants do not put in effort to integrate with locals. These are valid concerns that we seek to address as follows. First, we keep the pace of immigration measured and stable, and are careful to grant Permanent Residency and Singapore Citizenship to those who can contribute to Singapore, integrate well and are committed to sinking their roots here. The majority of the immigrants we take in are of working age and contribute meaningfully to our economy. Many of them share family ties with Singaporeans or have studied, worked or lived in Singapore for some time. We continually review our immigration framework to ensure it remains relevant to our social context. Second, we have programmes to help immigrants to adapt to local norms and way of life. Our new citizens undergo a mandatory Singapore Citizenship Journey to improve their understanding of Singapore's history, norms and values.”
“In financial year 2020, the Government partnered Tote Board to enhance support for charities during the COVID-19 pandemic by raising matching support for donations under the Enhanced Fund-Raising (EFR) Programme. The pandemic had greatly disrupted operations in the charity sector, including fundraising activities and events. The enhanced support was intended to help charities during the crisis brought about by the pandemic. It is now timely to taper matching support under the EFR Programme to pre-COVID-19 levels. This will be done gradually to provide charities sufficient time to adjust their fundraising plans. Notwithstanding the tapering of support for the EFR Programme, the Government continues to provide broad-based support for charities. This includes 250% tax deductions for qualifying donations to Institutions of a Public Character and the Charities Capabilities Fund, which provides funding support to enhance the governance and management capabilities of charities. The Government also has matching grant schemes to support charities in specific sectors, such as the Cultural Matching Fund, One Team Singapore Fund and Community Silver Trust.”
“To shift mindsets and culture, we have also started the Made For Families movement, which is an ongoing effort to rally employers, organisations, community groups and individuals to create a Singapore where families can thrive. The Made For Families movement also includes public communications efforts to encourage conversations around parenthood as well as to assure those keen to have children that they will be supported at every step along the way. We will continue to partner the whole-of-society to build a Singapore Made For Families.”
“Today's environment is vastly different compared to the 1970s. Then, we were a developing country with few resources, insufficient housing and amenities, and a population with much lower levels of education. Mindsets and attitudes to family formation, too, were different. In the half-century that has since passed, Singapore has changed tremendously. Individual priorities and societal norms surrounding marriage and parenthood have also shifted, in line with global trends across advanced societies around the world. As such, using an approach like the "Stop at Two" campaign, which was developed for circumstances and views prevalent more than 50 years ago, may not be the most effective to change mindsets and attitudes in the current day. Addressing our declining fertility is a national priority. Yet, we also understand that marriage and parenthood are deeply personal decisions. Young couples have many considerations in deciding whether to marry and have children. Hence, we are focusing on understanding their viewpoint and are working to address their concerns over starting and raising families. We are also working to foster a more conducive and enabling environment in which Singaporeans feel secure and supported in having children. In the Forward Singapore report, we have stated our commitment for Singapore to be the best place for Singaporeans to start, grow and nurture their families. Since then, we have progressively enhanced our policies to address key areas of concerns, for example, through enhancements to the Baby Bonus Scheme, introduction of the new Shared Parental Leave scheme, the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests as well as the new Large Families Scheme.”
“I am not sure that the question actually gels, because I think the question is whether any of the clauses would have helped us to catch them sooner. So, I think what Assoc Prof Jamus Lim is talking about is the prevention and actually, more importantly, the detection portion. Because in order to catch them earlier, that is a "detect" provision. This Bill is primarily concerned with the "enforce" category. So, you enforce only after you have caught. So, this one deals with the penalties, the review of the penalties. Moving back to the "detect" portion, that was not really so much a matter of legislation. So, the provision in these Bills are not really aimed at the detection portion. And as I mentioned earlier, actually, this was dealt with in the Ministerial Statements. The detection was actually done quite early, if Members recall. Because we explained that the agencies were tracking them for some time and then only took action, I think, several months or maybe almost a year later because they wanted to make sure they caught everybody in the net. That said, were there things that could be strengthened in order to assist with detection? The answer is yes, because no system is perfect and that is set out in the Inter-Ministerial Committee report as to how to be able to better detect and that includes various measures, including making the individuals in various sectors part of our gatekeepers and part of the system, hence helping and educating them to be able to identify suspicious transactions earlier and also training them on filing Suspicious Transaction Reports. So, I hope that answers. 5.28 pm”
“I believe Assoc Prof Jamus Lim has a clarification.”
“And under that report, which is available on the MAS website, there was a whole slew of measures. First, it started out by explaining our already strong system. Then, it talked about the recommendations that we were making and there were three key broad categories falling under the headings of "Prevent", "Detect" and "Enforce". And under prevention and detection, there was a wide range of measures in the report. Under enforcement, it was recommended that we do a few things, one of which was to strengthen sense-making and information-sharing, and also to enhance legislative levers for law enforcement agencies and then also to continuously review penalty frameworks to ensure they remain proportionate and dissuasive. So, in other words, the Inter-Ministerial Committee report contain the whole slew of things under those three broad categories; and under the third one, enforcement, there were various things, one of which was to really review the penalty framework. And this is what this Act does. So, this Act implements one small section of what was a very large body of work with extensive recommendations to strengthen our regime. So, I hope that that addresses the question that Assoc Prof Jamus Lim raised. So, in conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank hon Members who have spoken and supported this Bill. This Bill is part of our continuing efforts to bolster our ability to detect and deter money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing within the real estate sector. This ensures that our financial and business ecosystem remains reputable and trusted, and continues to thrive. 5.24 pm”
“But that said, it is clearly not perfect, and we felt, after that, that it was necessary to see what the gaps were and how we could further strengthen an already strong regime. So, there were two points that Assoc Prof Jamus Lim raised. He asked about the inclusion of proliferation financing, suggesting that this appeared to be an add-on that did not take things very far. And then, the enhancement of penalties which also did not appear to be big moves. The answer to that is, actually, I think, maybe Assoc Prof Lim may have missed the bigger picture. The bigger picture being this, first, on proliferation financing. As I mentioned in my opening speech, I said, "This Bill seeks to strengthen current penalty frameworks and to further align our regulatory regime with FATF standards and then to make miscellaneous amendments to clarify certain things." So, that second point, "aligning our regulatory regime with FATF standards". The old FATF standards dealt with money laundering and countering terrorism. But the updated standards include proliferation financing. So, the reason for these amendments is because FATF updated its recommendations to member countries to include mitigation of proliferation financing risks and we are, therefore, updating our legislation to align with the FATF standards. So, that takes care of the proliferation financing part. But the much bigger picture is this, and Assoc Prof Lim actually did refer to it in the course of his speech, which was, he said, and this is again exactly correct, that the amendments in this Bill are actually pursuant to the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Anti-Money Laundering, which I co-chaired with various other Ministers of State.”
“Mr Yip Hon Weng also asked what proactive measures are being implemented to identify deceitful activities and prevent them before they occur. Today, we already have an inter-agency taskforce to deal with money laundering cases. We have reinforced this taskforce by expanding its membership to include all agencies involved in combatting money laundering, including CEA and URA. This will strengthen inter-agency coordination for supervisory and enforcement action. We are also developing a new interface to facilitate data-sharing across Government agencies so that we will have a more comprehensive picture of potential money laundering risks. Mr Yip Hon Weng asked whether CEA is equipped to deal with evolving money laundering threats. The close partnership between Government agencies ensures that agencies, like CEA and URA, can tap on the various inter-agency platforms to share intelligence, detect suspicious activities and coordinate enforcement. I turn, now, to the points raised by Assoc Prof Jamus Lim and let me just check my records and my notes of what he said. If I can summarise, essentially, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim suggested that the changes or the amendments in this Bill do not appear to go very far. But at the same time, he, in a sense, actually answered his own question because he said he assumed that the underlying reason for the seemingly limited state of affairs is that we have an already robust regime. And that is exactly right. So, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim's starting point is correct. We have a very robust regime and that is the reason why we were able to crack that $3 billion money laundering case.”
“Mr Neil Parekh asked if penalties will be calibrated based on the size of the business or intent. The key changes to the penalty framework are as per what I had set out in my opening speech. I would like to clarify that all estate agents, salespersons and developers are required to comply with the requirements in this Bill and are subject to the same maximum penalties in their respective categories, regardless of size. Contraventions of anti-money laundering obligations are assessed based on the facts and circumstances of each case. It would not be appropriate to calibrate penalties based on company size. On Mr Don Wee's and Mr Neil Parekh's clarifications on this Bill’s implementation timeline, we will bring it into force in June 2025. CEA and URA will share the revised guidelines and implementation details in advance of that. Mr Yip Hon Weng asked how we would measure the effectiveness of the proposals in this Bill. Potential indications will include the number of severe cases that have been averted due to the existence of this latest set of requirements. Members Mr Don Wee and Mr Yip Hon Weng asked what efforts will be made to educate the general public about the changes in this Bill and to foster a culture of vigilance against money laundering. The ongoing efforts by URA, CEA and law enforcement agencies will continue. These include educating homebuyers on the need to provide information to facilitate customer due diligence measures, and outreach efforts to the wider society through digital posters on money laundering risks. Next, Mr Don Wee asked how Government agencies collaborate to ensure a cohesive and effective approach to countering money laundering.”
“On Mr Don Wee's question on how the Government plans to monitor compliance with these new regulations. Let me assure the Member that CEA and URA already conduct regular inspections on estate agents, salespersons and developers today. During such inspections, CEA and URA check if the appropriate due diligence measures were performed. CEA and URA also conduct ad hoc inspections based on information from other law enforcement agencies, whistle-blowers or complaints received on possible infringements. We share Mr Neil Parekh's view on the need to maintain Singapore's appeal to legitimate foreign investors while enforcing stricter checks. Having a strong system and measures in place to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing provides certainty and makes our business environment more robust and attractive to foreign investors. In this regard, CEA and URA adopt a risk-based approach when conducting inspections. For example, estate agents, salespersons and developers that are identified to be of higher risk are prioritised for inspections and subject to more regular inspections. Such risk factors include the customer profile and type of property being purchased or sold. Mr Neil Parekh asked what the obligations and liabilities of estate agents and developers are, if a client or purchaser refuses to provide necessary due diligence documents. If an estate agent, salesperson or developer is unable to complete the required customer due diligence measures, the estate agent, salesperson or developer cannot proceed with the transaction and must also assess whether a Suspicious Transaction Report should be filed to the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office. Mr Don Wee asked about the penalties that will be imposed for non-compliance.”