Janil Puthucheary
Singapore
“Sir, I thank Ms Lee for her two supplementary questions, which address what are our targets and what is it that we measure. Indeed, the issue of how we should think about recycling and waste disposal will be at the heart of our review of our Zero Waste Masterplan.”
“Another strategy that we are embarking on is the strengthening of the reuse of waste residue and treated toxic industrial waste before and after they are landfilled.”
“Sir, about half of our recycling material is exported. It is processed overseas. There are business arrangements between businesses here in Singapore and businesses in the region or overseas, to be able to handle the recycling of waste and recycling of material, whether domestic or non-domestic, already today.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Poh for her questions. Indeed, we do have to shift behaviours. The incentives and disincentives around recycling and waste disposal are an important part of it. We will consider her suggestion on looking at the fees.”
“The heat advisory that goes out is clearly defined. In my original answer, I explained what a heat wave was. There are clear definitions that we have been using in Singapore since 2016, if I recall. It was then last revised in 2023.”
“Sir, in the planning of schools, the Ministry of Education ensures that our students can access a primary school near their homes. Except for a small number, 15 of Special Assistance Plan schools, all primary schools offer the three official mother tongue languages.”
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“These improvements in public, active and shared transport would save the average weekday commuter 15 minutes every day by 2040. LTA is now studying the specific initiatives to achieve these targets and will announce them in a few months' time. Even as they do so, it remains clear that a convenient, resilient and efficient public transport network will be central to us achieving this "20-Minute Towns and 45-Minute City" vision. To achieve 20-Minute Towns, we will have to continue to improve connectivity within the towns. Apart from enhancing infrastructure to facilitate active mobility options for shorter, intra-town commutes, we are also conducting trials of on-demand public buses (ODPBs). Mr Melvin Yong asked for an update on the ongoing ODPB trial. While the technology is still evolving, the initial results are encouraging. Operated mileage has been reduced in some areas by more than 25%, or one quarter, while allowing most ODPB commuters to enjoy journey times comparable to regular bus services. So, 25% reduction in operated mileage, same journey times. Ridership has also been increasing. We will continue to explore ways to improve the service by adapting these trial parameters and refining the ODPB algorithm. We will also monitor commuter feedback to assess how and if the trial can be expanded to include peak hours and weekends. This will help us to identify the key success factors for the ODPB concept, including adjustments to the way we roster our bus captains to ensure that they have sufficient rest. In time to come, we can also explore virtual bus stops. But this will require us to strike a careful balance between safety and convenience.”
“Through this public consultation process, the Panel considered 7,405 responses over six months from commuters, transport workers, academia, industry partners, unions, students and interest groups. Their ideas shaped the strategies and targets identified to improve our land transport system. We learned what Singaporeans value and want from our land transport system and we have set ourselves bold targets for 2040. The Panel made three key recommendations. First, 20-Minute Towns and 45-Minute City. By 2040, Singaporeans can look forward to "20-Minute Towns" where almost all journeys to the nearest neighbourhood centre on public, active and shared transport modes can be completed within 20 minutes. Singaporeans will also be able to enjoy a "45-Minute City" where nine in 10 peak hour journeys on public, active and shared transport can be completed within 45 minutes. Public, active and shared transport is the only sustainable way forward with our land constraints. Let me explain. "Public" refers to, of course, our public transport system, our buses and trains. "Active" referring to Active Mobility, that is, walking, cycling and PMDs. "Shared" can refer to the other two as well. Public transport is also shared. Many active mobility services can also be shared but, specifically, we also want to include shared transport through taxis, private hire cars and shared vehicles. Some have asked whether this means that they will not benefit if their journeys today already take less than 20 or 45 minutes. These efforts to achieve 20-Minute Towns and 45-Minute City will benefit all Singaporeans. It will have an impact on traffic flow, congestion and on how we move around our city easily, regardless of how long journey times are today.”
“Mr Chairman, our land transport network connects millions of Singaporeans every day to homes, jobs and schools. It is a shared space, an economic enabler and a social leveller. As Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has noted, it is a maturing network, thanks to the efforts of leaders, planners and transport workers who have made this happen before us. However, this maturing system brings with it a different set of challenges. Through our work on LTMP 2040, it is clear that tradeoffs between competing priorities are becoming more difficult to balance as we run up against tighter land, manpower and fiscal constraints. For example, we have heard that Singaporeans value convenience and faster journeys. However, how do we provide this without compromising on safety and accessibility, especially for those with more diverse needs, such as the disabled? Given our space constraints, how do we prioritise one mode of transport over another, knowing that this could result in slower speeds for some? These are the realities we have to address for the next phase of development of our land transport system, and there are no easy answers. We must hold a long-term, clear-eyed view in managing these issues, and continue to enhance our land transport network to meet Singapore's and Singaporeans' growing needs, changing demographics and evolving aspirations. We embarked on an extensive public consultation process to reach out to Singaporeans from all walks of life. Fourteen members from the public, private and people sectors joined the LTMP Advisory Panel to study the feedback received and to recommend the visions, targets and strategies for LTMP 2040.”
“But the much harder thing to measure and assess and change is human behaviour – do not share your passwords, do not download suspicious materials – which is why I took the opportunity to remind Members of these few things that we should do. It is something where, like crime, like real-world safety, like road safety, it is sometimes useful to remind and repeat, and remind and repeat, and use learning opportunities to reinforce good behaviour. And I think we have to just keep going down that path.”
“Mr Chairman, I thank Ms Rahayu Mahzam for the question. She asked about how we assess the savviness with respect to cybersecurity. It is a very difficult thing to measure because the technology is moving quite rapidly and the kinds of products and services that are being developed are also not thought of today. People are imagining new business models. We do not really know what would catch fire. In a way, we try to, by looking to see when things go wrong, such as scams, cyber breaches or theft of information, and so on and so forth. So, we can measure when things go wrong. But that is not necessarily a good example of how savvy we are, which is the word that the Member used. Internationally, people have tried to develop these measures around knowledge. So, how if you take a poll, for example, whether it is secondary school students or early adults or across the population segment, what do people know about it? Then, you can perhaps also look and see, for example, what are the products and services that businesses would use, either knowledge within the business community or the use of protective technologies within the various communities. And people have tried to come up with these types of measures. And on these types of measures, we come up very well, but that is not something to pat ourselves on the back and assume that there will be no problem. Actually, we do have to keep reminding ourselves. The key issues are really human behaviour and the social factors. In a way, technology is the easier thing to measure. So, we can do, for example, penetration testing, we can do audits on the use of technology, audits about processes with respect to, for example, thumb drives and locking down systems and Internet surfing separation.”
“These developments will accelerate Singapore’s exports of world-class cybersecurity products and create good jobs for Singaporeans. To encourage SMEs to build more secure products and adopt this Common Criteria certification, we have a new SecureTech track under the Accreditation@SG Digital programme. The Accreditation@SG Digital programme helps local SMEs to improve their business practices, engage with the local community, and be considered by Government agencies for the procurement of their products. So, this new SecureTech Track will apply the same thinking towards cybersecurity SMEs and cybersecurity products for their growth, scale and their consideration by Government agencies for the procurement of cybersecurity products. Mr Chairman, digital transformation is not only about hardware or software. It is about our citizens, workers and businesses who innovate, utilise and benefit from these technologies. Our efforts span digital readiness and cybersecurity and will help these important stakeholders, so that we can embrace the potential of a common digital future together.”
“To attract, develop and retain cybersecurity practitioners in the public sector, CSA works closely with GovTech and other agencies to build a core of cybersecurity specialists who will be deployed across agencies to support the Government's cybersecurity needs. Mr Douglas Foo asked how we are developing products that contribute towards a safe and trusted cyberspace for Singapore. As part of MCI's work to ensure our standards and regulations support the growth of the digital economy, we have made progress in building a strong cybersecurity standards regime in Singapore. I am pleased to announce that this has resulted in Singapore attaining the status of a Common Criteria Certificate Authorising Nation as of January 2019. This Common Criteria Certificate is the de facto standard for cybersecurity product certification around the world. Today, 30 nations, including Singapore, are part of the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA) for the mutual recognition of certifications. But not all the countries are Authorising Nations where you can produce the product. There is an ecosystem of 30 countries that recognise this, but we have now attained the status of an Authorising Nation, to produce the products and extend it globally. This will allow local companies to develop globally recognised products within Singapore, with estimated cost and time savings, because you do not have to send your product overseas for evaluation, nor bring the testers and evaluators here to Singapore. We can do it all within our economy. It is a step towards becoming a regional hub for product evaluation and certification. We are attracting global evaluation laboratories to anchor their operations in Singapore.”
“In 2019, the Government will expand the Call for Innovation into the Cyber Security Innovation and Growth Programme to support local cybersecurity companies to create innovative and relevant cybersecurity solutions and to meet the changing needs of the industry. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked how we are meeting Singapore's cybersecurity manpower needs. Building a strong cybersecurity workforce is important not only for the development of our cybersecurity industry, but also for our national security. As our world becomes more connected and new cyber threats emerge, demand for cybersecurity talent has grown exponentially. Across the public and private sectors, the total number of jobs for cybersecurity professionals tripled from 2012 to 2017, to 5,300. At the same time, the actual number of cybersecurity professionals in employment quadrupled to 4,900, which is about 3% of the ICT workforce. We expect the strong demand for cybersecurity professionals to continue. Our agencies are working closely with one another on the cybersecurity ecosystem to strengthen the pipeline of cybersecurity professionals, deepen their skills and technical expertise, and improve the career progression and recognition for the profession. To meet industry needs, IMDA and CSA drive targeted efforts under the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative. These include the Cyber Security Associates and Technologists Programme which develops and upskills fresh and mid-career professionals for cybersecurity jobs through on-the-job training. Eight companies have committed to develop more than 900 professionals by 2021. In addition, over 3,000 individuals have benefited from 50 cybersecurity courses supported under TeSA's Critical Information Technology Resource Programme.”
“We will conduct more of such programmes in the future. I hope some of the participants apply for jobs at CSA. Mr Teo Ser Luck asked about our targeted efforts to seize new opportunities in the digital economy. Cybersecurity is an area of economic opportunity that complements Singapore’s existing strengths – strong connectivity, a digitally savvy workforce, and a reputation for trust and transparency. A strong cybersecurity ecosystem will provide expertise and solutions that contribute to a more resilient digital infrastructure. We are helping cybersecurity startups scale and establish their credentials through the Innovation Cybersecurity Ecosystem at Block71 (ICE71), which brings together a community of entrepreneurs, investors and corporate partners. The community has done well since its launch last year, reaching out to more than 50,000 people through various events. We are starting to see a growth of local cybersecurity startups. One such company is The Cyber Assembly, a homegrown startup that connects people to cyber skills through an active learning cyber range, bootcamp programmes, and even a mobile game called “What the Hack”. ICE71’s Scale programme provided opportunities for Mr Ng Pan Yong, the company’s founder, to connect with the right audience and grow his business. In September 2018, CSA launched an Industry Call for Innovation to catalyse the development and adoption of innovative cybersecurity solutions. CSA received more than 70 proposals to develop solutions for 10 cybersecurity challenge statements.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to remind all, first, to please not post or forward dubious information, without checking; secondly, use a strong password and two-factor authentication; third, install, use and update your antivirus software; fourth, update all your software as soon as possible; and fifth, watch out for signs of phishing. These five practices go a long way to help all of us guard against fake news, and stay safe online. Mr Vikram Nair asked how we assess the cybersecurity of our Government systems. A safe and trusted cyberspace is essential for Smart Nation. This includes strengthening partnerships between the Government and industry, to achieve a higher level of collective cybersecurity. We will need the combined efforts of our stakeholders, that is, industry, academia and the community to achieve this. One of the many ways that we do this is through the Government Bug Bounty Programme. From December last year to January, 400 "white hat" hackers – "white hat" hackers are people who have hacking skills and use them for good, as compared to "black hat" hackers who do so for criminal reasons – took part in the Government Bug Bounty Programme organised by Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and CSA. They have “stress-tested” the defences of five Internet-facing Government systems and identified 26 vulnerabilities, all of which have been remediated. This process raised our cybersecurity standards. We gained insights into potential attack vectors, better secured our web applications, and improved our mechanisms for patching vulnerabilities effectively and comprehensively. Seven out of the top 10 awarded bounty participants were from Singapore. I am happy to see our local cybersecurity community contributing to improving the security of our systems.”
“00 pm A well-informed and discerning public is Singapore’s first and most important line of defence against online threats. The Government is improving public education to tackle the serious and pervasive problem of deliberate online falsehoods. For example, NLB's "Source. Understand. Research. Evaluate" (SURE) programme, raises awareness of the dangers and how to discern fake news. The Ministry of Education's (MOE’s) New Media Literacies toolkit supports teachers’ efforts to help students navigate the digital environment. This includes learning how to detect falsehoods on social media, and how to interact responsibly with others online. Over the past two years, organisations like the Media Literacy Council have also supported ground-up projects to help the public become better-informed consumers through its Better Internet x Youth Call-for-Proposals. To educate citizens and businesses on good cyber hygiene, CSA launched a cybersecurity awareness campaign in May 2018, called "Cyber Tips 4 You". It reaches out to businesses on good cybersecurity practices through a variety of channels, such as talks, conferences and an online portal called "GoSafeOnline". CSA and IMDA are also working with schools to help students pick up essential cybersecurity knowledge and learn to effectively protect themselves from an early age. We have launched Digital Defence as the sixth pillar of Total Defence. Like our battle against terrorism, we need everyone to play their part. This means being secure, alert and responsible online. There are five things we can all do, including Members of this House, to make vigilance against deliberate online falsehoods and good cyber hygiene a matter of personal responsibility.”
“Her questions address the third component of digital readiness, after Participation and Inclusion, which is Digital Literacy. IMDA has developed a Basic Digital Skills Curriculum to ensure that citizens can pick up these skills in a structured manner. The skills identified in the curriculum correspond to everyday activities, with an emphasis on prevailing technology trends, such as the use of e-payments and mobile applications. The curriculum is being offered as a one-day course. Those who are keen to pick up Basic Digital Skills at their own pace can also do so online at the IM Silver portal. We will periodically refresh the curriculum and curate relevant content for seniors, taking into account emerging trends and feedback from stakeholders. In the longer term, we are also developing an information and media literacy framework that pools together relevant information, media and cyber literacy skills that Singaporeans need to use social media and digital technology responsibly and safely. This framework will spell out a set of desired outcomes and include content guidelines for programme owners to reference. We aim to roll it out later this year and to refresh it regularly. Mr Vikram Nair, Mr Darryl David and Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked how Singaporeans can navigate an increasingly complex cyberspace and given the threat of deliberate online falsehoods, cybercrime and cyberattacks. Technology offers us greater convenience and greater connectivity. But it can be stressful to navigate the complex web of websites, applications and services. Online threats worsen anxiety, reduce trust and undermine public confidence in institutions. This threatens national security. We have seen this happen in other countries, and Singapore is not immune. 4.”
“We are encouraged by the large number of seniors who have picked up basic digital skills through our Silver Infocomm Initiatives. Collectively, our Silver Infocomm Initiatives have reached over 270,000 seniors. To Mr Ong Teng Koon's query on how we are ensuring that digital connectivity remains affordable, the Home Access Programme and the NEU PC Plus programme provide subsidised infocomm devices and Internet access to low-income households. To date, more than 70,000 households have benefited from these programmes. This type of effort is not new. These sort of programmes have existed as public sector programmes since 1999 for more than 20 years trying to find ways to make sure that vulnerable, lower-income households that will benefit from that type of connectivity will have access to connectivity, as well as the devices to make use of that connectivity. We have different programmes, depending on whether there are school-going children in the household. In addition, MCI is working with IMDA and the People's Association (PA) to run a pilot programme for elderly residents in MacPherson and Radin Mas constituencies. We plan to provide 200 residents who do not have mobile devices or Internet connectivity with data-equipped smartphones. Grassroots volunteers will provide guidance to help residents build skills and confidence in using this technology. This is part of a study – an experiment, a pilot – to find out how we can encourage and support the adoption of digital technology, among the digitally less ready. Prof Lim Sun Sun has asked how we can help individuals acquire the necessary skills, and ascertain what competencies are needed to function effectively in the digital economy.”
“And already, 270 organisations from a wide range of industries – not just the tech industry, not just the online industry, but any industry that can make use of these digital technologies – have done so and pledged their commitment to expand their digital readiness efforts. Our target is to have 3,000 organisations on board this Pledge by 2021. In another realm – also for digital participation but focusing on the community – we have partnered MCCY to create Our Singapore Fund for Digital Readiness. This encourages community efforts to promote digital readiness and enlarge the social commons by the non-profit sector around digital readiness. Projects can receive up to $20,000 of funding, to support up to 80% of project costs. Moving on to Digital Inclusion, and to answer Mr Cedric Foo, Ms Tin Pei Ling and Ms Rahayu Mahzam about how we are helping everyone benefit from technology, digital inclusion requires access to technology, as well as the skills and knowledge to use it safely and confidently. We have organised over 90 Digital Clinics since 2017. These Digital Clinics were by appointment, or irregular, ad hoc and often organised together with events. To provide this as a permanent service to residents, we launched the Tech Connect service, starting at eight community centres last November. This service provides residents with personal assistance in a language they are comfortable with on how to use digital devices and applications like Facebook and WhatsApp, so that they can connect with friends and family, build stronger social networks and use technology in everyday aspects of their lives. They can also seek help for very practical issues, like how to reset a password. This service will be rolled out to all community centres progressively as a permanent service.”
“Mr Chairman, as technology becomes part of our lives, we need to strengthen our digital readiness and our cybersecurity. We must ensure that all Singaporeans have access to the tools and knowledge to benefit from technology, and that workers and businesses will thrive in a cybersecure environment. Several Members have expressed concerns about segments of our society that may be slower or less likely to benefit from the digital transformation journey that Singapore is undergoing. We must ensure that the benefits of digitalisation are enjoyed by all. Digital readiness is a whole-of-nation effort. It requires the combined efforts of the Government, businesses and the community. Last year, we launched the Digital Readiness Blueprint and set up a Digital Readiness Council. This Council will provide strategic direction, guide the implementation of our digital readiness initiatives, and examine the needs of the community in terms of digital inclusion, literacy and participation. Importantly, and very hearteningly, as Minister noted, we have received significant support from the wider community and businesses to serve on the Council and its working committees. Our efforts can be categorised into these three areas: digital participation, digital inclusion and digital literacy. For Digital Participation, we will launch two new initiatives to mobilise organisations from the private, people and public sectors to drive our digital readiness efforts and bring more citizens on board the digital readiness movement. The Digital Participation Pledge, which the Minister announced, is a voluntary, online pledge, to encourage organisations to promote digital participation and inclusion. The primary focus is businesses.”
“Mr Chairman, we addressed some of these in the discussion recently in the previous Sitting. There are guidelines about how public sector officials should handle the matter of a data breach involving citizens' particulars. There is no absolute requirement. We do need to look at every case, and we do need to look at the issue at hand as to what has been accessed, what are the circumstances, what the potential impact would be on the citizen to be involved in that process thereafter. We have heard about the examples cited in this Chamber about what has happened after the recent breach. So, the short answer to Ms Sylvia Lim's question is no. There is no single expressed position on this. There are guidelines about how the matter should be handled. There are guidelines about how citizens should be approached. The situation needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis and all the factors that are relevant need to be taken into account.”
“Smart Nation is a national effort, and we in the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group will do our part to work closely with citizens and businesses to create jobs, opportunities and a sense of transformation and optimism for the next generation of Singaporeans.”
“Currently, she is part of a team that is trying to find ways to use technology, machine learning and our Smart Nation platforms to encourage more recycling. This is something that she initiated as part of a hackathon she participated in, using her skills to pursue something that matters to her. Ms Lee did not graduate with a computer science degree. Her training was in Mathematics, Economics and Statistics. While at university, in order to pursue one of the courses that she had, she had to learn R which is a programming language focused on Statistics and her ability to use R to solve the problems and apply those solutions to what she was working on sparked her interest in coding and data science. So, today, she is familiar with a variety of coding languages – Python, CSS, Javascript and HTML – and all of these she picked up after starting work. Recently, she had developed a full-stack web application as part of an internal hackathon project. And the point I want to make with this: what Ms Lee’s story demonstrates, and there are many others like her, the experience that they have, this demonstrates that the opportunities that are created in Smart Nation are not just for a handful of people, not just for a few. We are hoping to make them as widespread as possible, including the jobs that are created. It is not just for those students who are currently pursuing a Computer Science course or participating in Robotics as a co-curricular activity (CCA). Ms Lee's CCAs, by the way, were hockey and Student Council. It is not necessary to have picked up all the programming skills before leaving school. What is important is to have the drive, curiosity and willingness to pick up new skills throughout our lives.”
“Complaints will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken. On top of that, there are other issues and consequences as a result of that, and we would like to discuss the ways we can help and support them. To build our Smart Nation platforms and products, to engage the tech community and businesses, to develop and enforce rigorous standards across the public sector, and to create jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans, we will need to build up a strong core of engineering skills. We have been searching for engineering talent to join us. We are looking for people with bright minds, an eye for computational design and the drive to contribute to society. There are exciting opportunities for engineers in the Government. And I would like to cite a particular example, Ms Laura Lee. Members may or may not be familiar with Ms Lee's first employer King.com which is a software developer. I suspect some Members may be more familiar with one of their products which is Candy Crush. While Ms Lee was working at King.com, helping Candy Crush to become one of the bestselling games of all time, she read about how data was used by GovTech engineers to resolve the spate of mysterious disruptions to the Circle Line in 2016. So, reading about that effort by our data scientists to solve these real-world problems, Ms Lee was inspired to come back home to Singapore and join us. And now she is currently a Data Scientist with GovTech working to improve the Government’s digital services, such as transport route planning and jobs matching. Like many of our engineers, she also pursues other projects as part of her personal professional development within the team.”
“For example, HDB's website MyNiceHome is a portal that provides first-time home owners with useful information about buying and renovating a flat and this has been completely redesigned. The site was made mobile-responsive, different forms of search and assistance had been added, and the content had been made accessible to people with disabilities. And as a result, the site traffic has increased significantly. Ms Sylvia Lim has asked about data protection within the public sector. The Government should, indeed, be held to high standards for the protection of the data it collects. In SNDGG, our role is not just about delivering good products, but also in setting and maintaining high standards of data protection for the public sector. The Government has progressively enhanced security measures to safeguard sensitive data. We introduced the Internet Surfing Separation policy in 2016 and the disabling of Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports from being accessed by unauthorised devices in 2017. We have also increased the number and types of internal IT audits to check on agencies’ data access and data protection measures. As a matter of practice, agencies will use identifiable data only when necessary, such as for providing personalised services. We will continuously review our standards and measures and incorporate lessons learnt and industry best practices. For example, we will be progressively automating user account management to ensure tight and robust access control. Where citizens suspect that their data have been misused or hacked, they can lodge a complaint with the agency and, if there is any suspicion of a crime, they can make a report to the Police. They can contact GovTech directly. We have guidelines for the handling of data and protocols that should be in place.”
“We have had a series of engagements over four months, at Senior Activity Centres, grassroots events and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) events, reaching in this way to over 3,500 citizens. We have collected many useful insights and suggestions. One example of these insights is how receptive seniors are to active ageing services within the Moments of Life application. On our preliminary findings, the majority of seniors aged 60 and above have smartphones, and are open to the idea of using digital services. They also gave feedback about how to design the application in an easy-to-use manner, and how to provide support and coaching to seniors so that they can use these apps and benefit from these services. All of this will help us to develop and deliver a better product, better services and better experience. We will continue to scale up these efforts. To enable more Singaporeans from different walks of life to contribute to Smart Nation, we will be signing a memorandum of understanding with NTUC to further engage workers and their families to help them make the most of new jobs and opportunities. I agree with Mdm Rahayu Mahzam that even as we move ahead in building Smart Nation, we need to ensure that this Smart Nation includes and benefits all Singaporeans. We are committed to Digital Inclusion and Digital Readiness, so that everyone is able to access the opportunities that technology creates. I will speak more about these broader Digital Readiness efforts in the MCI COS. But SNDGG will play our part by ensuring that the Government's digital services are designed to benefit all. As part of these efforts by the Government to improve the useability of our websites, we have developed a set of Digital Service Standards (DSS) for Government agencies.”
“Separately, we also support hackathons. Members may have heard about hackathons. So, what is the difference between a Developers Conference and a hackathon? A Developers Conference, the person organising it has a product, has a solution, has a platform and wants to ask the community how to do things better using this product, how to make the product better for you. In a hackathon, the participants are generating ideas to solve the problems that they are concerned about and the Government also supports this. This provides platforms for the tech community to come together, learn from one another, ideate and build products. We support the hackathons, such as the Startup Weekend Singapore Mega 2018 and the "Smart City Challenge", which was jointly organised by DBS, GovTech and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). We are extending our outreach efforts beyond the tech community because we need a Smart Nation which benefits all citizens from all walks of life. We are actively engaging citizens on Smart Nation initiatives through a project called Smart Nation Co-Creating with our People Everywhere (SCOPE). SCOPE is a platform for us to bring out early prototypes of our digital products or ideas to citizens. So, one example that Minister Vivian Balakrishnan quoted was the alert button. Very earlier on in its design phase and its conceptualisation phase, just as soon as we have something physical, we encourage participants to play with these products, to try them out, to test them and their feedback then is used to improve our product development process. This is something very common in the private sector. But now we are starting to use these techniques in developing our public sector's Smart Nation solutions.”
“They then partnered students from Temasek Polytechnic to build a prototype, as part of the students' final year project. This partnership also allows students to improve their skills through solving real-world challenges. So, partnerships through businesses by looking at how Government build platforms and products can be interoperable and can create opportunities for businesses to interface with ideas that we can seed out into the students and the academic community so that they can run with and try to develop real-world solutions. Members may have heard of "Developers Conferences" or DevCons. These are usually organised by tech companies, such as Apple, Google or Facebook, and they are done to engage engineers and the tech business communities to leverage upon the product or the platform owned by that company. So, we might have an Apple on iPhone operating system (iOS) Developers Conference, for example, or Facebook Developers Conference, where the time is given for software developers and businesses to think how they can utilise that product better for their own business purposes and how their feedback then improves the product of the person running the Developers Conference. To facilitate greater collaboration with the community, and to look ahead to how the private sector can build products that layer onto or interface with our Smart Nation platforms, we organised our first ever Developers Conference, GovTech STACK DevCon 2018. I have yet to comprehensively verify this. So, a bit of a caveat that I have not received evidence to the contrary, but I believe so far, this is the first and only Government-driven Developer's Conference. And this event attracted over 1,200 attendees from the private sector, the Government, public sector and tech community.”
“Mr Chairman, if I may follow on from Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's rallying cry for all of us to become involved in Singapore's Smart Nation ambition. The Government cannot make this happen alone, cannot make this happen through force of will, by wishing it, by making speeches. We need the ideas and capabilities of our people and our businesses. As a nation, everyone needs to be part of our Smart Nation journey. We do not have a monopoly on the best ideas and talent. We will need to create opportunities for citizens, community partners and businesses to contribute meaningfully to Smart Nation. Members Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Vikram Nair have asked about partnerships between the Government, businesses and the tech community. One of the ways we are facilitating greater participation from businesses is through building something we call CODEX which stands for Core Operations, Development Environment and Exchange, which is a shared digital backbone, part of which is the Singapore Government Tech Stack. This can be used to build applications and digital services. CODEX will be modular, interoperable and will, in future, allow an interface to parties outside the Government. As part of CODEX, we are working with public agencies to shift their ICT systems towards the commercial cloud. So, Government, systems, public agency systems on the commercial cloud, and this will allow us to benefit from leading edge private sector capabilities to build products and services better for our citizens. We are also actively involving the tech community. One example is a mobile application called “Kill The Queue”, which allows shoppers to save time by scanning and paying for items through their mobile phones as they shop. The app was conceptualised by a team of GovTech engineers.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member Mr Melvin Yong for his comments. Indeed, we agree that we all have a part to play in this, and it is not just about public transport. Actually, this is at the heart of the larger SGSecure movement. The public transport community is trying to play its part in engaging in that. Indeed, we do hope to engage with the community, whether it is through education efforts, the use of a number of our facilities as educational resources, but also in terms of outreach through the grassroots advisors and the communities that they serve. There are a number of opportunities, and I hope Members will assist the public transport community in reaching out to citizens to help in being prepared for these events.”
“SGSecure posters and safety advisories are also displayed in transport nodes, such as MRT stations and bus stops. Beyond such ongoing efforts, LTA has partnered the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to conduct quarterly protective security awareness seminars for public transport workers. We will continue to conduct relevant programmes, training and exercises to enable the public transport community to respond, help themselves and others during a security incident.”
“Mr Speaker, public transport facilities are attractive targets for terrorist elements due to their vulnerability and the potential for mass casualties. In the past two years, there have been attacks against commuters and subway trains globally. The terrorism threat to Singapore remains high with the possibility of a terrorist attack against our public transport facilities. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been working closely with the Home Team agencies to customise specific security measures for public transport, based on the prevailing threat level. LTA and the Public Transport Operators will continue to work with the Home Team agencies to increase security awareness and strengthen emergency preparedness among the public transport community. Transport workers and commuters also play important roles. Regular exercises are necessary, even though they may cause inconvenience to commuters. For example, in January this year, a contingency exercise that simulated a terrorist attack was conducted at Tampines West Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, as part of the SGSecure movement to enhance the community's response to a terrorist attack. More than 120 officers from various agencies and public transport workers participated in this exercise, with the public transport workers and the community assisting the authorities with evacuation and first-aid. Last year, in addition to such exercises and trial of security screening measures, the Public Transport Security Committee, an interagency body led by LTA, produced a video to show how commuters can get themselves to safety while helping others in the event of a terrorist attack on a train. The video is now being played at all train stations and bus interchanges.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Assoc Prof Walter Theseira for the question. There are general guidelines for the handling of data, the training of officers, the protocols that should be in place across the public sector, including what are the considerations that should be taken into account after an incident occurs with respect to the affected individuals, the processes of the agency and the broader public. So, it is not that there are no guidelines; it is not a vacuum. There is quite a lot of thoughts, considerations and processes that are in place. But there is no single general rule, simply because of the complexities of the situations as we have described today. And as Members have heard from the difficulties in making the judgement call in this incident, you can imagine that it would be very, very difficult to come up with some general rule which will ultimately get the right balance between the privacy of the individual and the public interest, and we do want to strike that right balance. The other aspect to consider is that within the public sector, there are a number of other entities, Smart Nation and Digital Government Group, GovTech and also the security services and the Police where these matters can be reported to, and external views given by people who were not directly involved in the incident.”
“Mr Speaker, for the first point, Ms Sylvia Lim is correct, the PDPA does not apply. For the second point, the answer is yes, the arrangements that the MOH team and the officers who were involved in at the time were audited to be in compliance with the standards that were set. Those are not the same standards that are present today. The standards have changed, the training of officers has changed, and the deployment and use of technology have changed.”
“Mr Speaker, Assoc Prof Walter Theseira had asked some questions about the standards for public disclosure of Government information incidents involving personal data. Mr Speaker, in the event of a suspected data breach, the first priority is to limit the potential harm to affected individuals. The agency involved will assess the damage, prevent further losses and take precautionary measures to heighten safeguards. The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) will put other agencies across the Government on alert and also take broader measures, if need be. A Police report will be made if there is suspected foul play or loss of physical equipment, such as laptops. As to the issue of broader public disclosure of the breach, this is taken as a considered decision, taking into account the possibility that such a disclosure may allow the attacker to create more damage, may help him cover his tracks or may cause unnecessary distress. Thus, there is no standard timing for public disclosure that automatically applies to all data breach cases. Post-breach, the agency affected will undertake a comprehensive review of the incident to understand what more could be done to prevent such an incident and what could be done better to manage such an incident. Such a review would include the approach taken to inform affected individuals and the public.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." (proc text)] Adjourned accordingly at 7.24 pm.”
“So, we have worked hard to make these mechanisms work for us. As a result, reliability has improved, affordability has improved, inclusivity has improved. So, we believe the mechanisms are effective. As Mr Dennis Tan has pointed out, these mechanisms are resulting in an increasing number of Singaporeans choosing to take public transport. Year-on-year growth of ridership, a greater proportion of Singaporeans at peak hours choosing not to use private vehicles as their primary mode of transport and choosing to use shared public transport. Satisfaction levels have risen in tandem as well. That would all suggest that we are moving in the right direction. Perhaps, we need to consider some mechanisms to make sure we maintain our trajectory. I think that is reasonable. But if we are already doing some or many of these things, we should refine them, get them right, tweak them, make them better. But we have to start on the premise that things are improving, things are going well, the mechanisms are working and we do need to make sure that we hang on to our fundamental principles. My fundamental principles, as it turns out, are very much similar to what Mr Dennis Tan has articulated, that we do this with the view to putting the commuter at the centre of the experience. We focus on reliability, on quality, on affordability. And we make sure that, over time, over the long term, we do this in a fair way. Everybody needs to participate in it, and the help needs to be distributed to those who need it most. We do this in a sustainable way. We have to have long-term financial viability and competitive participation, and we do this in an effective way around reliability, comfort and to continually increase the participation of Singaporeans in public transport.”
“We are moving aggressively to make sure that public transport is available and accessible to an increasing number of Singaporeans. We have committed to making sure that eight in 10 households will be living within a 10-minute walk to the MRT station. We have been increasing the number of rail lines, the number of trains as we move along that journey. We have increased capacity – buses, trains, rail lines – carrying capacity. We have increased inclusivity: more and more Singaporeans are able to access our public transport system and services. Not only that. We have worked on increasing affordability. Over the last five years, fares have gone down by 1.2%. Mr Dennis Tan is concentrating on the most recent fare review. He is at liberty to do so. But on average, we take a slightly broader view. Over the last five years, fares have gone down by 1.2%. In that time, wages have risen by 17.7%. Inflation has gone up 6.5%. On balance, the amount that people spend on fares out of their household income has gone down. It has gone down for the second quintile, and the second decile. We measure this; we track this. And we know that, on average, expenditure as a proportion of your income has gone down. Not only that. Less well-known is the fact that 1.8 million commuters are on some form of concession schemes. The biggest single group are seniors, and that will only continue to rise as our population slowly ages. But students, full-time National Servicemen, low-wage workers, a whole lot. Out of our population, 1.8 million of the people who regularly use public transport on a daily basis are already benefiting from the concession schemes that we have. They had an even lower increase in the last fare review that Mr Dennis Tan was talking about, at only one cent.”
“These are codified, they are written down, they are agreed upon and, as a result of which, LTA and the operators work very closely together. We have engineers who are embedded in the operator teams; reports come up to us on a regular basis. Failure at any one of these points can result in a financial penalty, as the Member has described on my behalf. Thank you very much. But not only that. These frameworks, we can tighten them on a regular basis. LTA has been tightening them and adjusting them and making them more effective on a regular basis. Another mechanism is the model that we use. We transitioned to the Bus Contracting Model in 2016, the new Rail Financing Framework in 2018. We have used models, such as the BSEP, to increase the capacity for buses. We have invested in engineering capacity, we have invested in how to develop capability locally. These are all a variety of mechanisms to improve reliability and improve quality as we put commuters at the heart of the experience. On top of that, we have worked quite hard around inclusion. We have tried to make sure that it is not just about the capacity, not just about what we can do technically, but also how we can reach out to a greater number of Singaporeans. Today, all MRT stations have two access routes which are barrier free, wheelchair-accessible lifts, all trains have wheelchair space, all bus interchanges are barrier-free, we are able to do wheelchair boarding, wheelchair-accessible toilets. This is not to say that we have done everything. We have not completed upgrading all the bus stops. There are bus stops that are not entirely wheelchair-accessible. We are up to 97%. We will slowly close the gap. We have installed nearly 50 lifts at pedestrian overhead bridges as well as 200 km of covered linkways.”
“Before we get into that, we might also ask, "Are we actually already doing some of the things that Mr Dennis Tan is suggesting or anybody is suggesting?" For some of the examples that Mr Dennis Tan is talking about, there is a financial basis to incentivise better operations. You can look at it from the profit point of view, you can look at it from the fare point of view, you can look at penalties, you can look at it as where you redistribute it. But essentially, you are using money to incentivise better behaviour on the part of the operators and taking some of that money and rewarding commuters. So, there are two arms to it – financial penalties or financial rewards, and then how you return it to the system or the commuters. Frankly, as the Member has described in great detail, we are doing that in a number of ways, across a number of mechanisms, using a variety of models with different operators. Are we trying to get more information out to commuters that are affected? Certainly, we are. Electronic notice boards, social media, broadcast messages. We are experimenting and trying. Certainly, we can do a lot better and we will continue to experiment and to attempt to service Singaporeans better as they take public transport. Let me go into some of the discussion about mechanisms and effectiveness. I would start by saying, firstly, MKBF is not the only metric that we use. Mr Dennis Tan suggested that we should broaden our consideration of what counts. MKBF is one. There are a whole bunch of other things that we do in our regulatory framework as we interface with the operators. MKBF is only one of those. How do we regulate? Well, we have operating licences. We have codes of practice. We have maintenance performance standards, operating performance standards.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank Mr Dennis Tan for his speech and for his comments. I was worried as he began that he was about to deliver my Committee of Supply speech on my behalf because I heard that he wanted to put commuters first – so do I; that he wanted to thank public transport workers – so do I; that he believes that reliability, quality and affordability are important components of our public transport system – so do I. I got a bit more worried because he went on to congratulate us for 13 straight years of public transport ridership growth and we are quite proud of that. Thank you very much. He confirmed that our reliability has improved on a regular basis, in fact, exceeding expectations, to 670,000 MKBF when we have set ourselves a target of 400,000 MKBF for this year. So, I take it the Member agrees that we have a world-class public transport system and it is largely supported by the models and the direction, the efforts that we are making and I thank him for his kind words. The Member has made some suggestions about how we can improve, and these suggestions are worth examining as we have to consider how we can achieve the aims that we have set out and that he agrees with. Any suggestions for improving our public transport system, there are a few preconditions that we have to think of first as we assess. The first is: do we have existing mechanisms? In truth, every mechanism has a cost – a cost in time, a cost in compliance burden, a financial cost, and cost effectiveness. So, do we have existing mechanisms? What are these existing mechanisms? How do they work? Secondly, we have to ask: are our existing mechanisms effective? Are they getting the job done? Thirdly, we should ask, "How are Singaporeans responding?" How is our system responding?”
“As Mr Darryl David pointed out, Singaporeans depend on the MRT and LRT – 3.5 million trips are made on the rail network every day, bringing Singaporeans to school, work and back home. Today, this rail network has grown to become the backbone of our public transport system. Because of the foresight of the previous generation, our economic opportunities have expanded and our island home is now more connected. In setting up the RIF, we are following in their footsteps and planning for the future of the next generation. With that, Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move. [(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. – [Dr Janil Puthucheary.] (proc text)] [(proc text) Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. (proc text)]”
“LTA has just completed transitioning all rail lines to the New Rail Financing Framework this year. Under this model, the Government co-shares the fare revenue risk with the operators. This is a big step towards building financial sustainability that Assoc Prof Theseira spoke about. We will need to evolve our financing model to continue to adapt to the changing operating environment. The Government will continue to review our financing framework periodically to ensure the public transport system continues to serve us well. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the idea to build an MRT network was discussed in 1967, just two years after Singapore became independent. This was contentious at the time. It would be one of the most expensive infrastructure projects for our young nation. After 15 years of careful study, the Government committed in 1982 to build the N-S and E-W Lines at a price of $5 billion, close to 15% of Singapore’s GDP at the time. It was a difficult decision but the right one. When these lines started operations in 1987, they opened up new possibilities for Singaporeans to live, work and play. We have since expanded the rail network considerably. By 2030, with the addition of the Jurong Region Line and Cross-Island Line, we will have a total of eight MRT lines. The improved connectivity brought about by our rail network has allowed us to develop new economic centres and key facilities across our island. The implementation and success of Punggol Digital District, Changi Business Park, Changi Airport, Tuas industrial estate and Jurong Lake District, would not be possible without the enhanced connectivity brought about by the rail network. The rail system is an economic project and a social leveller.”
“We are also partnering our institutes of higher learning and centralised academies, such as the Singapore Rail Academy, to roll out workforce development programmes. But maintenance capability is not only about manpower. It is also about giving our engineers and technicians sufficient engineering hours to carry out these maintenance and asset renewal works. This is why we introduced Early Closures and Late Openings (ECLO) last December. These efforts are starting to pay off. We have turned the corner. Last year, the Mean Kilometres Between Failure (MKBF) for our MRT network was 181,000 train-km. This has tripled to 661,000 train-km for the first three quarters of this year. This is not just a numbers game. The commuters have felt the improvement and I thank Mr Henry Kwek for his comments. His residents have given him good feedback about the reliability of the N-S Line. As the new signalling system for the East-West (E-W) Line stabilises, residents living in the East and West will also begin to enjoy better rail reliability. Instead of a complex expenditure-performance ratio, the Minister for Transport has laid out a very clear objective target for rail reliability – to achieve one million MKBF for the MRT network by 2020 and sustain it at that level going forward. This is a bold target and very few metro systems around the world have consistently achieved this. MOT, LTA and our operators will continue to work hard to bring commuters safe, reliable and affordable public transport services. Assoc Prof Theseira observed that we need a framework that allows our rail operators to be financially sustainable. This is so that they can continue to attract engineers to join the industry and to invest to sustain high rail reliability.”
“Going forward, LTA is developing the Rail Enterprise Asset Management System, which will integrate asset information and maintenance records across the different systems, so that the health of the various operating assets can be monitored holistically over their respective lifecycles. The system will be equipped with data analytics capabilities to monitor asset performance and identify potential faults before they occur, so that these assets can be repaired or renewed pre-emptively. This shift towards data-driven predictive maintenance and asset renewal will enable sustained rail reliability, while optimising overall lifecycle costs. Mr Darryl David asked whether SMRT and LTA have sufficient maintenance capacity to achieve high rail reliability. Assoc Prof Walter Theseira made some remarks and asked some questions about human capital development. Mr Deputy Speaker, I note that these questions do not relate to the contents of this Bill but I will take the opportunity to make a few short remarks. I want to assure this House that MOT, LTA and our rail operators are working hard to raise rail reliability. SMRT has already raised its maintenance headcount by more than 700, as has been noted by Assoc Prof Walter Theseira, since its transition to the New Rail Financing Framework. Assoc Prof Theseira also correctly noted that it takes time to train and groom our engineers. To attract, develop and retain skilled engineers and technicians for the land transport sector, we are professionalising the rail engineering vocation and have seeded a $12.5 million Public Transport Manpower Development Fund to drive manpower development initiatives.”
“Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Darryl David asked about the differences between the RIF and RSF. The RSF is not permitted by section 13A of the LTA of Singapore Act to fund the "demolition and replacement" of rail infrastructure, such as tracks and tunnels. Instead, the RSF is to be used to acquire operating assets, such as trains and signalling systems, to replace or upgrade ageing ones for existing rail lines. On the other hand, the RIF is, by this Bill, to be used to expand and renew our domestic rail infrastructure, such as tracks and tunnels. This includes associated works and investments. Beyond the injection of $5 billion in FY2018, the RIF can be topped up in future years when the fiscal position allows. LTA integrates our transport plan closely with the land use plan and builds new rail lines only when there is a strong use case. This good planning and financial principle does not change with the introduction of RIF. The RIF simply provides the Government with the flexibility to save up, when our fiscal position allows, in anticipation of lumpy capital rail investments in future. Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Darryl David also asked how LTA determines when to replace and upgrade key assets and systems in a timely manner. LTA determines the replacement schedule of our rail assets based on the asset design life and the specific asset’s actual condition. This is to take into account variance in lifespan under Singapore’s operating environment, as Mr Kwek correctly noted. Where necessary, LTA also engages engineering experts to provide third-party opinions.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the Members Assoc Prof Walter Theseira, Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Darryl David for their questions and suggestions. Our land transport system is becoming more complex, and commuters have increasingly diverse travel needs and preferences. We have land limitations and fiscal constraints. We need to make difficult tradeoffs in deciding how to plan and develop our land transport network. I agree with Assoc Prof Walter Theseira that the Government needs to engage the public when planning and developing our land transport system to develop public support and to ensure the land transport system continues to be designed with commuters in mind. This is why we have embarked on an extensive public consultation exercise, as part of developing the Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP) for 2040. Over the last two months, many Singaporeans have shared their concerns and aspirations. Some have participated in our Focus Group Discussions and LTA is gaining valuable feedback through this process. LTA is also taking the opportunity to share its planning considerations and tradeoffs. Please continue to come forward and participate through the LTMP consultation process so that, together, through partnership, we do achieve the best possible outcomes. Mr Henry Kwek suggested that LTA communicate the true cost of providing MRT services so that citizens understand the financial tradeoffs. We are not able to issue receipts for each ride, so we use other ways to communicate the cost and subsidies. Over the next five years, the Government is subsidising $5 billion for bus services, $4 billion for renewal of rail operating assets and $20 billion to expand our rail infrastructure. We will continue to communicate to commuters the cost of providing public transport services.”
“Currently, the moneys in the Railway Sinking Fund (RSF), which is another Statutory Fund under LTA, may also be used to acquire operating assets. Clause 5 distinguishes the use of the RIF from the RSF. The RIF is intended for the expansion of the rail network and the acquisition of the first set of operating assets necessary to enable this expansion. On the other hand, the RSF is intended for the renewal of rail operating assets, such as trains. While the RIF is solely made up of Government subsidies, the RSF comprises a mix of Government subsidies and Licence Charge collected from the rail operators under the New Rail Financing Framework. This distinction reflects the allocation of financial responsibility between taxpayers and commuters – tax dollars will be used to invest in the civil infrastructure and the first set of operating assets. Thereafter, every generation of commuters will need to pay part of the recurrent cost of operating the rail network, including the renewal of operating assets. This ensures that the burden on taxpayers remains sustainable. Sir, the RIF will allow us to save up and reinvest in our future, to benefit generations of Singaporeans to come. With that, Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]”
“This enables the Government to set aside money from the Consolidated Fund or Development Fund for the RIF through Supply Law. Clause 6 also defines the purposes for which LTA is empowered to withdraw moneys from the RIF. Essentially, this ensures that the RIF is only used for the development of the MRT and Light Rail Transit (LRT) network. The key uses of the RIF are as follows. First, to expand the MRT and LRT network. This includes constructing rail infrastructure, such as stations, tunnels and tracks; acquiring the first set of operating assets, such as trains; performing investigative studies; as well as associated costs, such as the cost of land. The RIF may also be used to replace existing operating assets, if such replacement is required to operate the expanded rail network. For example, when we build rail extensions that connect to existing lines, operating assets on the existing lines may need to be replaced to allow both sections to interface properly. Second, to replace, upgrade and add rail infrastructure, such as tunnels and tracks, for existing rail lines. The development of a rail line does not end after it is constructed. We will need to continually invest in the upgrading and renewal of the rail civil infrastructure as they age, to ensure safe and reliable operations. These renewal works will similarly require large capital outlays. It is prudent for us to put aside money in anticipation of such spending. Third, to invest in accordance with the standard power of investment for Statutory Boards. This is to enable the RIF to keep up with inflation. The investments made using the RIF moneys will be held within the RIF, to ensure that the proceeds continue to be ringfenced for the development of the MRT and LRT network.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, Singapore has come a long way since we debated whether to build our first Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line many years ago. We are in a much stronger fiscal position today. However, building a new line remains a major decision due to the large upfront capital outlay involved. For example, the construction of the Downtown Line cost $21 billion, or close to 5% of our gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. This escalation in costs over time is not just due to inflation, but also because we are now building under more challenging conditions, for example, deeper MRT tunnels and stations amidst our increasingly built-up environment. Although the development costs are hefty, the benefits extend over many generations of Singaporeans. We should be responsible and set aside funds to invest in our rail network for the benefit of future generations. This is why the Government announced the Rail Infrastructure Fund (RIF) earlier this year at Budget 2018. The RIF will enable the Government to save up when our fiscal position allows. This will smoothen out the large capital outlay for rail projects. In line with this, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) proposes to enact the Land Transport Authority (LTA) (Amendment) Bill to formalise the establishment of the RIF. Let me now explain the key provisions in this Bill. As the developer of the rail network in Singapore, LTA is well-placed to hold, manage and administer the RIF. Clauses 4 and 6 of the Bill establish the RIF as a Statutory Fund under LTA and assign the function of managing the RIF to LTA. Clause 6 further sets out the sources of money for the RIF.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. The protocol, without going into too many details, does not specifically instruct the staff to give chase. The first thing that the staff have to do is, of course, inform the network of support structures that we have, such as the OCC and TransCom, in case more resources and more assets are required to be deployed to the station. And certainly, the staff has a duty to the station and the responsibilities of the post as well. So, calling for help is the first part of the protocol. There is the issue, of course, as to whether the perpetrator could become violent. And these are service staff of our Public Transport Operators. They are not trained to handle violent criminals and chase down and apprehend people like that. So, they also have to exercise some judgement about what intervention is appropriate for them. Certainly, there is a significant amount of customer service training that the service staff undergo, including how to handle people who are victims of incidences like this.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on 12 September 2018 around 11.30 pm, a female passenger alerted the staff at the Passenger Service Centre at Serangoon Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station that she had been molested by a male commuter onboard the train and at the station. The staff informed the Singapore Bus Service Transit Operations Control Centre (OCC), and the Public Transport Security Command of the Singapore Police Force (TransCom) was alerted immediately. Their swift actions enabled the Police to subsequently arrest a male suspect. Investigations are ongoing. We take a serious view towards all security incidents. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and TransCom will continue to work closely with the Public Transport Operators to ensure the safety of our commuters.”
“Mr Speaker, we have enacted the Cybersecurity Act this year and aviation is one of the critical information infrastructure domains that will be affected by the operations of the Cyber Security Agency Commissioner. The Cybersecurity Commissioner appoints an Assistant Commissioner who can then look at this sector. The implications of the Cybersecurity Act on the critical information infrastructure within the aviation industry will have an impact and will improve passenger safety as well as the safety of the operations of the industry.”
“With respect to the security of passenger data, Singapore carriers are also required to comply with the Personal Data Protection Act and the data protection regulations of other states which they fly to. As regards the BA data breach, the investigation is still ongoing. As a precaution, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has performed checks and confirmed that there are no unauthorised codes on its payment webpage. SIA is mindful that sophisticated attackers will continue to probe for vulnerabilities and will remain vigilant and conduct regular checks and penetration tests on all scripts on its website. It will also continue to observe stringent data security standards for credit card payment processing.”
“Mr Speaker, the recent British Airways (BA) data breach and the SingHealth cyberattack are sharp reminders that with the greater adoption of digitalisation, all industries face cybersecurity threats. Our operating assumption is that our airlines will be targets, and they must do their best to protect themselves against such threats, and have a robust plan to prevent, detect and recover should an attack succeed. They must also exercise their plan regularly so that all staff are fully aware of such a threat and take it seriously. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), as the cybersecurity lead for the aviation sector, works closely with Singapore carriers to strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities. CAAS also regularly shares cybersecurity-related information, including from the Cyber Security Agency, and best practices with them, and conducts joint cybersecurity exercises. The Singapore carriers' approach includes safeguarding their systems to prevent, detect and respond to hacking attempts and mitigate the potential impact. They monitor cyber threats through their Security Operations Centres, and carry out regular testing of their websites for vulnerabilities and screening for malicious web traffic. They also closely monitor reports of breaches and collaborate with others on cybersecurity. They are part of the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Centre, a non-profit organisation that fosters the sharing of information on physical and cyber threats to aviation and best practices on mitigation, and they also participate in the Cybersecurity Workgroup under the International Air Transport Association.”