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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“For example, the Infocomm Media Development Authority launched the Digital Skills for Life framework in January 2024 to equip Singaporeans with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to navigate the digital space, carry out daily tasks and stay safe online. To better support vulnerable groups, such as seniors, to learn basic digital skills, the SG Digital Office has also introduced initiatives, such as the Seniors Go Digital programme. These efforts seek to enable all Singaporeans to share in the benefits of digital developments.”
“Sir, there are three aspects to being "digital first but not digital only". First, agencies strive to make digital services easy to use, guided by the Digital Service Standards (DSS). Agencies design and develop digital services that are: (a) accessible and inclusive; (b) usable; and (c) relevant. To supplement agencies' own usability tests, the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) helps to identify areas of improvement for frequently used services. GovTech also provides central diagnostic tools for agencies to detect usability and accessibility issues. These, together with feedback from the public, are taken into consideration when agencies update their digital products and services. Second, there is a conscious effort to make non-digital alternatives available to members of the public who are unable to go digital by themselves. For example, the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) provide in-person and contact centre services to assist those who have difficulty transacting online. These agency-specific service centres are complemented by seven physical ServiceSG Centres across Singapore. By housing multiple services under one roof, these ServiceSG Centres simplify and enhance citizens' experience and better implement the not-digital-only approach. ServiceSG will continue to expand the network of centres to prioritise areas with higher demand and concentrations of citizens, especially seniors. Two more centres will be established at Woodlands Civic Centre and Bukit Merah Town Central by the end of 2024 to achieve a wider outreach to citizens. Third, we persist and continue in helping our people to pick up digital skills and keep abreast of new developments.”
“Sir, the short answer is yes. The entire process is designed to provide a high level of confidence in the findings, to make sure that Cordlife themselves can demonstrate that they are doing the right thing and moving in the right direction to improve protections, and for confidence in the industry as a whole to be shored up. So, the short answer is yes. He had a specific question on the five tanks that were in the report. I do not have the information about exactly where those five tanks are in our overall assessment and the one-year timeline. If he would like to, I can follow up with him separately on this.”
“Speaker, I thank Mr Saktiandi for the question. I suspect Speaker's direction was also targeted to me. My apologies. Sir, Singapore Cord Blood Bank (SCBB), Stemcord Private Limited and Cryoviva Singapore have indicated their ability and willingness to accept cord blood units transferred from Cordlife. However, each of the cord blood banks has indicated that specific conditions must be met prior to accepting the cord blood units from Cordlife. So, there is some variance and the parents, the customers will have to work directly with the receiving cord blood banks to operationalise the transfer. MOH will try to facilitate the connections and processes, where it is within our power to do so. However, I would want to take this opportunity to point out a couple of points. All of the three cord blood banks have processes in place to facilitate the transfer of the cord blood units, but they will only accept cord blood units that are demonstrated to be still viable and the receiving cord blood banks are unlikely able to guarantee the viability of cord blood units that are then transferred from Cordlife. So, there is some risk to the customer, the parents associated with making the choice for this transfer and it will also take some time. It is not a small decision to be taken lightly.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Dennis Tan for his questions. If I understand the Member's position with respect to his first supplementary question, he recognises and agrees that these are contractual matters between the parents and Cordlife. So, the role that we might play in the Government is to engage with Cordlife and ask them to facilitate some form of recompense to maintain their relationship with their customers. We continue to engage with Cordlife. But as the Member has agreed and as he has highlighted, this is a contractual matter between two private parties, and MOH and the Government are not a party to these contracts. As for the Member's second question about legislating further protection, I think we do have to study the regulatory lessons that have come out of this episode and to see whether or not such services need a further type of regulation. I would say that this is one operator amongst several and I think this is one incident in that operator. It does not automatically mean that the regulatory regime or the legislative framework is inherently wrong. It may be issues about operationalising it and auditing it. But, nevertheless, we will study this episode to see how we can make sure that there is confidence in the industry, going forward.”
“The storage units contain many, many cord blood units. They were retrieved and stored under different conditions. So, the sampling needs to take into account the processing methods at the time of freezing. The way in which the retrieval is done has to be very, very careful because you do not want, in the course of establishing the potency of the unit, to then invalidate the potency of that sample. So, you have to make sure that there is no inadvertent compromise to the cord blood unit. And the testing laboratory needs to then have the capacity to immediately receive the sample. So, you cannot ship the whole unit and then let them take their own time to process all the samples. Each sample has to have a specified time slot for receipt and processing so that they are not then subject to risks at the laboratory side. And there is a limited capacity available for the testing. The laboratories that can do this are quite limited. There is also no way to divide up a sample volume and send it out to different laboratories. There is only so much of the sample that is there. So, that small amount has to be dealt with in a very particular way. So, for all of these reasons and then, subsequently, the assessment and review of the results, it does appear that the one-year timeline is reasonable. We understand the need, from the parents' concerns, to expedite this to reassure people as fast as possible, but I think it is important that when the process is complete, that all who are involved have confidence in the findings from the process. So, I would ask for Members and parents' understanding that it will take some time for us to go through this process.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Nadia for the question. There has been some commentary about the length of time that is projected. The comments provided by some international experts are based on the typical turnaround time for routine testing and samples that are already in a laboratory. I think some people have quoted two to three weeks for a single potency test and returning the results. But that series of comments does not take into account the other related factors and the full context of this case. The estimation of one year for the timeline for completing the testing involves several operational considerations. The resources that Cordlife has, the resources that are available at the third-party laboratory that has been engaged to perform the testing and the rectification measures that Cordlife has been instructed to put in place to mitigate further warming events, the limited resources that the laboratory and Cordlife have, as well as what MOH needs to do in terms of assessing these processes, those parts of the explanation that are under our control, we will try to minimise the time taken, expedite the process, but maintain the quality of our findings. We need the process to be robust so that when the findings are validated, there is a high level of confidence in that validation. Perhaps, I might just explain why it takes so long. There are several stages for what is called the post-thaw study. These have to be designed carefully, the samples have to be retrieved very carefully, the testing has to be done very carefully and the third parties, the people who are validating and auditing this, also need to be satisfied that the samples are being dealt with in the proper manner. A cord blood unit is not stored in an individual tank.”
“Sir, we understand the anxiety and concern amongst parents as a result of the lapses at Cordlife Group Limited (Cordlife). Cord blood banking is an elective, commercial service provided by the private sector. Customers entered into a commercial contract with the service providers when they sign up and the Ministry of Health (MOH) is not a party to these contracts. The Government cannot overstep the law. There are limits to which the Government can intervene, especially when it comes to issues of compensation and refunds. What MOH is actively doing is with respect to regulation and facilitation. The Ministry will be supervising the proper completion of further tests in the affected tanks to achieve a high level of confidence in the findings. Given the sample sizes and the testing capacity available, this will take another year. MOH will also closely monitor Cordlife's dissemination of information to its customers and the public, as well as progress in addressing the deficiencies identified and in making improvements. These include directing Cordlife to properly validate and implement its new temperature monitoring system, revalidate its processing method for cord blood units and enhance staff training and supervision of its operations more closely. MOH has also discussed with other providers who are prepared to facilitate transfer of their cord blood units. Parents who wish to do so can contact Cordlife and the receiving cord blood bank to discuss the transfer arrangements. That said, we urge parents to carefully consider the risks of doing so, given the logistical complexity of making a physical transfer at sub-zero temperatures, particularly so when the cord blood is not ascertained to be impacted.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to answer Question Nos 2 to 5 on today's Order Paper?”
“Sir, I thank Mr Giam for his question. To be clear, the way that the cybersecurity of CII is dealt with has to be part of the operations of the CII operator. So, in the example that he has cited, the step-in orders for bus functions, for example, if that function and the systems associated with that function were designated as part of a CII, then the operator that steps in would have to take on that responsibility as part of its duties to discharge that function. And that already is part of how the sectoral regulators for each domain, who are also the sectoral regulators of cybersecurity, regulate the domains.”
“I also thank Ms Jean See, Mr Neil Parekh, Assoc Prof Razwana Begum and Mr Mark Lee for their suggestions of other non-regulatory initiatives that the Government could consider, particularly on shifting the mindset of stakeholders from one of compliance to one of partnership. CSA will study these suggestions. CSA has had a good track record in administering the Cybersecurity Act over the past six years. CSA works closely with the regulated entities to address their needs and concerns and, to date, no appeals have been made against CSA's decisions, orders or directions. Sir, cybersecurity is a team effort. At the national level, we must continually improve our defences against cyber threats that are growing in scale and sophistication. Today, the Government proposes to strengthen our legislation so that we can ensure the cybersecurity of systems and entities that are important to Singapore's national interests. Cybersecurity is a team effort and one of the important teams are the personnel that we have in our cybersecurity agency. We have been able to attract and retain officers with a high degree of expertise, professionalism and integrity; who are able to balance the considerations of security, usability and cost; who understand and believe in the mission of securing Singapore's cyberspace. Sir, I would like to thank the personnel of CSA for the important work that they do in keeping our digital systems and spaces safe for all Singapore and Singaporeans. I thank Members for their support of this Bill. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.”
“Those responsible for our CII, STCCs and FDI services, as well as our ESCIs will have to bear some compliance costs, but this is what it takes to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe and secure in the digital domain. Let me emphasise, again, that these proposed new laws do not extend to the wider business community. That is not to say that their cybersecurity is not important. As Mr Mark Lee had noted in his speech, confidential business information that our companies and organisations hold are also important and potentially sensitive in their own context. Our companies and organisations must recognise this and take commensurate steps to address their data security risks. The Government offers our support to them through other non-regulatory means. For example, the SG Cyber Safe Programme is a scheme to help the Singapore business community be more cyber secure. This includes the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Trust marks, which are certification schemes that recognise enterprises that have implemented good cybersecurity practices. CSA has also developed the cybersecurity informational toolkits for companies of various profiles, to guide enterprise leaders and their employees on cybersecurity best practices. Additionally, enterprises getting started on cybersecurity can use the Cybersecurity Health Plans programmes, where consultants help them improve their cyber resilience and help to develop a plan tailored to their needs. So, I urge all enterprises to apply for the various schemes and marks and take advantage of the resources available to uplift their cybersecurity posture.”
“For example, the power of inspection provided for in the amended section 15(4)(d) inserted by clause 13, can only be used for the specified purpose and under the specified circumstances set out in the provision. Third, section 43 of the 2018 Act, which we are retaining, requires specified persons to preserve the secrecy of stipulated matters that come to these persons' knowledge in the discharge of their statutory duties. This includes information relating to business, commercial or official affairs of any persons and identities of informants. Section 43 will continue to govern any such information that CSA obtains through the exercise of existing and new powers provided for by the amendments. Ms Tin Pei Ling, Mr Gerald Giam and Mr Sharael Taha noted that the Bill will significantly expand the scope of the Act and asked if CSA will be sufficiently equipped to manage this expanded gambit. If the Bill is passed, the Government will ensure that CSA is resourced accordingly. CSA will also continue to develop its personnel and their expertise so that it can continue to deliver its mission at a high level. I hope that I have sufficiently addressed the queries raised in this House. Mr Speaker, cybersecurity is ultimately about risk management. The only way we can absolutely guarantee cybersecurity is to not use digital technology at all. So, the task at hand is to find the appropriate balance between security, usability and cost. The Bill is the sum of the Government's proposal to address this trilemma for the most important systems that affect the national interests. It does involve some trade-offs. Where national interests are at stake, the Government needs to proactively ensure that security considerations are optimised.”
“Where appropriate and feasible, we will harmonise the cybersecurity standards and incident reporting parameters to be imposed under the Act with international practices. Mr Gerald Giam asked about step-in rights and CSA's incident response frameworks. I understand the concern to be whether CSA is adequately empowered to respond effectively to cybersecurity incidents and do what it takes to secure our CII. Part 4 of the 2018 Act already provides CSA with the necessary powers to respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents and to take appropriate measures to secure the threatened or attacked system. Operationally, CSA and the DIS of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) have an excellent working relationship and will work together to secure Singapore's cyberspace. Sir, let me move on to the third consideration, that is, what safeguards are in place to prevent abuse? The Bill seeks to strengthen CSA's regulatory powers, but as some Members have pointed out, it is also important that CSA exercises its powers responsibly. Safeguards have been built into the Act from the outset and will be extended to cover the proposed amendments. First, any entity that receives a designation notice can appeal against it. A regulated entity may also appeal against CSA's decisions, orders and directions, as well as codes of practice and standards of performance. This appeal mechanism was created in the 2018 Act to protect regulated CII owners and will be extended to cover providers of essential services under Part 3A, STCC owners, ESCI and major FDI providers as well. Second, the powers that the Bill seeks to confer on CSA are not unfettered.”
“Ms Hany Soh asked what factors would be taken into consideration on the penalties to impose for non-compliance – in making a recommendation to the Public Prosecutor, CSA will consider a range of factors, including the risks created by the non-compliance, egregiousness and facts of the case. Assoc Prof Razwana Begum asked how we would enforce the provisions relating to major FDI service providers, if many of these providers are based overseas. Indeed, this could be the case for the cloud service sector. To facilitate enforcement, the new section 18G(6) requires a designated major FDI service provider who is located outside of Singapore, to appoint a person in Singapore to accept service of notices or directions under the Act. Several Members pointed out that some of the operational details are not contained within the Bill. Matters relating to the technical or other standards that regulated entities must meet and how CII owners should work with the providers of cloud services they use, will be designed to reflect current business realities and prevailing industry norms. What the Bill does is to allow CSA to address these in codes of practice or standards of performance and subsidiary legislation, so that we can be more agile in reflecting the operating context. CSA will be consulting the industry on these matters, if the Bill is passed. Many Members like Ms Ng Ling Ling, Ms Jean See and Mr Melvin Yong also gave suggestions on how the Government can provide more support to regulated entities to help them comply with their statutory obligations and provide some assurance that their cybersecurity measures are adequate. We will consider these suggestions very carefully. As CSA operationalises the new amendments, CSA will continue to take onboard stakeholder feedback.”
“For example, where cloud computing is concerned, it is entirely possible that the cloud services provided to the Singapore market are provided using infrastructure that can be located in any part of the world. In fact, the ability to tap on infrastructure from any part of the world is a key part of the value proposition of cloud computing because it bolsters the resilience of a given cloud service. So, the focus of our proposed laws is not to insist that designated major FDI service providers report cybersecurity incidents affecting all their digital infrastructures around the world. Rather, the new section 18M will require them to report only prescribed incidents that result in the disruption or degradation of the designated provider's FDI service in Singapore or has a significant impact on the designated provider's business operations in Singapore. Mr Yip Hon Weng also asked if the designated providers of major FDI service will be held responsible for breaches occurring in overseas data centres if they disrupt their services in Singapore. Sir, I would like to make it quite clear that the Act, even if amended by the Bill before the House today, does not penalise victims of cyber-attacks for being attacked. The statutory duties under the Act require the designated provider to work with CSA to prevent and mitigate the cybersecurity risks by, for instance, reporting cybersecurity incidents and complying with the necessary cybersecurity standards and written directions. Penalties would apply when there is willful non-compliance. Mr Neil Parekh asked about the types of penalties that could be imposed. If the proposed amendments are passed, such penalties could be criminal or civil in nature.”
“However, if there are no solutions on the market that are adequately secure, the provider of essential services should take responsibility for building the CII it needs. The security of our essential services cannot be and should not be compromised. In response to Mr Desmond Choo's question on data securities when CII owners move to the cloud, CSA will work with CII owners to conduct cybersecurity risk assessments of any migration of a CII to the cloud. The principle remains – they must be able to meet their statutory obligations with respect to the cybersecurity of the CII, regardless of the operating model. The same principle applies to Ms Tin Pei Ling's and Mr Gerald Giam's questions about overseas CII. Under the new Part 3 provisions proposed by the Bill, the owner of the CII will be held responsible for the cybersecurity of their CII. It does not matter whether the CII is located in Singapore or located wholly overseas and designated under the new section 7(1)(a). Section 7(1)(a) only applies when the owner is in Singapore. Similarly, the new Part 3(a) applies to a provider of essential service located in Singapore, who will be held responsible for the cybersecurity of the CII that they rely on. It does not matter whether the CII owned by the third-party is located in Singapore or located wholly overseas. The obligations are placed on the CII owner or the provider of essential service in Singapore, so there is no extraterritoriality enforcement of the provisions in new Part 3 and Part 3(a). Mr Yip Hon Weng asked how we will deal with the cross-border nature of FDI services, such as cloud services and data centre operations. We have designed the new provisions to account for this.”
“Doing so would just add the reporting burden to more parties and may not be directly useful for enhancing the security of the CII itself; which ultimately, is what all this work is focused on. Where the CII is owned by a third-party, clause 14 requires the provider of essential service from the third-party vendor to obtain legally binding commitments from the vendor that would put the provider in a position to discharge its statutory obligations, so that the cybersecurity of the CII is not compromised. Mr Louis Ng asked several questions relating to how the Government would ensure that we would have sufficient levers against such a third-party. The intent behind these provisions is to allow the provider of essential service to consider market solutions from third-parties, so that they can be more efficient in the provision of their essential services without compromising cybersecurity. It is not to indirectly regulate these third-parties. Where the third-party is unwilling or unable, as Mr Darryl David noted could happen, CSA could direct the provider of essential services to stop using the system owned by that third party under the provisions in new sections 16E(2), 16H(2), 16I(2) and 16J(2). Ms Joan Pereira asked if it would be feasible for CSA to require a provider of essential services to cease using a third-party vendor in the market. Ultimately, what Part 3A seeks to do is to ensure that providers of essential services who use a third-party's system, in place of operating their own CII, do so without compromising cybersecurity. Where a provider of essential services faces certain constraints, CSA is prepared to work with them on possible arrangements that could be made.”
“Sir, I hope this addresses Mr Mark Lee, Mr Neil Parekh and Ms Hany Soh's clarifications on the designation process, as well as Ms Tin Pei Ling's question on how we calibrate our implementation approach and Ms Joan Pereira's query on whether all ancillary or supporting infrastructure will be designated as STCCs for high-profile, high-security or high-level events in Singapore. We will only make such decisions after fully understanding the context and how the relevant systems are designed. CSA will also consider waivers of the application of a code of practice or standard of performance on a designated entity, where possible, on a case-by-case basis to account for specific operating contexts or the developmental journey of the organisation in question. As Mr Sharael Taha noted, our CII supply chains are getting more complex. If a breach occurs to a supply system that is not directly interconnected with or communicates with a CII, the Bill will not require the owner of a compromised system to report such breaches to CSA. Mr Darryl David asked how we would manage if vendors and suppliers to our CIIs are not directly obliged by statute to disclose cybersecurity incidents. The principle we apply is that CII owners are responsible for the security and resilience of their essential services. That means that it is in their interest, and it is also their responsibility to be situationally aware of supply chain attacks that could affect their CII and report such incidents to CSA when they become aware of them. It was a deliberate decision on the Government's part not to compel reporting of cybersecurity incidents from all the suppliers of a CII owner to CSA directly.”
“The technology is constantly advancing and it changes our business and operating context. The malicious actors are inventive. They continually find new ways to compromise their targets. Several members have asked questions about how the amendments would be implemented. Underlying their questions is an important consideration. Will CSA operationalise these new laws sensibly and give regulated entities support to meet their statutory obligations? The short answer to both is yes, but I am going to give a slightly longer answer. CSA understands the need to take into account business realities and to be practical and sensible when implementing the Act. CII owners and industry stakeholders representing potential ESCIs and major FDI service providers were consulted extensively. Many trade associations and chambers provided their views during the consultation process. CSA's practice is – has been, will be – and is to provide ample support to our regulated entities, by helping them walk towards compliance – walking with them towards compliance. This begins even before a system or an entity is designated. Where CSA has reason to believe that a system or entity should be designated, CSA's general practice has been to first engage the system owner or the entity to better understand their operating context, such as the cybersecurity measures already implemented and their level of cybersecurity capabilities, to ensure that any designation is appropriate. Subsequently, CSA will then work with the system owner or entity to assess what needs to be done for the entity or system to be in compliance with the Act, as well as the support and lead time that the organisation will need.”
“Mr Mark Lee had the impression that the Bill only focuses on personal information and does not protect other types of confidential business information. This is not the case. The Cybersecurity Act does not differentiate between protecting personal information and business information as the cybersecurity of all information in a CII must not be compromised. The Bill will do the same for the new categories of systems and entities we are proposing to regulate for cybersecurity. Mr Sharael Taha asked about how we asked about how we would address the cybersecurity threats posed by machine learning and generative AI. The Act and this Bill allow CSA to compel regulated entities to take the necessary measures to mitigate cyber risk regardless of the technologies used by the regulated entities or by the malicious actors to perpetuate their attacks. The AI landscape is still developing and relatively nascent. CSA will continue to monitor our threat landscape carefully, work with the regulated entities to take the necessary steps to protect themselves and address the challenges as the technology emerges and becomes clearer. I would like to clarify that not all the amendments add to the operating costs of regulated entities and systems. Some of the key amendments I covered in my opening speech will allow CII owners to make use of new technologies and new business models. This can result in efficiencies while maintaining the cybersecurity of the CII. These include the use of commercial cloud solutions and demand-aggregated system infrastructure owned by a third-party. These could be business opportunities, as Mr Neil Parekh observed in his speech. How will CSA ensure that the new obligations are operationalised in a sensible and practical manner?”
“Cyber-attacks can have serious consequences. Where essential services are concerned, lives and livelihoods can be affected. Attacks like these can also indirectly hurt the reputation of the organisation or Singapore. It can have an external impact on the customers and business partners of the victim organisation. These are in addition to potential financial costs. According to some reports, the average cost of a cyber-attack on an organisation with more than one thousand employees is around $71,000; and one in eight firms suffered costs of S$330,000 or more. These security reasons are also why I had caveated in my opening speech that I will not disclose any specific real-life examples of the critical systems and entities we seek to regulate, which includes ESCIs. So, I seek Ms Ng Ling Ling's understanding that I will not respond to her query on the entities that may be designated as an ESCI. Ms Hany Soh asked whether there would be circumstances that go toward publication or disclosure of an ESCI's identity – this will be on a case-by-case basis and we must keep the security of the ESCI in mind. Sir, the issue for consideration is not whether a regulated entity is a large company, a multinational corporation or an SME. The key consideration is whether a cyber-attack on the entity could have serious implications on our national security or other national interests. We do not take these decisions to impose obligations lightly. For instance, we are proposing the expansion of the incident reporting requirements for CII owners under Part 3 because the evidence shows that malicious actors are using CII-adjacent systems and supply chains to attack the CII; and so, we need to stay situationally aware of what is happening around the CII in order to keep the CII itself safe.”
“Our approach is a targeted and calibrated one, precisely because we recognise that regulation will involve compliance costs. With the amendments covered in the Bill, the Cybersecurity Act will only be imposing obligations on four groups of entities. The first is providers of essential services, whether they are themselves CII owners or rely on third-party vendors for the CII. Securing the computers and computer systems that are necessary for the continuous delivery of our essential services is a matter of national security and survival. The second group, comprises owners of STCC where there is a loss of a computer system, or even a system established on a temporary basis would have a serious detrimental effect on Singapore's national interests. CSA must be allowed to proactively oversee the cybersecurity of such systems. The third group comprises ESCIs. This is because we need them to be cybersecure if their computer systems contain sensitive information or they perform functions which if disrupted will have a significant detrimental effect on our national interests. The last group comprises major providers of FDI services because disruption to these FDI services – the services that FDI services provide – could have knock-on effect, disrupting to Singapore-based organisations and the lives of Singaporeans who rely on them for business operations, work and day-to-day living. Some compliance cost cannot be avoided where regulation is concerned. It is something we are mindful of and we do not seek to regulate without good reason. For these four groups, it was a considered decision that we must have the necessary legislation in place to govern their cybersecurity because our national security and other national interests are at stake.”
“CSA has established thought leadership when it published the Op-tech Cybersecurity Masterplan in 2019, which is a strategic blueprint to guide Singapore's efforts to foster a resilient and secure cyber environment for our op-tech CII. CSA also organises the Op-tech Cybersecurity Expert Panel Forum every year, which is a platform for cybersecurity practitioners, operators, researchers and policy-makers to discuss governance policies, best practices and trends related to op-tech cybersecurity. The Members who have spoken today have raised several important considerations in relation to the Bill and I would summarise them into three groups. The first is: are the compliance costs arising from the cybersecurity measures introduced by the Bill justified? Secondly, how will CSA ensure that the new obligations are operationalised in a sensible and practical manner? Third and finally, will there be safeguards in place to prevent abuse, as the Bill does expands CSA's powers? Let me address these considerations in turn. Some Members raised concerns about the additional costs of regulatory compliance: are these costs justified? Some have suggested that such costs could even adversely impact the community of SMEs in Singapore, or industry development more generally. To clarify, neither the Cybersecurity Act nor the amendments proposed in this Bill impose cybersecurity obligations on the business community at large. What the Act and the amendments proposed in this Bill seek to do, is to regulate only the cybersecurity of systems, infrastructure and services that are important at a national level because their disruption or compromise could affect our survival, security, safety or other national interests. This is a known and finite set of systems and entities.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the many Members who have spoken for their interest in and strong support for the Bill. Sir, several Members have noted the rise in cyber threats both in Singapore and around the world and that this has become a growing concern amongst Singaporeans. Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Alex Yam and Mr Darryl David spoke about the potentially devastating impact that a successful attack on our CII could have on the lives of Singaporeans. Ms Hany Soh spoke about recent major cybersecurity incidents and their serious consequences, while Mr Desmond Choo said that it was crucial that we have robust and regularly updated cybersecurity laws against the increase in cyber threats. I agree. As the cyber threats we face intensify, it is clear that there is agreement in this House on the timeliness of this Bill and the need to put CSA in a better position to safeguard Singapore's cybersecurity. Mr Melvin Yong spoke about the urgent need to tackle scams. The Government agrees. In January 2024, Minister Josephine Teo spoke about building an inclusive and safe digital society and outlined what the Government was doing to combat scams, so I will not belabour those. The Cybersecurity Act is not aimed at tackling scams. Even so, clause 7 of the Bill will allow us to take a stronger stance against impersonation scams, by making it an offence for any person to use CSA's gazetted symbols or representations without the Commissioner's prior written permission. Cybersecurity threats are ever-evolving. Mr Melvin Yong also spoke about the need to secure operational technology (op-tech) systems. The cybersecurity of op-tech is a nascent field, but it is already one of CSA's key areas of work as part of its national cybersecurity mission.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Yip for his questions. Telemedicine is a tool. The technology and the platform are potentially quite useful – and he has illustrated and described some of the ways in which it can change patterns of behaviour. It is a tool that needs to be chosen by two parties: the clinical provider and the potential patient. Our approach to say it is an option. And where it is a suitable option for the clinical providers because is safe, efficacious, it provides better quality of care; or for the patient because it is convenient and provides better access, then, we want to remove the obstacles for the clinician or the patient from choosing this. So, we are working on standardising the regulatory approach across, as well as reducing some of the barriers in terms of cost and financials associated in terms of the choice that a patient might make. So, the short answer to both questions is that we would like to see progress for hospitals as well as primary care using telemedicine services appropriately, where it makes a difference to the clinical care, where it becomes more convenient and more acceptable to the patients.”
“Sir, many outpatient medical service providers are approved to provide telemedicine services under the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA), of which 19 are standalone telemedicine providers without physical premises. The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not track the take-up rate of telemedicine services. There is also no definitive data on whether telemedicine has reduced non-emergency attendances at Emergency Departments, especially given an ageing population with rising demand for healthcare. Telemedicine services have been facilitated by MOH in primary care for chronic disease management and in specialist outpatient settings for specific conditions. MOH will continue to facilitate the application of telemedicine service in appropriate settings.”
“Sir, the short answer is yes to the first part. Telehealth is something that we spoke about at some length within the Committee of Supply debate and we will continue to explore partnerships with telehealth providers to see how we can make that available as a channel for health-seeking behaviour. As for best practices from around the world, certainly, we are studying what is being done in the public health education space. We also have to contextualise such messages and public education campaigns for our local context. Each city and each healthcare system is different, but the way in which people have a relationship with their GP, have a relationship with the hospitals or the way in which they seek help when they are unwell will be culturally contextual, will be appropriate to our social context. We will look at those best practices, but the most important aspect is that we continue to reinforce locally some key messages – which is that you should reserve going to the emergency department for urgent, certainly, serious and life-threatening cases. We should call the ambulance for urgent, serious and life-threatening cases. And for things which are not urgent, conditions that have been there for a while, which are clearly not serious or life-threatening, then we should consider accessing some of the other channels that I spoke about in my reply. NurseFirst, which is a helpline for seeking advice from an experienced nurse practitioner; attending an urgent care clinic; seeking help from a GP or a polyclinic; not going by ambulance to a hospital emergency department for conditions which are not urgent, not serious and not life-threatening.”
“Sir, our hospital emergency departments, while busy, are able to triage patients promptly to prioritise treatment for urgent cases and preserve valuable medical capacity. Sometimes, a hospital emergency department may face a spike in urgent cases, for example, when the hospital is handling multiple patients from a major incident. In such a case, protocols for ambulance diversions to other hospitals will be activated. Occasionally, a number of ambulances may arrive at the same emergency department at approximately the same time. In such situations, other than ambulance diversions, the hospital will work with the ambulance crew to triage and activate additional hospital resources to unload the ambulances as expeditiously as possible. Currently, 40% of emergency department attendances are not life-threatening nor urgent. To encourage these patients to seek care at the general practitioner (GP) clinics for non-urgent conditions, the Ministry of Health (MOH) introduced the GPFirst programme in 2014. Under this programme, if the patient is first seen by a participating GP and is assessed to require further care at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department, the hospital will reduce A&E fees by $50. Currently, more than 1,000 GP clinics, including all Healthier SG clinics, participate in the GPFirst programme. MOH has also set up Urgent Care Centres for urgent but non-life-threatening medical conditions, and NurseFirst, a non-emergency helpline where residents can receive useful medical advice.”
“If I understand Ms Nadia Samdin's question, it is about how the training opportunities will be made available within the learning institutions. There are a number of institutions that already provide training in psychological and psychiatric services. Our approach would generally be to work with them to see how we can expand their capacity. One of the challenges in this space is that the training of such healthcare workers requires what I call practicums, on-the-job training. You need to have clinical placements rather than only lectures and seminars. So, the rate limiting factor for enhancing our capacity is the number of mentors and training places that we have within the clinical settings, rather than within the education institutions. We will work with all the partners and stakeholders to be able to realise our plans for an increase in capacity.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Alexandra Hospital will provide outpatient and inpatient mental health specialist services, including 70 acute beds for psychiatric care and rehabilitation. The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) has recently refurbished 11 acute psychiatric wards to enhance inpatient care and will be expanding its capacity to meet future demand. To support the increase in demand for mental health services, the Government is planning a 30% increase in the number of psychiatrists and 40% increase in the number of healthcare workers training in psychology by 2030. The Government will also expand mental health services in the primary and community settings to support the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy.”
“I thank Dr Syed Harun for his question on the CREST and COMIT teams. I agree with the sentiment that we need to make sure that our primary care practitioners and the whole community of community care practitioners is adequately supported. We have not yet achieved the increase that we are planning for, so we are increasing the teams. What we do not really know is what the behaviour of patients and residents, people who are concerned about mental health behaviour; how that will change over the next 10 to 15 years as we are increasing our CREST and COMIT teams. We have put these plans in place. I think we need to ramp up the support available for the private and public sector practitioners in the community space, increase the number of teams, the capability of the teams that we have. But how that goes and how that matches with health-seeking behaviour, the worried well, the people who need interventions, people who have been in institutional care, who now need to come into the community; these are things that we will be monitoring and watching very closely through the NMHO and working with our partners and then assessing whether we have the right level of support. So, I agree with the sentiment, but I think it is a little bit too early to say now what we will be doing in 2030. We get going with our current plans first.”
“In the future, through the Government's efforts in strengthening preventive care and a shift in residents' health-seeking behaviour, the aim is for all of us to visit a regular family doctor as a first point-of-contact and for ongoing support to holistically manage our own health. Consistent and evidence-based care will be delivered across the diverse primary care landscape, and all of us can take proactive steps to keep to a personalised health plan. Together, all of us, everyone, can play a part in improving our health. 12.30 pm”
“Ms Mariam Jaafar asked for an update on value-based care initiatives that have been piloted and whether these initiatives have been scaled up across the healthcare system. MOH has been placing increasing emphasis on value-based care efforts since 2015. These efforts aim to improve health outcomes while simultaneously managing the attendant cost increases in a sustainable way. These initiatives range from national system initiatives to programmes that target individual doctors and specific procedures. Since the implementation of the Cancer Drug List (CDL), which focused MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plan coverage on clinically proven and cost-effective cancer drug treatments, CDL drug prices in the public sector have been brought down by an average of 30%, and over 60% for some drugs. This has also allowed us to subsidise more drugs and improve affordability. In the long run, we expect this to moderate the costs of cancer drugs. We are shifting our focus more upstream and are applying value-based care to payment models, like capitation and preventive efforts through Healthier SG. Sir, it will be a long-term, multi-year effort to work towards a healthier population. The Government and healthcare providers will provide quality healthcare to residents, but individual responsibility is crucial. Each of us must take charge of their own health, adopt healthier behaviours, build relationships with our family doctors and proactively manage any chronic diseases. Concurrently, healthcare providers will re-orientate towards preventive care, while the Government sets up systems, programmes and incentives to support healthcare providers in delivering care to residents in the community.”
“Through HealthHub, residents can enrol for Healthier SG, view their personalised health plans, manage medical appointments and view their health screening results and vaccination records. We plan to expand the type of health records available through HealthHub in the future. Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Ms Mariam Jaafar suggested making use of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise healthcare delivery for cost effectiveness and improved patient outcomes. Our healthcare institutions use proven, cost-effective technology extensively to automate manual tasks and augment clinical decision-making. For example, the Outpatient Pharmacy Automation System helps to automate packing and dispensing of pharmacy medication. Patients can also utilise HealthHub to arrange for medicine refills and manage their medical appointments. This all helps to reduce waiting times and enhance the patient experience. MOH is also exploring the use of AI-assisted radiology diagnosis systems for pathology detection, to automate the analysis of medical images, support clinicians to identify patients with urgent care needs and help radiologists to generate radiology reports. Dr Wan Rizal suggested utilising AI to improve the accessibility of mental health care. Currently, Mindline employs an AI-enabled chatbot that allows people to share their emotional struggles anonymously and guides them to self-help resources such as psychotherapy exercises and counselling services where needed. While we embrace innovation and leverage technology, patient safety remains of paramount importance. MOH will continue to evaluate these new technologies for clinical and cost effectiveness and assess their safety and suitability for various uses in our healthcare system.”
“Dr Syed Harun asked about systems integration plans to support Healthier SG. To facilitate holistic, integrated and coordinated care provided by multiple healthcare providers across hospital-based and community care settings, we need to simplify how our healthcare providers access and share data. The importance of a well-integrated and reliable IT system to connect healthcare providers has been highlighted by many GPs. The National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) is a key tool for supporting holistic and integrated care. It serves as a centralised repository of key health information that healthcare professionals can access and can contribute to. Its capabilities will be enhanced to cater to a wider spectrum of care providers in a safe and secure manner, enabling healthcare providers in different care settings to make better decisions when caring for their patients. The upcoming Health Information Bill will also establish the framework to govern the collection, access, use and sharing of selected health information across various settings to facilitate the continuity of care. Specific to primary care, we have supported GP clinics and their IT vendors to upgrade their IT systems, to simplify administrative processes and to improve data flows, while ensuring data sharing is secure. For example, under Healthier SG, we have rolled out the Clinic Management System Tiering Framework for Primary Care to ensure that IT systems used by private GP clinics are integrated with national programmes, for a more seamless delivery of care. We have also enhanced our national digital health app, HealthHub, to empower residents to manage their own health.”
“We will also support GPs in the provision of holistic care for patients with mental health needs by strengthening the links to COMIT for non-pharmacological mental health support. Sir, Dr Tan Wu Meng asked if MOH is reviewing the time required by GP clinics to deliver holistic care. As we mobilise family doctors to co-develop health plans with their patients, which can include adjustments to lifestyles and regular health screening, we expect that the percentage of patients requiring longer clinic consultations to increase. This has been taken into account when planning for future primary care capacity. To allow family doctors to focus on optimising clinical care, we have adopted a team-based care approach in polyclinics and private GP clinics. In polyclinics, patients with chronic conditions are assigned to multidisciplinary care teams comprising family physicians, nurse care managers and care coordinators. In private GP clinics, PCNs anchor and strengthen team-based care for chronic diseases, by pooling resources to organise core ancillary services provided by nurses and care coordinators who work with GPs to jointly manage the patients' conditions. The number of clinics participating in a PCN has grown, from 340 clinics in 2018, to more than 1,000 clinics today. Our clusters will also step up as regional health managers, working with family doctors and other partners to address health and social needs of residents in their region and anchor care in the community. Family doctors may work with specialists or hospital doctors in the management of patients with more complex needs, for example. Upon discharge, the hospitals would refer patients to the family doctor they are enrolled with, to ensure continuity of care between the hospital space and the primary care space.”
“Training is delivered through various modalities including video conferencing and webinar platforms, allowing GPs more flexibility as they keep up to date with the latest developments in family medicine. At the same time, we are increasing the number of nurses, pharmacists and other allied health professionals in the community, and are providing interdisciplinary training to empower them to practise at the highest level of their licences. We will also expand the role of community pharmacists and other allied health professionals in primary and community care to improve care delivery in the community. We will also train more lay extenders. These are non-medically trained persons who can undertake tasks, such as arranging the initial health screening and coordinating referrals to community programmes. Healthcare professionals can then focus on clinical care. Primary care teams will be supported with Healthier SG Care Protocols to ensure consistent, quality care for patients. These care protocols lay out clear processes, referrals and data flows to guide GPs in managing each health condition. Twelve care protocols were released during the launch of Healthier SG on the management of common chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and preventive health, such as smoking cessation and weight management. More care protocols will be developed to cover more chronic diseases in the future. We recognise that some GPs may have more experience in managing certain chronic conditions than others. Therefore, we will work closely with the College of Family Physicians Singapore (CFPS), AIC and healthcare clusters to roll out training for GPs and their care teams for each care protocol.”
“Sir, there are critical structures and policies to support the effective delivery of preventive healthcare. Our primary care teams need to be suitably sized and equipped with the right skills. They also need to be adequately supported to provide team-based and integrated care, through Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and consultations with specialists and by leveraging on technology. Mr Yip Hon Weng highlighted the need to ensure GPs in participating Healthier SG GP clinics have the necessary resources and expertise to effectively manage chronic conditions. Ms Ng Ling Ling also asked how the Government intends to support the professional development of GPs, especially in areas that they may be increasingly involved in, such as social prescriptions to influence patients' lifestyle choices for better health outcomes and treatment of common mental health conditions. Dr Syed Harun asked about retention plans for healthcare professionals to support Healthier SG and the shift towards preventive health. MOH is working closely with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to increase local training pipelines. We are also committed to the development of family doctors in primary and community care and have placed a stronger emphasis on family medicine training, such as encouraging more doctors to take up postgraduate Family Medicine training like the Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (GDFM) and the Masters of Medicine in Family Medicine. Postgraduate training in Family Medicine is also strengthened to help family doctors be more equipped to manage a wider range of complex conditions across different age groups.”
“While persons with severe mental health conditions may seek psychiatric care at hospitals, those with mild to moderate mental health symptoms would benefit more from care delivered in the community, as compared to being institutionalised for treatment or being removed from their daily routines and social networks. Dr Syed Harun asked if mental health will be a focus of Healthier SG implementation plans. Let me elaborate on how we are scaling up mental health services in the primary and community care settings. Today, 19 out of the existing 25 polyclinics provide mental health services. In addition, over 450 GPs have been trained to support persons with mental health needs under the Mental Health General Practitioner Partnership (MHGPP). To bring mental health services closer to where individuals live, we will expand mental health support in all polyclinics and Healthier SG clinics by 2030. MOH will also be developing mental health protocols and incorporating mental health care and support, as part of the scope of practice for GPs in Healthier SG clinics. We will also be strengthening mental health outreach and intervention in the community. Today, we have 73 Community Outreach Teams (CREST) that detect and help individuals with mental health needs. By 2030, we will expand the number of outreach teams to 90. For those who require more intensive mental health support, they can be referred to any of our 29 Community Intervention Teams (COMIT), which will be expanded to 50 teams by 2030. These teams support GPs in the provision of psychosocial interventions for persons with mental health needs in the community. This also addresses Dr Wan Rizal's question on what is being done to enhance the accessibility and integration of mental health services within the community.”
“At the Parliament Motion on advancing mental health last month, this House recognised the importance of mental health as a health, social and economic issue, and affirmed the importance of a robust national mental health ecosystem to enhance mental health and well-being. 12.15 pm Mr Keith Chua asked about key areas that the National Mental Health Office (NMHO) will be focusing on. The Office is expected to be fully established by 2025, comprising officers from MOH, MSF and MOE. It will oversee the implementation of various plans under the National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy and shape the development of future mental health initiatives, building upon previous efforts such as the National Mental Health Blueprint and the Community Mental Health Masterplan. Under the Office, we will scale up mental health services in the primary and community care settings and strengthen access to community-based care. Specifically, initial plans include building the competencies of professionals and frontline personnel. We will include staff in religious organisations to support persons with mental health needs, to address Dr Wan Rizal's question about involving religious organisations in community mental health support. Other plans include promoting early care access through publicising key mental health first-stop touchpoints and ensuring better care coordination among service providers through the development of a practice guide. The Office will also track indicators to monitor the progress and outcomes of these plans, as reflected in the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy Report.”
“Mr Ang Wei Neng asked about plans to build more polyclinics to cater to the increasing demands of our ageing population, particularly in the Western region. There are 25 polyclinics and over 1,000 Healthier SG GP clinics today. By 2030, we will have 32 polyclinics and we hope to have more Healthier SG GP clinics. There will be three new polyclinics in the western region: one in Tengah which will be completed by 2025, another in Yew Tee by 2027 and the third in Taman Jurong by 2028. The existing Clementi Polyclinic and Jurong Polyclinic will also be redeveloped by 2030 to increase their capacities. I agree with Dr Tan Wu Meng on the need to ensure adequate accessibility between polyclinics and major transportation nodes. For the redeveloped Clementi Polyclinic, MOH has worked with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to ensure that sheltered pedestrian access will be provided between the building and Clementi MRT station's nearest exit, save for the junction across Clementi Ave 3, where such shelters will not be practical, because the junction is wide and there are double-decker buses passing through. As our society ages, we need to ensure that seniors' social and health needs are adequately supported in the community. Having strong social support networks have been shown to contribute to better health outcomes. This is particularly important for seniors who live alone and are at risk of social isolation. AACs will collaborate with healthcare providers, including family doctors, as well as work with other community providers and Government agencies for active ageing programmes. In addition to physical health, we also need to look after our mental health.”
“Mr Chair, our population is ageing rapidly. As we age, we become more susceptible to developing serious diseases. As a nation, we have become less healthy in the past decade, with a general rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases, such as hypertension. Life expectancy in Singapore has improved over the last 10 years. Seniors are increasingly living alone, and this trend is expected to continue as our population ages and average household size decreases. For all these reasons and others, the strain on individuals and their families and the impact on our healthcare system will increase significantly in the coming years. We need to strengthen our healthcare system to meet these challenges by proactively encouraging healthier lifestyles and preventing or delaying the onset of poor health. This involves strengthening healthcare services in the community closer to individuals' everyday environment and leveraging our extensive network of family doctors and community partners as necessary. While we continue to invest in building new healthcare infrastructure, upgrading existing ones, we are also expanding our primary and community care services. Studies have shown that individuals with a regular family doctor experience better health outcomes, including fewer hospitalisations and emergency department visits. Beyond managing our acute and chronic illnesses, the primary care team also plays a vital role in preventing the onset of serious illnesses. An ongoing relationship with a regular doctor allows for deeper understanding and familiarity with patients' medical conditions, sensitivities to medications and foods, and their day-to-day lives of the patient. This results, ultimately, in better care.”
“Sir, the answer to both questions is yes. That sense of looking at the systems, systems of systems and the interactions between the various components of the systems is indeed the very framework that CSA takes and the Cybersecurity Act is applied to, and it is how we then derive the designation of Critical Information Infrastructure and Significant Information Infrastructure. These considerations are not only for the gov.sg domains.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Yip for his question. When it comes to the safeguards for the cybersecurity of our Critical Information Infrastructure, there are various layers and various issues that we have to think about. It is not just about the training of our civil servants. That is certainly an important component of it, but we have a multi-layer defence in-depth approach in securing our Government's infocomm technology (ICT) systems. There are preventive, proactive, detective and reactive measures that we put in place to defend against cyber threats. One example of a preventive measure would be the Secure Internet Surfing, blocking Government workstations from malicious content. An example of a proactive measure is putting Government digital services through security testing to discover and remediate any potential vulnerabilities that may be there. For the systems that are online, our Security Operation Centre monitors the devices and networks 24/7 to detect attacks. Should suspicious or malicious activities or payloads be detected, our Incident Response Teams are prepared to contain quickly any attack, investigate the incident, carry out the necessary remediation and follow-up actions for recovery. Other than depending on a central system to defend everywhere – that is not going to be sufficient – we also conduct regular cybersecurity awareness training for our public officers, raising their cybersecurity posture in terms of their behaviour and how they interact with systems. It is this layered, defence-in-depth landscape that will protect our systems from cyber threats.”
“Sir, my response will also cover matters raised in the written question by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim1 for a subsequent Sitting. “Energy stick” nasal inhalers claim to give users an energy boost. They contain ingredients that are similar to the conventional nasal decongestant inhaler. The Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) are closely monitoring their use, especially when the marketing on social media and its availability of flavours target the young. We will continue to evaluate these products to ensure they are not adulterated with harmful ingredients, such as nicotine, as they evolve, and we will take the necessary actions to protect public health.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Jessica Tan for making that point. Indeed, a new product and a transition to a new – it may or may not be a new business model, depending on what the operators do – and we have to make sure that we adequately communicate this to the consumer base. So, her point is well taken and we will certainly follow up on that.”
“I recommend all Members to have their teeth regularly checked, with AI, if necessary. With access to the newest technology becoming increasingly necessary to attract investments, we must continue to invest in R&D to maintain our competitive edge in the global market. Sir, allow me to conclude. Digital technology is one of our most powerful tools to meet the needs of citizens and businesses. We embrace bold development and agile experimentation so that we can wield this digital technology to create the greatest possible impact for Singaporeans and for Singapore. At the same time, we have to look ahead to the horizon and invest in digital infrastructure, research and development so that we can facilitate ahead of time our goals for digitalisation. So far, this approach has been successful, and there is much more that this approach can deliver for Singapore as we enter the second decade of our Smart Nation journey. [Applause.]”
“EEG is just one of several efforts to grow our data centres sustainably under the Green Data Centre Roadmap, which IMDA will be launching later this year. Beyond the products, beyond the infrastructure, we also need to make sure we have access to the right technologies. This is vital. Singapore needs strong research and development capabilities to develop and tailor technologies for our local context. For cybersecurity, we have established a CyberSG research and development (R&D) Programme Office at the Nanyang Technological University, with allocated funding of $62 million to support cybersecurity research. Launched last September, the Programme Office serves as a coordinating body to spearhead Singapore's efforts in translating research into commercial solutions for Government agencies and the industry. It is a key enabler to both strengthen our digital security and grow our digital economy. Mr Sharael Taha also asked how MCI is building Singapore’s research capabilities in AI. Over the last five years, we have invested more than $500 million on AI research, and our investments have borne fruit. We rank among the top 10 countries based on publications at top AI conferences. Our researchers have won international accolades, such as the Google AI PhD Fellowship, which recognises about 50 graduate students worldwide each year for their exceptional and innovative research work. In addition, we have supported close to 150 research collaborations with Government and industry partners. Some big projects, some small, some in areas that you do not expect, such as AI Singapore working with a dental chain, Q&M, to help dentists detect diseases from X-rays, perform automated dental charting and recommend dental treatment plans.”
“It covers various infrastructure components – the hard infrastructure like submarine cables which connect us to the world; the middleware that links diverse systems, applications and devices for them to work together; and many other factors. The DCB is about integrated master planning to ensure we have what we need, when we need it. And over the next few years, we can look forward to seeing the DCB’s bold ideas come to life. This has already begun. For example, one of the DCB’s strategic priorities is to enable seamless 10 giga bits per second (10G) domestic connectivity within the next five years. We are setting aside funds to enhance the capacity of our Nationwide Broadband Network (NBN) to make such 10G broadband a reality. IMDA will be investing up to $100 million to support operators in upgrading their infrastructure and offering innovative services at competitive prices. Like with the NBN back in the 2000s, we are investing ahead of demand. This is to cater for upcoming opportunities in areas, such as AI, immersive digital experiences and autonomous solutions, which will require higher bandwidth connectivity. We target to complete the upgrade to the 10G NBN by 2026 and expect more than half a million households to sign up for and benefit from higher-speed broadband in the next five years. Mr Xie Yao Quan asked how we can power our digital future more sustainably. As mentioned in the Budget Speech, the Energy Efficiency Grant (EEG) will be extended to the data centre industry. With the rollout of the EEG to the data centre industry by the end of 2024, we hope more data centre operators and end-users will adopt energy-efficient equipment.”