Jessica Tan Soon Neo
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Senior Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I am also very happy to hear that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will continue to review that. I agree with the writer that structurally, there are some challenges, and productivity is important.”
“And as global supply chains re-organise, how are we positioning Singapore as a trusted, stable hub so that businesses continue to choose Singapore, create good jobs and keep our economy strong?”
“Caregiving is not only a financial load. It is a time load and a well-being load. Employers have a role to play as well. Incentives for caregiving friendly workplace policies, such as caregiving leave, flexible hours and phased return-to-work schemes, would encourage more companies to adopt practices that keep caregivers employed and prod…”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for her reply. The reason I am asking this is because I have seen an increasing trend of appeals with regard to these kinds of issues, especially mould caused by continuous use of air-conditioning by neighbours.”
“Mr Speaker, I do have a clarification for the Senior Minister of State. He says that the AV is not relevant for retirees. I would say it is relevant with regard to CareShield Life premium because the assumption is that people only retire at 67.”
“Yet, we must ensure that Singaporeans understand that CareShield Life does not stand alone. It is complemented by a suite of targeted schemes like MediSave Care, which allows monthly withdrawals for care expenses; the Home Caregiving Grant, which offsets informal caregiving costs; and the ElderFund, which provides discretionary support fo…”
The complete record
Every one of 823 lines we hold for Jessica Tan Soon Neo, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 17.
“And here, I do have some concerns, because what it means is that the tenants will end up accumulating outstanding rental debt, which still needs to be paid after the relief period. As the Minister had mentioned in his speech, rent is not an insignificant proportion of the cost that businesses are paying. In fact, it is about 30%. So, there will still be a large sum that tenants will have to pay after this period. Even if the businesses were viable before the impact of COVID, as the COVID situation improves, business will pick up, but it will take some time to rebuild and it would not be easy for the individual or industrial tenants to be able to settle the outstanding rental immediately. Would it not be better for the Assessor, while still allowing for temporary relief, to determine whether to allow tenants and landlords to renegotiate the terms of the contract that would be more viable and equitable for both parties. This will not only provide temporary relief for tenants but also minimise a situation where the debt accumulated after the relief period is too large to be repaid. If the debt is too large, the landlord may then also be left with the short end of the deal even after having not received rent during the relief period. I am glad to hear that Minister had indicated that the Assessor will review the moratorium after three months of the relief. So that I hope will also allow them to calibrate the impact of the debt and may be make an assessment at that point in time. In the same way that the Bill sets out to give temporary relief to the tenants, the Bill also seeks temporary relief and protection for contractors from non-performance of contractual obligation caused by COVID-19.”
“The cost for such events is not small and deposits paid are also not trivial. The same applies for tours or travel that have been paid for. With border controls and traffic restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it is therefore fair that there should be protection from forfeiture of deposits or payments made in such circumstances while maintaining the sanctity of the contract. On the delay of rental payments, the Bill seeks to protect individual or industrial tenants from having to pay damages or forfeit deposits, or face lengthy litigation or possible insolvency for inability to pay rent due to the COVID-19 situation, which they have no control over. I understand and agree that tenants may need relief to minimise impact on their business cash flow due to the severe fall in demand on their business due to COVID-19. This will allow businesses to continue to pay expenses to allow them to operate and most importantly, to keep jobs and to pay their workers. However, on the flipside, the landlord too will be impacted by the delay in payment of rent. Could the Minister share if there will be relief provided for landlords who, due to the inability to collect rent from tenants in such circumstances, are themselves impacted materially and therefore unable to fulfill their other contractual obligations due to the dependency on rental payments. Will there be temporary relief for them as well? For the tenants who have sought such temporary relief, rent will continue to accrue and remains payable after the six months' temporary relief period. The rental arrears, even if no interest is charged, will not be a small sum.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for allowing me to speak on this Bill. A few months ago, no one could have imagined the disruptions on personal lives and businesses that we are witnessing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From personal celebrations or significant events to commercial contracts and commitments, the inability to proceed with plans has had both economic, social and personal consequences. Weddings and festivities have to be postponed indefinitely, tours, vacations and major business events deferred. Businesses have not been able to perform or deliver on their commitments due to factors beyond their control with measures taken by governments around the world, including Singapore, to stem the spread of COVID-19. As the Minister has said in his speech, the measures, though temporary, are substantial and significant. The Bill seeks to provide temporary relief to individuals and businesses who are unable to fulfill their contractual obligations because of the impact of COVID-19 and related public health measures, which no one could have foreseen or imagined. My speech today will touch on the temporary measures in the Bill to provide relief from actions for inability to perform scheduled contracts, as outlined in the Schedule of the Bill, caused by COVID-19 on or after 1 February 2020 for contracts entered into before 25 March 2020. The Bill seeks to provide protection for bookings from forfeiture of deposits. This is fair for businesses as they have collected the deposits and the bookings will still be honoured and event held, albeit when it is feasible to do so. It is already distressing and disappointing for couples to have to postpone their wedding celebrations or individuals having to reschedule significant events for circumstances that are beyond their control.”
“This is an excellent unifying platform to rally Singaporeans for a resilient Singapore. How and when COVID-19 will end is not clear. What is clear is that beyond the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets which are much needed, it will take each and every one of us, as well as businesses and the Government to work together in this fight against COVID-19. I support the Budget. 3.01 pm”
“Added to this is the stress brought about with safe distancing. We are social beings and interaction and relationships are important to us. To some extent, I do see a silver lining as technology today – while it cannot completely substitute a face-to-face interaction – has allowed us to continue to engage despite the need for safe distancing. Video-calls and teleconferencing have allowed people to continue to "see" each other as well as to "work with each other" across different locations. Just last weekend, while we had to avoid large group meetings to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19, I was glad that I was still able to brief almost 70 of our volunteers at the same time, using digital technology to be able to ensure that we were able to distribute the re-usable masks over the weekend. So, while it is painful, this crisis is also accelerating the need for and driving transformation and change at all levels. Individuals and businesses are adopting and adapting to digital technologies and platforms to help them address current constraints and circumstances. With COVID-19, many Singaporeans now have experienced and have first-hand understanding of the impact of Singapore’s dependency of imports for our food supply. Many Singaporeans are now aware of and appreciate the importance of Singapore’s target of producing 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030. Beyond investing in research and technology to achieve productivity in farming and unlocking physical land for farming, we must also mobilise Singaporeans, both young and old, to develop our local talent to understand urban food production processes and business models to accelerate our efforts to achieve our ambitious target.”
“As an example, the family may have a notebook, but now that all family members are working from home, they will all be vying for the same resource at the same time. The other consideration would be how conducive the environment at home is for everyone. Just imagine several adults at a home teleconferencing at the same time and then having children trying to do their home-based learning also at the same time in a small space. All these will add stress to any home environment. While funding is important and necessary, given how quickly things are changing, it takes more than funding and policy to ensure that Singaporeans impacted get the support needed. Equally important is having the right capability and the process to pull together resources to ensure that needs can be met. To illustrate the point, there are people who because they are either vulnerable or have family circumstances that make it difficult for them to get essential services they need. How do we ensure that products and services can reach them? With the surge of demand also for essential services, even if people have the ability to get online for those services, it may be very difficult because now online orders are also overwhelmed. Providing these services is quite a challenge. So, how can we provide a way to broker and get resources better connected so that both businesses and individuals who need these services will be able to access them in a timely manner? For example, could we have a portal for people to be able to know what needs are, to sign up and to be able to be activated if their resources or their capabilities are required. I am personally concerned for the overall well-being of Singaporeans caused by the anxiety of the COVID-19 outbreak and infection.”
“For the Self-Employed Persons Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) and the COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG), while means testing is necessary for their eligibility, I do hope that even with the enhanced eligibility criteria so-called the increase of the annual value of eligibility criteria for the household type, I do hope that there will still be flexibility in cases where self-employed persons do need help in qualifying for this support. Ultimately, though, we must still work together to keep the economy going. While we are fortunate to have strong past reserves that we can draw on to provide the needed relief as well as to prepare workers and businesses for the recovery, unless there is business and economic growth, over the long term, this will not be sustainable. Therefore, we should all pull together to work to contain this spread so that we can shorten the period and return to normalcy as soon as possible, although the timeline looks like it is going to drag on. MOM’s call and measures to support people to work from home and now with the latest circuit breakers, most people will be working from home except for those in essential services. There could be, however, individuals and some companies that may not have the resource or be enabled to do so, as they do not have access to capabilities to telecommute. What help can be extended to both individuals and businesses to help them with this transition and to enable them to work effectively from home? For the worker, even if he or she is resourced to work from home, because all of use are working from home on a mass scale, a family’s resources may not be sufficient to meet the needs of everyone all at once.”
“1 billion which Deputy Prime Minister Heng had outlined out of the $48 billion Resilience Budget for the Job Support Scheme (JSS) and now with the additional enhanced Job Support Scheme with the Solidarity Budget will pay 25% of monthly wages for every Singaporean worker in employment, capped at an income level of $4,600, for nine months until the end of 2020. Given the sharp drop in business demand and the disruptions to supply chains, the challenge is that businesses may not be able to afford to continue at the same capacity and cost and hence will and may still have some of the jobs impacted and retrenchments may not be avoidable for some of their workers. Can the Deputy Prime Minister also share how we ensure that businesses get this wage support will continue to hire these workers? What support will be given to workers if retrenchment is still inevitable? The Temporary Relief Fund as well as the COVID-Support Grant which provide three months of partial income support would go some way to help those whose income has been impacted or jobs have been lost. But as the Deputy Prime Minister has pointed out, the key is helping people keep their jobs so that livelihoods are not impacted. How do we help people find jobs,especially in today's environment as businesses are shrinking and jobs are going away? As it is likely that the COVID-19 situation will continue for some time, what is crucial is that the economy does not come to a standstill. It is timely that the Resilience package and the Solidarity Budget are providing training and income support for also the self-employed persons (SEPs) as they too have been impacted quite severely.”
“Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on the Additional Support Measures in response to COVID-19. As we speak, the situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve rapidly in Singapore and in every country around the world. The impact of COVID-19 on individuals and businesses is unprecedented. In just a short span of 10 weeks since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Singapore, all our lives have changed dramatically. How we work, interact, eat and even greet each other has changed. Even standing-in-line has required us to practise safe distancing. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the various measures across countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is causing severe economic impact on businesses as channels for the demand for goods and services as well as supply chains have been disrupted and individuals have suffered loss of income, and for some, even their jobs. The Supplementary or Resilience Budget and now the Solidarity Budget are much needed as the individual lives, families, communities and businesses are hurting. The primary focus of the Resilience Budget and the Solidarity Budget is the health and safety of every Singaporean and protecting livelihoods, supporting viable businesses, manage the immediate challenges of cash flow, cost and credit given the drastic and sudden impact on business demand and supply. While helping our people and business deal with immediate pain, I am glad that the Resilience Budget does also invest in ensuring that Singapore stays resilient and emerges stronger. The $15.”
“Benefits include access to talent, business and individual productivity, lower cost for work space for companies and many hours saved from not having to travel to and from the workplace. With the competitive labour market, these new work arrangements may become a staff attraction and retention tool for businesses. I believe that the discussion will move away from flexible work and work-life balance to one of how the boundaries are blurring between work and life as we manage the transformation of how work is done. Shared or collaborative work arrangements provide platforms for sharing of ideas, creativity and even innovation for companies. HR policies and practices, including performance management and benefits, will need to evolve in tandem to support the new way of work. Implementing more flexible and collaborative work arrangements will also require managers to pick up new skills. Could the Ministry share what support programmes are available to assist companies in transforming their businesses and HR policies to support flexible work arrangements and evolving work arrangements? 5.00 pm Support for Flexi-work”
“The current COVID-19 situation has led to many businesses having to implement their Business Continuity Plans (BCPs). In a short span of time, many organisations have found themselves willingly or unwillingly implementing flexible work arrangements for a sizable proportion of their workforce. Until recently, for many organisations in Singapore, flexible work arrangement was a way for employers to allow employees who required it, some flexibility of where and when they work. With the current COVID-19 situation, the activation of BCPs involves employees across different roles and levels in the organisation. People have had to adapt. Moving to flexible work arrangements require not only people to work away from the office, but the right tools, processes and even etiquette or work norms had to be established. Some companies and employees moved quite quickly while others are still adjusting. Regardless, we now have quite a large number of organisations and employees on flexible work arrangements. I believe that with many employees now experiencing flexible work arrangements across their organisations, this will influence and change how people work in the future. Technology is a key component to enabling new work arrangements and changing how work is done. This goes beyond just flexible work arrangements to include even shared work and collaborative work spaces. With devices getting smarter, connectivity more seamless, the workplace is no longer a place to get work done. It is now more important that you have the right devices, access to information and connectivity to get your work done. While this will change business norms, it does create new opportunities for both businesses and workers.”
“In coping with today's complex and fast-changing market, businesses will need both young and mid-career workers to transform and will benefit from having a diverse talent pool, creating a work environment that effectively engages a diverse workforce of both young and mid-career workers, and this will be a competitive advantage for businesses. For companies to up-skill their own mid-career employees or to hire mid-career employees effectively, they need to also understand the existing skills that their mid-career employees have and also what their business requires. This will enable better alignment of employment development for the new jobs. I hope that the various skills programmes will take this into account and provide the job pathways and relevancy of the existing and new skills required to help mid-career workers. Mid-career Transitions”
“Mr Chairman, the support for Singaporean workers aged 40 to 60 years in this year's Budget is a welcome move. With technological advances and digital disruptions, businesses need talent as they transform. Mid-career workers are concerned as the nature of work and jobs are changing and they worry that there may not be enough or suitable jobs. Paradoxically, we see a situation where companies are seeking skilled talent and are facing a talent crunch. Mid-career workers who are displaced are finding it harder to find suitable employment. As we focus on supporting mid-career workers on re-skilling for new roles to meet changing business requirements, I want to stress that we should also build upon the experience, expertise and knowledge of mid-career workers, especially PMEs. While digital skills and technology are increasingly required to get work done, technologies, for example, artificial intelligence and data analytics, do not exist in a vacuum. In fact, if we examine the roles that are in demand, while many of the roles require the ability to handle technology, they are at the same time more complex and multi-disciplinary, requiring business acumen and a wide set of skills from different fields, for example, design, marketing, sales and customer services, and even operational know-how. These are quality roles and not low-level entry jobs. While mid-career PMEs will need to learn new skills, especially digital skills, they have the experience, expertise and knowledge. And organisations should and must tap on this valuable talent base. While younger talent may be equipped with new skills, be agile in learning, they will need time to acquire multi-disciplinary skills and expertise that mid-career workers have built up over their careers.”
“Mr Chairman, 2019 saw an increasing trend in the number of people falling prey to scams. This is concerning. The methods used by scammers range from e-commerce, loan, credit-for-sex, social media impersonation, Internet love scams, to investment scams. Scammers have even exploited the COVID-19 situation and impersonated as Government agents conducting contact tracing. The most recent scam is the fake email impersonation of President Halimah’s invitation for a dinner event with her, the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet. While the elderly may be the target, a recent report indicates that six out of 10 persons that fall prey to scams in Singapore are persons aged 20-40 years of age. With high online usage in Singapore, it is not a surprise that online scams are increasing. What is the Home Team's strategy to protect Singaporeans and to mitigate the prevalence of these scams? Community Awareness of Scams”
“Operationally, officers have to deal with vast information, complex and fast evolving situations and manage risks. In such an environment, could the Minister share the Home Team’s approach to skills and capability building of its officers? How does the Home Team track the effectiveness of these capability development programmes? With the pace of change, how does the Home Team’s capability development programmes enable continual learning? Technology continues to play an increasing role in homeland security and the environment that officers have to deal with range from the physical to cyber. How does the Home Team ensure that its officers are adequately prepared and equipped to adapt and leverage new technologies and solutions to effectively deploy them in their operations? Technology in the Home Team”
“Mr Chairman, with the formation of the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) with responsibility in research and procurement areas of border security and protection of critical infrastructures, what are the areas of focus in its technology roadmap? How will the work of HTX help in operational effectiveness of the Home Team? HTX has ambitious goals. Having the right talent and skills is critical for the success of the HTC. Could the Minister share more on HTX’s talent strategy? Has HTX been successful in attracting the right talent it requires for the scale and scope of its ambitious mandate? Could the Minister also share the profile of the HTX team? One of HTX's people strategy is to enable integration across the Home Team to bring together capabilities, knowledge and resources from different Home Team Departments. How has HTX brought together the capabilities across the different Home Team Departments? Does HTX have the right talents who are able to translate security operational requirements into technology solutions and what are some of these solutions? As HTX is a new organisation, what are the early challenges it is facing? What are the risks involved in the use of technology in the Home Team's operations and how is the Home Team addressing these risks? Its work in security technologies and research as well as the prevention, response and recovery from cyber attacks requires inter-agency coordination and industry partnerships. How is the Home Team developing HTX's inter-agency cooperation and industry collaborations? Strengthening Home Team Capability My next cut. In keeping Singapore safe and secure, the Home Team has to tackle an increasing complex security environment and at most times the problem to be solved is not always defined or predictable.”
“If the contractor, despite given reasonable time does not rectify the works, what it leaves the consumer to do is to have to hire another contractor to rectify the works and then obtain legal redress which might take some time. In one of the cases that my resident sought sought my assistance, the said contractor has cheated others. When she had made Police reports, she was that the Police could not assist and that they had to pursue their own cases. The concern is that as they did this, whether besides recovering moneys, whether the contractor was continuing to cheat others and this somehow did not seem right. In another area of maintenance. While the provisions of the Women’s Charter provides for sanctions or in extreme cases, even imprisonment terms, to those who default in maintenance, by the time the law takes its course, it could provide cold comfort to the wives and children, many who live with relative financial strain. So, could the Ministry consider imposing measures of sufficient deterrence, so that defaulters who breach court orders in maintaining their families will think twice, such as imposing fines of appropriate severity, in addition to any existing penalties? I would also like to request the Ministry to share on what steps are being taken to educate and inform the public of their legal relief, especially in cases where Singaporeans do not have the financial wherewithal to afford legal representation and hence would be less cognisant of their legal rights. Legal Design for a Digitalised Nation”
“IPOS International’s suite of tools related to IP assets, for example, Illuminate for Enterprises, which is an online diagnostic tool developed by IPOS International, assists users to obtain a quick overview of their company’s IP, the health of their intangible assets, as well as any management gaps and risks. Are Singapore SMEs actively leveraging the suite of tools and engaging IPOS International to better understand and develop their IP strategy for competitive advantage? What is MinLaw’s assessment of the progress that Singapore companies are making in leveraging IP for their business growth and the commercialisation of IP of Singapore companies? My second cut. Enhancing Access to Justice Mr Chairman, could Minister also on what has been done to improve our criminal, civil, community and family justice systems to make access to justice for citizens simpler and more affordable? Could Minister also inform us on the key priorities on enhancing access to justice that we look forward to? I would like to highlight areas where some of my residents have sought assistance as they face challenges in their access to justice and equitable outcomes in one area of unscrupulous contractors. While the law does allow for legal recourse to be provided to consumers who have been cheated by contractors who do not perform their duties to the required standard, there are cases where my residents have been let down or short-changed by contractors who have done shoddy works. Under the current legal framework, if my understanding is correct, an offence is committed only if money has been paid by the consumer and no work has been done at all. This may not be an altogether satisfactory, as the services rendered may be due to poor workmanship or left unfinished.”
“Mr Chairman, in a fast changing and competitive global landscape, we do appreciate that one of a company's competitive advantages is its brand, ideas and innovations. Singapore has come a long way in developing our Intellectual property (IP) capability and eco-system. Singapore is ranked second in the world and the highest in Asia for having the best IP protection as stated in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2019. In fact, this is one of the reason why Singapore is selected by many MNCs to invest their business and research development in Singapore. 6.15 pm The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore or IPOS has been pushing the boundaries to support businesses in using IP to grow. With IPOS’ strong reputation, credentials and capabilities in IP strategy protection and management, could the Ministry share how IPOS is helping Singapore companies especially small and medium enterprises understand the value of their IP, protect their IP and innovations as well as leverage their IP for competitive advantage? I welcome the Government’s move towards enhancing Singapore’s standing in becoming an even more established intellectual property hub and the launch of IPOS International last August. IPOS International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of IPOS has over 100 IP experts in areas of IP strategy and management, patent search and analysis, and IP education and training. IPOS can provide customised programmes and this provides valuable assistance to many businesses. The use of technology by IPOS is also very encouraging.”
“For organisations, when they look at onboarding their staff, they look at onboarding staff to the new environment in the office, to the company and the company's policies and practices and business. For the mid-career worker, what is additionally required is also the onboarding and transition to a new industry when you are looking at reskilling and job role changes. I can tell that to Members personally because I have experienced that. I have changed industries. And it can be extremely scary because you suddenly find yourself in situations where you do not even know what questions to ask, because you may not know what you do not know of your new industry. That kind of orientation – onboarding and so on – is very important as well as the support systems to be put in place for that. Performance systems and management systems need to also evolve in the same way. I am also encouraged that Budget 2020 focuses on supporting the building of social capability and capacity to foster a climate of change in our community and to channel the energies of our people around important social causes. Beyond the provision of funding, equally important are these platforms to encourage ground-up participation and bringing stakeholders together to catalyse more ground-up initiatives, crowd source ideas and drive innovation. The partnership of our people, businesses and the Government to address social challenges together will help build a more cohesive and resilient Singapore for all Singaporeans. With that, I support the Budget.”
“For the PCPs, there is an online listing of roles and industries from different industries – from Precision Engineering, InfoComm, Food Manufacturing, Logistics and many more – outlining the scope of the application criteria and requirements for participating companies. What is the current number of available jobs that the PCPs have either in the "Place-and-Train" or the "Attach-and-Train", and how can mid-career workers avail themselves of these opportunities? As we focus on supporting mid-career workers to develop new skills, we also have to find new pathways to allow these workers to learn new skills and, at the same time, build upon the relevant skills and experience that they have built over the years. Sometimes, I feel that when we talk about reskilling, we forget that these mid-career workers bring a wealth of knowledge, capabilities and experience that we should leverage while we help them with reskilling. This is something that I hope we can pay some attention to, because otherwise, it will be a waste of opportunities and also wasted skills. For example, if data analytics is the area of focus, as we reskill the individual for this, how do we also look at his/her experience, perhaps, say, in marketing or management? How do they avail themselves of these skills across different industries and roles as they pick up this new skill? I think that is a critical area and it is an important area that we have to focus on. Another area that I would also like to highlight is as we encourage employers to recruit, retain and reskill mid-career Singaporeans, we must recognise that the current employment policies and practices need to be also aligned. And what do I mean by that? Let me give Members an example.”
“While the number of self-employed workers and freelancers form a small proportion of the workforce, they, too, are experiencing a drop in demand for their services and they may need help with support or maybe even to find an employment. And I do hope more can be done for this group of workers as well. The Budget's special focus on support for mid-career workers currently in their 40s and 50s who form a significant number of the workforce is welcomed. As Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had said in the Budget, some in this segment have stayed with one company and have not made career changes since they left school. With the disruptions that we are seeing, the new technologies and the nature of jobs changing, many in this segment do need help to reskill and, more importantly, to adapt to the changes to compete for new opportunities. While training and reskilling are important, knowing what the opportunities are and aligning the training to available job opportunities are key for mid-career workers to secure suitable employment. And I must tell Members that I do see my residents in this age group struggling with finding suitable employment and this is not because they have not tried. Anxiety levels are really quite high, not just for them, but also for their families. I am also somewhat concerned with the emphasis on training and reskilling with this Budget because if many are trained and yet they are not able to find suitable employment, we may have a situation where there is even greater frustration and anxiety.”
“This learning experience and exposure will better prepare our young to take advantage of new opportunities with the growth of Asia and add value to organisations that they join after they leave school. The current uncertainties are driving concerns on the implication for businesses and workers, and workers are really worried about keeping their jobs. The short-term measures in the Stabilisation and Support Package will provide businesses some relief from the impact of the COVID-19 situation and will help workers retain their jobs. But while the support will help, the reliefs are short term. No one can tell how long the COVID-19 situation will continue and more help may be required. We do have to recognise that for some businesses, the impact of the current uncertainties has been quite sharp, and although their business operations have been viable, the drastic drop in business demand and impact on supply chain will have significant short-term operational and cash flow impacts. Going through the immediate challenges will have to be a priority for them if they are to be able to keep jobs. While the Stabilisation and Support Package does provide some relief on wage costs and funds training support, they may not be sufficient to help businesses. Employers will need to take the leadership on cost-management measures as well as partner with employees to help with cost-saving measures to protect jobs. Perhaps, more can be done to help businesses navigate existing programmes already in place that can complement Budget 2020 to manage this current business impact.”
“Today, many more people are taking courses and, while this is encouraging as it shows the willingness to learn, we need to do more to ensure relevancy and the impact of the learning in helping with employability or addressing required lifeskills. Skills are important and we must develop deep skills to play and compete in the areas of new opportunities. But we must also recognise that skills and knowledge have a shelf life and do become obsolete. What is equally important is to develop in our people the underlying capability and capacity to learn and relearn to stay relevant, the ability to deal with change, ambiguity and the application of knowledge with the practicality and resolve to make things happen even when there is no charted path. I particularly like the focus on enhancing the role of enterprises in developing their staff. The various measures to encourage businesses to transform their business and redesign jobs, including giving enterprises more direct control over the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit Fund of $10,000 per company, enabling partnerships among employers, institutes of higher learning (IHLs) and the involvement of large anchor enterprises to support training for their sector and value chain partners, together with providing Singaporean students real-life learning work experience. This will better align training with what businesses require. This will, in turn, drive real productivity and value for both employers and employees. The new Asia Exposure Programme and the enhanced support for Internships under the Global Ready Talent Programme are also key platforms to give our young Singaporean students the opportunity to acquire cross-cultural skills and perspectives, developing networks of relationships and understanding of the region.”
“In times of a crisis, it is also time for us to come together to find ways to address the challenges and also see opportunities that present themselves even in these difficult times. An important thrust of the Budget is the development of our people and supporting continual learning. The measures in this Budget support nurturing every Singaporean to achieve his or her full potential. And I must tell Members this. It is a little bit disconcerting sometimes, but I have residents who come and ask me, "Can you get me approval to transfer my SkillsFuture credit to my family members?" The reasons given are that they do not need this to learn new skills because they are too old or just that they do not need it or they think that other members of the family may have more need for training. The need to continually learn, unlearn and relearn is important for everyone, regardless of age or stage in life. This is to build confidence not only for employability but for active participation in life in an economy and society that is more complex and fast-changing. With change comes the need to be agile and to be able to handle ambiguity. Therefore, building relevant skills, picking up new knowledge and the ability to deal with change are key to not only availing oneself of employment opportunities, but also to enabling us to be confident to participate and thrive in society. This will impact an individual's quality of life. The challenge is how we can help as many Singaporeans as possible to understand what training is available, assess what is relevant for them and to make access to learning easy.”
“He now has a promising career and he and his family are doing very well. And he said this to me repeatedly. He said, "I know the importance of opportunity and I am grateful that by continuing my studies, I was able to take the opportunities that came my way". So, he had potential and he would have been able to help his family had he gone and found a job at that time. The fact that he was able to build on the foundation and acquire the skills to enable him to access better opportunities really made the difference for him and he is now clearly able to take on larger opportunities that come his way. Of course, his learning continues. So, why am I telling this story? Addressing current challenges and keeping businesses viable are important because, if they fail, Singaporeans who work for these organisations will lose their jobs and their livelihoods will be impacted. We must not, however, give up on building for the long term. I am glad that Budget 2020, while seeking to provide the much-needed support and help for workers and businesses to weather the short-term uncertainties brought about by the COVID-19 situation and geopolitical tensions, is also balancing this with ensuring that we stay on track with the strategic economic transformation plans to prepare Singapore and Singaporeans for the longer term and to be ready for new opportunities. The structural shifts brought about by economic trends, technological disruptions and demographic changes require businesses and workers to transform and this will take time and effort. With the business slowdown, organisations must take the opportunity to execute these transformation plans and reskill their employees. As the famous quote attributed to Winston Churchhill says: "Never let a good crisis go to waste".”
“Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to participate in the Budget Debate. Let me start by sharing a story. A young resident came to my MPS some years ago to ask for financial assistance to pay for his Institute of Technical Education (ITE) school fees. I told him that we would assist him, but I asked that he promise me that he would put in his best effort to do well. I still remember how he, without hesitation, agreed to do so. That year, he did come back, showed me his grades and it did reflect him doing well. And I was very glad for him. After a year, one of my residents came to see me asking for help, saying that he needed help for me to speak to his son. He explained that his family had financial difficulties and because he was a low-income worker. He said that his son wanted to quit school to be able to earn an income to help the family with its finances. He asked if I could convince his son to stay and continue his studies. So, I told him I would try my best and hope that we could do that. After he left, I asked my grassroots leader to please go and see if this is the boy that came to see me a year ago because we need to convince him that he needs to stay in school because his grades are good and we need to help his family. I am glad to say that we were able to convince him and he did continue with his studies and we were able to help his family. By sheer coincidence, I was invited to an ITE graduation ceremony and I witnessed the graduation of him and he was receiving an award and a scholarship to the polytechnic. At that time, he informed me that, with his scholarship, his family could manage and he asked that we channel the support to other more needy families. Now, many years later, I recently met this young man.”
“So, for the contributions made, there will also be more MediSave Account interest earned. There is, however, a very short time for SEPs providing services to the Government or the public sector to plan for this change as January 2020 is less than two months away. Some SEPs may face transitional cash flow impact. Will there be any assistance provided to SEPs if required and how? The Minister did say that those who have kept up with their MediSave contributions or the installment plans for their MediSave contributions will be given the option to opt out of the Pilot and I assume, if they wanted to, to start later. But for those who do have difficulties, what help would be provided? As previously reported, one in four SEPs has not kept up with their MediSave obligations annually. For the SEPs who are facing financial difficulties and are unable to make contributions for the outstanding amounts to their MediSave, the Minister did mention that some help will be given for those who are behind in their contributions to catch up. Can the Minister elaborate what help this would be because they will not be given the option to opt out? SEPs are a very diverse group. Feedback received from SEPs during the Tripartite Workgroup public consultation identified lack of CPF savings for healthcare and retirement needs as one of the common challenges faced by SEPs. The CAYE scheme, I believe, is a practical way to support SEPs address this challenge. So, if the CAYE Pilot scheme does prove effective in supporting SEPs make regular MediSave contributions, when will the scheme be extended to the private sector? Mr Deputy Speaker, notwithstanding my clarifications and comments, I do support the Bill.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, in Singapore, over the last 10 years, the trend on the number of SEPs that make up the resident workforce is between 8% and 10%. This number is not large but, with increasing digitalisation of the economy and the technological disruptions, employment practices are changing and this trend could shift. The Tripartite Workgroup's (TWG's) Recommendation on SEPs cited autonomy as the reason that "some 80%" of SEPs in Singapore have chosen self-employment over being a regular employee. SEPs are their own bosses. The attractiveness of being your own boss and reaping the rewards when you succeed does come with a set of challenges and, while there are other challenges like business risks and all that that SEPs face together with the regularity of income, the focus of today's Bill is on the healthcare and savings for retirement. Clause 5 of the Bill seeks to amend the Act to provide for the CAYE scheme. This will allow for certain persons called "collectors" making revenue payment to SEPs to be required to make contributions to the CPF funds of SEPs as outlined in the new section 9B. While I am supportive of the amendment, I do have some comments and clarifications with regard to the CAYE scheme. The Minister announced that the CPF Pilot for CAYE will start in January 2020 with SEPs providing services directly to the Government or the public sector. This will impact some estimated 6,000 SEPs. This will help this group of SEPs providing direct services to the Government or public sector make smaller and regular contributions to their MediSave, and, as such, when these payments are made when the SEP receives payment for his or her services. This will minimise the risk of the SEPs not being able to make lump-sum contributions on an annual basis.”
“With the proposal for new and enhanced penalties to deter employers from non-compliance, I do also ask how MOM will keep track of compliance to ensure that employers do, in fact, take up WIC insurance coverage for their employees and reporting of all work injuries and illnesses. At the same time, will there also be tracking of the adequacy as well as the timeliness of payouts by insurers to ensure that employees do get paid appropriately as well as in a timely manner? Ultimately, the best protection for workers and for employers is to have safety protocols and training to ensure a safe working environment. While employers have the duty of care to provide a safe working environment for their employees, employees also do need to adhere to safe work practices as they carry out their work, and this will help minimise the number of injuries as well as diseases in the workplace. Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“The regime will also require licensed insurers to process all WIC claims in accordance with stipulated terms and conditions, guidelines as well as processing timelines. So, in the event of disputes, this will be reviewed and handled by MOM. So, this does provide additional protection for employers directly. Under the current Act as well, employers have no recourse against fraudulent claims if they have made payment for medical, permanent incapacity or death compensation. The proposed amendments of the Act will enable restitution to be paid to employers for false claims. As outlined in clause 33 of the Bill, insurers will also be required to provide MOM with policy and claims history information. This information will be centralised and, I believe, shared with insurers to allow insurers to differentiate premiums based on claims history and the risk profile of employers. This concept is a novel idea and may encourage employers to ensure safe and healthy workplaces. However, the devil is always in the details and the exact implementation. So, can MOM share more information on how this will work? Will there will be greater transparency on the differentiation of premiums and will employers also be provided with information of the insurance premium trends to allow them to also make better decisions on the insurers that they select? I would also ask that MOM consider the approach of sharing of information of good work safety practices of employers and having this included as part of premium differentiation because this will help also prevent a practice of under-reporting because if the claims history was the way of premium differentiation, it could lead to a dangerous situation of under-reporting.”
“Clause 24 states that the insurance policies must be approved policies with one or more designated insurers and that a minimum coverage may be stipulated. Clause 26 requires that an approved policy must contain all the prescribed compulsory terms and disallows derogatory of the compulsory terms. Clause 25 outlines the penalties for employers who breach the terms set out in clause 24 which include fines, imprisonment or both. With such obligations placed on employers, what measures will there be to ensure insurance premiums for work insurance compensation remain affordable and sustainable for businesses, especially given the current market challenges that businesses are facing? I was glad that Minister of State stated that there will be a phased approach taken in the implementation of the amendments. The Minister of State did say that 90% of companies are already insured. But despite this, because of increased scope of compensation that will come with the amendments as well as the fact that more employees will be required to be covered under this Act, it will definitely increase the cost of premiums. So, I do hope that there will be measures to also look at the premium affordability and the trends of how that posed. The proposed new regulatory regime for Workplace Insurance Compensation does, however, offer better protection for employers as well as only insurers licensed by MOM are allowed to sell the approved WIC policies. MOM's endorsement of a standard WIC policy with a core set of insurance terms and conditions will also help ensure claims are paid and employers will not be faced with exclusions and have to make out-of-pocket payment of compensation to employees despite having insurance coverage.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill. At this juncture, I also want to declare my interest as I work for an organisation that handles work injury assessments. Employers have a duty of care to provide a safe environment for those who work for them. WICA's "no-fault system" ensures that employees receive fair compensation for work-related injuries or illnesses without having to go through the lengthy and costly process of taking legal action against their employer. In 2018, while there was a drop in the number of workplace fatal injury cases from the year before, workplace injury cases increased from 12,498 cases in 2017 to 12,810 cases in 2018. Both workplace major and minor injuries saw an increase in the number of cases. The proposed enhancements to compensation to keep pace with healthcare cost and wage growth and the amendments to make it compulsory for employers to take WIC insurance coverage for employees will provide assurance to employees of fair compensation and ensures timely payout of compensation. Since 2017, there were four cases, referred to SMC for investigation, where doctors were suspected of issuing inappropriate medical certification to workers that had work injuries. The proposed amendments to make all MCs and light duties reportable and expansion of compensation to cover workers on light duties due to work injury will be key to preventing employers from influencing doctors on the prescription of MCs. This ensures that workers are given appropriate number of days of MCs for their recovery and care. With employers having to take compulsory insurance coverage for WIC, we must, however, be cognisant that this will have increased cost impact on businesses.”
“I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the comprehensive reply. Could I just ask how has this helped in terms of making it easier for employers to offer opportunities for re-employment of their employees who have reached retirement age? As well as what has been the feedback from older workers, in terms of this helping in their re-employment and hearing that it is still task-oriented, but has it helped in their re-employment opportunities with the employers?”
“Okay, sorry. On the point about the health factors that affect Singapore in 2017, it is really dietary risk, tobacco, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. A lot of these are due to lifestyle and also genetic factors. If we took that view and we put the same actuarial lens on it, then we would come to a different conclusion on the differentiation to be used for premium. I will leave it at that point. I will ask the Senior Minister of State, with better experience, can we, at some point in time, with the experience of CashShield Life, as he has said it many times in his speech, can we relook, with that data, the experience and the trends, to see if premiums could be adjusted, at that point in time with better knowledge and intelligence from the data?”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for the round-up. I would just like to ask him clarifications for the question I asked earlier, which is, if someone does not qualify because of the three ADLs, but with two ADLs or even one ADL, is somewhat unable to continue to work and earn an income and therefore has difficulties paying for the premium, is he or she still expected to continue to pay the premiums, in those kinds of situations? The second area – and I seek the Deputy Speaker's indulgence on this – I did not want to speak about the gender aspect because I had read the report, but after hearing the Senior Minister of State's round-up speech, I have to ask some questions. Just as it is an actuarial view of the risk factors, it is also a lens that we all put on to look at which risk factor or which differentiated factor we look at. Last night when I read the report again on the burden of disease, I actually looked at it from a gender differentiation lens. And therefore, I came to the same conclusion that, actuarially, it is a fair system to have that differentiation. But having heard this and hearing the point about the fact that this is a partial universal system and all that, if we took from an actuarial standpoint another factor, that is the risk factors affecting the disease burden or the disability, and I go back —”
“The leading risk factors affecting health in Singapore in 2017 were dietary risks, tobacco, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. The leading causes of Years Lived with Disability (LYD) in Singapore were musculoskeletal disorders, mental disorders, unintentional injuries and neurological disorders. So, it is important that we leverage the data that we have on our healthcare trends, assess the risks together and also encourage regular health screening as I believe that this will help support early detection and enable appropriate and timely interventions. This may help mitigate some of the risks of severe disability associated with chronic diseases and enable Singaporeans to live better quality lives. Mr Deputy Speaker, notwithstanding my clarifications and comments, I support the Bill.”
“I do want to take the opportunity at this point to also give feedback because the information online with regard to CareShield Life has been actually quite comprehensive. At the same time, the Online Calculator for CareShield Life premiums is very easy to use and very simple. The only problem is you need to have certain information, like whether you have ElderShield or not. So, for some of our seniors, they could answer all the other questions except that, so they could not estimate. I think these are very practical but important matters that I hope more clarity can be provided to our seniors soon. With regard to the definition of disability, I also want to touch on the point of mental health condition because CareShield Life's definition of severe disability today is based on the ADLs with emphasis on physical disabilities. How will mental health conditions and dementia, for example, be assessed? Mental illness and dementia can significantly impair cognitive and behavioural functioning and interfere with normal activities and relationships. These can be as disabling as any other physical disabilities. Dementia and mental illnesses are sometimes called invisible disabilities and may impact an individual's ability to do essential daily activities. So, I hope that we can look at how mental illness and conditions like dementia could be treated or would be assessed together with the ADLs. Based on the report on "The Burden of Disease in Singapore between 1990 to 2017", Singapore faces a challenge shared by many developed countries. While life expectancy has increased, the number of years that is spent in poor health has not decreased. Lifestyle and habits increase the risk of disabilities.”
“For those with two ADLs on the CareShield Life scheme who do participate in the CareShield Life Scheme and they are not eligible for the claim payouts when they do get disabled, do they need to continue to pay future premiums for CareShield Life if they are unable to work or to continue to work? This will affect their ability to afford premiums in the future if they are already unable to do the two ADLs. Could the Minister share how this group would be treated if they do have ADLs but are not able to qualify for the payouts? For older Singaporeans born in 1979 or earlier, CareShield Life is not compulsory and they have a choice to decide on whether they wish to participate. I am going to ask some operational and procedural or practical questions with regard to CareShield Life. Can MOH share how and when this cohort of older Singaporeans will be informed of the details of eligibility and the amount of premium they need to pay to participate in CareShield Life, if they choose to do so? The reason why I am asking is that, during the briefings that I conducted with our Merdeka Generation (MG) seniors, it was quite interesting because many expressed interest to participate in CareShield Life. They do, however, need to have more information to help them understand CareShield Life, most importantly, to assess if they can afford it and how to participate. Some of the MG seniors I met – unfortunately, I have to say this – but many that I met were not sure whether they are on ElderShield or not, because they said "I do not know whether I opted in or whether I opted out". So, they do need some help to also check on that.”
“Can MOH assure them that for our people and these age groups that taking on long-term care coverage at a young age, that they would be better off than delaying that to a later time? Given that the various healthcare coverage plans and schemes that are already in place, more information should also be shared to show how CareShield Life complements and is not a duplication. Feedback from the ground is that there are so many schemes and eligibility criteria for these schemes and understanding the various schemes and objectives can be quite confusing. While MediSave funds can be used to make payment for CareShield Life premiums, with the changing employment trends and disruption in jobs and employments, income contributions to MediSave may be affected. This may impact ability to make payout for CareShield Life and other premiums like MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans. So, what are the implications if an individual loses his job and will his coverage lapse if he is unable to pay for his CareShield Life premiums? What help, if any, can he get to assist him during this period when there is disruption? In terms of qualifying for payouts and disability assessment, the First Schedule in the Bill outlines the definition of a person with severe disability to be his or her inability to perform three of the six ADLs set out for CareShield Life. Feedback, as we have heard from many other Members in this Chamber, is that the criterion for at least three ADLs may be somewhat strict. But regardless, when one is already in the unfortunate position of being afflicted with disability, what help will there be to ensure that the process for disability assessment and eligibility will not be onerous?”
“For middle-income families that do not qualify for Government subsidies, the cost is a few thousands monthly. I have witnessed many families that are not financially prepared for such expenses and face difficulty in making these payments. If their parents had coverage for the disability similar to that of CareShield Life, the monthly payout would help alleviate some of the cost. I am supportive of the Bill to provide long-term care financing support for severely disabled persons, but I do have some clarifications and feedback on CareShield Life and Long-Term Care. The Bills seeks to make CareShield Life compulsory for those born on or after 1980 and those 30 years old on or after 2020. Those in this age group are in their 30s to 40s and are at the stage of their life when they have many responsibilities and financial demands. For example, if they are married and have children, they would need to support their young families, pay the mortgages on their homes. They may also have to take care of an aged parent. As enrollment into CareShield Life is compulsory and not an option for this group, how can they be assured that CareShield Life premiums are fair and competitive as compared to premiums of other similar insurance covered by private entities? With the scheme being compulsory, the risk pool will be large and it would be expected that premiums will be affordable. What assurance is there for Singaporeans that premiums will be kept low and affordable? As it has been stated that payouts will increase about 2% each year to adjust for the higher cost of long-term care in future, premiums will be expected to increase in tandem. So, will the transitional subsidies and means-tested subsidies be sufficient to keep premiums affordable?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, disability can occur at any time to anyone, young or old. None of us can anticipate when we could be hit by a sudden illness or sustain an injury that could affect our ability to go about essential daily activities and to work. If we are not financially prepared, this will have serious impact on our life and our families. While we would not wish for anyone to be severely disabled, we cannot predict when and who it will impact. I have a resident who, in his early 40s, suffered a stroke. He was severely disabled as a result of the stroke. Before the stroke, he was gainfully employed and the dual income that he and his wife made was more than sufficient to comfortably support his family and their three young children. Not only has the stroke rendered him unable to be work, he needs to be assisted in his daily living activities. His wife’s single income is now supporting his ongoing care needs as well as their children. His family does also receive financial assistance. However, financing his ongoing care needs as well as supporting their family's expenses have been and continues to be financially challenging for his wife and the children. If he had had coverage similar with benefits like CareShield Life, while it would not cover all the cost required for him, the monthly payout of $600 a month for as long as he is severely disabled would have provided some financial relief. I have also had several residents who sought financial assistance for the long-term care needs of their parents who become severely disabled and need to stay in a nursing home. For some in the lower middle-income group, even with Government subsidies, they still have to pay about $1,000 a month for their parent's nursing home care.”
“Mr Speaker, given the discussion around creating a Science and Technology ecosystem, I was just curious and wish to ask the Second Minister where will the HTX be located? Will it be amongst the community in the ecosystem or will it be within the Home Team facilities?”
“This brings to mind some examples when we always say, "Do not collect information" because if you do not store it and you do not keep it well, it is a concern. But when you need that information, you really wish you had collected it because you cannot turn back the clock. And this is the same with regard to technology. If we do not start, and we do not try and iterate and then learn from it, I think that would be the biggest danger that we will face as a society. I do encourage us to take a very balanced approach between the concerns we have as well the excitement around the deployment of technology. In conclusion, I would like to make a related point: as we drive innovation and deployment of new technologies and solutions, trust amongst stakeholders is critical for success. Mr Speaker, with that, I support the Bill.”
“As we build new capabilities for the future, it is important to balance technology with operational needs. While technical talent is key for innovation, it is equally important that the operational talent within the agencies is also tech-savvy. The reason for this is to allow for operational and technology integration so that operational and technology talent can have a common language for more effective outcomes. This combination of operational insights and new capabilities can lead to the discovery of new ways to seeing and doing things and for more effective execution and delivery of services. For example, as what the Second Minister had shared in the example of the new clearance concept, there are potential security benefits and productivity gains in the development and deployment of biometrics solutions for passenger identity verification for immigration clearance. However, as many of the Members have shared in this Chamber today, there will also be concerns around privacy, given the use and collection of personal identifiable information. Therefore, it is important that such technologies are validated in an operational context for the effective deployment of such solutions and, more importantly, to address stakeholder concerns because, otherwise, we are going to be in a situation where we are concerned about leading-edge, cutting-edge technology, but we are in fear of using it because of the so-called "concerns of the downsides". The best way to do that is really to work together to look at the implementation in the operational context so that people can understand the value beyond just the convenience of the use of technology.”
“I am glad that in her speech today, the Second Minister stressed that even after the Home Team has established its own Science and Technology Agency, it would continue to work across Government agencies and in collaboration with industry and research institutions. This will ensure that the agency, together with the whole of Government, keeps pace and develops the best capabilities for crime prevention as well as to protect Singapore. Apart from the organisations that MHA has partnered, even within the public sector, there are other agencies focused on similar areas that the new HTX has outlined for itself. These include the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) as well as the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group. Using and deploying technology securely and the better use of the vast amounts of data for insights to serve our citizens more effectively are clearly priorities for all Government agencies. While I agree that the Home Team does have its unique requirements and requires deep capabilities to be able to meet these needs, there are also many areas of similarities with what the other agencies and industry are working on, for example, data science and analytics, cybersecurity and AI. The difference is in the application of the technology or solutioning and domain knowledge. The Home Team is not alone in the quest to build science and technology capabilities. The ability to work together across the agencies and industry will allow leverage and enable the realising of the value of synergies across the larger science and technology ecosystem. These coordination and partnership are also key when we look in the area of talent and skills, given the limited talent pool of STEM capability and digital skills in Singapore.”
“Innovation requires technology, but it also requires human insights and the willingness to think and to see things differently. And to this point, the Minister's elaboration on the agency's One Home Team approach is welcomed. And I think the points made by other Members with regard to the privacy concerns and how technology will be used, these are all very critical in pointing out that while we are focusing on an agency that looks at Science and Technology and the deployment of technology, what is important is the actual usage and how it is implemented. And, in doing that, I think the human side of things, the insights, will be very critical and, of course, the policies behind them. In March this year, during the COS debate, Second Minister Josephine Teo had shared the need for the Home Team to possess capabilities in the three areas that she had outlined: biometrics, data analytics and data forensics. Faced with the rapid pace of change and against a landscape of evolving crimes, increasing terrorist and security threats, and the pace of change, I do agree that the Home Team does need to have its own capabilities to be able to ensure preparedness, combat crime and keep Singapore safe. While the Home Team builds its own capabilities, we must ensure that the efforts are coordinated throughout the whole of Government to minimise duplication and, more importantly, that research and development are effective. Second Minister Josephine Teo had shared previously that MHA has thus far partnered other Government agencies like GovTech, DSTA and DSO, together with other private sector organisations like ST Engineering and Singtel, to develop these capabilities.”
“Mr Speaker, against a landscape of rapid technological advancement and to meet new and emerging threats to Singapore's safety and security, this Bill seeks to create a new Science and Technology Agency. The agency will enable the Home Team to stay in the forefront of science and innovation, with the mission to develop the best capabilities to address national security threats now and, more importantly, in the future. Core to the success of this new agency will be the strategy and ability of the agency to attract and develop a world-class team with STEM and digital skills. Without strong science and technology capability, the Agency will not be able to deliver its mission for the Home Team. With digital transformation on the agenda for many businesses and Singapore's drive to building a Smart Nation, there is a high demand for skilled STEM and digital talent. Roles in high demand across all industries and the public sector are data scientists, user experience designers and digital roles. Cybersecurity, of course, continues to be an area of focus. So, with the competing demands on a limited talent pool, the ability to attract and retain good talent will be critical for the agency. The agency's people strategy to centralise recruitment, development and management of all Science and Technology personnel across the Home Team is sound. The bringing together of more than 1,000 research scientists, engineers and technical staff from the Home Team departments will give the agency a good base to build on. It will also need to have a strategy to build a pipeline of STEM and digital talent. But while the focus of this talent pool will be deep skills in science and technology, it is important to keep in mind that innovation will require more than that.”
“By outsourcing these tasks to authorised third parties, I do hope that there will be a balance of using authorised third parties for these tasks and still have SCDF officers stay connected with the ground conditions and, more importantly, the insights of what is happening on the ground. While the tasks of conducting inspections and enforcements are routine, they are also important tasks to ensure that the buildings meet the fire safety standards. To this point, how will SCDF ensure the quality of the tasks done by the authorised third parties? The Senior Parliamentary Secretary did share that there would be measures to safeguard the quality of these parties, and these include audits as well as body-worn cameras. Can more details be provided in terms of the benchmarks, criteria and the frequency of such audits? With many Singaporeans living in HDB flats, and given the rise in PMD fire incidents within HDB flats and blocks, can the Minister also share the fire safety standards and measures to handle fire risks of HDB blocks and flats? I do want to take the opportunity to also thank our SCDF officers for the work that they do and for keeping Singaporeans safe. To protect lives, it is essential that fire safety regulations stay relevant and that there is continued maintenance and testing of fire safety standards and inspection to ensure our buildings are fire-safe. Mr Deputy Speaker, notwithstanding my comments and clarifications, I support the Bill.”
“This is in compliance with the latest Fire Code, and it has been pointed out that some 500 buildings in Singapore that were built before the 1001/2002 Fire Code and have a higher occupancy load, require these features. While we all agree that safety cannot be compromised, the stricter requirements will increase construction schedules and the cost will affect both the building owners and tenants. As fire safety experts, SCDF is best positioned and must take a practical approach to work with building owners to comply with the safety standards while managing costs. Ensuring that buildings meet fire safety regulation standards is important. But equally critical is the building's fire detection and alarm system, evacuation plans and policy in the event of a fire. As the Bill will empower SCDF to investigate fire hazards and to mandate building owners to comply with fire safety regulations, how does SCDF ensure that buildings have in place appropriate building fire evacuation plans and policies? This is as crucial as the physical infrastructure and fire regulations of the building. With the strain on manpower, I understand the rationale for the Bill to also seek to empower SCDF to appoint authorised third-party officers to conduct routine fire safety enforcement checks and building inspections. This will allow SCDF officers to focus on more complex enforcement. While the tasks of building inspections and fire safety enforcement checks are routine, they do require SCDF officers to be on the ground. This will give them a good feel and assessment of the fire safety conditions of buildings.”