K Shanmugam
Singapore
“Bank accounts are frozen when there is reason to suspect that the bank accounts are involved in illicit activities, including money laundering activities.”
“The Singapore Police Force does not track the requested data. Distinguishing artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content typically requires more detailed forensic examination which may not be necessary in every investigation and may also not be conclusive as to whether AI-generative tools were used.”
“The Building and Construction Authority’s Code on Accessibility provides baseline requirements for accessible and inclusive buildings. It stipulates a minimum width of 1.5 metres or 1.8 metres for primary accessible routes, depending on the building type.”
“The Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Driving Licence) Rules under the Road Traffic Act set out the scope of the medical assessment required for motorists aged 65 and above who wish to retain their driving licences.”
“When a Police report has been made, the Police will investigate to determine if a criminal offence has been committed. If there is reasonable suspicion that a case is scam-related, the Police can direct online service providers to restrict Singapore users' access to the relevant online activity under the Online Criminal Harms Act.”
“Through intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement actions, the cross-border operation disrupted a transnational drug trafficking syndicate and downstream drug trafficking activities, with the UK arresting seven persons so far and further investigations underway.”
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“The Ministry of Home Affairs does not track the reasons for suicides.”
“The data requested by the Member for 2018 to 2022 is in Table 1 below. Figures for 2023 are not available yet.”
“We have put in place measures at the border to try to detect human trafficking activity. The various agencies also work with community partners, such as non-governmental organisations, to raise awareness of human trafficking and the available reporting channels. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) regularly conduct enforcement checks in areas where victims of human trafficking may be operating. Frontline officers undergo training on anti-trafficking laws and human trafficking indicators, so that they can effectively detect and respond to human trafficking cases. The human trafficking situation in Singapore is under control. In the past five years, MOM and SPF have investigated 129 cases where signs of human trafficking were detected. Two cases were found to be substantiated and prosecuted under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (PHTA). One case was eventually convicted under the PHTA and the other case under the Women's Charter. The investigations did not find evidence of organised crime in these cases.”
“The Police's investigations are ongoing and they are unable to comment at this point of time.”
“The Member may wish to refer to the update provided at the recent Committee of Supply debate. [Please refer to "Committee of Supply – Head P (Ministry of Home Affairs)", Official Report, 29 February 2024, Vol 95, Issue 127, Budget section.]”
“The Internal Security Department (ISD) dealt with the first case of self-radicalisation under the Internal Security Act in 2007. To date, 60 self-radicalised individuals – including 48 Singaporeans – have been detained or issued with Restriction Orders (ROs). ISD adopts a comprehensive approach in the rehabilitation of these detainees and RO supervisees. a. Volunteers from the Religious Rehabilitation Group provide them with proper religious teachings and interpretations, to counter the radical ideology to which they had been exposed. b. ISD psychologists engage them to address other factors that contributed to their radicalisation, such as their propensity for hatred and violence. c. They are also given social support to aid their eventual reintegration into society. For example, their families are provided support through the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group's network of community welfare organisations. These efforts have led to a high rehabilitation success rate. Of the 30 self-radicalised Singaporean detainees, 23 have been released to-date. Of the 18 self-radicalised Singaporeans who were issued with ROs, the ROs of 14 of them had been allowed to lapse. ISD has been refining its rehabilitation approach in view of the increase in number of self-radicalised youths in recent years. Apart from correcting the radical ideology they had imbibed, ISD also looks into other factors, such as their lack of critical thinking skills and mental resilience to cope with life stressors. A mentoring programme has also been introduced for them.”
“The responsibility and discretion for deciding whether to charge a person and, if so, which offence provision to use, lies with the Public Prosecutor. In making such decisions, the Public Prosecutor may consider several factors, in particular whether there is evidence of emotional harm as defined by the Children and Young Persons Act 1993. Whether the evidence is sufficient depends in turn on a variety of other factors, including the child or young person's ability and willingness to be interviewed, the availability of medical and psychological evidence and the availability of corroborative evidence, for example, from the school at which the child was studying or other observers. The Ministry does not have any past case to share.”
“In 2023, 500 migrant domestic workers fell prey to scams, an 18% increase from 423 workers in 2022. The Police have been working with the Ministry of Manpower to raise migrant domestic workers' awareness of scams. As part of the Settling-In Programme, which all of them must attend when they first arrive in Singapore, they are educated on measures which they can adopt to protect themselves from scams. In addition, agencies regularly conduct anti-scam education for migrant domestic workers already working in Singapore. They are educated on the latest scam trends, so that they are equipped to detect scams and become advocates for scam prevention within their own community. For example, the Ministry of Manpower runs an anti-scam campaign which leverages social media and out-of-home media, such as bus stop ads. The Police run the Domestic Guardians Programme to train migrant domestic workers in preventing crimes, including scams.”
“With the inmate's consent, trained social workers will conduct assessments of the family and refer them to appropriate community resources for assistance. SPS also works with community partners like New Life Stories (NLS) and Women In Recovery Association (WIRA) to support women offenders. Strengthening the prosocial identity of women inmates as mothers is crucial for empowering them to take ownership of their rehabilitation and desistance. In partnership with NLS, SPS offers programmes to equip inmate mothers with positive parenting skills and strategies and aid them in rebuilding their relationships with their children. WIRA runs support groups for women offenders in the DRC and also follow up with them in the community to support their reintegration.”
“The trends seen in arrested women drug abusers are similar to those of men drug abusers. The majority are Malays and between the ages of 20 and 39 years old. The top three most commonly abused drugs are methamphetamine, heroin and cannabis. The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) adopts a gender-responsive and trauma-informed approach when working with women drug abusers who are detained for treatment and rehabilitation in the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC). Under this approach, the staff are trained to take into account the women abusers' past traumas, as well as tailor the programmes to address their specific risks and needs relating to drug abuse. For example, the Psychology-based Correctional Programmes delivered at the DRC help women abusers gain insights on how their relationships, such as intimate relationships and past traumas, may impact their drug use. They also learn to identify and replace maladaptive thinking about their relationships that led to substance use, as well as learn how to apply emotion regulation and self-management skills to better cope with challenges. This is in line with research which show that relationships are crucial for many women in both their pathway to drug abuse and to prevent re-offending. This is in addition to other general interventions for all abusers, such as family programmes, to enhance their pro-social ties with their family; and education programmes, to increase their employability. SPS also provides upstream intervention for newly admitted women inmates with children under the age of 18 years. This programme, the Initiative for Incarcerated Mother and Children, is administered by the Singapore Aftercare Association and reaches out to women inmates whose children lack care or whose family is in need.”
“There is no prohibition on membership by Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) in such foreign entities, per se. Under the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA), all SCs (but not PRs) are required to declare their membership in foreign legislatures or foreign political organisations to the Registry of Foreign and Political Disclosures. Failure to declare is an offence. This requirement allows the Government to have oversight (for purposes stated in FICA) of SCs who are members of foreign legislatures or foreign political organisations. SCs who join such bodies or are thinking of joining such bodies will need to be discerning as to whether their participation could potentially go against Singapore’s interests. For individuals who are Politically Significant Persons (PSPs) under FICA, we need to be even more mindful about their foreign affiliations, including memberships in foreign legislatures or foreign political organisations. There is no prohibition against such membership per se. However, as Members will know, FICA allows the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures to issue a directive to any PSP to end an arrangement with any foreign principal, including membership of any foreign entity. The Registrar can do so if he is satisfied that the PSP is undertaking, has undertaken or is likely to undertake an activity on behalf of a foreign principal, and that it is in the public interest that such a directive be given.”
“Making lane splitting an offence may not be practical and it is also very difficult to enforce. A better approach is to enhance the safety awareness of motorcyclists and encourage them to practise safe riding habits, including defensive riding and avoid weaving in and out of traffic. It is also important for other motorists to pay attention to the presence of motorcyclists and check their blind spots and signal their intent before making lane changes or turning. Road safety must be a shared responsibility amongst all road users. Defensive riding courses are available in all driving centres in Singapore. Defensive riding knowledge and tips are also incorporated in safe driving advisories, which are frequently used in the Traffic Police's engagements with road users and during road safety campaigns, such as the Singapore Ride Safe campaign. There has not been any study conducted on road culture. Our current regime is designed to deter irresponsible and aggressive behaviour on the roads. The member may wish to refer to past replies to Parliamentary Questions on measures to curb road rage and aggressive driving behaviours. [Please refer to "Cases of Road Rage and Aggressive Behaviour Involving Motor Vehicles in Past Three Years", Official Report, 15 February 2022, Vol 95, Issue 48, Written Answers to Questions section.]”
“All companies domiciled in Singapore, whether local- or foreign-owned, need to comply with the laws and regulations in Singapore. Members know the process. States promulgate laws and enforce these laws when breaches come to their attention. There are various ways in which breaches can come to a State's attention. For example, information on breaches can come to light through systemic overviews, through complaints by informants, through victims themselves coming forward and in a variety of other ways. This applies both to individuals and to companies. In the case of companies, there are also requirements for companies to register and to file information, on several aspects – including with ACRA and other agencies.”
“As of 1 March 2024, five Singapore citizens have declared their memberships in foreign legislatures or foreign political organisations to the Registry of Foreign and Political Disclosures. Singapore Citizenship and Permanent Residency applicants are required to declare their membership in professional societies, clubs, associations and other organisations.”
“Drivers may be required to take a preliminary breath test for alcohol consumption when they are stopped by a police officer. They may also be required subsequently to take a Breath Evidential Analyser (BEA) test, for further investigations into drink-driving offences. On average, over the last 10 years, there were 22 and seven drivers per year who failed to provide a breath specimen for the preliminary breath test and BEA test respectively, when so directed. These are offences under section 69(4) and section 70(4)(a) of the Road Traffic Act. Drivers who delay taking the BEA test will be investigated for failing to provide a breath specimen for the BEA test. The driver may be arrested without a warrant. On conviction, the offender is liable to a fine of not less than $2,000 and not more than $10,000, or to imprisonment for a term of up to 12 months, or to both. In the case of a second or subsequent conviction, the offender is liable to a fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $20,000 and to imprisonment for a term of up to two years. The offender may also be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence. These punishments are the same as those prescribed for drink-driving.”
“The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has not been tracking the number of such cases. While we have received some reports where the complainants had alleged that deepfake techniques were used by the scammers, the number is not high. The SPF works closely with the People's Association, the Agency for Integrated Care and grassroots organisations to alert residents, including the elderly, about the latest scam trends, tell-tale signs of scams and steps the residents can take to protect themselves. In June 2021, the SG Cyber Safe Seniors Programme was launched to raise awareness of cybersecurity and encourage adoption of good cyber hygiene practices among the elderly. The programme reaches out to the elderly through a mix of physical and online platforms, including tutorial sessions that teach the elderly to learn how to use mobile applications safely. With online scams being a growing threat, the curriculum has been updated to include more tips for the elderly to safeguard themselves against scams. Under the programme, digital ambassadors from the SG Digital Office are trained to engage the elderly on cyber hygiene practices. A handbook in the four official languages has also been produced for digital ambassadors to hand out to the elderly. In addition, whenever there is an emerging scam variant, such as deepfake-related scams, the SPF works with relevant agencies to promptly alert the elderly.”
“The Police do not track the figures of domestic disputes that involved the use of knives or other weapons, nor how many of such incidents involved a child or a minor.”
“However, the Prosecution may not be able to indicate its sentencing position in all cases, at an early stage. The Public Prosecutor ought to have flexibility to deal with cases, which may be more straightforward or highly complex. The Ministry of Law cannot mandate that the Public Prosecutor provide the sentencing position in Stage One in all cases. The Public Prosecutor should be allowed to exercise prosecutorial discretion.”
“The Guidelines on Reduction in Sentences for Guilty Pleas (PG Guidelines), which were issued by the inter-agency Sentencing Advisory Panel, are intended to encourage accused persons who intend to plead guilty, to do so early. This is done by setting out the ranges of reduction in sentence that a Court may consider granting, based on the stage of proceedings at which an accused person pleads guilty. Under the PG Guidelines, Stage One ends 12 weeks after the hearing when the Prosecution informs the Court and the accused person that the case is ready for the plea to be taken. The Prosecution will indicate its plea offer, if there is any, at this hearing. This would allow accused persons to consider if they wish to take up the plea offer and plead guilty. The PG Guidelines, including the 12-week timeline under Stage One, were arrived at after consultation with key stakeholders. The 12-week timeline under Stage One is intended to provide accused persons sufficient time to consider if they wish to plead guilty, as well as to engage a lawyer and seek legal advice on their plea, if they wish to do so. An accused person who wants to take advantage of the maximum PG reduction under Stage One, can take these steps and indicate his position within 12 weeks. In cases where an accused person takes more time to indicate that he wishes to plead guilty, the PG Guidelines provide that the Court may consider the reasons for any delay – for example, whether the delay was due to matters outside the accused person’s control, whether the accused person had taken timely steps to obtain legal advice, and so on – in deciding on the appropriate reduction in sentence to be applied. Where possible, the Prosecution will communicate its sentencing position to the Defence ahead of time.”
“We have a number of new initiatives to improve road safety for motorcyclists and elderly pedestrians. The Member may wish to refer to the Annual Road Traffic Situation 2023 report and replies to recent Parliamentary Questions for more information. [Please refer to "Provision of Pedestrian Crossing or Overhead Bridge along Yuan Ching Road Where 12-year-old Girl Was Killed in Recent Accident", Official Report, 26 February 2024, Vol 95, Issue 124, Written Answers to Questions section; "Tougher Enforcement Actions Against Speeding and Red-light Running", Official Report, 1 March 2024, Vol 95, Issue 128, Written Answers to Questions section; "Accidents Caused by Use of Handphones while Driving", Official Report, 4 March 2024, Vol 95, Issue 129, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section; "Effectiveness and Adequacy of Road Safety Measures Around Schools", Official Report, 4 March 2024, Vol 95, Issue 129, Written Answers to Questions section; and "Road Safety Initiatives for Motorcyclists and Elderly Pedestrians", Official Report, 6 March 2024, Vol 95, Issue 131, Written Answers to Questions section.]”
“As part of its enforcement operations against vice activities, the Police conduct interviews with every commercial sex worker to establish the circumstances of each case. Officers who conduct such interviews are trained to recognise indicators of abuse, exploitation and trafficking. If there are prima facie criminal offences made out, investigations will be conducted.”
“Between 2019 and 2023, there were no road traffic accidents where there was evidence to directly attribute the accidents to the use of a mobile phone while operating a vehicle. We assess that our penalties for such offences are sufficient for now. The Traffic Police (TP) will continue to enforce against the offence. TP will be activating the speeding enforcement function in the existing Red Light Cameras from the second quarter of this year. These cameras, however, are not able to detect the use of mobile phones while driving.”
“The Traffic Police (TP) intends to significantly step up enforcement against speeding. From the second quarter of this year, it will be activating the speed enforcement function in red-light cameras, especially at locations that are more accident- or speeding-prone. We have also put in place tough laws to complement enforcement efforts. The Road Traffic Act was amended in 2019 to increase maximum imprisonment terms and fines for irresponsible driving offences, such as dangerous or careless driving. In 2021, the School Zone Demerit Points regime was expanded to cover Silver Zones. Fines and demerit points were also increased for certain offences committed within these two types of zone. This was to improve road safety for school-going children and the elderly. TP intends to further increase fines and demerit points to further strengthen deterrence against irresponsible driving behaviour. More details will be announced later this year.”
“The offending heavy vehicles will also be required to report for additional speed limiter checks – twice a year, or up to four times a year in the case of repeat offenders. To strengthen deterrence against non-compliant speed limiters and tampering, MHA is reviewing the relevant offences and penalties under the RTA. TP engages drivers of heavy vehicles and their employers through road safety talks all year round. TP has a network of speed cameras island-wide to detect speeding. From the second quarter of this year, TP will be activating the speed enforcement function in red-light cameras. TP also regularly conducts targeted enforcement operations against heavy vehicle speeding. Heavy vehicle drivers who are caught speeding will face higher composition sums than motorists driving lighter vehicles.”
“The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) assesses that our regulations and strategies to deal with heavy vehicle speeding are sufficient for now. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of heavy vehicle speeding accidents remained low and stable. The key regulations to limit the speed of heavy vehicles include the following. The Traffic Police (TP) requires goods vehicles with a maximum laden weight (MLW) greater than 12,000 kilogrammes (kg), to be installed with speed limiters which impose a speed limit of 60 kilometre per hour. Manufacturers or motor dealers of heavy vehicles must submit documentation of the installation to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), before the vehicles can be registered for use in Singapore. On 1 January 2024, TP commenced mandatory installation of speed limiters also for lorries with a MLW between 3,501 kg and 12,000 kg. This will be implemented in phases from now until June 2027. LTA requires commercial vehicles, including heavy vehicles, to undergo more frequent inspections at Authorised Inspection Centres, than cars. This includes checking that the speed limiter label is properly displayed, and the speed limiter is installed in accordance with the prevailing requirements. Drivers of heavy vehicles are required to obtain a Class 4 or higher driving licence. The training and test requirements are more stringent than Class 3. Under the Road Traffic Act (RTA) 1961, if a heavy vehicle with a MLW greater than 12,000 kg is found to be without a speed limiter or in possession of a tampered speed limiter, both the driver and owner may be liable for an imprisonment term of up to three months or a fine of up to $1,000.”
“I think those questions are best addressed to the Law Society. But broadly, what the Member can assume that those cases that do not qualify through the means testing of PDO, go to CLAS. And CLAS has its own set of criteria. CLAS, for example, has the power to act for non-citizens, whereas PDO will only act for citizens.”
“Sir, the MEP is part of the court process, whether it is a litigant-in-person or whether it is a lawyer. Lawyers will be expected to know the Act, the provisions, the powers. For a litigant-in-person, the primary touchpoint will be the Courts, because the MEOs report to the Court and that is where he will get the information. The Courts will be expected to talk to the litigant-in-person and this is one process that is available. So, through both the legal process as well as physically in the Courts, the information will be available. Beyond that, we work with community partners. For example, last year, there was a major conference on these developments and the non-government organisation SG Her Empowerment, or SHE, partnered the Ministry in having the conference, and the Family Justice Reform Act was widely discussed. We will continue to do more of that.”
“Ms Soh also asked about collaborations with stakeholders. MinLaw works closely with MSF and FJC to improve the family justice system. Between us, we have regular conversations with the family bar, counsellors, mental health experts and community partners about how best to support families in distress. We also conduct regular outreach to various segments. I ask the public to share about family justice initiatives and therapeutic justice. The aim remains pretty much the same: reduce acrimony, preserve relationships and protect children. And we can say, the situation has vastly improved since these amendments were put in place for some time now. Mr Chairman, to sum up, we have been building steadily on our progress over the last few years. We have taken significant steps and will continue to work on helping the vulnerable through the criminal and civil law systems; and enhancing dispute resolution in family disputes.”
“We observed a fairly high incidence of non-compliance with maintenance orders and a significant number of repeat applications for enforcement, usually by the ex-wife applying repeatedly to enforce the maintenance orders. The Family Justice Reform Act introduced a new Maintenance Enforcement Process (MEP) which would help to address these issues. Under the MEP, there is a new unit of officers called Maintenance Enforcement Officers (MEOs). They will be established under MinLaw. MEOs will be empowered to obtain information about the parties' financial circumstances directly from the parties or from third-parties, such as banks and Government agencies. That will relieve applicants from having to go around, instruct lawyers to apply to Court to get the information, that takes time, effort and cost – and usually, there is also non-compliance. So, when the respondent is non-cooperative, it can go on and on for months, sometimes years. But the MEOs will be empowered. People have to answer them. The information, hopefully, should be obtained faster. With more accurate and clear information, the MEO and the Courts will be better able to distinguish between respondents who cannot pay and respondents who refuse to pay. For those who refuse to pay, the system, the MEP, strengthens the deterrence against them. The Court will monitor payments, typically for around six months and failure to pay can lead to imprisonment. This system should hopefully help reduce repeated defaulters. Ms Hany Soh asked about the implementation of the Family Justice Reform Act. Some of the technical amendments were commenced in January this year. The other reforms will be implemented in stages. In particular, we are targeting to operationalise the MEP in phases, starting from the second half of this year.”
“Of that, more than 4,000 – to be precise, around 4,150 or 66% of divorce cases – went on the simplified track and almost half of these cases involved children. You can imagine if these 4,000 cases were handled under the normal litigation process. The amount of time, the money, the acrimony and the impact on the children. So, all of that has been considerably reduced. This is a significant number of couples, over 4,000 couples, their children, who we hope were better able to move on with their lives with as little acrimony as possible. Of those cases that go on the simplified track, the 4,150, 94% were resolved within six months. So, it is much quicker, much less costly. Where the divorce or ancillary matters are contested, FJC offers free in-house mediation and counselling, if certain criteria are met. Around 930 out of 1,060 cases that went through mediation were fully or partially settled. That is about 88%. In September 2019, we set up a second Committee co-chaired by MinLaw, the Ministry for Social and Family Development (MSF) and FJC. And a slew of further recommendations were made to strengthen the therapeutic justice elements and address some of the challenges in the new family justice system. The recommendations of this new Committee have been progressively implemented: the Women's Charter was amended last year; MinLaw's and MSF's Family Justice Reform Act was passed last year; and a number of other non-legislative initiatives have been undertaken by MSF and FJC. One of the key issues that the Family Justice Reform Act addressed, is the enforcement of maintenance orders. Members of Parliament have spoken about this.”
“We have invested considerable time, energy and resources to streamline and help people in the family justice system. Where families have breakdowns, their relationships fray, they go to Court, we want to try and minimise the pain for those who have to be involved in the legal process. The disputes often involve a lot of emotions, psychological wounds and children are often caught in the crossfire. That is why for some time now, we have taken a different approach from the usual litigation process. For family cases, our Courts focus on therapeutic justice, which is about getting parties to establish common ground and move on with their lives. The changes we have made, over the years, to the family justice system reflect this approach, this philosophy. 11.15 am As Ms Hany Soh referred, a major review was done in 2013, which resulted in amongst other things, the establishment of the Family Justice Courts (FJC). Specialised FJC with specialised judges, with its own head of the FJC. Measures were introduced in divorce cases to help these cases proceed more smoothly and reduce animosity as much as possible. And the focus was also on seeking to protect the children's welfare. One very important measure is the simplified divorce track. For those on this track, it saves a lot of time. Parties do not need to attend court. The divorce proceedings are concluded within a much shorter timeframe and is available to all parties who agree on the divorce and ancillary matters at the outset and, you can imagine, it helps to reduce acrimony. It is an incentive for parties to come to an agreement on the issues. They spend less time in Court. If you take the past year, there were a total of about 6,220 divorce cases.”
“To ensure that aid is provided to those who cannot afford a lawyer, we require applicants for aid to undergo means testing, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam will speak about the means assessment of our legal aid and criminal defence aid schemes. There are also other possible mechanisms to increase access to justice besides Government legal aid and assistance. One of them is conditional fee agreements (CFAs). CFAs have the potential to help people access justice faster, easier when they do not qualify for legal aid, but also find it challenging to pay the full costs of litigation in the Courts. CFAs can help litigants, who are unable to fork out full legal fees at the outset, by providing an additional funding option, to pursue their claims. However, it is not an unvarnished benefit, if you look at the examples in other countries, which is why we have been and we continue to be careful about it, because you have got to weigh against these possible benefits, some well-known potential negative consequences of CFAs, and these are visible in other places. So far, in Singapore, we have permitted CFAs in arbitration proceedings, certain proceedings in the Singapore International Commercial Court, and court and mediation proceedings, which are related to these proceedings where CFAs have been allowed. So, we refer to Mr Zhulkarnain’s question on whether we will extend CFAs to other categories of proceedings. Our approach is, as far as possible, we will see what other means there are available to allow access to justice in an easier way and then study the applicability of CFAs, the usefulness of CFAs, the positive and negative consequences, by extending to other domestic litigation proceedings. I will move now to the second part of my speech.”
“Eventually, the Court gave a sentence of six weeks’ imprisonment with a fine. The Court also agreed to defer his sentence, to allow Mr N to ease his child’s transition into Primary 1 at a special needs school. I will add that Mr N recently surrendered himself to the Court and he will serve his sentence. This is one of many examples where PDO has positively impacted the lives of accused persons. And it is a good start. We will continue to strengthen PDO, its capability and capacity to help more vulnerable persons. Moving to civil legal aid, last year was LAB’s 65th year of providing legal aid, assistance and advice to the less privileged. It was set up in 1958, started out as a small team of 15 staff to provide legal aid to needy persons. Today, it is a department with about 50 in-house lawyers, support staff, as well as 140 Assigned Solicitors. These are lawyers from private practice who work with LAB. LAB helps with various civil matters, including matrimonial matters, monetary claims and probate matters. Over the years, it has helped many people. Again, I will give you one example of a 101-year-old lady. LAB helped her to reclaim her life savings from her own daughter. This old lady spoke no English, only Hokkien. She had been put in a nursing home by her daughter. Her daughter began withdrawing monies from the old lady’s bank account and directed the applicant’s Government financial assistance payouts to her, meaning the daughter’s own bank account. Her daughter alleged that the applicant had no mental capacity and refused to return the monies. The applicant, the old lady, checked herself out of her nursing home and asked LAB for help. LAB helped her to secure a Court order for her daughter to return all her monies, with interest.”
“With our ongoing partnership with Pro Bono SG, eligible applicants receive representation from either PDO or from criminal lawyers working with CLAS. As of December 2023, PDO has a team of 16 Public Defenders and they represented more than 440 accused in Court. As pointed out by Mr Goh, the complexity and impact of PDO cases go beyond legal matters. Let me give you one example. I will call the gentleman “Mr N”. He is a tingkat delivery driver. He is married with two young children with special needs. He brings them to childcare and school. He meets with their teachers, attends their speech therapy classes and follow-ups at the hospital. His wife is not actively involved in the caregiving. He needed money urgently to cover daily living expenses and his children’s therapy sessions. He borrowed $1,000 from an unlicensed moneylender and he was subsequently harassed. Threats were made against his children. He felt he had no choice but to assist the unlicensed moneylender in its illegal operations and he was subsequently charged for doing so. We have to take a serious view of this because that then potentially leads to scams and people losing lots of money, including the elderly. So, if you want to prevent all of that, you need to take tough steps and draw a line when people assist illegal moneylenders. Prior to these charges, he had a clean record. Mr N could have expected a sentence of around eight to 12 months’ imprisonment. This would have meant that his children with special needs would be left without care during Mr N’s prison term. The Public Defender explained his situation to the Prosecution, and also pleaded with the Court for a lighter sentence. The Public Defender also referred Mr N to a social service agency to assess the care plan for his children.”
“Mr Chairman, thank you. The Ministry of Law's (MinLaw’s) work, as Members will know, touches on a number of aspects. This includes maintaining a legal system that is robust, fair and effective; enhancing access to justice; and supporting our economic and social vibrancy. We have made good progress and we intend to do more. I will focus on two areas: one, how can we help the vulnerable better get help when they deal with the criminal and civil law systems; and two, how can we better help resolve family law disputes. My colleagues, Minister Edwin Tong and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam will touch on the other key areas in MinLaw’s work. First, on access to the criminal and civil law systems, we are focused on ensuring access to justice, especially for the most vulnerable in our community. In this context, the Public Defender’s Office (PDO) and the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) have been doing good work. PDO helps to facilitate access to justice for accused persons. It was set up in December 2022, as a department within MinLaw, to institutionalise public defence within our criminal justice system. Before that, the Government funded access to criminal defence via the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS), which was run by the Law Society. When PDO was established, criminal defence aid was made available to more people, by raising the means threshold from the 25th to the 35th percentile of resident households based on per capita household income and allowing aid for most non-capital criminal offences, with some exceptions. Mr Raj Joshua Thomas and Mr Derrick Goh asked for updates on PDO’s work. As of December 2023, we have received about 1,700 applications. Of these, almost half were assessed as eligible for criminal defence aid.”
“This question has been addressed in my reply to Question 5 for Written Answers to Questions on the Order Paper for 28 February 2024. [Please refer to "Crowd Control Management During Festive Seasons and Ensuring Effective Coordination Between Entities", Official Report, 28 February 2024, Vol 95, Issue 126, Written Answers to Questions section.]”
“I fully accept that, and I think that is a fair point. There were any number of interviews in 2022 where I was told that since Thailand is doing this, should Singapore not do this? I said we do not necessarily do whatever other countries do. We look at what is in Singapore's interest. But the very same media outlets that asked me those questions have not come back to ask me: now that Thailand is reversing course, perhaps you are right and they were wrong. They do not say that, because that does not fit in with their agenda, nor do the activists who were all trumpeting Thailand's actions, who have now gone quiet.”
“On Mr Gerald Giam's question, our position is that we will declare and we have put that in the law, but a future Government can always change the position. So, that is why I do not want to tie any future Government's position.”
“I note Mr Christopher de Souza's point. We will refer to relevant examples. Thailand is obviously a relevant example – but bearing in mind we also need to be careful about how we talk about other countries, particularly the nearer they are to us and they are ASEAN members. I think we need to exercise some considerable care. There is another serious point which is that: Singapore is small; Thailand is big. Many other countries are big. Just because we are able to do certain things here does not mean that others can do the same thing in their countries. Likewise, we do not necessarily get brownie points for being able to do some things better. We have many limitations because of size, but we are also able to do certain things because of size. Others have their own challenges. So, we need to apply that lens carefully to others. But there is a point that two years ago, they changed in 2022 and then now, they see that — they are changing back. There are some lessons for us from that, I think. If I can quickly clarify a couple more points. On Mr Pillai's point, actually, my people who are working rather hard have sent me the data. The recruitment for, if I may say so, COPs for example. Yes, in 2019 there were 1,086. Last year – 2023, 463. But if you look at the volunteers – VSCs, for example – it was 838 last year. It was 998 in 2019. Total number of COPs, VSCs and CDAU volunteers – between 2019 and 2023; if you take the total number of volunteers – 5,202 in 2019, last year was 7,105. So, overall, the total number of Home Team volunteers has increased over the five years and we are trying to increase our recruitment efforts. The recruitment numbers for VSCs have gone up. The overall numbers maybe a bit less – came down – but the actual recruitment numbers are now going up.”
“I indicated that there are two different points. You declare if you are a member of a foreign legislature or foreign political organisation. In fact, the deadline for declaration is today. But that does not automatically lead to the designation of a PSP. For precise requirements, rather than trying to set it out here, the Act sets it out quite clearly.”
“I can confirm that there are no other designated PSPs in the sense that the Member is asking. I have pointed out that MPs are automatically PSPs, for example. As regard to whether we will announce each time, I do not want to tie a future Government's actions. Where necessary, we will announce it publicly. We think it makes sense to announce it so that Singaporeans are aware and hopefully it also shapes some behaviour. I cannot recall the Member's second question. Can the Member please repeat it?”
“Mr Chairman, I see that more as a comment. On the specific data, I do not have it with me. If the Member files a question, I will check it out.”
“You can imagine that trade unions, regardless of whether they are close to a foreign country or not, could be relevant to be designated, and that is no indication or suggestion that they have been suborned, or that they are close to or they have undertaken any activity that suggests anything. Just like us as MPs – our very nature requires us to be defined automatically as PSPs. 5.45 pm So, these are nuances which sometimes might be overlooked in public, but I thought I will set that out. Mr Chairman, my colleagues will now elaborate on some of the areas that I have mentioned and also address the other issues raised by Members. I thank Members for their support for MHA.”
“And if there is or there are such individuals in our view, not in all cases, but where appropriate in circumstances where we think it will be useful, we will also have discussions with the individuals, and we will see whether after that there is a need for designation. We will look closely at the activities. So, where possible, where appropriate, we will seek to advise them. After that, we may still assess that it is necessary to designate. If we do, we will designate them. In respect of the specific individual that Mr Giam referred to, I have to be careful because I am the appellate authority and the period for appeal is not yet over. But I can disclose that we did have some discussions with the individual. He was advised about our concerns. Thereafter, based on the Registrar's assessment, the Registrar decided to designate him. If he appeals, I will have to look at the facts and make a decision. And Members must understand, what does designation as a PSP mean? That means an ordinary person outside now has the same status as MPs, because all of us are PSPs. And therefore, there are obligations for the person to be transparent in the context set out in the Act. Not that he has actively done some wrong, per se, at that point of designation. Just that we have assessed him to be at a higher risk of being susceptible to influence by foreign actors and have imposed on him the requirements for transparency. This is somewhat different, let us say, from designating corporates or corporate entities, because by their very nature, some corporate entities could be designated, not because they are close to any particular country, but because of their very nature. For example, trade unions.”
“Second, Mr Gerald Giam asked about the criteria for designating Politically Significant Persons (PSP) under the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act or FICA. The criteria are set out in the Act. The individual must be a member of a foreign legislature or foreign political organisation, or the individual's activities must be directed towards a political end in Singapore. But in addition to this, there is also the public interest criterion that must be satisfied. So, you could be a member of a foreign legislature or foreign political organisation, but if the public interest criteria is not satisfied, you would not be designated. Mr Giam asked about the considerations for whether those who are members of foreign bodies will be designated. The deadline for declaring whether a person is a member of a foreign legislative body or foreign political body is actually today, and, as I said, that is just one criterion. The other criterion, public interest, needs to be assessed. The Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures will look at the facts, consider the relevant matters in deciding whether to designate an individual as a PSP. What would this include? Typically, what the person has done in Singapore, his past actions, statements, conduct, his reach and influence and, especially, how likely he is to be a target of foreign interference or influence, and that would include an assessment of the extent to which he has linkage with the other country. These would be among the criteria. I am not setting this out as exhaustive.”
“But Members will appreciate that, on the flip side, this also naturally means that there will be some other areas where work will be deprioritised. These are the trade-offs. Mr Raj Thomas asked whether we would consider enlisting support from private investigators. Police IOs are specially trained to meet very stringent requirements and they can exercise Police powers which are quite wide-ranging. Private investigators do not undergo the same level of training, and I think we have to be very careful before we clothe private investigators who have not gone through the same level of training and who are not subject to the same discipline to be given the level of powers that our Police officers have. And the PI agencies will also need to hire their staff from somewhere. Today, those with investigative skills and experience are mostly in the Police. There is little point in outsourcing to PIs if the net talent pool is the same. So, we have no plans to do this at present. But we will continue to look at what we can do. Mr Chairman, before I end, let me briefly deal with two other issues. First, several MPs asked about our plans to introduce a Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill. We spoke about this Bill before. The Bill will consolidate the Government's powers to deal with racial issues and strengthen our suite of powers to preserve racial harmony. We will also introduce softer reparative measures which would seek to help the aggrieved community take a more reconciliatory view towards an offender and strengthen mutual understanding between the races. My Ministry has been developing the proposals. We will introduce them in Parliament later this year, subject to the drafting being done.”
“There have also been ongoing efforts to review the digital services for lodging of Police reports to make them more user-friendly. We also still have physically manned counters available across Singapore for those who prefer to report in person. So, it will not be at the NPP, but they will have to go to the specific Police stations. So, while we have not conducted a survey specific to manned NPPs, there are alternatives available, including manned counters, albeit a little bit further away. And second, there are general surveys that have been done which are statistically valid because they cover different demographics and that would include the elderly. And I have given the numbers before. Based on the Home Team's public perception survey of 2022, 95% of respondents surveyed personally trust the Home Team. And as I said, these surveys are statistically representative of the Singapore population, so they include both the elderly and the younger populations. And the 2021 IPS World Values Survey said 87% were confident or very confident in SPF, and that is the highest level of confidence in the Police around the world. So, I think, overall, there is that confidence and the trust. But it all depends on how the Police and the Home Team agencies conduct themselves year by year, and also a variety of factors, including how investigations are conducted and the manpower resources. Coming back to my points, the third point I would make in the context of resourcing is that within the SPF, we have also looked at prioritising the areas that have the most pressing needs, for example, investigating scams and sexual offences, and we are looking to channel more resources towards them.”
“With the increase in cases, our IOs are increasingly even more overstretched and overworked, and it will not be sustainable for them to continue cancelling their leave days, covering extra duty shifts and so on. If we do not deal with this, it will affect the safety and security situation in Singapore. So, as I said earlier, we have been working closely with the relevant Government agencies to see if MHA can get additional resourcing support for the SPF's investigation fraternity, and that is under consideration. At the same time, many other Government agencies are also needing additional manpower. Second, as I also mentioned, we are trying to automate and streamline investigation work processes where possible. For example, SPF launched CRIMES3, a next-gen investigation case management system. It automates manual tasks, gives our officers sense-making capabilities, allows them to work digitally on the go. And in this context of automation and what we prioritise and where we put our manpower, Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the Ministry's changing of Neighbourhood Police Posts (NPPs) from being manually operated with having officers there at the counter, to being automated. For those who need assistance, there will be both audio and video help available, with some officer taking you through the steps. She asked if a survey has been conducted on the perception of the elderly population on the removal of manned NPPs. Members will understand why we removed the manned NPPs and converted them to automated NPPs. We have not done a specific survey on the elderly, but we have been running publicity campaigns to educate the public on the use of digital services.”
“We have initiatives to educate our officers on the importance of self-care and how to deal with work stressors. We also provide confidential counselling and psychiatric services so that our officers can receive help when they need it. But after taking into account all the steps we take and can take to mitigate manpower needs, there is still a significant gap between the manpower that we need and the manpower that we actually have. We have been discussing with the responsible Government agencies to try and increase the Ministry's manpower allocation. This will, of course, be subject to the balancing of needs across the whole-of-Government. If we are short of manpower, then we have to be upfront about the trade-offs, what we can do and what we may have to deprioritise. These are the long-term consequences of our declining birth rates. One area of specific concern is the workload in SPF's investigation fraternity. Mr Murali Pillai and Mr Raj Joshua Thomas also expressed concern about this. Let me give Members a context using scams as an illustration, and that is just one illustration. Scams now account for the majority of crimes, and this trend is likely to continue. The number of reported scams has gone up six-fold since 2018. Many of these cases are complex and require our investigators to pursue more evidential areas than before. Demands and expectations from the public have also gone up, be it on the direction of the investigations or the speed of the investigations. On the other hand, the number of investigation officers (IOs) has increased by about 11%. So, you can see there is a significant gap. Police are already a very lean outfit.”
“Over the past five years, there has been an almost 40% increase in the number of Citizens on Patrol, or COP, volunteers, and a 60% increase in the size of Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit (CDAU), just to give two examples of schemes. Some volunteers may naturally leave after a while to pursue other priorities, but the overall numbers have been going up. So, we will continue with our efforts to attract more to join as volunteers, and to retain and engage existing volunteers. There are many ways in which this is done, for example, through Volunteers Appreciation Dinners, awards at the Departmental, MHA and national levels and so on. Third, of course, in terms of maintaining our workforce, we need to focus on the welfare of our officers, ensure that they are properly remunerated, properly trained, and properly taken care of. Despite all the challenges as Mr Pillai very graphically explained and talked about an ex-Police officer who is now telling his daughter to leave because of the hours she is working, I should add that, in terms of resignation rates, the figures for MHA as a whole are below 5%, and that is better than the resignation rates in the Public Service as a whole. And I think that is an illustration of the efforts that MHA has taken to help our officers and keep up the morale, the esprit de corp and a sense of belonging our officers feel to the organisation. So, despite all the challenges, the resignation rates are actually better than the Public Service. But I have spoken about this before, do not get me wrong, it is very challenging, including on morale. Assoc Prof Razwana Begum asked about the health and well-being programmes in place. MHA provides mental health and resilience training programmes for our officers.”