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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“It also observed that the UK Judiciary had lost the deferential respect it used to enjoy and lamented that "this change is one to be regretted", and since the situation was so bad and all the judges were being attacked online, and because the UK judiciary no longer had the deferential respect, there was little point in keeping the offence because you cannot reverse it anyway. The offence of scandalising the judiciary was, therefore, of limited value in the UK, because scandalising the courts was very common. We did not abolish the offence. Even before the AOJP, we had always taken a strict view on scandalising the Courts, because if there is an erosion of trust and confidence in our Judiciary, that would fundamentally affect the standing of Singapore and the way Singapore functions. That is why I decided that we, in fact, had to further tighten the law on scandalising the Judiciary and lowered the test from "real risk" of undermining public confidence in the administration of justice, to one of “risk” that public confidence would be undermined. That was a specific, considered decision and it was the one change to the substance of the law that the AOJP made. Questions were asked then, in the House as well as outside: "Other countries are going in the opposite direction. Why do we not follow them?" My answer is a simple one – we follow other countries if it makes sense, and we frequently look at the practice of other countries and more mature societies – what is good, what will work, we are happy to take. We are not shy about that. But when it makes sense, we must also be confident in charting our own paths. It is important that we are not colonised in our minds. And the test – since the AOJP has become law, has freedom of speech suffered?”
“But many others might take a 10% to 20% pay cut. But in the UK, if you take a top silk earning ₤2 million or more, then you will see the difference on average. So, the cut that our judges take is there, but it is not as steep as in many other countries, including the UK. We also seek to appoint the best people from the private and public sectors to the Bench and key Legal Service appointments. Our Chief Justice himself was a leading practitioner who was highly regarded both in Singapore and on the international stage. Before he went on to the Bench, he was Attorney-General and then he went on to head the Judiciary. That is one aspect – remuneration. It is important, and we have to make sure that it remains such that, while there is a cut, it cannot come to a stage where judges feel that they are paid so little that they do not want to take it up, which is the situation seen in many places. Or you certainly do not want them going to Employment Tribunals, and appealing and arguing about their own remuneration. Second, we have been clear about protecting our Judiciary from abuse and contempt. When we passed the AOJP Act in 2016, there were suggestions that we ought to, in fact, abolish the offence of scandalising the Judiciary, as the UK has done. The UK Law Commission did recommend the abolition of the offence, but it noted that "there [was] a great deal of extremely abusive online material concerning judges".”
“The current Lord Chief Justice, in a press conference in December last year, said that judges are facing "an increasing torrent of personal abuse online", some of which was designed to intimidate them. In the 2016 Judicial Attitude Survey I earlier cited, 15% of the respondents – the judges – said they had concerns about their own personal safety on social media. What are the lessons for us? The situation we have in Singapore is slightly different. In a survey conducted by my Ministry in late 2015 on how Singaporeans viewed the Courts, 92% said they had trust and confidence in our legal system, and 96% agreed that Singapore was governed by rule of law. In fact, if you see these sorts of surveys across the system – I am particularly aware of the Police, the Courts and the legal system – they all have about 90% or above in terms of trust. A State Courts user survey that same year found that 95% of users of our Courts had confidence in the fair and effective administration of justice by the State Courts. But this is not cast in stone, and what is happening in the UK could easily have happened in Singapore and can easily happen to us if we are not careful. The reason it has not happened is because we have chosen a different path from the UK in some ways. First, there is a considerable difference between the UK and Singapore in our respective approaches to the remuneration of judges. I think the article says that a Senior Judge could get about £181,000, which equates to something slightly less than S$400,000 today. For us – the records are public – top practitioners do take a pay cut when they become Judges and, depending on where they were outside, it could be a significant pay cut. Some could take as much as a 70% to 80% pay cut.”
“In 2015, the then-Lord Chief Justice of the UK said that “there has, overall, been a widespread feeling [amongst judges] of not being valued or appreciated for their work”. I referred Members to this when we discussed the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act (AOJP Act). The results of a 2016 UK Judicial Attitude Survey published in February of last year showed that only 43% of judges feel valued by the public. That is down from 49% in 2014, which is, itself, low; only 2% feel valued by the UK government; and only 3% feel valued by the media. In fact, fully 42% of judges stated in the survey that they would leave the judiciary if it were a viable option. This state of judicial morale in the UK owes somewhat to the attacks on judges by the British media. With your permission, Mr Speaker, I have asked for two newspaper cuttings to be distributed to Members in the House. You can imagine that the standing of the judiciary in the eyes of the public does not get enhanced when these sorts of attacks are made by mass circulation media. In an earlier 2014 UK Judicial Attitude Survey, almost two-thirds or 62% of all judges said that members of the judiciary are respected by society less than they were 10 years ago. Half of all judges – in fact, more than half – 56% of all judges saw media representation of judges and 59% saw public misunderstanding of the judiciary as factors which drove these changes. I also referred Members to this during the AOJP debate. It is not difficult to see why when you have newspaper headlines labelling judges as "Enemies of the people" and "You fools" when the courts decide in ways that the media dislikes. The Internet, social media in particular, seems to have worsened the problem.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for the question, and I thank him for alerting me to the report beforehand. The article which the Member has distributed speaks of a "crisis in recruiting judges to the top levels of the bench" in the United Kingdom (UK). It says that the UK courts are unable to attract high calibre legal talent to fill vacancies on the Bench. There are likely to be several reasons. One reason is said to be because of "a perception that [judges] are not valued". The article also says that the judges went to the Employment Tribunal to argue their case on their own remuneration packages, specifically pension arrangements. And the government is appealing against the Tribunal's ruling. So, here you have judges taking up their cases to the Employment Tribunal against the government; and now, the government is appealing against that decision. I think many of us would find this turn of events quite surprising. The UK judiciary has always been perceived as being in an exalted position, highly valued, world-class and, really, beyond these sorts of squabbles. Our own legal system is derived from the British system, and we owe much to them. Many of us grew up as lawyers, knowing and believing that the British judiciary was, in fact, the gold standard. It is, therefore, quite saddening to read this article. Some of the difficulties faced by judges in the UK have been quite public for some time. One of the reasons for this state of affairs, in my view, is that, for some time, the UK judiciary does not appear to have been given the resources it may have needed. And also, judges have been subjected to unfair public attacks. These attacks have undermined the standing, prestige and morale of the judiciary.”
“In 2016 and 2017, the Traffic Police (TP) received a total of 11 complaints concerning speeding along Yishun Avenue 1. TP conducts regular patrols on our roads and mounts targeted enforcement operations at areas that are prone to accidents and speeding. For instance, TP had installed a speed camera along Yishun Avenue 1 in 2016, to deal with speeding in the area. TP will continue to monitor the situation and further step up enforcement efforts as necessary.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir. With your leave, may I correct a factual error in my response to Mr Murali Pillai’s question yesterday on persons convicted under section 409 of the Penal Code? I had earlier informed Members that 12 persons are currently serving sentences for offences under section 409 of the Penal Code. [Please refer to "Limiting Use of Section 409 of Penal Code to Professional Agents", Official Report, 19 March 2018, Vol 94, Issue No 69, Oral Answers to Questions section.] That is an error. There are, in fact, 15 persons currently serving sentences for section 409 offences. Of these 15 persons, three were convicted in their capacity as directors. The remaining 12 comprise eight who were professional agents of one sort or another – insurance agents and so on – one attorney and three public servants. The 12, as I explained yesterday, are not affected by the ruling on directors. As regards the three directors, all three had pleaded guilty under section 409. They were convicted and sentenced before the High Court changed the interpretation of the law regarding section 409 of the Penal Code. The three are now on Community-based Programmes, including Home Detention, and are scheduled for release in a few weeks, somewhere between May and June of this year. The Public Prosecutor does not intend to file any applications in respect of these three persons. Thank you, Sir.”
“From 2013 to 2017, the Police Coast Guard (PCG) detected an average of 34 vessels each year making illegal or unauthorised entry into the waters off Pulau Tekong for fishing activities. Parts of the waters around Pulau Tekong are designated as Working Areas by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) due to reclamation work. Unauthorised entry into Working Areas is an offence under the MPA Act. The punishment is a fine of up to $5,000 and, in the case of a continuing offence, a further fine of up to $500 for every day which the offence continues. Some of the vessels detected included cases of unlawful entry into Singapore by foreigners. These persons were arrested under the Immigration Act. The punishment is imprisonment of up to six months and a minimum of three stokes of the cane, or a fine of up to $6,000 in lieu of caning. PCG has installed land- and sea-based barriers to protect our maritime borders and coastline. At Pulau Tekong, PCG has deployed floating sea barriers to prevent vessels from entering the designated Working Area and approaching the shoreline. PCG also deploys sensors, such as radars and cameras, to monitor our waters. This is complemented by regular PCG patrols to detect and interdict intrusions and illegal activities.”
“So, you can imagine, therefore, on the very same facts, the earlier conviction, in all fairness, ought not to stand. Here, if any persons are serving as directors, they would have been convicted properly on the facts and on the law as had been applied by the Courts. Whether subsequently a change in law should, therefore, apply to anyone who is currently serving, or any of the several cases which have been dealt with over 40 years, there is, as Mr Pillai would appreciate, a lot of learning on that. The Member's second question was on Home Detention. Is the Member asking by reference to these 12 cases or the City Harvest cases? City Harvest? Okay. On the 12, I will need to go and check. I think some may already be serving under Home Detention because there are some principles which are laid out under the rules. As for the City Harvest case, we looked at the principles that are applicable and we took advice from AGC as to whether, under the law, they would be entitled to community-based programmes, which will include Home Detention. We have now a policy and, if that policy is applied by the Commissioner of Prisons, those convicted in the City Harvest case will not qualify for Home Detention. It is something to be decided by the Commissioner of Prisons. He has got the discretion. But if the policy is applied, and that policy has been cleared with AGC, then they will not qualify.”
“Okay. By reference to that case or by reference to the Airocean case, whichever, the position here is slightly different. Section 409 covers a broad range. Professional agents or agents form only one category. It covers public servants. It covers various others. For example, if you look at these 12, three of them are public servants. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister for Home Affairs", Official Report, 20 March 2018, Vol 94, Issue 70, Clarification section.] So, it is very different. They were convicted qua public servants; they hold very different positions, senior to junior. There is no intention of doing anything about them. The High Court and Court of Appeal's interpretations do not affect them. One is an attorney and another eight are agents of various kinds, like insurance agents, real estate agents. So, you can see that the principles applied in the context of Airocean for revision as well as for appeal in the other case, do not apply. If I may go further, we have talked about 16 cases, at least, where directors, qua directors, have been convicted in the past 40 years. There have been more than that; but 16 reported cases. What would hypothetically be the position if one or more of them would be serving sentences now? I think that can be looked at; you can argue it either way. But if you look at, for example, the last case on revision. In Airocean, one director pleaded guilty. It was a conviction under the Securities and Futures Act (SFA). It was a prosecution under the SFA. The others claimed trial. At trial, eventually, they were held to be not guilty because the fact that was said to not have been put out was held by the Court to be not material.”
“Where the Public Prosecutor appealed? You are referring to the case where the Public Prosecutor appealed?”
“The first question is, by reference, to Airocean.”
“Thank you, Sir. There are now 12 persons serving sentences for offences under section 409 of the Penal Code. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister for Home Affairs", Official Report, 20 March 2018, Vol 94, Issue No 70.] They were convicted and sentenced before the High Court reviewed and changed the interpretation of the law regarding section 409. The Public Prosecutor does not intend to file any applications in respect of them.”
“The Ministry of Law regularly reviews the means test for civil legal aid to ensure that legal aid remains accessible to lower-income Singaporeans and Permanent Residents who cannot afford their own lawyers. Legal aid is unlike other forms of Government social assistance which benefits the individual seeking help, as legal aid often means the state helping one party in a legal case against another Singaporean. We must, therefore, ensure that our system is rigorous in only assisting those who wish to pursue meritorious cases but cannot afford to do so. For matrimonial disputes, the following provisions are in place to assist applicants. First, where the spouses are estranged, the Legal Aid Bureau excludes the income of the applicant's spouse when assessing the applicant's means. Second, in a divorce case, the matrimonial property would not be included in the means assessment. Moreover, for family proceedings involving children or protection order applications between spouses or ex-spouses, the Director of Legal Aid can give an extra deduction for the disposable capital component of the means test. This ensures that the most vulnerable persons in family-related disputes are eligible for legal aid.”
“Many of them are SMEs or individuals, and they create business opportunities through the use of location-based technologies. So, we provide the platform, we make it freely available, people jump on into it and create the business value out of it. So, our approach is to enable and support private sector innovation, as part of our Smart Nation efforts. Mr Chairman, I have covered many different aspects of MinLaw's work. The common framework for this is, of course, advancing the rule of law and making better use of what resources we have, ultimately, to improve the well-being of the people. The Senior Minister of State will now take the remaining cuts.”
“Last year, we announced that we will be expanding Maxwell Chambers. Refurbishment works have started. They are on track to be completed by next year and that will add 120,000 square feet of floor space and it will triple Maxwell Chambers' current size. So, obviously it will allow more cases to be heard. My Ministry will continue to support the development and expansion of our international law capabilities. Mr Edwin Tong asked about our plans to optimise our limited land resources. Mr Christopher de Souza asked about our support of the Smart Nation drive. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has been allowing old state properties with no immediate plans for redevelopment to be innovatively reused. So, that gives the buildings a new lease of life. It unlocks the value for businesses and individuals. A good example is Tanglin Village. It was a former army camp but is now home to a wide range of businesses. SLA will continue to find opportunities to convert state properties for different uses, in particular, social and community uses. SLA has also opened up previously un-utilised spaces for recreational community use. One example is the Jalan Bukit Merah Viaduct. Under the Viaduct, they have opened it up. Mr Edwin Tong had a specific question on Joo Chiat's "iconic" buildings. I will ask SLA to discuss the matter with the relevant agencies because the policy on this matter is with the Ministry of National Development (MND), so they will have to decide what land use they have planned for and we will see what can be done. As regards the Smart Nation agenda, SLA is also building up Singapore's geospatial capabilities through what we call GeoWorks. GeoWorks is a collaborative platform. SLA provides the platform for geospatial startups and industry partners.”
“SIMC also signed an MOU with the Japan Association of Arbitrators to help Japan build expertise in international commercial mediation. So, how do we ensure that we remain a destination of choice for dispute resolution? The starting point is that people must believe and know that there is going to be top-quality legal expertise available here if they come. What the Government can do is to make sure our dispute resolution legislation framework is modern and friendly. We will continue to make necessary legislative enhancements to make sure that it is at the cutting edge. For example, we recently amended the Supreme Court of Judicature Act. It clarifies that SICC can hear matters relating to international commercial arbitration under the International Arbitration Act. So, it gives the parties who choose Singapore as the seat of arbitration the certainty that they can benefit from the expertise of both local and international judges, who have a wide breadth of knowledge and experience, expertise, and judicial knowledge. All of that can be available from the Singapore Courts. The work itself can only be handled by Singapore-qualified lawyers from Singapore law practices. So, they get an international panel of judges. We also enacted the Mediation Act in 2017 which strengthens the framework for the enforcement of mediated settlements conducted in Singapore. It codifies certain matters which were previously dealt with under Common Law, such as confidentiality of communications in the context of mediation. It provides for greater certainty and clarity for commercial parties who opt to conduct their mediation in Singapore. We will continue to strengthen our international dispute resolution facilities and infrastructure.”
“Developing Singapore as a dispute resolution hub is, in fact, one of our key strategies in growing our legal industry. I have said that that is a role for the Government but there is also a very critical role for our lawyers. The Government can provide the infrastructure, the framework, the training through the law schools. But ultimately, the lawyers must also take part in it. And now the Government is even putting money on the table for law firms to go regional. Senior Minister of State Indranee Rajah will touch on some of the other strategies, but I will touch on our dispute resolution services. We aim to provide a full suite of such services that will create more work for Singapore law practices and Singapore-based lawyers within Singapore. We have seen, in fact, a tremendous growth in caseload numbers across all our main dispute resolution institutions, such as: (a) SIAC, (b) SIMC, and (c) SICC. SIAC, for example, saw within 2008 and 2016, in those eight years, a three-fold increase in cases, from 99 to 343. The total sum in disputes for new cases filed in 2016 hit S$17 billion, and 80% of those cases were international in nature. That is a record – S$17 billion. SIMC had a much later start. It had 22 cases filed in 2017, it now has 42 cases so far, and it was only established three years ago. To promote international commercial mediation, SIMC has also partnered other institutions. For example, in 2017, last year, SIMC signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the Mediation Center of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade/China Chamber of International Commerce, and the Hangzhou Arbitration Commission. This is to help businesses resolve disputes that may arise in cross-border transactions under China's Belt and Road Initiative.”
“We also actively participate in discussions on possible reform of investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, so that any future disputes on trade agreements can be fairly and effectively resolved. Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan asked if international trade law will help the Government respond to announcements of fresh tariffs in consultation with the US, and also in our negotiations of the next-generation regional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), large FTAs. Well, primarily, how we handle these issues will have to be guided by: (a) what is in our primary, economic as well as strategic interests; and (b) what is the framework of international law, including any applicable treaties. That will guide us in taking what we consider to be principled approaches when dealing and negotiating with our trading partners. And, of course, in these things, size matters as well. The second query that Asst Prof Mahdev Mohan had was, "Do developments in private international law present new opportunities for our lawyers vis-à-vis clients in India and the ASEAN countries?" The short answer is yes, they do. That is why we participate actively in international efforts to harmonise private international law and to promote the adoption of Singapore legal principles. Standards, but also any sort of civilised set of standards, in this area, would be welcomed, and it will help us. So, that will give our lawyers more opportunities because our commercial law principles are consistent and consonant with international law standards in most advanced jurisdictions. I will now deal with Mr Christopher de Souza's question on ensuring Singapore law firms and Singapore-based lawyers remain relevant in the region.”
“But we have to continue our engagement with the international community, other states, and our development of international law expertise in relevant emerging issues. We should support think-tanks which are doing research in these areas. Examples are the Asian Business Law Institute and the Centre for International Law, which are supported by us. We have to actively participate in international law-making at regional and multilateral forums and bring our interests and values to the table. We have done that. People know our crucial role in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We have led multilateral negotiations on online dispute resolution and dispute settlement. Right now, we are playing a very important and key role in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group II on Dispute Settlement. Under the chairmanship of a MinLaw Director, we have completed work on both a draft Convention and amended Model Law that will provide for the cross-border enforcement of international commercial settlement agreements resulting from mediation. The Singapore delegation is well-regarded in the international discussions on insolvency, electronic commerce and recognition and enforcement of judgments. 4.00 pm We are committed to peaceful international dispute resolution mechanisms. These are important for a small country like Singapore. We serve as a neutral venue for state-related disputes, which is also enabled through the partnerships we have forged, for example, through the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), amongst others.”
“If Members look at it over the years, there have been a series of reforms, each building on the other: (a) the pre-trial disclosure regime in 2010; (b) the community-based sentences (CBS) which were also introduced in 2010; (c) the changes to the Evidence Act in 2012; and (d) in 2015 – a fairly significant move for the Government – the Government funding legal representation of accused persons through the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. And now, comprehensive amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) and the Evidence Act have been introduced in Parliament earlier this week. Mr Christopher de Souza asked whether we should have three High Court Judges to sit in trials for capital cases. We have not seen a need to review this, but it does not mean no. Members will know that since 2012, if a person is sentenced to death and chooses not to appeal, a confirmation hearing must still be held by the Court of Appeal. That ensures that the imposition of the capital punishment is always reviewed by the apex Court of at least three judges. So, there is already a two-level process with at least three Judges of Appeal looking at the matter. But we will review the point made by Mr Christopher de Souza. I will now speak on our commitments towards advancing the international rule of law. Asst Prof Mohan spoke about it. We see ourselves as a responsible and effective member of the international community, and a firm believer in an international rules-based legal order. Adherence to the international rule of law is integral to our security and survival. To that end, we have done a number of things, which I think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has spoken about, and which I have spoken about previously. So, we do not need to repeat that.”
“Mr Chairman, I thank the Members who spoke. I will start with an overview of the legal reforms in our civil, family and criminal justice systems, which Mr Christopher de Souza spoke about. In the area of civil justice, my Ministry has been working closely with the Judiciary, legal practitioners. The aim is to keep legal costs affordable and to reduce the complexity of civil proceedings. We are also studying measures to strengthen the enforcement of civil judgments. Public consultation is likely to take place later this year. Mr Patrick Tay asked if we will be raising claims limits in SCT. The answer is, yes, we will be. Amendments will be introduced this year. It will allow claims of a higher value, and we hope it will allow claims to be resolved quickly and cost-effectively at SCT. On family justice, Members know that in 2014, we made changes. The reforms brought about several positive developments, including providing a child- and family-friendly approach, where the Courts look at what is in the interest of the children: how best to deal with it, and how to try and move on with as little acrimony as possible. To build on these positive reforms, my Ministry has set up a committee with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) as well as Family Justice Courts. We have asked them to review and further enhance the family justice system. The report will be out later this year, and we will act on it. On criminal justice, I have said earlier during the MHA COS debate that we want a progressive, balanced and modern criminal justice system.”
“What we can do is to try and deter criminals from attempting to bring drugs into Singapore. And we have to be firm in resisting those who try to force their ideologies on us. Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin will elaborate on how we are working with various stakeholders on this.”
“He ran away because he was scared of being beaten again when she was under the influence of drugs. But she found him, hit him, burned him with a lighter, picked him up and dangled him out of a third-storey window. Our CNB officers recently came across another abuser – seven months pregnant, still smoking "ice". She already had a previous miscarriage because of her "ice" habit, but her addiction was so strong. She persisted anyway, at the expense of her unborn, innocent child. And, again, from foreign jurisdictions, you see cases where children are born with addiction in-built and they need and crave for heroin from the time they are born. Who speaks for these defenceless victims? As I have said earlier, the self-styled activists refused to talk about how the addiction of hundreds of abusers is fed with each shipment that these traffickers bring in. How many families suffer as a result of drugs? Our penalties are severe because we want to deter such offences, not because we take any joy in enforcing them. No one can take any joy in enforcing them. Our regional drug situation remains challenging. The region is home to the Golden Triangle, which is the largest methamphetamine market in the world. Trafficking of heroin and methamphetamine in this region alone is estimated to generate over US$32 billion annually. It is a very lucrative business. It is not going to go away. So, let us not kid ourselves. International criminal syndicates operate in this region, attracted by the profits. Being a major transport and commercial hub makes us susceptible, both as a transit point and as an import market because of the wealth factor. It is beyond our ability to change factors outside of Singapore.”
“Concerned about the toddler's safety, CNB and Police then moved quickly with operations the very next day to take down two suspects. The young child was rescued and is now with Child Protective Services. How old is the child? One year old. In that one year, the young child had already been abandoned by his mother, who is on the run for drug offences, and being passed around between drug traffickers. These are not isolated cases. In many other countries, these are par for the course. We do not want to get there. In another case, a drug addict father abused his baby daughter ‒ very cruel, regularly biting her. One day, he was furious because he had no money to buy drugs. The baby cried ‒ as babies do ‒ and he shoved her against the wall so hard, her skull fractured. She was 10 months old ‒ not old enough to defend herself. These are the victims of drugs. The activists light candles for traffickers outside Changi Prison. They write emotive stories. They dream up about their lives. But who cares for these very real victims? How many young lives have we saved with our policies? Would you hear a squeak from the activists about these people ‒ the actual victims of burglaries, housebreakings, families torn apart through drugs, the physical violence, the mental abuse, and, by a process of estimation, the number of people who have been saved from that, the shootings and the killings that take place in other countries where drug abuse is prevalent? The 60,000 people who died through opioid abuse do not capture all the deaths in the US. There are many more gangland violence with drugs as the underlying cause ‒ the shootings, guns, weapons. We have another case in Singapore – a 9-year-old boy living with his abusive aunt. He saw her doing drugs.”
“We have many slides, but this sort of shows you what the trends have been over a period of time in terms of drug use. Anyway, in all the downward blip for the period when people abused Subutex, when you see that, it is probably a fairly smooth curve. There was not a real dip in certain years because people were using Subutex. And then we outlawed that and they went back to other drugs. The number of drug abusers we have in Singapore is relatively low, compared with some of the other jurisdictions. For example, the number of opiate abusers in Singapore is less than 30 per 100,000 people. In Portugal, the number is almost 500. In the US, the number is 600, that is, 20 times our number. In Portugal, it is just under 20 times. And the numbers will grow further in the US because of the move towards legalisation in many states. Intravenous drug use is not a significant mode of HIV transmission in Singapore. So, if you think of the lives that have been saved, the misery, deprivation, the loss – we have saved a lot of people from that, if you just look at that slide ‒ from something near 7,000 people being arrested per year, to something in the region of 3,000-plus being arrested now. If you take that as 3,000 to 4,000 lives per year over a 20-year period, it is a lot of lives, a lot of people who have been saved from drugs. This result has been possible because we have been tough on drugs. And we should not ease up. You look at the cases anecdotally. Just this Monday, CNB arrested a trafficker in a drug bust. During the investigations, officers discovered that ‒ and it was a lady ‒ she was caregiver to a toddler. She had left him with two other suspected drug traffickers.”
“Portugal decided to decriminalise drugs in a situation where perhaps it concluded that it was not possible or unrealistic for it to control the drug situation. The situation we have in Singapore is different. Our approach has been effective and has worked well for us. We are one of the few countries where the drug situation has been under control and perhaps the country that has been most effective in dealing with the problem. Mr Chairman, with your permission, can I display a slide on the screen, please?”
“Countries, such as Portugal, have decriminalised drug use and they have received international attention for this approach. And there are some people here who tell us Portugal is a great example to follow and show why our approach is wrong and Portugal's approach is right. But do the facts bear that out? And what are the lessons for us from the Portugal situation? First, Portugal started with a serious public health problem on its hands. It had many heroin abusers. They were sharing contaminated needles and they were spreading diseases like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. More than half of the HIV infections were drug-related, which was the highest rate in the European Union (EU). Portugal then decided to decriminalise drugs. It increased funding for treatment facilities, provided for needle exchange and opioid substitution therapy, ran campaigns "say no to a second-hand syringe". These measures have helped Portugal to reduce HIV and Hepatitis infections. But when you start with serious HIV-related problems, Hepatitis infection-related problems arising through drug use, contaminated needles, then I suppose you ask yourself which is the lesser evil and you go for decriminalisation and then you try and reduce the problem somewhat. But we are not in that situation, thankfully. And there are tradeoffs from Portugal's approach. The lifetime prevalence of drug use in Portugal has increased since decriminalisation. Surveys indicate that more Portuguese students are trying drugs and the number of drug-related deaths has also gone up since 2011. So, you will not find all these facts from the people who advocate that we go down the route of Portugal.”
“I think the Internet, social media, the pro-legalisation lobby in the US are telling them it is cool and safe to take cannabis. But if you look at the well-supported research, it tells us that cannabis is harmful, especially to teenagers, because it can cause irreversible brain damage. We have to stay firm in this fight against drugs. We are also studying how we can enhance the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) to deal with new threats. Over the past year, the drug situation in the world has continued to worsen. The US declared the opioid crisis they face is a "public health emergency". The US National Centre for Health Statistics estimated almost 64,000 people died from drug overdose in 2016. Sixty-four thousand people – that number is more than the number of US soldiers who died in the Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars combined. It is more than the number of people who have died through breast cancer in the US. It is more than the number of people who have died of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related deaths in the US at the peak of the epidemic. The media has covered extensively on how the big pharmaceutical (pharma) companies, poor regulation and irresponsible proliferation of poor-quality research often funded by the pharma companies have all combined to create this crisis. In May 2017, the US federal court found top executives from Purdue Pharma guilty of misleading regulators, doctors, patients about the risks of OxyContin, which is a powerful and addictive opioid. They earned billions from their deception. Patients graduated from snorting or injecting the crushed pills, then turning to heroin and other drugs to feed their addictions. Despite the harms caused by drugs, some countries have been softening their stance.”
“Mr Chong Kee Hiong spoke about the role of the community. Our community leaders have done much to foster respect and understanding among the communities. The Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) are one example. The Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) is another. Our religious leaders play a big role in leading by example. A wonderful example is the Mufti of Singapore, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, who shares in other communities' celebrations like Deepavali and Christmas, and regularly offers festive greetings in private and public, including during the Chinese New Year last month. Another example is the Anglican Bishop Rennis Ponniah who hosted an annual Christmas tea at his official residence, with not just Anglicans attending, but also Catholics, Lutherans, Muslims, Buddhists and Taoists. They were invited to join in and they joined it. The Singapore Buddhist Lodge donates rice and funds to mosques during Ramadan every year for the breaking of fast, to be distributed to needy families. This was initiated by their late President Mr Lee Bock Guan, both to help the needy and to promote inter-religious harmony. There are numerous examples. I have just identified a few. It is the respect of different faiths, the willingness to share in one another's lives, that it is not just a harmonious common living space. Let me now move to our stance on drugs. Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Baey Yam Keng, Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Edwin Tong spoke about the global challenge. The results from a 2016 National Council Against Drug Abuse survey shows a slightly worrying trend. Our young people are adopting a slightly more open attitude towards drugs, compared with a similar survey done three years earlier in 2013, especially towards cannabis.”
“And we said no, they cannot come in to preach. That was September 2017. A month later, in October 2017, we said no to two foreign Muslim preachers. One was Mufti Ismail Menk, and the other is Haslin bin Baharim. They wanted to come into Singapore to preach on a religious-themed cruise. Some have said that the Government over-reacted. What is wrong with Mufti Menk telling Muslims that wishing non-Muslims "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Deepavali" is the biggest sin and crime that a Muslim can commit? What is wrong with him preaching that? Our decisions are carefully considered. Mufti Menk is a preacher who has been systematically putting out messages like there are people who are very big enemies of Islam, and if you attend their functions, you will be seen as rubbing shoulders with them. There are thousands of reasons why Islam is more authentic and valuable; that Christianity is just a bubble that is blown such that you feel emotionally high. If you look at all his teachings, the main message that comes out is quite clear and the divisiveness is not acceptable. At the same time, we are also not immune to Islamophobia. In June last year, after the news of the detention of Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari was reported, we had an Indian man scolding a Muslim lady who wore a tudung on a bus, saying that Muslims "should stay in Iraq as they did not know the value [of] staying in Singapore". So far, these incidents are few and far between. They are contained. Most Singaporeans do not behave like this. And there is a good reason why. It is because of the approach of the Government and the people of Singapore. But we need to keep a close watch on this. We must not allow the threat of terrorism to, on the other side, create fear, suspicion and distrust of one another.”
“One example of the approach or the result of that approach, the Straits Times recently featured Masjid Khalid, a mosque in Joo Chiat, which distributes oranges and greeting cards to business owners and residents in the area during the Lunar New Year. This is just one of the many examples we see on the ground. We have to preserve the harmony and, to do this, we cannot let extremist or segregationist teachings infiltrate our communities. Even a small number of persons propagating radical, segregationist beliefs can be dangerous. As Mr Chong Kee Hiong pointed out, the inflammatory and viral potential of such beliefs is increased with social media. It is challenging. But we work closely with community groups and religious organisations, we want to try and better inoculate our community from such influences. And the efforts extend to online as well. For example, the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) has produced online videos to explain why ISIS' ideology goes against Islamic teachings. Offline, in the physical world, when we have foreign preachers who want to come into Singapore, and if we know that they have advocated violence or spread ill-will towards other religions, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, they will not be allowed to speak here. This applies to all religions. In September last year, we banned two foreign preachers: Christian. They wanted to speak in Singapore. One of them had described Allah as "a false god". He had asked for prayers for those "held captive in the darkness of Islam". He insinuated that Buddhists were "lost" people who could be saved by converting to Christianity. The other preacher had variously referred to "the malevolent nature of Islam and Mohammed", saying Islam was "not a religion of peace". This is all unacceptable.”
“This is in line with the more targeted approach we want to take because different individuals may require different intensities of intervention and different lengths of rehabilitation. I will speak further about the RT regime during the Second Reading of the CPC (Amendment) Bill later this month. My third point, let me deal with religious extremism and segregationist thinking. Mr Christopher de Souza spoke about this. The older generation, who are getting increasingly older, will remember the turmoil of the 1950s and 1960s. We do not want to go back to those days. For many countries, that is their current reality. What we have today is the racial and religious harmony which has been achieved through decades of deliberate and sustained intervention and the Government working hand-in-hand with various stakeholders. It is a constant work-in-progress. We never say you have arrived, and you can slide back quite quickly. So, how do we prevent segregationist teachings from taking root? We have a number of approaches – social intervention, regulatory framework and a constant working with community organisations, grassroots, getting the message across. For example, in terms of social intervention, our Ethnic Integration Policy in our public housing. Our schools are integrated. National Service (NS) puts our young men together. These deliberate interventions mean that we grow up together, build collective memories together and we come together as Singaporeans, instead of forming ethnic or religious enclaves. And this shows in the way we live our daily lives, such as eating together at the same table, working together in the same offices.”
“The CARES officers will then refer the offenders to a suitable agency for help and continue to follow-up. We are studying this in detail with MSF, and we will try to pilot this at a Police Division this year. Another important area is how we deal with the young offenders. Our approach, if you take today, 80% of the youths who are arrested are not charged – four out of five are not charged. The Police will give them a warning and refer them to counselling and other programmes. We want to give them a chance to sober up, stay on the right side of the law after that. But there will be cases, as the statistics showed – 20% – where we have no choice. We have to take stern action. Some are repeat offenders; some could be serious offences, like drug trafficking. Such cases, they will be detained. And for punishment, deterrence and, equally important, their own rehabilitation. Reformative Training (RT) is an essential, necessary regime for such young people. Within the RT population, we try to group them by risk profile and needs. This helps to provide a more targeted set of interventions. The trainees will go through programmes that will help them take charge of their rehabilitation. They can then reflect on their offences ‒ how to stay crime-free and how to strengthen their relationships with their family. Prisons will also continue with their education and skills training for the reformative trainees. Those who can, will continue to take their GCE "N", "O" and "A" levels. There are also vocational training opportunities, such as Workforce Development Agency (WDA)-accredited courses. We intend to further enhance the RT regime. One of these changes is to reduce the minimum detention period from the current 18 months to either six months or 12 months.”
“We started this in 2013 for persons with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems. This was extended in 2017 to support young suspects. Independent volunteers are the AAs. They are trained to provide emotional support to the interviewees. In 2017, AAs provided support for about 700 interviews during the course of investigations, and the feedback has been positive, both from the volunteers who are AAs, as well as the Investigation Officers (IOs). In April this year, we will roll out the AA scheme to more Police and CNB units so that they can support more young suspects. And it will also include Customs and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). Separately, we are also looking to identify and deal with the basic issues that lead people to crime. Mr Murali Pillai spoke about involving the community and VWOs, and how to deal with offenders with mental health conditions. This is something new, in the sense of what I am going to say. We will introduce a new initiative. It will be called the Home Team Community Assistance and Referral Scheme (HT CARES). When our officers deal with individuals who have committed offences, often, they become aware of other problems and the complex circumstances surrounding these offenders. As Mr Murali Pillai pointed out, some have medical issues, too. Some are struggling to make ends meet. Others have problems with the family. So, we will have these CARES officers stationed at every Police Division. The investigators will deal with the "crime-solving". The CARES officers will assess whether social interventions are needed to address the underlying issues. The interventions could be in the form of counselling; it could be in the form of mental health assistance; it could be in the form of financial assistance.”
“Victims can be examined by a doctor onsite at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), without the need to shuttle between CID and hospital and having to recount what happened to them once at the hospital and once to the Police Officers. Everything could be done in one place, at the OneSAFE Centre. We have developed a training video for our officers on how to question the victims in an empathetic way. The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) helped us with that. They will then understand and have greater empathy for the trauma faced by victims. In June this year, the Police, together with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and other partners, will pilot a Multi-Disciplinary Interview (MDI) model. This would be focused on children who have been sexually abused by family members. 1.45 pm It is necessary to gather the facts from these children. But, again, one can imagine or understand the stress that such children may undergo if they have to be interviewed separately by the Police, doctors and child protection officers. It adds to the stress. And so, we will seek to integrate these interviews so that the children need not repeatedly recount their traumatic experience. In addition, Court processes will aim to better protect the victims of sexual assault cases, including automatic protection of identity, closed-door hearings and the questions about the victim's sexual history and unrelated behaviour. There will be restrictions on what sort of cross-examination will be allowed, subject to the overall jurisdiction of the Courts. That will be set out when we deal with the legislation. We will define the precise scope, what we are intending to do, and how the process can be taken forward. Another process is the Appropriate Adults (AAs) Scheme.”
“Recently, the case of a mother who abused her two-year-old son. And after two years, he died from head injuries, assaulted for not being able to recite numbers. Our punishments for these sorts of offences are generally stiff. We will, nevertheless, review the punishments and what is the level of proof that is needed for these cases. Mr Ang Wei Neng spoke about the Vulnerable Adults Bill. Our MSF colleagues have been working hard on this. And I understand the Bill will be tabled in Parliament soon. Mr Louis Ng asked about marital rape, and that is also under review. Let us be clear. Violence against women is wrong – no ifs and no buts on that. So, removal of immunity against marital rape is being studied. Second, I want to talk about process reviews and changes, the steps we are taking to improve our processes. When you look at investigations, our investigative processes, will aim to take better care of the victims' well-being. In particular, we are looking at the investigations and Court processes for sexual crimes, to better protect victims of such offences. Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Louis Ng asked about this. I first announced in August 2016 that we were reviewing this. We have listened to the victims to understand their concerns. We have worked with several organisations – MSF, hospitals, Courts and non-government organisations (NGOs) – to improve our processes and the way our officers interact with the victims. Some examples of the changes that have been made, we have selected and started training a group of officers. We call them Sexual Crime Duty Officers. They will conduct interviews with victims. We have introduced the One-Stop Abuse Forensic Examination (OneSAFE) Centre.”
“Exercises have been conducted to make sure that these plans are sharpened and we will continue to include other partner agencies in such exercises. Second Minister Josephine Teo will share more on how the Home Team is countering the terrorist threat. I will now speak on three areas. First, ensuring the criminal justice system stays relevant and effective; second, preventing religious extremism and segregationist thinking; and third, maintaining our tough stance against drugs. The other officeholders will deal with the other points. First, on the criminal justice system. We seek to amend the CPC, the Bill that is in Parliament – the Evidence Act – and later this year, we will amend the Penal Code. The detailed proposals on the amendments to CPC will be covered in my Second Reading speech. I told the House in January that we have embarked on a comprehensive review of the Penal Code. We set up a committee in July 2016 to this end to undertake a fundamental review to look at the principles which underlie our laws, what offences could be covered, what the punishments should be, and whether the current punishments are appropriate. It is quite a broad review. The Committee aims to complete its work in a few months' time, and we will invite feedback from the public. Significant focus of the Penal Code Review would be on enhancing protections for vulnerable persons – children, people with mental disabilities and domestic workers. Mr Ang Wei Neng spoke about this. We have seen cases where such persons are violently treated, hurt, exploited or even killed by the very people who ought to be protecting them. Many Members will know of the case of Annie Ee, as do many Singaporeans. We can understand the anger that many people felt. There are other cases like this.”
“As Members may know, under our system, legal framework and constitutional structure, MHA is responsible for home-front and internal security, including counterterrorism, crisis and consequence management. When a terrorist attack happens, MHA is, therefore, overall responsible, will be in charge and lead the national response. Police will manage the incidents on the ground and will be the first and main responders. If the scale of the attack is very large, MHA may also ask SAF to provide support to the Police as an auxiliary force. Likewise, MHA may also ask other Ministries, agencies, like the Ministry of Health (MOH) to support the operations. To this end, the Police and SAF have developed joint plans and conducted joint exercises. We are, of course, very appreciative for the SAF's commitment and the commitment of other agencies to support the Home Team in such situations. This modus operandi has been discussed and agreed on for some time and, as I have said, it follows the constitutional structure and practice that we have adopted over many decades and I made this clear in 2016, when I stated that all operations within Singapore, the Police will take command. And depending on the nature and the scale of the attack, Home Team may rely on other agencies which will provide support for us. These agencies could include, depending on the nature and scale of the incident, SAF, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and MOH. For example, if there is a large-scale attack, if Police need additional forces beyond the Emergency Response Teams (ERT) and the Special Operations Command (SOC), SPF may call upon SAF for specialised forces like the Special Operations Task Force. They will also support and reinforce the ERTs and SOC.”
“Mr Chairman, I thank the hon Members for their comments. Singapore continues to be safe, secure. We were ranked No 1 in the Gallup Global Law and Order Report 2017. The Economist Intelligence Unit's Safe Cities Index 2017 ranked us second, behind Tokyo. Public trust and confidence in the Home Team continue to be high. Ninety-seven percent of our residents feel safe walking home alone at night. The overall crime and drug situation remains under control. Crimes, such as robbery, housebreakings and snatch thefts, registered an all-time low in 2017. And the number of drug abusers arrested decreased in 2017, compared to 2016. Fire incidents are at their lowest in 40 years. Recidivism rates have improved, as have the road safety and immigration offending situation. So, the overall situation in 2017 on the security front was, I would say, better than previous years. And compared to the rest of the world, many other similar cities, we are in a good situation. Achieving those results, securing a safer Singapore requires efforts from many different people. We look at the growing terrorism threat, we have to deal with it on multiple fronts. It also means building up our capabilities to protect our people. MHA's budget has increased by more than 10% this year. A large part of that increase is going into enhancing our counterterrorism capabilities and efforts. It is because the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) remains high and, in fact, will continue to grow, as fighters from the Middle East come back to this region. MHA must and will do all it can to protect our people. It is our responsibility and accountability to deal with terrorist threats within Singapore.”
“We now have confirmation that there was a suspicion. Does Ms Lim agree that it does not accord with the standards of a First World parliament and honest debate, for someone to come here and start talking about, "This is my suspicion", "I cannot back it up", "It is contrary to all the facts", "In fact, I have not checked the facts; now that you have recounted the facts, I'll go back and check. But I have my suspicions." Would she agree that that is contrary to the standards of a First-World parliament? Secondly, I am not the only one to accuse Ms Lim of dishonesty. I think a phrase, a Latin phrase will be ringing in her mind: "suppressio veri, suggestio falsi ". Somebody very eminent, a High Court Judge, said that about Ms Lim.”
“The implication, based on what you have said, is that a trial balloon was floated with the obvious intention that a tax increase was going to be announced now, but because of the public reaction being so severe, the Government has backtracked and has changed its mind, and has announced it as a future tax increase. Is that not what you have said? And if that is not what you are saying, please say so clearly.”
“Seeing what the facts are, as I have set them out, would Ms Lim agree that the suggestions are baseless, and are you prepared to withdraw that this Government behaved dishonestly?”
“So, given those sets of facts, would Ms Lim be prepared to withdraw the very serious allegations she makes, that this Government announces something late last year, trial balloon, public reacts, we quickly backed down, but we are stuck; basically, making an accusation that the Government is behaving willy nilly, dishonestly. And if she will not withdraw those baseless suggestions, will she set out what the facts are for making the suggestion, whether she still stands by the suggestion, and repeats it?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir. Can I seek a clarification from Ms Sylvia Lim who said that there was a trial balloon when the Prime Minister spoke last year, and because of the public reaction, the Government backed down but was stuck with this announcement and, therefore, this announcement has been made of a future GST increase. Can I invite her to agree that that is a thoroughly hypocritical and dishonest statement, and typical of the statements she makes in this House? Let me explain. Would Ms Sylvia Lim agree that the Prime Minister first talked about a tax increase during the National Day Rally – I think it was in 2013? And that the Finance Minister talked about the tax increase in the Budget last year, a year ago? The Prime Minister, when he spoke about the likelihood of a tax increase late last year, referenced to the Finance Minister's statement earlier in the year. Does she not know all these facts? If one, with some commonsense, puts those facts together with another set of facts, which is that Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and the Prime Minister had said that the Government had enough funds for this term, if you put those two sets of Government positions together, is it not absolutely clear that (a) we do not need money for this term, and (b) we will need to raise taxes for the future? Given that the positions have been consistent and Ms Sylvia Lim will also know that, for example, that when we first talked about GST, it was mentioned in 1986, but it came into force much later, in 1994.”
“The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) facilitates medical referrals for inmates who require follow-up upon release. For primary care, an inmate would typically be given a referral letter, which he can bring to a polyclinic or family physician of his choice. An inmate who requires specialist or tertiary care follow-up would usually be referred to Changi General Hospital (CGH) for continuity of care, as CGH provides treatment for inmates during incarceration. An inmate may be referred to another restructured hospital should the inmate require treatment under a specialty not available in CGH. The inmate can also request that CGH transfer his care to another hospital.”
“In the past five years, there were four fire incidents involving escalators. In all four cases, the fires were localised and quickly extinguished. In one case, the fire was caused by sparks from welding works. Two other fires had electrical origins, involving electrical components of the escalator. The most recent escalator fire occurred on 5 February 2018 at Ang Mo Kio MRT station. Investigations into this case are still ongoing. Regular maintenance is important to ensure that all components of the escalator are in good operating condition. Since November 2016, all escalators must undergo monthly maintenance by a registered escalator service contractor. This includes checking all escalator parts for corrosion or wear and tear. The machinery is also inspected to ensure cleanliness and that the safety components are functioning properly. All escalators must undergo annual examination, inspection and testing by a registered escalator contractor, in the presence of an independent Authorised Examiner. Escalator owners and registered escalator service contractors are also required to inform the Commissioner of Buildings of all reportable escalator incidents.”
“The Legal Aid Bureau provides Legal Aid, Legal Advice and Legal Assistance, for example, drafting of wills, to lower-income Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. Legal Advice and Legal Assistance applicants only need to pass the means test, while Legal Aid applicants have to pass both the means test and the legal merits test. The data from 2013 to 2017 for those who applied for Legal Advice and Legal Assistance is set out in the table below. The data from 2013 to 2017 for those who applied for Legal Aid is set out in the table below. The number of applications which went through the merits test is lower than the number of applications which passed the preliminary means test, because many applicants of Legal Aid who passed the preliminary means test subsequently withdrew their applications, became uncontactable, or were later found to be above means. Applicants with urgent cases may also have been assisted under a Provisional Grant of Aid before they went through the merits test.”
“Losing an Identity Card (IC) is a serious matter as the lost IC may be misused to commit identity fraud and for illicit transactions. In the last three years, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) received around 31,500 reports of lost ICs annually. Around 13% were granted fee waivers for the replacement ICs. The trend of lost ICs has been relatively stable over the past decade. There are no fixed qualifying criteria for the waiver of the IC replacement fee. ICA will consider the circumstances of each case. It may grant a waiver in situations where it assesses that the loss of the IC was not due to negligence, but circumstances beyond the cardholder’s control, for example, if he or she had been a victim of crime. We are not able to develop a mechanism or system to automate such assessments and which the public can use to check if they would qualify for waiver of the IC replacement fee.”
“As for fire extinguishers, HDB installs them in community spaces in common areas, in rooms housing utilities services1 and in commercial facilities. SCDF encourages the installation of fire extinguishers in homes on a voluntary basis, instead of making it mandatory, as they are expensive and difficult to maintain. If necessary, residents can also use the hose reels that are provided in the common areas of HDB blocks to put out incipient fires.”